JEN THE COACH
In 1995, with Jenny in France for her final year as a Professional Triathlete, the SPTC had lost its coach and the club was slowly falling apart. She was contacted in France in June by Jackie Gallagher (Fairweather) asking if she would take on the job of club coach when she returned to Australia later that year in November.
Jenny had no hesitation in taking up the offer but by the time she had finished her season and got back to Australia the club was virtually left with no one. At her first training session in late November there were only two people that turned up - one being Jackie Gallagher and the other being big John.
Jenny knew she had a huge task ahead of her and immediately proceeded by changing the club colours to the now famous FIRE ENGINE RED and JADE GREEN. One of the girls came up with the “SUPER MAN” logo and Byron Hepburn did the design which has now become an ICON in the field of Triathlon in Queensland.
Over 12 months the club was revitalised with 40 new members and by 1997 had around 70 members and were runners up in the Club Championships. In 1998 the SPTC was once again back on top of the table winning the Club Championships and a force to be reckoned with.
Jenny’s commitment to the club over the past 20 years has been outstanding. As Head Coach of the Club she has continued to attend every session on the program. She personally designs and sets all programs, is always accessible to her athletes and prescribes the optimum program for each individual’s personal goals, fitness and skill development. She is continually monitoring the progress of each athlete from session to session as she structures a well balanced program for all levels of the sport. The emphasis is on enjoyment, fun, consistency and balance with a good dose of hard work and a touch of pain.
Over the past 16 years Jenny has focussed on coaching – but every now and then she comes out of retirement to compete at the occasional World Championships in her age category. Recent results include 1st in the 45 to 49 age group at the World Duathlon champs in 2005, 3rd at the world Aquathlon Champs in 2009 and 4th at the World Triathlon championships 50 to 55 age group in 2009.
JEN THE HISTORY
The SPTC Coach Jenny Alcorn has been involved in sport all of her life. As a schoolgirl she competed in athletics, cross-country, swimming, netball, softball, volleyball, gymnastics and following in her father’s footsteps she embarked on a hockey career at state and national level that spanned over a 17 year period.
From an early age Jenny knew she was destined to have a career and lifestyle that would evolve around her passion for sport, health and fitness. In the early 80’s Jenny taught aerobics and strength and conditioning classes at the local gyms in Sydney and found herself in charge of the fitness and conditioning for her hockey club the University of NSW.
She became involved in the sport of triathlon like most people – after being introduced by friends at the gym and encouraged to get a fitness program started for this new and challenging sport. It didn’t take long for her to become excited and motivated about the sport and without really knowing it at the time, Triathlon was to become her passion, lifestyle and career, with a history of some 25 years of experience and knowledge in the sport
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JEN THE ATHLETE
Jenny’s first experience in triathlon was in 1984 at the age of 25. She became hooked on the sport of Triathlon and before she knew it she was heading for a life time in the sport that she took an instant attraction to. Having no real talent – only her own natural instincts of competitiveness, guts and determination, she quickly moved up the amateur ranks to become one of the best age groupers in Australia.
Jenny moved to the Gold Coast in 1988 where she was one of a handful that started the SPTC in its first year. Club coach at the time was Brett Sutton – coach of many former champions including Loretta Harrop, Joanne King, Jackie Fairweather (Gallagher), Rina Hill, Siri Lindley, Emma Snowsill and Jenny Alcorn.
Jenny competed as an age grouper in the “1991 World Triathlon Championships” on the Gold Coast and placed second in her age group. In 1992 she decided to take 6 months off work to pursue her passion for triathlon and joined a small squad that embarked on an international tour. After competing in 10 races in Europe with top 5 results, Jenny was selected as part of the elite Australian Duathlon Team for the World Championships and it was in this race at the age of 32 that Jenny achieved her highest goal “World Duathlon Champion” 1992 - Frankfurt, Germany.
Later that same year Jenny went on to win the ITU Beijing World Cup Triathlon, the Spanish National Triathlon Championships and the French National Duathlon Championships and was selected in the Australian Elite Triathlon Team for the World Triathlon Champs in Toronto.
Jenny loved the sport so much, she never made it back to full time work and continued to divide her time competing for 6 months in France and 6 months in Australia supporting herself on her winnings and Sports massage whilst back in Australia. In 1994 Jenny won the Gold medal at the World Triathlon Champs in her age group in New Zealand and finished her final year in 1995 as an athlete with winning gold at the 1995 Duathlon Champs and Bronze in the 1995 Triathlon Champs both of which were held in Mexico – Cancun.
Jenny had an awesome career as an athlete and has been privileged to have travelled all over the world to pursue her passion. She has raced in France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, China, Monaco, Italy, Switzerland, Morocco, Canada, USA and New Zealand and through her adventures she has met some awesome athletes and key people involved in the continued development of the sport. Her outstanding career has given her knowledge and experience at all levels within the sport and has been absolutely invaluable for her natural progression from athlete to coach.