Highland Coaching Conference

by Dougie Macdonald - 12:00 on 20 November 2008

I have had a couple of days to reflect on the success of the Highland Coaching Conference 2008 and have been moved to write about this for the wider membership of Coaching Highland.

The first and over riding conclusion to be drawn is how fortunate we are in the Highlands to have people working for us that can deliver a conference of such a high standard. It is all too easy to underestimate the work that goes on behind the scenes in organising an ambitious event of this nature. Those fortunate enough to have attended were so much the richer for having been the beneficiaries of an attention to detail from Coaching Highland staff that went beyond mere professionalism and revealed an obvious personal enthusiasm.

Both of the invited keynote speakers were excellent. James Woodhouse, who led the British Army’s recent successful expedition to follow the Nansen expedition route across Greenland, provided an inspirational account of how to select and nurture the qualities required for extreme physical endeavour. The insight this revealed had obvious relevance when transferred into the environment of sporting performance. Donald MacNaughton, of Zoned In Performance closed the conference with a presentation focussing on creating the optimum psychological conditions for athletes to fully develop their potential.

Between these two presentations was a choice of workshops. I managed to attend “Coaching Scotland and the UK Coaching Certificate ‘The national direction for coaching in Scotland’ ” and I consider this to have been essential for anyone who wishes to keep up to date with the development of coach education in Scotland. It was particularly interesting to see which sports had embraced the new arrangements for establishing common national standards for coaching awards and those that were playing catch up. My second workshop was “Safeguarding children - protecting coaches” which provided a refresher/update on the changing legislation and practices in an area that is often a concern for coaches working with young athletes. I didn’t miss out on the other workshops however. The conference gift this year was a 4gb flash drive that provided all the presentations in powerpoint. I am looking forward to examining, at my leisure, the presentations of former colleagues for spelling mistakes and grammatical inconsistencies!

As is always the case at good conferences, there was much to be gained from the informal elements of the day. Glenurquhart High School was a superb choice for a venue and as a first time visitor I was very impressed with both the quality of the facilities and, more importantly, with the friendly assistance provided by the pupil volunteers. The networking opportunities were many and various. I met people involved in sport in the Highlands who were new to me, I was able to re-acquaint myself with people I had not met since the last Highland Coaching Conference. Having recently retired from leading the Sports Department at Inverness College UHI I was delighted to catch up with many friends who had similarly moved on from their lecturing roles. It was particularly rewarding to meet former students who had graduated in to employment in the world of sport. The ability of the conference to attract prestigious guests from beyond the Highlands allowed delegates to explore a broader perspective during the lunch and coffee break sessions.

So, has anyone spotted a scorpion like resemblance? Those of you who anticipated the sting in the tail can self administer a congratulatory slap on the back - don’t worry if you didn’t see it coming, an antidote is provided!

Despite a good range of sports and organisations being represented, there were still some notable absences. More worrying still was that the number of delegates attending was significantly short of what I think the conference deserved. This does not provide the necessary encouragement for the work to organise a subsequent conference and I think that this would leave Highland sport in a poorer place. If you attended this year’s conference and you agree with me then perhaps, as well as completing and returning your evaluation form, you might think about bringing a new delegate with you to the next conference. You can do the maths, why stop at doubling the audience - bring two new delegates! If you didn’t attend, is there feedback you could offer us that would allow us to tempt you to a future conference? Please let us know!

Over many years involvement in sport I have been to several conferences in various locations and the Highland Coaching Conference 2008 stands alongside the best of these. Our congratulations are due to the management and staff of Coaching Highland for providing this year’s event.

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