With the year half way completed, 2009 has already seen considerable activity at all levels of the five-level IAAF Coaches Eduction and Certification System, CECS.
The CECS Level III course represents the mid-point of coach development on the IAAF coaches’ developmental pathway with each CECS Level III course concentrating on one event group. RDC Jakarta recently hosted a CECS Level III course in Middle and Long Distance from 13-26 June based at the RDC and using the excellent facilities of the Stadion Madya-Senayan.
Fourteen coaches who are actively coaching middle and long distance running in their countries were appropriately selected by their Federations and RDC Jakarta to attend the 14-day course, representing 12 of the 17 Member Federations served by RDC Jakarta. The 12 MFs represented were: BAN, BRU, INA, IRI, MAS, MDV, MYA, NEP, PAK, PHI, SIN and SRI, with the fourteen coaches having varied coaching experience ranging from 4 to 22 years and an average of just over 9 years of coaching experience. The coaches were aged 32 to 52 with an average age of 41 years.
Course Director Peter Thompson (GBR) , a Senior Manager in the IAAF Member Services Department was supported by the experienced and knowledgeable coach and IAAF Lecturer, Gregor Gojrzewski (AUS). Gregor is a native of Poland but has become an Australian citizen after moving to his new homeland. He brought both his considerable European and Australian coaching experience to the benefit of the coaches on the course.
During the course the coaches were exposed to practical sessions featuring cutting edge methods and practised their newly developed skills in ‘live’ situations with local young middle and long distance athletes. They were assessed throughout the course to provide a ‘bench-mark’ at the end of the course of their current level of competence. The coaches particularly enjoyed introducing free weights and the steeplechase to novice male and female athletes using safe, progressive learning environments.
The coaches’ response to the course was very positive with comments on the final evaluation forms mentioning the learning of the skills of coaching and the good cooperation that had taken place between them. With contact details shared with all participants, and with the ease of e-mail communication, the coaches committed themselves to maintaining this new ‘network’ of middle and long distance coaches.
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