Sport Development

Jackie Fairweather (Gallagher)
• Chair of ITU Coaches Commission
• Elite Athlete Development Consultant for Australian Sports Commission
• Head Coach, AIS Triathlon Program
• ITU Triathlon World Champion
• ITU Duathlon World Champion

Guiding Principles:
1. What do you want to achieve?
2. What do your athletes want to achieve?
   Find out the truth! – not just “I want to be faster: or “I want to win” but WHY they want to be faster – the underlying reasons (i.e. could be self-satisfaction, recognition from others, weight control or body image)

“Be the best you can be … and then find a way to be better”

AIS Junior Development Program:
• interested in gaining experience, NOT winning medals
• motto: “100% effort, 100% of the time”
• determining success: “Can you look in the mirror and say ‘did you give it all you had on the day’”
• be satisfied with where you are if you are giving it all you have. Avoid “if’s and buts” – we learn from the experiences and can apply the if’s and but’s to the next time

What Does a Coach Need?
• Passion
• Desire / motivation for improvement
• Stimulation and challenge
• Opportunities to improve
• Support (i.e. admin, medical, testing, etc…)
• Education
• Ability to think outside the box – be creative
• WILLING TO TAKE RISKS

Jackie’s 4 Keys to Success:
1. Passion – Do what you love, love what you do
2. Challenge – Search out ways to be challenged
3. Self-Fulfilment – Success has to make you feel good
4. Recognition – We all need a pat on the back
   Notes: #1 and #2 have to come before #3 and #4 – can’t be fulfilled and recognition doesn’t matter if we’re not passionate or have been challenged

Elite Athlete Characteristics:
• Successful elites embody “being the best you can possibly be then getting a little bit better”
• They embody what we all want
• They are like you and I but have figured out how to get the most out of themselves
• WILLING TO TAKE RISKS – put themselves on the line

“The greatest athletes are not necessarily the most talented”

What does an Athlete Need?
• Talent
• Motivation, drive and desire
• Opportunities over time to succeed (i.e. financial barriers, geographic barriers, etc…)
• Ability to be challenged, stimulated and pushed
• Good self-awareness
• Support (coach, family, friends, medical, financial, etc…)
• Information
• Make mistakes and learn from them
• Adaptability
• See and use the structure of sport – FIND THE POSITIVES
• TAKE A RISK AND COMMIT

Complainers:
• “don’t allow yourself to accept negative behaviours”
• “make it work for you”

Sport Development:
• former Formula One series a big hotbed for athlete development
• shorter distance race allows juniors to races alongside elites and do fairly well
• series made for very hard, competitive racing while developing camaraderie amongst the athletes (i.e. stayed in same hotels, travelled together)
• don’t underestimate impact of the Olympics on our sport (even Ironman) – financial returns have been enormous

AIS Program:
• started with Junior Development program
• provide incentives and direction for young juniors entering sport
• practice “tough love” – teach them to work out problems for themselves – needed for world cup success – athletes often on their own, not a lot of support – need to develop ability to manage problems and stress when they arise
• provides a competitive environment
• develops skills, strength, race experience, mentoring
• gets coaches together to share ideas, gain experience

Sport Development: “NEED TO SUPPORT THE COACHES”

Triathlon Australia Strengths:
• public awareness
• communication
• pathway is clear
• coach education
• support staff & services
• race series being re-developed
• full-time coach and athlete development person

Weaknesses:
• funding is tight
• underpinning programs not fully developed
• depth and quality of athletes not there
• depth and quality of coaches not there
• gap between elites and U23 is wide at the moment
• National series not as strong
• Questionable appropriate racing available for all levels
• No major sponsor for national series
• Must travel far to get experience
• Geography and co-ordination of athletes, coaches and administration
• Lack of financial stability

“Europe is where the competition is at” – outcome of Olympic inclusion

Art of Training:
• “Everyone is an individual”
• Motto: “INDIVIDUALS supported in a team environment”
• “Build speed and endurance concurrently”
• “develop quick movement skills – build movement patterns”

Coach Development Goals:
• broaden experience
• listen, watch, read, learn
• communicate well with athletes – training is a journey of exploration together
• don’t be afraid to make mistakes – learn from them
• don’t be afraid to admit you don’t know – but find someone who does
• ask for help – use others
• be open to other ideas
• let go of control sometimes
• DO ONE THING EVERY DAY THAT SCARES YOU!