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MANGAWHAI'S NO.1 NEWSPAPER
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Coaching key to club successEarlier this week I caught up with our two Mangawhai club coaches, Sue Wightman and Allan Stebben, asking them how they became coaches.
National champion and previous Kaipara sportswoman of the year, Sue Wightman, wanted to give back to the game. ”I became a northern reps bowler in 1997 and felt I wanted to put something back into bowls. Coaching to me was a way to help other bowlers get the most out of bowls, whether playing as a social bowler, playing in club competitions or wanting to play representative bowls.”
Sue, a world championship bowler, says coaches help players to improve their strong areas but most importantly strengthen their weaker areas, something crucial when in competition.
Former Northland rep, and co-coach, Allan Steeben agrees.
“A good coach acts as a mentor, something I recognised when I was a basketball ball coach in Auckland years ago. I knew the benefits to be derived from coaching and therefore was happy when Sue booked us onto a coaching course in Kerikeri run by Sharon Simms, a New Zealand player and coach.”
Allen says he was blown away by the course.
“I learned that to be an accredited New Zealand bowls coach needed commitment from me and a willingness to train in the coaching methodology used in New Zealand. Sue and I were up for it; we worked on our practical and theoretical skills, we were assessed by senior coaches and our theoretical knowledge was tested and we became accredited coaches.”
Both have to be reassessed periodically and attend training sessions to ensure they maintain the exacting standards of coaching in ‘The New Zealand Way’.
I asked how the coaches felt Mangawhai bowlers benefitted from coaching and again they were in agreement.
“Because the club freely offers coaching to first year bowlers, this is an attraction in itself. It is also good for the club because it means our bowlers acquit themselves well in competition,” said Allan.
“Although our focus is with first year bowlers, Allan and I are always ready to do one-off sessions with more experienced bowlers if we are asked,” says Sue. “In addition the centre holds a coaching day for junior bowlers.”
The centre also offers coaching opportunities to bowlers selected to represent Northland in competition.
Both coaches have good advice for those thinking of taking up the game.
“Try it. Come to bowls at the start of the season, try the coaching for a couple sessions before you decide whether to join. Borrow bowls to try out.”
If you feel you can’t commit to playing regular bowls this year, try business house which runs before and after Christmas on Tuesday evenings after work”.
By Brian Wright
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