ELITE ATHLETE | PERFORMANCE COACH | P.E. TEACHER
As I lay in bed, I noticed some movement beside me. I was in the Netherlands, at an international athletics meeting in Hengelo, preparing for competition and sharing a room with a Great Britain triple jumper. At that point, I was unaware of my teammate's nocturnal toilet habits—but I was about to find out. The distance between the bathroom and the bed wasn’t long, given the somewhat "cosy" room we were sharing, but it was just enough for my teammate to crouch on the floor, ready to spring into action.
In my semi-conscious state, I opened my eyes, baffled by my roommate’s odd behavior. Slowly, it dawned on me that he was practicing his technique. Using the "track" between the bed and the bathroom, he perfectly executed a hop, then a skip, and finally a long jump, landing with acute precision right in front of the toilet.
I sat up, wide-eyed and incredulous. I like to think that I’m pretty well-versed in various preparation techniques for competition, but this was the first time I had seen someone integrate their training into their nocturnal routine.
Somewhat embarrassed, my roommate asked me to keep it quiet, and true to the code of the elite athlete's union, I promised to stay silent—until the next morning, when I told absolutely everyone. The news spread like wildfire, and the teasing and banter that followed were part of what makes athletics so enjoyable.
The embarrassment of my esteemed teammate only increased the hilarity among our community. While he remains nameless for the purpose of this blog, he knows who he is—and he also understands that this is all part and parcel of athletics and sports in general.
Why is humour important
In the pressure cooker of elite performance, you need a release. In fact, some of the most hilarious moments were born during the darkest times in training, where my training partners and I pushed ourselves to the limit. There were times when, in our pursuit of gold, we pushed ourselves to the edge.
After a killer training session, I would literally lie in pain, with lactic acid pulsing through every part of my body. We were all in pain, yet we knew we needed to hydrate and prepare to go again, even though our bodies were telling us we were done.
The intensity of training was such that we all needed a release, and the fun and banter between teammates were essential for getting us up and ready again. To be honest, much of the fun came from teasing each other, and sometimes it wasn’t even that funny—but the fact that we were all working toward the common goal of being the best we could be brought us together.
Humour was both a release and a support mechanism that allowed us to cope better with the pressure of achieving ambitious goals. At BISS Puxi, our team sports educators and I push students to be the best they can be in a controlled environment. There are times we push them hard, but there are also times when we encourage them to smile, laugh, and let the joy of sports flow. This balance comes with experience, and it’s an experience I’m happy to share.
Humour with a Sharp Edge
There is a fine line between humour and saying something hurtful, and there’s also a choice between when to be serious and when to laugh. These lines are often crossed in competitive elite athletics, where competitors seek a psychological advantage.
I learned over time that while I couldn’t control others' mind games or words, I could control how I reacted. The Great Britain training environment is unique: you are teammates, all pushing each other to be the best we can be. Yet, you are fierce competitors, all striving for that coveted spot in the GB team for a championship or the Olympics. You are friends who have been through so much together and genuinely enjoy each other’s company. Each athlete can play any one of these roles at different times.
I clearly remember one GB training session where a teammate, who had been beating me consistently in previous training sessions, started teasing me about how he was going to leave me in his wake. His words were jovial but carried a serious edge. At that moment, I had a choice: I could either let self-doubt creep in or double my resolve. I reminded him that it all came down to the competition race, and that past performances meant nothing when it came to winning. It was a bold statement, given that his times were better than mine. However, I chose to remain positive and take the high road.
While psychological gamesmanship is evident in elite sports, it’s also true that humour, however well-intentioned, can sometimes hurt. At BISS Puxi, we train students not to shy away from this competitive spirit, but to understand how to manage it and make the right choices to become the best version of themselves.
Wicked Humour
I’ll admit that there is a tendency to laugh at the misfortune of others on the international athletics circuit. Cruel as it may seem, it’s part of the environment we’re in, and you have to learn to deal with it. Sometimes, you’re the one laughing; other times, you’re the subject of the laughter. You just have to roll with it.
The relay event often brings its fair share of calamities—it's a discipline where many things can go wrong, and usually do. I remember one year when the Jamaican relay team was competing. Typically, runners would look at the big screen before their race to watch previous semi final race. In this instance, a Jamaican athlete running third in the relay was relaxing and watching the screen, unaware that the race he was seeing was actually his own!
When he realised the race was already underway and that his teammate was coming around the corner at top speed, he was horrified to find himself out of position. The ensuing confusion led to complete mayhem, which was met with fits of laughter from both athletes and spectators alike.
Except for the poor Jamaican team, who had trained so diligently for what turned out to be a very public mishap, everyone saw the funny side. Athletics can be cruel, but we all have to take the ups with the downs.
Humour is one of the things that attracts me to sport. While good old-fashioned laughter is still the best remedy for relieving stress, research has shown that humour can take different forms. There are both positive and negative sides to humour interactions. For instance, affiliative humour—jokes that defuse tension and build relationships—leaves everyone feeling positive. On the other hand, aggressive humour, which aims to put others down through sarcasm or ridicule, can be harmful. So, in essence, we should laugh with each other, not at each other.
At BISS Puxi, we try to bring fun and humour into all the teaching and coaching we do. It's important to help young people find their passion and develop their love for sport. However, I’m always mindful of how I can help these students cope with the more challenging aspects of sport, developing resilience so that when the time comes to perform, they can beat the best.
In my semi-conscious state, I opened my eyes, baffled by my roommate’s odd behavior. Slowly, it dawned on me that he was practicing his technique. Using the "track" between the bed and the bathroom, he perfectly executed a hop, then a skip, and finally a long jump, landing with acute precision right in front of the toilet.
I sat up, wide-eyed and incredulous. I like to think that I’m pretty well-versed in various preparation techniques for competition, but this was the first time I had seen someone integrate their training into their nocturnal routine.
Somewhat embarrassed, my roommate asked me to keep it quiet, and true to the code of the elite athlete's union, I promised to stay silent—until the next morning, when I told absolutely everyone. The news spread like wildfire, and the teasing and banter that followed were part of what makes athletics so enjoyable.
The embarrassment of my esteemed teammate only increased the hilarity among our community. While he remains nameless for the purpose of this blog, he knows who he is—and he also understands that this is all part and parcel of athletics and sports in general.
Why is humour important
In the pressure cooker of elite performance, you need a release. In fact, some of the most hilarious moments were born during the darkest times in training, where my training partners and I pushed ourselves to the limit. There were times when, in our pursuit of gold, we pushed ourselves to the edge.
After a killer training session, I would literally lie in pain, with lactic acid pulsing through every part of my body. We were all in pain, yet we knew we needed to hydrate and prepare to go again, even though our bodies were telling us we were done.
The intensity of training was such that we all needed a release, and the fun and banter between teammates were essential for getting us up and ready again. To be honest, much of the fun came from teasing each other, and sometimes it wasn’t even that funny—but the fact that we were all working toward the common goal of being the best we could be brought us together.
Humour was both a release and a support mechanism that allowed us to cope better with the pressure of achieving ambitious goals. At BISS Puxi, our team sports educators and I push students to be the best they can be in a controlled environment. There are times we push them hard, but there are also times when we encourage them to smile, laugh, and let the joy of sports flow. This balance comes with experience, and it’s an experience I’m happy to share.
Humour with a Sharp Edge
There is a fine line between humour and saying something hurtful, and there’s also a choice between when to be serious and when to laugh. These lines are often crossed in competitive elite athletics, where competitors seek a psychological advantage.
I learned over time that while I couldn’t control others' mind games or words, I could control how I reacted. The Great Britain training environment is unique: you are teammates, all pushing each other to be the best we can be. Yet, you are fierce competitors, all striving for that coveted spot in the GB team for a championship or the Olympics. You are friends who have been through so much together and genuinely enjoy each other’s company. Each athlete can play any one of these roles at different times.
I clearly remember one GB training session where a teammate, who had been beating me consistently in previous training sessions, started teasing me about how he was going to leave me in his wake. His words were jovial but carried a serious edge. At that moment, I had a choice: I could either let self-doubt creep in or double my resolve. I reminded him that it all came down to the competition race, and that past performances meant nothing when it came to winning. It was a bold statement, given that his times were better than mine. However, I chose to remain positive and take the high road.
While psychological gamesmanship is evident in elite sports, it’s also true that humour, however well-intentioned, can sometimes hurt. At BISS Puxi, we train students not to shy away from this competitive spirit, but to understand how to manage it and make the right choices to become the best version of themselves.
Wicked Humour
I’ll admit that there is a tendency to laugh at the misfortune of others on the international athletics circuit. Cruel as it may seem, it’s part of the environment we’re in, and you have to learn to deal with it. Sometimes, you’re the one laughing; other times, you’re the subject of the laughter. You just have to roll with it.
The relay event often brings its fair share of calamities—it's a discipline where many things can go wrong, and usually do. I remember one year when the Jamaican relay team was competing. Typically, runners would look at the big screen before their race to watch previous semi final race. In this instance, a Jamaican athlete running third in the relay was relaxing and watching the screen, unaware that the race he was seeing was actually his own!
When he realised the race was already underway and that his teammate was coming around the corner at top speed, he was horrified to find himself out of position. The ensuing confusion led to complete mayhem, which was met with fits of laughter from both athletes and spectators alike.
Except for the poor Jamaican team, who had trained so diligently for what turned out to be a very public mishap, everyone saw the funny side. Athletics can be cruel, but we all have to take the ups with the downs.
Humour is one of the things that attracts me to sport. While good old-fashioned laughter is still the best remedy for relieving stress, research has shown that humour can take different forms. There are both positive and negative sides to humour interactions. For instance, affiliative humour—jokes that defuse tension and build relationships—leaves everyone feeling positive. On the other hand, aggressive humour, which aims to put others down through sarcasm or ridicule, can be harmful. So, in essence, we should laugh with each other, not at each other.
At BISS Puxi, we try to bring fun and humour into all the teaching and coaching we do. It's important to help young people find their passion and develop their love for sport. However, I’m always mindful of how I can help these students cope with the more challenging aspects of sport, developing resilience so that when the time comes to perform, they can beat the best.
