SA cycling champ’s dad shares tips on parenting an aspiring sports star

Like many dads, Flip Liebenberg has a picture of his son as his WhatsApp profile. Unlike most dads, their son isn’t biting into a gold medal wearing Team SA kit after being crowned Commonwealth Games Youth champion. The pride is understandable… writes GARY LEMKE.

Liebenberg is dad to Miles, who earned Team SA’s first medal at the Games, gold in the men’s cycling time trial. Flip is another rarity – a parent who has been exposed to the Team SA inner circle in Trinidad and Tobago. Generally speaking, family and friends who do travel to support don’t get the close-up experience that he has had.

“Being a parent of a successful athlete can be both demanding and fulfilling,” he says. “Miles and I share and celebrate the wins, we learn from the losses but we always maintain perspective and try to stay grounded and humble. The journey with its ups and downs can lead to unforgettable experiences and precious memories.”

Certainly, a lifelong memory was made here on the Caribbean island of Trinidad when Liebenberg claimed gold.

“It was really special,” admits Flip. “I had the whole family on a live stream in WhatsApp, 15 family members. They included Miles’ grandparents, my wife Ursula, daughter and even my sister who is in Denmark. Miles was 12th after the first lap. I didn’t stress but some of the family did. I know Miles’ capabilities, and we both studied his opponents, who they are, what they are. Before the event I told him, ‘you’ve 100 percent got this this’. We had a game plan and the coach had explained that game plan to Miles.

“After two laps he was sixth and starting to increase the tempo. I knew he was on track. On the last lap I heard the family members going bonkers on the phone. When Miles finished he was in the gold medal position in the time trial, but there were still another 10 guys who had to complete their races. It wasn’t in the bag yet and he sat there for another 17 minutes before the result was confirmed.

“His main focus has been the mountain bike, but he has done well in the road races and qualified for the Youth Olympics. He won the KZN road champs two years in a row and then went to the SA Nationals in Oudtshoorn. He’s also raced with success in Cape Town and Johannesburg, but this was his first international race.

“The stress levels were enormous, hoping that all the equipment arrived safely, the preparation, adapting to the different food and obviously the race itself. But this feels like Durban, with the humidity and climate so we were home from home.”

Father and son are close and Flip admits to being a cyclist himself, “but nowhere near top class”. He and Miles have done a couple of races together, winning the father and son category in the Berg and Bush mountain bike event. “With Miles’ racing I’m a mechanic, sponsor and bank. I try to go follow his races wherever I can, but I knew that these Commonwealth Youth Games would be something special.”

So what lessons does Flip have for other fathers of aspiring young riders. “Stay supportive and don’t be pushy. Don’t force your own dreams onto them. Educate yourself. Understand the sport, its requirements and its dynamics. This will help you support your child better. Some good advice we received was to avoid over specialization early on. Let the kid explore multiple sports and activities before they specialise in one.”

And obviously, provide the support through thick and thin. Not every road is paved with gold the way it was in the Caribbean for Miles.

Source: TeamSA