Paddle-sport experience:                 With over 30 years of race experience, competing and medaling internationally as a Junior and Senior in Sprint and Marathon Kayaking and in other paddle sports, winning medals at World cup, European and World Championship level, I know what it takes to compete at the highest level. 

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As an athlete I was very fortunate to train with some of the World’s best paddlers, Ivan Lawler 6x world champion, Steve Harris 2x World Champion, Grayson Bourne 10k World champion, Tim Brabants World & Olympic champion, Anna Hemmings 6x world champion, and so the list goes on.  I was part of a very successful training regime in a high performing environment.

I have coached athletes from beginners to World & European championships as well as putting over forty club coaches through the British Canoeing DS Race coach course, and assessed nearly a dozen or so, and this number is increasing all the time.

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My approach to Coaching:                For me the coaching & mentoring I do has to be fun, worthwhile, and everyone comes away with having learned something and with something to work on or towards.  I work for your needs not mine; it isn’t an ego trip because I’m paid to help, if I’m no good I don’t get call backs or referrals!

BC nominated me to work with UK Coaching on the Performance foundation course where I spent eighteen months with elite, medal winning coaches from a multitude of different sports and I was mentored and challenged to constantly find areas of improvement and absorb and share good practice.

I am already actively involved in developing club athletes and coaches

What types of coaching/mentoring are you able to provide?       I offer Mentoring for NGB’s (British Canoeing Performance Coaches and the discipline specific “Race” Coach Award) and within the education sector.

Within my professional life (I worked in Education for fifteen years), I have been a mentor to lots of post graduate professional adults, middle leaders, and young adults. I have had training by HMI & Ofsted inspectors on observation and feedback techniques so I can translate what you actually say and do, into what you want to say and do! 

 

I'm the BC Talent club partnership lead within Elmbridge canoe club, and I work independently with other TCP clubs doing outreach work and produce coach development learning resources as the MRC coach development representative. I have run national coach development weekends with the British Canoeing marathon JDS and run numerous regional training days.

In my current role I lead on coaching swot analysis and put in place monitoring and skills development programmes to fill the identified gaps in knowledge.

Other clubs & organisations I have worked with include:

Banbury, Cambridge, Oxford, Elmbridge, Richmond, Reading, Royal, Wey –

National sea kayak symposium

British canoeing – coach development

UK Coaching

 

Canoeing History:  Qualifications:

British Canoeing Coach Award Tutors and Assessors

British Canoeing (UKCC) Level 2 Coaching Award August 2016

Paddlesafe online child protection course

British Canoeing Foundation Safety and Rescue Training

Emergency First Aid at Work valid until April 2022

British Canoeing Performance Coach Award Mentor 2020

 

Canoeing History:  I started Kayaking in 1986 at Elmbridge CC & first raced for Great Britain in 1988 in Hong Kong.

As a junior I achieved: Gold Grand Prix Amsterdam in 90 - K2, Silver Grand Prix London in 91 - K1, Silver World Cup Berlin in 91 - K1

As a senior I achieved: Bronze Grand Prix Hungary in 94 - K2, Bronze Grand Prix Brisbane in 95 – K4, Silver Grand Prix Belgium in 96 - K2, Europeans in Italy 97 – K2

1st Royal Paddling challenge: The oldest canoe race in the world

2nd & 3rd DW 126 miles nonstop! 4th Presidents cup K4 140 miles!

Other Sports: Dragon Boat: Silver 500m Europeans in 2006 Prague,

Silver 1000m, Bronze 500m, Bronze 200m World championships in 2007 Sydney

4th 2000m World championships in 2009 Czech British captain

National Double Surfski champion 2010-13, Surfski World Championships 2013

Finally, “Retired” from international racing after 25years

 

Teaching History: Qualifications:

Qualified Teacher Status awarded in August 2003

Leadership Pathways Programme completed at The National College Summer 2010

PGCE Secondary 2003 by The University of Surrey