Trips to the provincial Sports Hall of Fame helped speedskater Stephen Gough set lofty goalsB8Scott Briggs
Telegraph-Journal
Editor's note: This is the first story in a series profiling 2009's six inductees into the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame. Tuesday: senior hockey sensation Frankie LeBlanc.
Former Olympic speed-skater Stephen Gough now coaches the Canadian Short Track Speedskating team in Montreal Thursday, May 14, 2009. Gough originally from Fredericton is being inducted into the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame. Photo Tyrel Featherstone for the Telegraph-Journal When Fredericton's Stephen Gough was in junior high, he enjoyed taking walks during his lunch hours.
But instead of wandering aimlessly, he would dream about his future in speedskating. And when he needed inspiration, he strolled into the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame.
"When I was younger I went to George Street Junior High, and on more than one occasion, I went into the Sports Hall of Fame,'' Gough says. "It was better than hanging out at the mall. I would look at the displays of the names like (N.B. Hall of Fame speedskaters) Charles Gorman and Hugh McCormick.''
Gough will take his place next to those two legends and the rest of the honoured members when he's welcomed into the provincial sports shrine on June 6 at the Delta Brunswick in Saint John.
The 36-year-old lives in Montreal, where he coaches the national short track team. He works with 12 athletes, but there are only five spots available for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
It's a situation Gough knows well. After leaving Fredericton for the national team at the age of 17, he had his sights set on earning a berth for the Albertville Olympics in 1992. He missed the mark, but battled back to earn a spot on the team that went to the '94 Olympics in Lillehammer.
"It's always a pleasure to give back and share your experiences,'' Gough says about coaching. "It also puts your own accomplishments in perspective. If you go back 15 years ago, I was in their shoes.''
It took a while for those shoes to fit.
After tasting success at the national level, Gough moved to Montreal to attend McGill University. He eventually made the national team, but didn't qualify for Albertville in '92. The letdown only led to extra motivation.
"It was one of those moments where you evolve,'' Gough says. "I saw what was happening with the team that was preparing for Albertville, and I wanted to be at that level.
"You always have to start with self-belief. It took time to remake myself and to get fitter and stronger, but I was able to put it all together and work from the inside out.''
With an increased focus on refining his skating technique, Gough's strides led to Lillehammer, where he helped the men's 5000-metre relay team finish fourth. At the '94 world championships, he won a bronze medal in the 5000-m relay, while the team took silver in the overall standings.
Gough retired in February 1998, but his time with the national team has served him well as a coach.
"I think as my career wound down, (coaching) became a natural transition,'' Gough says. "I had coached off and on throughout my career.
"I try to work on athletes with what they're doing with their bodies, but also with what's going on between their ears. I've never been above working with any level of athlete.
"I find coaching at different levels rewarding and stimulating, and it broadens your horizons. It's stimulating to be able to connect and give them what they need.''
Former national team coach Yves Nadeau says Gough had to work for his success, a characteristic that helps in coaching.
"He was talented but he didn't have polish,'' Nadeau recalls. "He wanted to succeed and he wasn't there just for the show or just to be on the team.''
While Gough was dead serious about his dedication to the sport, his former coach remembers the skater's "lighter side.''
"Whenever things were down, he would crack a joke to break the (tension),'' Nadeau says. "He could be the life of the party"¦ but (he's remembered) as a very good sprinter and a good team member with good team spirit.''
Gough also gained respect for his toughness. Dr. John McCall, who worked with the national team, recalls Gough battling back from a broken leg.
"I figured he would be lucky to walk again, let alone skate,'' McCall says. "Stephen was a special guy.
"I think New Brunswick should be proud of him. He had the ability to come back from adversity and he had the great ability to persevere.''
Saint John resident Sue Ellis, a former coach with the U.S. Olympic speedskating team, remembers getting telephone calls from Gough when he was in Montreal. The calls often came during turbulent times.
"If I hadn't heard from Stephen in a while, that was a good sign,'' Ellis says. "Once in a while, he would call when things were going really well.''
Ellis saw Gough's talent and potential when he was part of the provincial program.
"I knew he had the goods,'' the coach says. "It was a matter of confidence, really. Once he made that leap into (total) commitment, the results started to come and the confidence started to come.''
Ellis also likes what Gough offers as a coach. She witnessed his strengths while the two worked together for the U.S. national team several years ago.
"He was really dedicated to the athletes and very personable to the athletes, and he has a pretty good eye for technique,'' she says. "He brought forth a lot of unique ideas and thinking outside the box.
"Even as a skater, Stephen thought outside the box. He was always questioning, in a good way, and he wanted to know why.''
Ellis says the era in which Gough competed adds even more strength to his coaching credibility. He was part of a group that included the likes of Marc Gagnon and Derrick Campbell.
"He trained with some of the top guys in the world,'' Ellis says. "That gives you a lot of respect from the athletes. He wasn't part of just a mediocre national team.''
Today, Gough marvels at the overall improvements in the national team program, which includes more resources for training and nutrition.
"When you talk about three or four people connected to the team versus 15, it makes a big difference,'' Gough says. "I'm very excited to be involved and I hope we can do well (in Vancouver in 2010).''
Gough's athletic background also includes stints in soccer, baseball, hockey, swimming, racquetball and squash.
"I'm happy that I started out in different sports when I was young. I wasn't pressured. I chose my own adventure.''
One that started out at and returned to the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame.