Lakeland Orienteering Club coaching report
Credit: LOC
Last year we made a grant to LOC to deliver Introduction to Coaching and Level 2 Coaching Courses (see award here). Read on for the report from Carol McNeill, LOC Lead Coach, on what they've been up to.
Overview
LOC were really pleased with the response from club members to take up places on the coaching courses. More are to be arranged over the next 12 months to cater for those who were unable to join in on the dates offered. Many thanks go to Derek Allison for offering to tutor these courses. He is a great asset to have in our club.
Introduction to Coaching day
This ran on Ssaturday 26th July. It was led by Derek Allison, and the cost almost totally covered by the Orienteering Foundation grant.
Out of 10 LOC members showing interest, 6 were able to make it on the day. Feedback was extremely positive. 2 are already working on going for a level 2 award and others are helping with junior and senior coaching activities. Another course is planned for more interested members for later in 2021 or spring 2022. An example of the great feedback received:
Dear Carol, I want to thank you for the time you invested to organise and coordinate the Introduction to Coaching day on Saturday. It was an excellent day and although I felt I knew a little about coaching and working with (new) orienteers, Derek demonstrated there is so much more to learn! Having someone with that expertise and skill to deliver is clearly a huge advantage and I felt I was learning so much. I very much hope LOC can continue to invest in coaching - it will be the way we build an even stronger club. I very much want to engage with Level 2 (and maybe beyond!) and look forward to the next step of my coaching journey.
Hi, Carol. I very much enjoyed the Intro to Coaching course with Derek last Saturday and am keen to continue on the coaching journey. I liked Derek’s humorous, self-deprecating style and his emphasis on making things as easy as possible for you, the coach.
Level 2 coach courses
This ran as follows:
- Course 1: 17th /18th July at Great Tower, plus some zoom sessions, and 28th August assessment – 3 LOC members and one SROC member. Tutor Derek Allison.
- Course 2: 25th /26th September (SROC) – 2 LOC members. Tutor Pat Mee
These courses are under British Orienteering and 1st4sport regulation and are quite pricey – around £500 per person. These type of courses are usually supported with club, NWOA and this partly subsidised by the grant year from the Orienteering Foundation. 5 members attended the two courses and are going through their Level 2 Coach award.
The first course absorbed members who have been coaching for a few years and not completed a level 2 course so it was great to get them qualified. They are all fully committed to coaching juniors in regular club sessions and working in local primary schools. This work will make up their final assessment requirements.
The second course absorbed two who had attended the "Introduction to Coaching" course and were keen to move on.
We have at least three more members ready to attend the next course available.
Summary
Receiving this generous grant from the OF gave us great focus to get the coaching courses moving and increasing the number of much needed qualified coaches and bring in more LOC members who were interested in the coaching journey. My sincere thanks to the OF and NWOA for their support.