Education | Terrific Turnout in Thurso
Over the weekend 22 coaches attended the level 1 women’s artistic coaching course in Thurso. Candidates attended from Orkney, North Apex and Caithness gymnastics clubs. This was a terrific turnout for area’s first ever level 1 women’s artistic coaching course, illuminating the growing appetite for coaching in Scotland.
The course was taken by tutors Caroline Alexander and Scott Telford, who, with the support of a wonderful set of gymnasts, ensured coaches were endowed with new skill sets and techniques. The tutors even battled with cancelled ferries from Orkney, ensuring that the course would not start without everyone in attendance.
With coaches of all ages on the course, the training on offer was accessible and engaging for all. These courses are the bedrock of the coaching journey and candidates have been given the best education possible by Caroline and Scott. The next step for candidates will be to carry out coaching in the gym and complete a Scottish Gymnastics assessment.
We caught up with Caithness gymnastics club coach Kerry Trueman who was a mature candidate on the course. Even with 30 years of coaching experience behind her and having completed the course several years ago, Kerry found the course “excellent” and “enjoyed every minute of it.” She was able to come away with new skills and fresh ideas and believes it was “definitely worth her time” doing it again.
Discussing the great turnout for the course, Kerry said: “It’s fantastic for gymnastics up in the north of Scotland. We’ve got a really good thriving gymnastics community up here.
“The tutors were really engaging and absolutely brilliant. It’s a really good introduction to the first level of coaching in gymnastics. It’s not beyond anybody. We had some young girls who are ex-gymnasts, slightly older gymnasts and some older women. There were two older women who I coached a long time ago whose children are now gymnasts at the club and they thoroughly enjoyed it. Then you’ve got myself with 30 years’ experience and I thought it was great too. Across the board it’s pitched perfectly.”
A huge thanks to all the coaches, gymnasts and tutors at the coaching course over the weekend. With such a great turnout, last weekend’s course is sure to be the first of many in the area over the coming years.
You can learn more about the courses on offer by pressing the button below.