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Talent to burn

Show Profile  thomasr Posted: 8 June 2009, 2:42 PM  
Can you please send me a copy of the article Duncan, i would like to see what sort of things i need to include.

Show Profile  nick Posted: 8 June 2009, 5:47 PM  
James you make it sound as if you're the only person who does any coaching, and I think thats misleading and unfair.

I am willing to coach whenever I have time, and I do. Speaking from this perspective, I don't think your communication is as good as it could be. For instance, I heard there was a D-Squad camp after Nationals. If you'd warned me in advance and asked me to help, I could have made time to attend. But I didn't hear about it until the last minute - thru the grapevine, not thru you - and I'd already made other commitments. I was pissed off to hear you telling someone at Nationals, and now telling all of maptalk, that none of the elites would help you - you never mentioned the camp to me, never asked me to help. You can run D-Squad how you like, and I admire your enthusiasm for the job... but its unfair for you to imply that its everyone elses fault if its not going smoothly.

Keep trying Tom, they might get off their high horse eventually


Show Profile  Jamie Posted: 9 June 2009, 1:27 AM  
I think you have done a great job with the D Squad in recent years James, but as an experienced elite I can honestly say I don't recall being invited to coach at any camps you have organised. I know of several other elites who have said the same thing, some of who miss the old days when we always got invited and could do some fun coaching.

I can think of some good reasons why you may not have invited us, and have not complained widely about it, but to then take a stab at us on maptalk for lack of support is a bit off!!

I agree with you about the National Squad, and as I am still Acting Coaching Coordinator nearly two years after resigning I'm open to all ideas you have as to how we might go forward.



Show Profile  DMjunior Posted: 9 June 2009, 12:12 PM  
ok well,
james the comments were not a dig at the d-squad and definitely not at you. i just see it as a squad basically made up of orienteering families that will probly stay interested anyway but it is doing a great job at developing the talent for those levels you speak of. i just think there needs to be some other catchment for these people leaving school out of orienteering families. and im not too sure if nzof realise this problem. and once again james im not trying to dig at you, you do a primo job with the d squad!!!! and also like the idea of a junior squad regionally, am trying to start one up but the problem we have in HB is because there is no uni here once they leave the region we never see or hear from them again.
and tom, stop being a smart arse, your ment to be pretty brainy, im sure you know what should be in it.... i mean you are the one suggesting there should be these reports.

Show Profile  thomasr Posted: 9 June 2009, 1:07 PM  
How am i being a smart arse? i just want to see what you wrote!!! i had a look online and cant find it, can you please just send me copy.

Show Profile  Jamie Posted: 9 June 2009, 1:29 PM  
A few things have been tried in the past Duncan...

University Clubs: WACO, and several others, they fell over when students passed on, as they do. It would be real hard to create a sustainable uni O club in NZ I think.

The other thing that springs to mind is a distinct junior organisation within a club. I was involved in creating one in Dunedin called YODA (youth orienteers dunedin associated). We met up, spaded on each other, ran events, car pooled etc, led quite a bit of innovation, good times. Having that spead of ages 16 - to early twenties worked well...and YODA was still going relatively recently, and may be still 14 years after we set it up....although the change in logo from the nervous chicken to some other dicky thing may have cursed it ;-)

Worth thinking about following this model maybe rather than a regional squad which have a very chequered history to say the least.

Show Profile  James Posted: 9 June 2009, 2:36 PM  
Nick, you are very right in saying that i never asked you to help coaching. I sent out an email to the national squad (which contains NZ's "elites" of which you are not apart of, but definately should be!) and i received 4 emails back, 2 saying that they couldnt help because of other commitments (i.e. work), one offering help for the back half of the camp and the other offering to help for the enitre camp. Im sorry that you are pissed off, but i overlooked the fact that you were not in the national squad yet and assumed i had sent the email to you!

Im not trying to suggest that its everyone elses fault if everything is not running smoothly. Yes, i agree there is room for improvement with the running of the squad and i am trying to point out an area where help would go a long way to the development of our juniors. How knows, perhaps someone with the time and energy may read this thread and be able to assist in some manor? If the issue is never aired or addressed, how can we expect things to change for the better? Infact, i have mentioned this very topic in a couple of reports that get submitted to the nzof every 6 months, and nothing becomes of it!

I am in no way/shape or form suggesting that i am the only one out there doing any coaching! I know there are several people out there doing some wicked work with a wide variety of people. Jenni and the CHCH gang do it every week, the morrisons down in HB with their schools teams, the NW training day in April, Akld has a club training wknd every year, robbie and val with the kids from puke......and that is only a small representation and i know there are many more examples!

Id definately agree that my communication around the most recent camp was very poor, and pretty much every aspect of it was left last minute (with the exception of emailing the national squad asking for coaching help which was sent off on 10th feb for the training camp to be held 13th-18th april). And i have addressed my communication skills as a problem quite openly in front of the squad, and through several discussions amongst the orienteering community.

I was simply trying to to inform those people who do not understand the reason why we cant have more of these talented kids in the squad.

Duncan, i know you're trying to take a dig at me, ive learnt you need quite thick skin taking on this role, and i think that its great you're voicing your opinion and making some very valid points

Show Profile  James Posted: 9 June 2009, 2:38 PM  
Opps! i meant to say, that duncan i know you're NOT having a dig at me........

Show Profile  Hamish Posted: 9 June 2009, 2:54 PM  
Tom - Duncan wrote a summary of the best HB results for each day, terrain run on etc. and overall scores of the regions and sent it to the paper who printed it. He wrote another article last weekend for our club champs. I'm sure you could do the same thing by looking at the results but putting in Auckland names instead. A photo of your most successful junior from the weekend would be good too. The only problem is that it's old news now and the paper may be reluctant to print. Make sure you get someone sorted to do this after the NZSS Champs.


Show Profile  Stu HB Posted: 9 June 2009, 3:07 PM  
Hey Tom,
Sorry everyone has been giving you the run-around. Not all of us in the HB are so narrow minded! I managed to find a copy of the article you wanted.. I scanned it for you, you can find it here :
http://picasaweb.google.com/tom.r.isgay/Misc1#5345266460278301394
Hope it provides some inspiration!

Show Profile  thomasr Posted: 9 June 2009, 3:34 PM  
Thanks. Nice photo of me isn't it.

Show Profile  HMC Posted: 10 June 2009, 12:17 AM  
Hey Tom,
I'm guessing you belong to a library somewhere and have a valid card and online access. Go to the website/database section of the catalogue and type in Newztext. In the search box type in orienteering and you'll come up with a whole lot of newpaper articles that have been published throughout the country - including some Hawkes Bay Today articles. This will give you a good overview of what other people have written also.

I can't believe Hamish's original entry has turned into a saga more entertaining than Desparate Housewives

Show Profile  Jamie Posted: 10 June 2009, 1:18 AM  
Apologies James I did recieve that email on the 10th February.

maybe you need to call out a bit louder for help if you need it (and yes maybe we need to listen harder)

Good on you other guys for helping Tom out, shame on you Morrisons.

Show Profile  thomasr Posted: 10 June 2009, 2:14 AM  
Thanks HMC, will do.

Show Profile  Michael Posted: 10 June 2009, 1:24 PM  
Some of this discussion reflects the current lack of a coaching director. There are many different pieces in the coaching jigsaw. We shouldn't look at one of the jigsaw pieces that IS in position, and blame it for not providing the full picture. Those interested in coaching could partially make up for the gap by starting up a coaching thread, like the mapping one.


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