COACHES SELECTED TO UK SPORT ELITE GROUP
Two of swimming's brightest coaching prospects have been
selected to a UK Sport initiative designed to fast track development
in time to secure success at the London 2012 Olympics.
Graeme Antwhistle (Borough of Stockton) and Louise Graham
(City of Leeds) have been selected as part of a group of 10
coaches, across a variety of Olympic sports, and will undergo
a three-year development scheme beginning this autumn.
The 2006 intake of UK Sport's innovative Elite Coach programme,
which aims to accelerate the development of the nation's most
exciting coaching prospects, were unveiled today.
Antwhistle, who began his coaching career at the age of 17
and since 1998 has been the Head Coach of the Borough of Stockton
Swim Scheme, is delighted to be joining the scheme.
"It means a lot to me to be selected. British Swimming
have given me a lot of opportunities over the past few years
and this UK Sport initiative will extend that even further.
"I'll be looking to take so much from the scheme so
I can progress my athletes further. This will happen by widening
my knowledge and working across other sports to improve in
general."
Antwhistle's swimmers include Jemma Lowe, who competed at
the 2006 Commonwealth Games and the Senior European Championships,
and Jess Dickons who competed at both the European Junior
and Senior Championships this summer.
Antwhistle is currently on the British Swimming Select Coaches
Group and has been involved in various programmes progressing
through the World Class Camps over the past four years.
"I've discussed the scheme with other swimming coaches
that have gone before but it's a very individual programme,"
said Antwhistle.
"I took a lot just from the selection process as it
highlighted strengths and weaknesses and gave valuable advice
in both areas. I'm sure, at the end of the three years, I'll
have a learned so much more and this will stand my swimmers
and I good stead for 2012 and beyond."
Graham, who was a member of the England and Great Britian
Junior squads and a six-time Junior National Champion, also
swam with England's senior team in 1997-98 but is looking
forward to a very different challenge.
"This opportunity provides me with a unique grounding
in the coaching world. It gives me a fast track towards coaching
senior level swimmers by pushing me further up the ladder,"
said Graham.
"The fact that money is now being pumped into developing
coaches to a higher level within Great Britain can only benefit
sport and our Olympic results in the future.
"We've certainly got the swimmers now, work is also
being done on facilities and coaching has become a priority.
All these things will combine to help deliver British athletes
on to the podium at the Olympics."
While still swimming competitively, Graham began coaching
at the age of 16. She has since become a World Class Programmes
Coach working with Age, Youth and Senior level athletes.
Her coaching resume includes coaching at the British Swimming
High Altitude Camp in New Mexico, attending the US Open with
a British squad and a three-month stint at the New Zealand
National Centre.
The Elite Coach scheme will see tailor-made programmes developed
for Antwhistle and Graham which will not only allow them to
develop their technical skills by working with and observing
the best in action, but also to develop the leadership skills
which are the hallmark of best operators from all walks of
life.
"As the name suggests, our intention is to take some
of the most promising coaches that British sport has to offer
and to expose them to the best practitioners from the sport
sector and beyond - wherever they happen to be in the world",
said Liz Nicholl, UK Sport's Director of Performance.
"When you add that to the ability for this group to
share their experiences with one another, you have a powerful
mix that will result in a new breed of elite coach capable
of inspiring our athletes to new heights."
The ten new candidates are the third group since the scheme's
inauguration in 2004. Just making the starting line for the
three-year programme is an achievement in itself, as candidates
- who had to be nominated by their governing bodies - underwent
a rigorous selection process.
The 2006 group will come together for the first time in October
where they will hear from key figures within the high-performance
coaching industry and spend time putting the finishing touches
to their individual development programmes.
UK Sport hopes that the £500,000 per year programme
will produce over 50 elite British coaches by 2012.
The previous elite coach groups included: Kevin Renshaw -
Swimming, Adam Sotheran - Diving (2004); Steve Gladding -
Diving, Ciaran O'Brien - Swimming (2005)
|
