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Acknowledgments

I owe a huge debt of gratitude to all of the coaches I’ve spent time with and who have allowed me into their world over the past four decades. I am especially indebted to six exceptional Olympic coaches who took the time from their busy schedules to allow me to interview them for this book. Their insight is in the pages that follow.

Mel Davidson, Canadian ice hockey coach

Frank Dick, British decathlon coach and coaching mentor

David Hemery, British Olympic gold medalist and hurdling coach

Andy Higgins, Canadian decathlon coach

Debbie Muir, Canadian and Australian synchronized swimming coach

Gary Winckler, American track and field coach

Figure skating coach Doug Leigh has been a friend for many years and I learned much from him and the skating coaches I worked with at numerous world championships and three Olympic Games.

There is much wisdom in this book from Andy Higgins, with whom I work on a regular basis not only with his athletes but also as a part of a coaching certification program that he coordinates in Toronto.

The late Jack Donahue and the legendary John Wooden had a great influence on me in my brief 10-year stint as a basketball coach. Dr. John Meagher at the University of New Brunswick was a mentor to me and taught me almost everything I know about teaching.

Dr. Kazimierz Dabrowski was in his 70s when he mentored me in graduate school. It was a humbling experience to learn from such a generous human being, one who knew so much more than I could ever imagine knowing. My working with Dr. Dabrowski was a life-altering experience and he, along with Dr. Marlene Rankel, deepened my understanding of human developmental psychology. As you shall see, Dr. Dabrowski’s work has had a strong influence on this book.

My wife, Sandra Stark, and I spent a weekend with Marlene, along with Bill and Charmaine Ramer, discussing Dr. Dabrowski’s theory and its application here. I am most thankful for that, as I didn’t, in any way, want to misrepresent or oversimplify Dr. Dabrowski’s most important work.

Sue Rosenthal took on the onerous task of working with me as an editor. She really dove into the project and she not only was good at what she did but also ignited something under me that got it finished on time! She was, as David Hemery put it when referring to one of his coaches, “a hand in the back.”

Mebbie Black turned what Sue and I did into much better prose. Her fine touch is everywhere in these pages.

Several people were kind enough to review and comment on the first draft, helping immensely to improve the final product. Thanks to Linda Morgan, Ezra Rosen, Steve Earle, Peggy Baumgartner, Mary Lou Ackerman, Sandra Stark, Shelley Swallow, Mary Ann Pilskalnietas, Barry Rosenthal, Cedric Stevenson, Karyn Garossino and Dane Jensen. And many thanks to Allyson Latta for her terrific job of copy editing.

I work every day with an exceptional team of people at Performance Coaching. Our business manager, Shelley Swallow, and I have been together for more than 20 years. She, with her fine organizational skills, has taken an active role in quarterbacking the publication of this book. Our director of training, Peggy Baumgartner, is the best corporate trainer I have ever seen. She brought her usual energy, enthusiasm and intelligence to the project. Senior associate Garry Watanabe, an ex–Southern California swim coach and former lawyer with a master’s in sport psychology (what a combo!), not only was involved in reviewing material for this book but also contributed key examples from his workshop participants.

My son Dane helped me get the idea and concept of the book off the ground, and, along with his brother, James, designed the layout for the website. James also designed the cover for the book. Many thanks also to Robert Ketchen for the design and layout of the book. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my wife, Sandra, who co-wrote the “When All Else Fails” appendix and who has contributed her wisdom by way of feedback and content.

I dedicate this book to our four grandchildren, Kaili, Madelyn, Aiden, and Brandon; and to those, God willing, that will follow. May they be fortunate enough to have teachers, mentors and bosses who ignite their Third Factor!

— Dr. Peter Jensen Toronto, August 2008