The Forest Will Make You Happy (Image: Wix Media)
This past Saturday, I was finishing a track workout when an older gentleman walking laps asked if I was training for an upcoming event. He shared that he used to run; however, he now bikes to the track and walks a few laps. Following encounters like this, I always feel incredibly grateful that I can still enjoy running. In this moment of reflection, I thought about all the workouts I must have completed over the years. I started competing in running when I was ten years old. That was close to fifty years ago. With the exception of a handful of injuries, I have consistently been a runner since I started in 1975—one year before the Montreal Olympics. That is a lot of training sessions. So, I thought, how many interval sessions might I have completed? As I said, I have consistently been training for close to fifty years. I routinely complete two interval sessions per week, and when I was younger, I often did three per week. In my estimate, I included interval sessions completed on the bike, swimming, water running and cross-country skiing, and I declared Saturday’s track workout to be interval session number 5001!
Here is my track workout from Saturday. This was a unique workout — never done before in my previous 5000 interval sessions): 1600m: 6:01 (track), 1 mile: ~6:15 (grass), 10 X 200m: 38s to 32s, 5 X 60m
Image: Wix Media
Sport Participation
Despite Long Term Athlete Development and significant investments in coach education programs, dropout, burnout and injury remain severe issues in sport. Sports researchers continue to try to understand how to improve athlete well-being, provide a “safe sport” environment and keep athletes playing. This spring, I completed a Master of Coaching degree from the University of Alberta. My concentration in my graduate studies was how coaches can become more effective and ethical in their coaching practices. Understanding that coach education and athletic training plans are socially constructed expands the potential and range of opportunities present in sport participation. That is, there are multiple ways to train, and it is essential for coaches to be responsive to their specific coaching environment. By serving the dynamic needs of the athletes they coach and the diverse reasons why we gather as a sports community, our practice environments become more positive and promote quality learning—better supporting athletes’ skill and fitness development—thus creating pathways for all athletes to develop competence and confidence in sport. When athletes feel a sense of inclusion, belonging and community, they want to participate.
Better Coaching for Sustaining Participation
Getting back to my conversation at the track from last Saturday. I told my new friend I had no plans to race. I simply enjoy running and want to continue training for the pleasure of being outdoors, remaining fit and the well-being I derive from being an athlete. (Further, I know through my actions that I stay connected to the “running community.”) So, I don’t need a plan; I need action. By enjoying the daily process of being a runner/athlete, you are 90% towards your goals, even before planning becomes part of the picture.
I expect coaches, parents and athletes to hear the phrase “enjoy the process.” This phrase is repeated in our coach education; however, do our programs and coaching practices reflect this value?
I work for Canadian Winter Sports/Skiwax.ca, and my job title is Head of Sports Participation. Additionally, I coach the Carleton University Ski Team. A common goal in these two positions is to support people in their sustained participation in sport, physical activity and recreation. The ultimate aim is to create healthier communities. I presented at the Cross-Country Ski Ontario AGM this past May on sport participation. My talk was titled “Maintaining the Fun in a Performance Focussed System." In this talk, I outlined the unintended consequences of programming with a high-performance lens and how this negatively impacts athlete enjoyment, skill development, fitness, and sustained participation and performance. Templates, benchmarks, best practices and other checklists demote the value of “enjoy the process.”— diversity, belonging, choice and action before planning.
In summary, it's crucial to prioritize the enjoyment of the process and consider the diverse needs of athletes in order to foster a sustainable and fulfilling sports environment.
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The First Lap Coaching:
Are you interested in discussing how we can enhance the joy, engagement and sustained participation of athletes in your organization? I offer Coach Education and Program Design consultations and presentations to sports clubs and associations. I would be excited to learn about your club’s challenges and successes.
All the best,
Kevin
You can contact me at kevin@canadianwintersports.com.
Kevin Shields
Master of Coaching, University of Alberta
BEd, Nipissing University
BSc (Kinesiology), University of Waterloo
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