Volunteers' Week - From Leader to Coach
Our sport is underpinned by thousands of volunteers that enrich our lives and ease the burden of planning, directing and supporting us to achieve our goals. Denise Nott is a coach at Calne Running Club and she decided to take her Coach in Running Fitness course, to ensure the runners at the club were given the best possible training and support they could get.
Case Study - Coach Denise Nott
“One of the most enjoyable parts of my role is delivering the beginners' courses and the progress and sense of achievement for people who couldn’t run at all when they started out”
Denise Nott (handicap 6.6), has been a fully qualified volunteer coach for just over a year now, beforehand being a Leader in Running Fitness. Having been a runner for a few years she wanted to be able to give something back to the sport.
Calne Running Club (near Swindon, Wiltshire) was very small when Denise joined it a few years ago and when the chairman wanted to stand down due to other commitments, rather than see the club fail, she stepped into the breach with her husband. “At that time, the club had no qualified leaders or coaches and as it started to grow, we took the Leadership in Running Fitness followed by Coach in Running Fitness in order to give our athletes the best training and advice we could.”
To ensure Denise balances this role alongside her own commitments the ability to prioritise is key, depending on what’s going on within the club and what events are coming up alongside her own personal commitments and training. “It is also really important to ask for help if it’s needed, delegating responsibilities and saying 'no' if you can’t commit to something. I'd rather do one thing really well than take on too much.”
Some of the main skills that Denise has developed since becoming involved in this role include the ability to adapt sessions to suit the needs of the individuals within the group, as well as patience and understanding. For people who are thinking about giving coaching a go, Denise would absolutely recommend getting involved. “Volunteering helps keep the sport going. The knowledge I have gained through coaching has also helped improve my own running and I have made many new friends through my role as Coach at Calne Running Club.”
#YouMakeItHappen
It’ll be great to know how how you are recognising your volunteers. Use the hashtag #YouMakeItHappen & find us:
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- or e-mail [email protected].