Get Coached S&C for Figure Skating w/c 13/7/2015

This latest Blog post is coming from the Summer Training Camp at the Toronto Cricket, Skating & Curling Club where one Senior Get Coached and two Gain the Edge/Get Coached skaters are getting put through their paces by a fantastic team of coaches. Without going into any specific detail I would like to give my thoughts and observations on the coaches and the camp.
Firstly, I must say that Toronto has made us feel very welcome. We are lucky enough to be staying with friends for the month of the camp which has enabled a relaxed and comfortable stay.
Getting about is relatively easy once the transport systems and roads have been figured out and everyone we have so far met have been friendly and helpful.
The Toronto Cricket club (TCC) as it is known in short is an excellent venue with superb facilities and a lot happening. There are tennis, cricket, curling and figure skating activities as well as various kids summer camps too.
The rink is good although our skaters found the low boarder a little unusual at first they soon got used to hooping on and off the ice wherever they needed to. The atmosphere here is a very positive one where hard work is the norm! One early impression I had was that there is very little if any idle chatter around the edge of the rink that is sometimes evident at home, even when there are no coaches present. The work ethic of the regular camp attendees is definitely infectious and the skaters are in constant motion.
The coaches work as a team on the ice under a Head Coach with each having their own specialist area of expertise. This allows them to really understand their discipline and deliver it to the skaters in a way that each individual benefits. This also includes and Off-ice coach and physiologist which I was interested to learn, although the physiologist is for elite skaters only.
Whilst each coach works independently on the ice it is clear that there is a team focus and any crossover of skills is coached the same way by each coach. This is very good as there is no ambiguity about coaching the technical elements to the skaters, same song, same hymn sheet and all that!
A multi disciplinary coaching team is in my opinion most definitely the way to go where possible. This approach is used by quite a few elite level sports coaches and their teams in Britain and beyond and instigating this at club level with a sport such as skating that has very limited funds can only have a positive impact.
Strong leadership, mutual respect and a willingness to make it work are a must and the skaters should really benefit if what I see here is put into practice. It goes without saying that resources, venue availability and a positive attitude by all involved including skaters, coaches and parents will be deciding factors too.
We still have a week and a half left and I will endeavour to write again before returning to Scotland.
If you have read this far thank you and I hope you have enjoyed my Blog. Any relevant feedback and comments are always welcome here and on the Get Coached Facebook Page.