Craig Mustard

Coach Profile

Canoe Racing NZ – Lead Coach New Zealand men’s kayak squad

Leaving his native South Africa to further develop his coaching skillset was a dive into the unknown for Craig Mustard but, ultimately, it couldn’t have worked out any better for himself or New Zealand kayaking.

Making a seamless transition from competitive kayaker to coach at a young age, Mustard built an extensive coaching resume in South Africa, covering a variety of roles with a different range of athletes, including involvement at world championship and Olympic campaigns.

On the back of successfully applying for the newly- established position of Canoe Racing NZ Development Coach in 2019, Mustard has come full circle with his

promotion to Lead Coach of the New Zealand men’s squad in early 2023.

“There were a heap of reasons why I applied for the Development Coach role, the main one probably being my curiosity with New Zealand and how such a small country punches so high above its weight in sport,’’ he said.

“So, there was that natural curiosity and a willingness to learn a different culture and way of coaching. I’d never been to New Zealand before, so there was that aspect as well, and I was interested to see what I could learn.

“This year it will be five years that I’ve been in New Zealand. At the time, I did not know how long it was going to be but I absolutely love it here.’’

The culture, methods and approach to coaching were almost the opposite to what Mustard had been used to in South Africa but he has enthusiastically embraced a new philosophy and way of doing things.

“Back in South Africa, I wore many hats as a coach,’’ he said. “I was the manager, the nutritionist, the psychologist. There was a bit of everything thrown into the coach’s role because we didn’t have a big coaching team and every coach seemed to work individually and against other coaches.

“So, coming to New Zealand and being part of a team was something I had to get used to. I absolutely love it and think we’ve got one of the best team environments working with Canoe Racing New Zealand where we’ve got a collective vision and a collective goal.

“Working with a group of coaches who are all pulling in the same direction does make the massive challenge of trying to create great athletes a lot easier. In South Africa it was like individuals working against each other, still chasing the same dream, but here it’s just a great collaboration.’’

When first moving to New Zealand, Mustard’s role was to help grow the coaching development pathway but he has since relished a return to the high performance space which was his primary focus in South Africa.

Financial challenges were the major factors behind Mustard retiring from competitive canoeing at just 22 but he was already well on the way to finding his true vocation of coaching.

Coaching part-time at a couple of private schools in South Africa allowed Mustard to earn some money while also being able to explore how far he could go as an athlete.

“It wasn’t really a high pressure environment to start learning in because I just started off teaching kids how to get into a boat and how to paddle,’’ he said.

“It became more competitive as my skills grew and my time in the coaching space grew. But initially, at the beginning,
it was a really low-level, low-stress way of learning while earning a living and trying to be competitive myself.’’

Over the space of five or six years, Mustard completed the International Canoe Federation Level 1 and 2 online coaching certificates.

Mustard is grateful for the support of the Kwa Zulu Natal Canoe Union who played an integral role in formalising his credentials and setting him on the pathway to becoming a professional coach. Noting his enjoyment of coaching and express interest to further develop, Kwa Zulu Natal paid for Mustard’s final coaching diploma which required spending time in Budapest, Hungary, and a few months at university there where he completed the theory and practical work of the diploma.

Spending 18 months in Belgium on an educational exchange while at school acted as a springboard for Mustard’s competitive development and leading to international exposure, but also provided his first taste of formal coaching.

Seemingly born to coach, Mustard has fulfilled roles as a head coach, high performance co-ordinator and elite athlete development programme co-ordinator in South Africa while also running his own private coaching company – High Performance Training – over many years.

While coaching is not everyone’s cup of tea, the motivation for Mustard remains as strong as ever.

“What springs to my mind straight away is the passion I have for the sport of kayaking and acknowledgement of how lucky I am to be where I am because of my involvement with kayaking,’’ he said.

“I really just want to be able to pay that back, to give someone else – and I don’t know who that person turns out to be – but give someone else the opportunity or small percentages of the opportunities that I’ve been given through the sport of kayaking.

“Speaking just about coaching as opposed to kayak coaching, I love learning and that’s the challenge that coaching gives me.

“It’s the opportunity to work with a lot of different people and learn how to make an impact with each person, differently. Not everyone’s the same, so it’s helping me develop my people skills and how to manage people and get the most out of them. And also, in turn, how to get the most out of myself in different situations.’’

Along the way, Mustard’s core philosophies as a coach have remained the same, in terms of “it’s really what you put in, is what you’re going to get out.

“I think what has changed is how you get people to put more in………looking and working with people more as people first, athletes second.

“Probably when I first started coaching, it was almost the other way round when it was all about being an athlete would help you become a better person. Now, since being in New Zealand, and having some time with great people and coaches, learning that it’s the other way around.

“Both lead to a finish line, but I just feel that people first and athletes being a part of that, creates a more sustainable future for sport and for the person.’’

New Zealand has forged a fine tradition of success in kayaking on the world stage, punching well above its weight in terms of numbers and distance from the sport’s powerhouses of eastern Europe, Mustard putting that down to the Kiwi can do attitude and close association with the water.

“New Zealand has probably the most famous athlete in the sport of kayaking and even in sports in general with Lisa Carrington just being so dominant for so many years,’’ he said.

“She’s a fantastic role model, has created this belief that it’s possible for any athlete to become the same as her……you don’t need to come from a traditional powerhouse nation but in saying that, I think New Zealand’s also got the culture and history of being on the water.

“New Zealand has a long history of using the water for travelling, exploring and even arriving by waka…….there is a history of paddling which is ingrained.’’

Mustard’s career highlights are interspersed with achievements from the humble beginner to the elite on the world stage.

“Every time that I’ve helped someone to achieve something on the water is a standout,’’ he said. “When I arrived in New Zealand I was involved in a lot of beginner programmes…. teaching kids how to paddle down at the beach in Takapuna, and for me, that is a really good memory.

“Over the last five years in New Zealand and introducing kids to the sport that I love and most of them having a great day or week on the beach, that’s a standout memory.

“On the competitive side, every time we’ve been on tour. Whether it’s taking an under-16 team to Japan and having them paddle their best out on the lake or being involved with the junior under-23 (2021) team was also so enjoyable because of their first time exposure to international racing at such a high level, and then travelling with the men’s team last season to the World Cup and the world champs and just sharing and capturing these big moments with a group of like-minded people.

“All of those experiences are special and it’s really hard for me to rank a senior world champs over a day at the beach with a beginner because both are the biggest experiences they’ve each had at that current point in their life.’’

Mustard credits many people who have left their mark on his career over the years, narrowing the count down to four special individuals who have helped shape his destiny.

“Every coach you meet along the way, the good and not so good, helps you become a better coach. You learn from everyone,’’ he said.

“When I was still in the intermediate phase of coaching in South Africa and still just dabbling around with kayaking, Ron Mauer really showed me what it was about to have empathy. My first fulltime coach when I lived in Belgium, Mark Richards, exposed me to what showing up every day meant as an athlete and creating the relationship with a coach as a young athlete.

“And then arriving in New Zealand, just having world-class coaches around me on a daily basis, like Gordon Walker and Tim Brabants where they opened up to share what they know with you has really helped me develop.’’

Mustard’s ambitions for the future are clear-cut.

“In the short term, the men came fifth in Tokyo (2021 Olympics) and I want to do better than that with the goal being to get on the podium in Paris (Olympics, 2024),’’ he said. “In the long term, it’s to leave the sport in a better place than what I found it.’’