SIRC Attends Sport Leadership sportif 2007
Congratulations to Carol Christie from the UWO University of Western Ontario/Western Fencers! Carol was the SIRC winner at the Sport Leadership sportif 2007 Sport Exchange Form receiving a monthly SIRC membership, SIRC coaster and SIRC athletic bag.
The Sport Leadership sportif 2007 was held in Halifax from October 14-17, 2007. In a jam packed four days, members of the sport community discussed coaching research, long term athlete development, training tips and best practices, Vancouver 2010, Canada Games, revenue generation, sport law, participation and much more. While taking in the wide variety of topics delegates experienced the famous East Coast food and hospitality as well as weather conditions which ranged from record breaking rainfall to crisp sunny afternoons.
The role of women in sport was highlighted throughout the Sport Leadership conference from the CAC Research Symposium poster session on “Motivations and Constraints of Women as Volunteers in Provincial Level Sport Associations” to the “Women and Coaching Luncheon and Plenary: Developing Champions for Life” where delegates listened to the passionate stories of Michelle Leigh and Carol-Angela Orchard’s experiences with coaching. Helena Geurgis, Secretary of State (Foreign Affairs and International Trade) closed the luncheon by highlighting the need to revamp the “Women in Sport Policy” that has not been updated for twenty years.
The role of the coach could be heard during sessions and in casual conversation. In his enthusiastic talk about the elements of coaching, Dr. Frank Dick, highlighted an athlete centred, coach led model in which the coach was responsible for five areas; technical knowledge, coaching methods, synthesis, leadership and art or what he called the coaches’ eye. The delivery was entertaining and in the end the message to the coaches was simple – you are responsible for your own performance, your own development and coaching other coaches. He challenged his listeners to consider what the world meant and expected of them; to evaluate their coaching styles and to continuously improve and move forward, to anticipate the needs of those around them. He ended his session by issuing the challenge “Think of something to change our world – and turn it into an ACTION.”
The importance of information and research was apparent throughout. At the Sport Exchange Forum delegates asked SIRC about a wide range of topics from participation statistics to body positioning to practical drills. The need to have up to date information in all aspects of sport from coaching to writing funding proposals to understanding athlete contract agreements was apparent. It was fantastic for SIRC to be able to attend the conference and have the opportunity to talk with various people in the Canadian sport community. It is important to us to learn about the trends and issues in sport meet with people who are unable to come into our Centre in Ottawa. It is through attending events like the Sport Leadership sportif that we are able to provide the best possible service to the Canadian sport community.
Brandie Adams, Reference Librarian, SIRC
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