Coaching Profile

Q. How did you become involved in coaching and what were your reasons for getting involved in coaching?
A. I moved to Perth in 1990 to work at the leisure centre there and didn't know anyone apart from one of the Perth City Swim Team Coaches Ann Dickson who had coached in the Borders when I swam. As a way of meeting new people and staying involved in Swimming without actually competing I approached her and asked if I could help out with the Club.
I started helping out at Kelso Asc when my eldest son decided he wanted to try Swimming
 
Q. What Coaching qualifications do you have?
A. I am currently halfway through my UKCC Level 3 Senior Coaches which I hope to complete later this year
 
Q.You have recently registered to participate in the UKSCA Level 1. How do you think this will help your coaching?
A. It will be beneficial in helping me to plan training outwith the pool so that the swimmers I'm coaching will develop better core strength which will help their technique and prevent injury.
 
Q.You do a lot of work with Alex Jordan and Swim Team Borders. Tell us a bit about what's involved with this. i.e. Training times/ sessions per week/results. Has working with Alex helped swimming clubs/yourself in the Borders?
A. STB is a squad of about 12 male and female swimmers aged between 12 & 17 who train in the morning's under alex's expert eye. The younger children do 3 sessions/week while the older ones do 6 sessions/week. Training starts ay 5.30am with a 15 min land session then it's into the pool at 5.45 for a two hour swim session.
The results the squad have had so far include :
2 Scottish School's Team Representatives
5 Members of the squad competing at British Age & Youth Championships in 2009
2 East District Record Holders
Several East District & Scottish National Medallists
Every Squad Member competing at National Level
 
I think that working with Alex has developed my skills and knowledge and has helped me become more focussed as a coach. I am able to take what I'm learning and put it into practice at Kelso, which is enabling the children to get good results but more importantly it is helping them to improve their technique and skills which is beneficial for their long term development and I think every club in the Borders should take the opportunity to learn from Alex as I have.
 
Q. Who are your role models in sport/coaching?
A. Nowaday's surely the great Michael Phelps is an inspiration to all Coaches and Swimmers, but someone who inspired me to start Swimming was an Australian Female Swimmer called Dawn Fraser who won Gold Medals for 100 F/C at 3 different Olympic Games and was the first woman to go under a minute for 100 F/C. I can remember watching a film about her when I was a child and thinking " I want to swim like that "
Coachwise - There's no one individual Coach that I can single out as a role mode, I think that you pick out little bits of information from every coach you come into contact with and utilise and adapt to your own style.
 
Q.Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years time, what would you like to be doing?
A. Last year I was lucky enough to be involved with the Sports Academy and District Regional Programmes. I would like in the future to be more involved in the District Programmes and at some point I'd like to do some work with the National Youth Squad, although I'd still like to be involved at the developmental stage of working with youngsters who are just coming into the sport and help develop their skills and technique before they move to performance squads.
 
Q. What are your ambitions in sport/coaching?
A. To further develop my own knowledge and experience so that I can help all the swimmers I coach achieve their goals and be the best that they can be, Whether that's getting a personal best time at a local  swimming gala or standing on the podium at a National event to receive a Medal.
 
Q. What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in coaching?
A. Go along to your local Club, speak to the Coaches and ask if they need any volunteers - most Clubs will welcome you with open arms and may even help you through some courses.
Watch the Coaches - You'll be amazed what you can learn from just watching and listening but most of all make sure you enjoy it. If you are enthusiastic and enjoy what you're doing then the Athletes you're coaching will enjoy it too.
 
 
Q. What is the highlight of your coaching career?
A. Definetly having swimmers who've made Scottish and British Age Groups, Also having two Kelso Swimmers who are East District Record Holder's but equally important to me is seeing the look of excitement and joy on the face of an 8Yr Old Kelso girl every time she attends a training session. All these things help to make my job as a Coach worthwhile.
 
Q. How would you encourage youngsters to get involved in sport and coaching?
A. For anyone wanting to do sport - Try as many sports as you can and find out which ones you enjoy. Have fun Work hard and you will reap the rewards.
For anyone wanting to try Coaching -  Be comitted with 100% effort. What you put in is what you'll get out
 

Q. How did you become involved in coaching?
A.
RP. I first started coaching whilst I was in my 6^th year at Galashiels Academy. Graeme Murdoch came forward with an opportunity for members of the higher PE class to coach after school clubs at various primary schools in Galashiels and I really enjoyed it so took it upon myself to pursue a career in coaching.
GO. An opportunity arose at the start of the 2008 at the club to assist coaching Under 11s and Under 13s which I enjoyed and my involvement has just widened since then. That season I also was Assistant coach at the Sports Academy, which was my path to more serious coaching.

Q. You have recently taken your UKCC Level 1. How did you find this and how has in helped you with your coaching?
A.
RP. The UKCC Level 1, qualifies you to become an assistant coach to a more qualified coach than yourself and I found it really helpful for coming up with ideas to help the head coach during session. It is mainly geared towards games and introducing lesser experienced players to the game. This opportunity arose from Cricket Scotland and through our jobs as apprentices.
GO.  It was good to finally get onto the first step of the coaching ladder. The level one course honed in on how to coach and how to coach safely. Going through this award made me determined to get my level two award as well.

Q. Your next step after your UKCC Level 1 is the Level 2, when do you expect to do this and do you know what is involved in the course?
A.
RP. We do our Level 2 badge in October which gives us a huge responsibility as coaches as Becoming a Level 2 coach means becoming a qualified head coach and becoming entrusted with leading your own sessions. It is expected that the Level 2 award will bring with it more technical work than the level 1 and that there will be more work on an individual’s batting, bowling and fielding.
GO. I believe there is a level two course at the end of the season and that the course focuses on the technical side of the game more, which I'm look forward too.

Q. The two of you are employed as SVQ Cricket Apprentices. What does his involve and what is expected of you?
A.
RP. As apprentices and assistant coaches, we spend a lot of our time with the borders cricket development officer, Neil Cameron. We mostly assist him in sessions but also do work away from the bats, balls and stumps by studying how we can improve cricket in the borders and how we can get more people involved in the game.
GO. It involves a lot of coaching in schools and clubs in the region as well as attending college days. It is not merely limited to cricket though I have just completed my level one coaching in Football and do some rugby refereeing too.

Q.Who are your role models in sport/coaching?
A.
RP. In a cricketing sense, my role model is Australian batsman Michael Clarke due to way he bats and the shots he plays, he is a real pleasure to watch and after meeting him I found him to be a true gentleman. Out with cricket id have to say a great role model is Real Madrid footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, the flare he brings to the game is immense and he is easily one of the top players in world football just now. In a coaching sense I can’t look much further than Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United. The fact that he has spent so much time at 1 club and the list of trophies he has won speaks for itself.
GO. My dad has always had a major influence on my cricket. From a young age I have wanted to follow in his footsteps as a player and now hopefully as a coach too. My first coach in the South Junior system, Alan Croser, also had a lasting impact on my cricket and guys like Stevie Halls, Dave Hancock, Alan Niven and Neil Crooks in the Gala side have always pushed me to succeed and pointed me in the right direction.

Q. Are you both still playing cricket? Do you think getting involved in coaching at an early age will help you become a better player?
A.
RP. Definitely, as a player you are always looking to improve and becoming a coach means that you have all the tools at your disposal to help yourself become a better player. When you are teaching kids you are telling them the rights and wrongs and sooner or later you learn so much that you can elaborate it into your own game. If you are doing something wrong in the game, then you, as a coach, have to knowledge to correct this.
GO. Yes, in a way but I try to keep both separate and play like a player should and coach like a coach should.

Q. Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years time, what would you like to be doing?
A.
RP. Hopefully in the future I become a highly qualified coach in any sport and work with the best athletes I can. When i set out on this job, I was told of the opportunities that were ahead of if I were to stay committed and a lot of those opportunities do not happen to a lot of people so I am very grateful for the people who have got me to where I am now and hopefully I can carry on in the right direction.
GO. I hope to have graduated from University, be playing National League Cricket with Gala CC and coaching in some sort of capacity.

Q. What advice would you give any youngster looking to get involved in coaching?
A.
RP. Stay committed!! If you go for it 100% and stick your neck out then you will get noticed and get given opportunities. Also, get involved with any qualifications through workshops that may be on the go e.g. First Aid, Child Protection, Safeguarding and Protecting Children. The more qualifications and certificates you have, the more people are going to want you to coach their group.
GO.  I would advise any young aspiring coaches to get involved. Approach a club, do the appropriate courses and enjoy it.

Q. Were you involved with any Leaders Awards at school? If so which one? Did they help you get involved in coaching?
A.
GO. I never did the leaders award as such but I did do the Queens Badge award and the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award. The Queens Badge had quite a focus on Leadership and involved charity work and working with youngsters. I’d definitely say it has helped my ability to coach.
 
Q. As a cricket coach you will be working a lot with younger children, is this a challenge for you?
A.
RP. No, when I was offered this job I was fully aware that I would be working with younger children. For the most part they are well behaved. Also, as a coach you love to see progression in young athletes and that is what you get when you start off coaching athletes at a younger age.
GO. At times it can be challenging but most of the time it is great fun.

Q. What are your ambitions in sport/coaching?
A.
RP. My ambitions in coaching are to get to the highest level I possibly can and work with the best athletes in the country whether this is in cricket or any sport.
GO. With any luck I can move to the next level both as a player and as a coach. From a coaching perspective I always look to give youngsters enjoyment from the game and teach them good sportsmanship. From a playing point of view hopefully we can have another successful season at Gala CC.

Q. How did you get involved in Coaching?
A. Having played football for Galashiels Academy I got involved in coaching the younger girls when I was 15 years old. After leaving school I attended an HND course in Sports Coaching and Sport Development at Telford College. During this time I started coaching at the Borders Girls Development Squad.

Q. What Coaching qualifications do you have?
A. I have up to Level 3 in both Youth and Children’s Awards. I am aiming to complete my level 4 Youth Award and gain my level 4 Children’s Award later this year.
 
Q. Have there been any barriers being female in a male dominated environment/ have you had to overcome any difficult obstacles?
A. I personally do not feel that there have been any major barriers. While I'm equally confident in coaching boys or girls at any age group I even feel that it is an advantage to be a female coach when working with girls.

Q. You have recently been invited to attend a Conference with the National Squad Manager. How did that come about and what is involved?
A. I have been invited to attend a SFA Regional Squad Coach Conference in France in February. This involves watching the French national coaches working with the French National Women’s Squad at Clairefontaine. Also we will attend a game in the Women's Premier League. This invitation came about due to my involvement with the South East Scotland Girl’s Elite Squad.

Q. Who are you coaching at the moment and how is it going?
A. I coach at schools and nurseries in the Borders and at Girl’s Soccer Camps, Development Squads and Elite Squads in Edinburgh. I am really enjoying the different types of sessions with various age groups and abilities.
 
Q. Who is your role model in coaching/sport?
A. My Coaching role model is Sheila Begbie she is Head of Girls and Women's Football. Sheila is responsible for the strategic development of the girls/women's game at the Scottish FA.  Her role includes developing partnerships to promote the girls/women's game with a variety of key agencies.
Pauline MacDonald is another role model she is a former Scotland Ladies Football captain and also played for Arsenal Ladies.

Q. What advice do you have for people looking to get involved in Coaching?
A. As long as you are committed to the job you can get a lot of job satisfaction.
 
Q. What are your ambitions in sport/coaching?
A. To gain as many football qualifications as I can and to coach at National level, also to gain a full time post in coaching.
 
Q. You do a lot of work with the SFA schools programme? What does this involve and what satisfaction do you get out of your job?
A. This involves working with nursery and school age children and delivering an appropriate programme for each age group. I get a lot of job satisfaction when I see children enjoying themselves and improving after each session.

Q. What is the highlight of your coaching career so far?
A. Being involved with the South East Scotland Girls Elite Squad.

Q. What do you hope to be doing in 5-10 years’ time?
A. I hope to have a full time coaching position and be involved with the girls National squads.