Last week I had the privilege of being one of the instructors at an ITU Level II Triathlon Course held in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. The course was weighted heavily on student-based activities and a facilitative instruction technique by all instructors.
Additionally, the coursework was geared toward independent coaches and national federation coaches that work with Junior or Under 23 (U23) athletes in the Olympic pipeline.
I told coaches at the course that great athletes will not emerge without great coaches in today’s competitive environment. Talented coaches are absolutely essential to long-term athlete success. Part of becoming, and remaining, a top-level coach is continuous education.
The coaches that attended the course worked on multiple projects that included sport skills and drills; individual workout design concepts; weekly planning; and long-term strategies and planning for world-class success.
Some of the most valuable features of the course included the multiple problem solving sessions and round-table discussions held each day. Many coaches commented that it was an invaluable experience to be able to participate in a multi-national think-tank of coaching expertise.
Multiple coaches applauded ITU for acknowledging that strategic coach development is key to athlete development.
I couldn’t agree more.
Coaches working on classroom problem solving. Greg Mueller (USA), Larry McMahan (Canada), Ricardo Gonzales (Mexico), Sergio Borges (USA), Philip Gaskin (Barbados), Libby Burrell (ITU Sport Development Director), Gustavo Svane (Argentina), Kevin Clark (Canada), Loui Lopez (Puerto Rico), Luc Morin (ITU Sport Development facilitator), Susan Yackulic (Canada), Brett Petersen (USA)
Ricardo Gonzales, Susan Yackulic, Philip Gaskin, Greg Mueller, Angie Anderson