PEOPLE URGED TO SIGN UP FOR SPORTS COACHING WEEKEND

[Kintyre Forum News]

PEOPLE URGED TO SIGN UP FOR SPORTS COACHING WEEKEND

Argyll and Bute residents who are interested in training as sports coaches are being encouraged to sign up for a development event in February.

The Sports Coaching Weekend, which will be held at Dunoon Grammar and other nearby sports facilities on the weekend of February 6/7 2010, will be the third such event run by the Council in partnership with Argyll College and sportscotland. The 2009 event attracted almost 300 participants.

Argyll and Bute Council Leader Dick Walsh said it was an opportunity not to be missed for anyone interested in improving their coaching skills.

“This is a unique event in Scotland – no other local authority runs anything like it, and we’re proud of what it has achieved so far,” he added.

“It reflects the Council’s desire to increase participation in sports and physical activity, and combat social inequalities through getting people more active in our unique natural environment.

“This Coaching Weekend meets the aims of the authority’s Sport and Physical Activity Strategy by increasing the number of coaches in Argyll and Bute, improving the quality of coaching on offer and encouraging a general boost in sports participation.

“It has a number of distinct elements which will appeal to a wide range of people who are currently involved in sport or who would like to take the first step on the sports coaching ladder, and I would encourage anyone interested to sign up. It’s a fantastic event.”

Football, Rugby and Shinty will be well represented over the weekend, with coaching courses and a coaches’ clinic hosted by the area’s Development Officers.

New courses for the 2010 event will be Table Tennis, Triathlon Training and Badminton, reflecting the growth of interest in these sports and activities across the area.

Outdoor sports will also be well represented with courses in Trail Cycling, Canoeing/Kayaking, Orienteering and Mountain Navigation. The recent growth of Orienteering in the area through the Argyll and Bute Orienteering Partnership, and successful events, means that a plan for the development of instructors at various levels is needed. The courses on offer will provide tuition on teaching, coaching and participating in Orienteering.

For existing coaches who want to increase their knowledge, there are a series of Sportscoach UK sessions on Nutrition, Strength and Conditioning, Working with Disabled Athletes and Child Protection which provide expert support and advice.

Through the Active Schools Programme, an increasing number of young people are being attracted into sports coaching whether to help out at after school clubs or in the wider community.

Over the weekend many of these volunteers will participate in sports coaching awards on their first step into coaching. Equally, anyone working with children in clubs and organisations can get great new skills by coming along to one or more of the courses on offer.

Target areas like Planning a Good Sports Event, Funding for Clubs and Valuing Volunteers will be covered in workshops in which the the emphasis is on the club and how to strengthen and grow membership.

Free minibus transport is being offered for participants from Oban, Campbeltown, Rothesay and Helensburgh – and anywhere en route during those journeys – to Dunoon. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis for either Saturday, Sunday or both.

A full list of the courses on offer, what they cost and how to apply for them is on Argyll and Bute Council’s website at http://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/content/l ... b/3294095/

All courses are subsidised by Argyll and Bute Council, Argyll College and sportscotland.

For futher information, please contact sportscoaching@argyll-bute.gov.uk

[DJD]

Have they got the equipment yet for the orienteering for Campbeltown as l did the course 2 years ago and found that they had not and could not foresee that (as usual) it would be available for this area.Every thing seems to stop at Lochgilhead and turns north .

A very good course and great instructors,well worth the time ,but it ends there,unless things have moved on and there is equipment at the CGS.

Just thought l would bring this up as a point of interest as l never speak outside the Mok thread.

[elainemck]

I attended the Triathlon course yesterday in Dunoon at the coaching weekend and it was fantastic. It was a shame it was a bit of a drive but more than worth it. There seemed to be a few Campbeltown folk there at a variety of courses.

Very good value for £30 as they provided great facilities (what a fantastic AWP they had at the school - two different types of generation full size pitches for different sports both floodlit), good food and a great goody bag including tshirt, gym bag, beanie hat etc etc

The Triathlon course itself was brilliant. It was run by 2 Triathlon Scotland coaches who put us through our paces and gave us some excellent advice about running, cycling and swimming (as well as transition practice). There was only 5 participants on the course so I even got one to one tuition to help my front crawl. The tutors were excellent and gave practical sessions on running drills, transition and stretching/body maintenance. They also delivered some theory/q&a sessions about preparing for races, looking after your bike, equipment lists/info on races which was really interesting and informative. They really inspired me to do another triathlon this year for fun Maybe in the future we could try to reinstate the Campbeltown triathlon on a small scale.

Looking forward to next year!

[Kintyre Forum News]

Elaine, it is great to hear your feedback on this and looks like you learned alot from the weekend which may help benefit Kintyre in the future.

Now, if we only had an All Weather Pitch, then Campbeltown could host this and look at the revenue it would bring to Campbeltown in February.

SPORTS COACHING WEEKEND A GREAT SUCCESS

Argyll and Bute Council’s third Sports Coaching Weekend held in Dunoon on 6th and 7th February 2010 has been hailed a great success after almost 270 people attended the two days.

People traveled from all parts of Argyll and Bute - including the islands of Islay, Mull, Coll and Tiree -to learn new sports coaching skills to take back to their communities.

The event is the largest single sports development event in Scotland and is designed to encourage the development of sport at ‘grass roots’ level by making it easy for individuals and communities to get trained, make contact with other like-minded people across Argyll and Bute and learn about best practice in coaching.

Experienced tutors were provided by various sports’ governing bodies to impart their knowledge and experience and help sports development in the area. The partnerships with Football, Rugby and Shinty ensure there are opportunities for newly qualified coaches to put their qualifications to good use in a supported way.

Argyll and Bute’s spokesperson for Arts, Culture, Leisure and Sport, Councillor Neil Mackay, said: “This is a unique event in Scotland – no other local authority runs anything like it - and we’re very proud of what it has achieved.

“It reflects the Council’s desire to increase participation in sports and physical activity, and combat social inequalities through getting people more active in our unique natural environment.

“The coaching weekend meets the aims of the authority’s Sport and Physical Activity Strategy by increasing the number of coaches in Argyll and Bute, at the same time as improving the quality of coaching on offer and encouraging a general boost in sports participation. I’m delighted it has been so successful again this year.”

The event is funded by Argyll and Bute Council in partnership with Argyll College and sportscotland.

The 2009 event was recognised at an example of Best Practice by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) in the 2010 Excellence Awards. In addition, the NHS Physical Activity Healthy Alliance is believed to be considering another award under the Active Nation programme, which is linked to the 2014 Commonwealth Games Legacy for Scotland.