Card Games Taught Wahine Track and Field Coach to Analyze Her Craft
By: William Devereaux
3/11/15
In her 14 years as Head of the UH Woman’s Track and Field Program, Carmyn James has gotten used to wearing a t-shirt and shorts as her daily work attire.
However, this British Colombia native vividly remembers the chilly weather and many layers of clothes she used to wear during her days coaching in her hometown.
Sitting in her office in the brand new Clarence T.C. Ching Athletic Complex, one expects to see Canadian colors to dominate the empty walls, but there was not much red and white to be found. Hawaii Warrior green and black and the UH logo were prominent everywhere including on her couches, walls and desk.
What most people don’t know about Coach Carmyn is that she was a Mathlete in junior high. She competed in the Math Olympiad held at the University of British Columbia where she would eventually compete in and coach track and field. She says that her advanced mathematical skills at such a young age came as a result of many games of cards with her father.
Carmyn recalled, “When I was in grade one I loved playing cards with my Dad. I would even bring a deck of cards with me to school everyday until one of my classmates told on me. Soon after, my deck of cards was confiscated by my teacher.”
Although math was her easiest and favorite subject, she was sure that she would grow up to become a nurse, but it was her analytical nature and love of sports that would eventually determine her career.
Carmyn grew up competing in traditional Canadian sports like curling as well as many others. She remarked, “My parents gave me so many opportunities to play sports. I was involved in volleyball, basketball, softball, and track. This allowed me to become a well-rounded athlete and I was grateful to have so many experiences.”
The time came to specialize in one sport and Carmyn chose track and field. Because of her tall frame, high jump became her best event. She received a scholarship to compete at the University of British Colombia.
“My slogan has always been ‘don’t put off tomorrow what you can do today’. My scholarship to UBC was my job and I learned to manage my time as a student and an athlete,” she said.
From 1988 to 2000, Carmyn was the Head Coach of the University of British Colombia, In 2001 she made the move to Hawaii to lead our Rainbow Wahine Track and Field team.
Carmyn is an excellent example of an athlete-centered Coach. When she plans her practice schedule, she drafts tentative times and works around her athletes’ schedules, much like when she was planning her card strategy against her Dad.
She dedicates her successful planning to a process she learned while competing as a student athlete. She calls it the 5 P’s: Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. This process is so thoroughly implemented in Carmyn’s coaching style that her team knows the process by heart.
The Woman’s Track and Field Program and UH Athletics is lucky to have such a dedicated, detail-oriented, and flexible head coach all of these years. She cares about the well-being of her athletes and is focused on having them compete at the highest level at all times. Unlike a high-stakes Poker player, she does not want to leave anything to chance.
