So who is Stephanie Redman?
I chose coaching as a career when I was 21 and haven’t looked back since… I’m now 32! It all started with Dave Fuller and Advanced Rider Training (A.R.T.). Dave saw the need for coaching out at Morgan Park to complement their race meetings and as a result A.R.T. was born. I was about 18 at the time, I was riding and racing and just lived for motorcycles. I was lucky enough to be brought into A.R.T. as a coach and this is where my passion for it grew.
I loved helping people but a big driver for me was that I really enjoy learning. I quicky found that the more I helped others the more it forced me to question what I knew and understood about the sport I was competing in. This meant, not only did I become a better coach, but also a better rider and racer and that made me love it even more.
In 2010 the California Superbike School (CSS), one of the leaders in motorcycle education in Australia, decided to add Queensland to its calendar and was looking for local coaches. After a prompter from the Chief Ride Coach at the time, Adam Raffe, I decided to do a ‘coach tryout’ to see if I would be accepted. I remember being slightly overwhelmed on the day, not by the program, that was super straight forward and one of the easiest learning systems I’ve ever followed, but by the sheer number of things I didn’t know about riding.
Once I realised how much more there was to know, and passed my try out, I was in, boots and all. I moved from Queensland to Victoria and worked full time for CSS. I was admin assist in the office and a coach on the event days. I worked as much as I could to learn, I wanted to know everything. It quickly dawned on me however, that it was impossible to learn everything, because the sport and technology is evolving all the time, there is always something new to coach. Whether it be personally with the rider, their ideas, a specific riding style for a bike or tyre… the list goes on. I am 12+ years into coaching and every time I work with a rider, I learn something new.
It’s been a journey to say the least. I worked with CSS for around 8 years and in that time managed to climb to the highest ranks of their coaching program, achieving Level 4 or Master Coach status, of which approximately only 4 people in Australia have achieved. I also spent many years as the Chief Ride Coach myself which involved administering and overseeing the coach training program in the Asia-Pacific Region. This role took me to tracks all over the world and I was lucky enough to work with people from all walks of life. Many of which I still consider family and friends.
My passion however, was working with younger riders and assisting them to grow and develop as motorcycle racers. A few years ago I decided to leave CSS and become Coach 49, focusing purely in this area. Working with kids is not only rewarding but constantly pushes my own knowledge and understanding. A child, especially when younger, has less attachment to their own thoughts and ideas. If you tell them to do something they will do it, usually no questions asked. For this reason I had to be totally certain that what I was telling them was both accurate and safe.
The other benefit of working with juniors (some of which are now young men and women), is that most of these are/were competing at a very high level. Which meant my coaching and understanding had to match. It’s not always easy and I don’t always have the answers, but if there is something I don’t know, I make sure it doesn’t stay that way. I’ve spent many hours studying, analysing, testing theories and ideas and of course learning from others. And still do to this day.
Being in Europe and working with a rider the calibre of Senna Agius, is like the icing on the cake for my career. Everything here to me is new, their way of operating, the motorcycles, the tyres, but I approach it the same as I have with everything. Look for the deficiencies, break them down and make sure I understand what’s required to go forward. Combined always with the data from the team and the bikes needs, and then deliver it to the rider in a way that they will be able to understand and execute.
For a coach it’s always a team effort. The rider must have faith in me, and I must have faith in the rider. Senna and I have a great working relationship, he is a true talent and a great guy, and I am excited for the season ahead. We will keep working in this way and tackle each challenge as it comes. And I look forward to sharing some insight with you along the way.
