This week I attended a two day Heads of Sport conference, ‘Taking it to the Next Level’ in the glorious Hunter Valley region. The event was attended by over 150 PDHPE teachers and sports professionals including ex Olympic coaches and professional sports psychologists. I was proud to be invited by the AIS to be a guest speaker and present at this inaugural event.
During my presentation I discussed how we at CCSC implement an elite sports program into an educational institution. I had many notes prepared but found my self effortlessly describing what we do on a daily basis, the informal presentation highlighted every aspect of our college from the football/tennis program to the nutritional qualities of the cafe. I explained how we foster a ‘whole development’ approach towards each individual student no matter if they are in class or on a field or court and how we have planned to keep students engaged in the elite pathway from day one.
The new Functional Fitness testing was explained as this now provides a clear benchmark and plenty of practical data for goal setting and areas for improvement to be identified and rectified.
One thing that stood out to me was after I had finished presenting, during our free time I literally had a line-up of fellow professionals waiting to find out more about what we do and see what they need to change to be like us. There was a genuine buzz of excitement in what we are implementing on campus every single day.
Taking a step back and reflecting on what we are doing is not done enough as we at CCSC are constantly seeking new ideas and programs that will ensure progress is made. This is why I say “it is a time to be proud – but not satisfied.” We are honestly light years ahead of some of the most prestigious names out there in terms of our approach, philosophies and willingness to upset the apple cart and go against the grain. I finished up by asking the audience what was stopping their college from setting up an elite sports program? The usual responses were given such as, not enough time or it was too much effort to adapt the timetable or the management team were not supportive when it came to change. My simple response was “there are no real reasons to improve or make a change……just excuses.” I too am extremely excited by what we are doing at CCSC, but even more so by the unknown of what can be done as we undoubtedly move forward together.
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