The World According to Gar
The World According to Gar is a completely personal podcast based on the unique life experiences of Gar Leyshon. Gar is currently a track and field coach, and more specifically the personal coach of The World's Greatest Athlete: Damian Warner, the Olympic Gold Medalist in decathlon from the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. But this podcast is not just about sports and coaching the decathlon; Gar also talks, rants and swears about politics, pandemics and pinheads who piss him off. And he does so from the perspective of a man who has lived and worked in Taiwan, Australia, England, Scotland, the USA and on an oil rig in the arctic. On top of that Gar, who retired from teaching in 2021, has taught and coached for 25 years, has a wife and 2 teenaged sons, and STILL doesn’t drink! He does however, have a bad attitude and an ugly ass beard to match. So, if you are looking for a sports themed podcast about coaching world class athletics, with plenty of bizarre stories, strong opinions and foul language, then you are in the right place!
- Update frequency
- every 8 days
- Average duration
- 44 minutes
- Episodes
- 197
- Years Active
- 2020 - 2024
Episode 17: 2019 Season, Part II
The Pan Am Games in Lima Peru were grey and cold and much less fun than they should have been, despite Damian's victory. But our subsequent trip to Machu Pichu was absolutely phenomenal…
Episode 16: 2019 Season, Part 1
We're almost caught up on the details of the Damian/Gar coaching journey! The 2019 season was very successful for Damian and reminded me of how important adapting to circumstances and b…
Episode 15: Dealing with stress
After a VERY stressful week trying to reinvent the wheel I began thinking about stress. How do non-athletes deal with stress in difficult physical conditions, and what we can learn as c…
Episode 14: New Beginnings
Damian came home in 2018 and I went on leave from teaching to coach full time. Two years later it's September and school is starting again, but everything is new and different in the CO…
Episode 13: Planning
How poor planning, minimal training and bad communication almost got me killed. And worse, I almost drank shit water!
Topics Include:
Maine
Backcountry skiing
Periodization
Scientific metho…
Episode 12: The Rio Olympics
Damian wins his first Olympic medal in Rio; and I get puked on flying home! The ups and downs of the Rio games and the bittersweet ending of an era.
Topics Include:
Damian Warner
Decathlon
…
Episode 11: Making Changes
The only constant in life, and sports, is change. Change is hard physically and even more difficult emotionally. The 2015-16 season was tough because it was an Olympic year, with all th…
Episode 10: 1 Year to Tokyo!
The Tokyo Olympics are now a year away and I talk about memories from previous Olympics. And I talk about how hard it is for a coach when you have a terrible year even as your athlete i…
Episode 9: Marginal Gains?
If you were a world class athlete and you could improve every aspect of your performance by 1% you'd be a superstar, right? It sure sounds simple, but in 2014 we learned how difficult i…
Episode 8: Strategy and Tactics
Alexander the Great was called that because he wasn't an ordinary leader, he was ... well, Great! And what he was great at was planning a strategy and finding tactics that ensured the s…
Episode 7: Coaching Part III
The good the bad and the ugly in a single season! The 2012 season and Damian's rocky road to his first Olympics from my perspective as an insider, outsider, coach, fundraiser and errand…
Episode 6: Coaching Part II
Coaching Part II literally only gets to 2011, but come on, none of you thought this was only going to be 2 parts, did you?! The third part of "Coaching" will be up next week but I make …
Episode 5: Coaching, Part 1
I know, I know, this was supposed to be about coaches and coaching but I got carried away bragging about my own meager athletic achievements. I do talk about the coaches who I remember …
Episode 4: Travel
The only good travel stories are about disastrously bad experiences, and I have had plenty of them! Here are a few, and some insights into why I keep traveling, despite the fact that St…
Episode 3: Communication
So how do coaches know what to say to their athletes during a competition, and when to say it? Great question, I'm so glad you asked! And as a matter of fact I happen to have a few stor…
Episode 2: Numbers
Okay is this the second episode or the first after the pilot? It's like trying to figure out whether you're on the ground floor or the first floor in Britain. Either way I talk way too …
The Pilot
The episode where I complain about podcasts, give context to some of my wilder claims, and explain my reaction to the deep rooted problems that have come to light in the wake of George …