Performance Coaches


Coaches Korero – March 2024

March 2024 Issue No. 7

Kia ora koutou ngā matanga nō te ao hākinakina, tēnā kotuou.
Welcome to the seventh edition of Coaches Kōrero.

Welcome to the seventh edition of Coaches Kōrero. Coaches Kōrero has been established to recognise and celebrate our Performance Coaching community in New Zealand.

In this issue, we profile Equestrian’s Penny Pearce and Snow Sports Hamish McDougall.

Andrew Longley, a team performance expert with a background in psychology and applied neuroscience, shares the latest instalment in his ongoing series. This month, he talks about Coaching with If-Then Planning.

In addition, I am excited to share our new logo and brand identity. We believe it is a really strong representation of our Performance Coaching Community in New Zealand.

Our Key Pillars are:

  1. Support & Wellbeing
  2. Celebrating Excellence
  3. Networking & Learning
  4. Building a Sustainable Model

Using the above as a foundation, we held a series of workshops led by Hone Rask, Te Huarahi and Yvette McCausland-Durie to establish an appropriate name for the organisation. We landed on Te Korowai.

Te Korowai was chosen based on the role that SPCNZ will play in the Performance Coaching Community in New Zealand: providing ” wrap-around” support to Performance Coaches.

The Korowai is often referred to as a cloak. Each Korowai has its own story woven into the garment. It is a form of art that connects through an appropriate whakapapa (genealogy) and narrative.

Likewise, each coach brings their own stories and whakapapa. SPCNZ’s role is to support each coach on their coaching journey, adding strands to their individual Korowai as they grow and develop.

Metaphorically, Korowai is also referred to as a form of shelter to protect, uphold and uplift the mana of the wearer.

Kua whiriwhiria ngā wāhanga e whā o te korowai hei whakarite atu ki ngā mātāpono matua o te kāhui nei

Three different strands of the Korowai have been selected to represent the main purposes of SPCNZ:

Tāniko: Origins and Culture
Kaupapa: Purpose
Remu: Outcome

Using the above as the foundation, we commissioned Superbold, a digital innovation agency, to develop an appropriate logo and brand identity for the organisation.

At the core of the logo is the Korowai, a traditional Māori cloak symbolising protection and support for coaches, much like the cloak shelters its wearer. The logo’s outline shape represents the shoulder of the Korowai cloak. A form of shelter to protect, uphold, and uplift the mana of the wearer – or, in this case, the community of coaches who are protected by the symbol’s meaning. The three strands of the Korowai – Tāniko, Kapapa, and Remu – represent the organisation’s cultural roots, purpose-driven approach, and focus on tangible outcomes, respectively.

To elevate further, the Koru has also been included, a symbol of growth and new beginnings, reflecting SPCNZ’s commitment to nurturing talent and development within the coaching community. The logo’s koru outline represents the pītau, the unfurled shoot of the fern, symbolising new beginnings, birth, and the unfolding of new life and growth.

Keywords such as passion, collaboration, and advocacy further underscore SPCNZ’s guiding principles, shaping its drive towards excellence and inclusivity. Together, these elements form a visual representation of the organisation’s dedication to strengthening coaches and advancing the field of sports performance in New Zealand.

He rau whenu – kotahi te kaupapa. Many strands – collective vision.

We look forward to bringing Te Korowai to life as we evolve as an organization.

Ngā mihi,

Tom Willmott
Chair

Penny Pearce

Equestrian Sports NZ

Penny Pearce (nee Castle) has worn many hats in a long and decorated equestrian career. She has successfully juggled competing and coaching while holding significant managerial positions in the high-performance space without missing a beat.

In a natural progression from growing up on the family’s steep hill-country farm near Pahiatua, north of Masterton, where horses were the main mode of transport, Pearce’s destiny was forged when they first put on a horse as a three-year-old.

Hamish McDougall

Motivated by creating a sense of belonging, working with great people and a passion for skiing first forged on the slopes of Temple Basin as a child, Hamish McDougall has developed into one of the most prominent and successful coaches at Snow Sports NZ.

As coach to three of New Zealand’s elite freeskiers – Luca Harrington, a Youth Olympic Winter Games halfpipe medallist, 2022 Freeski Slopestyle Junior World Champion Ruby Star Andrews and Beijing 2022 Winter Olympian Ben Barclay – the responsibilities and challenges in the role are many and varied.

Yet the end-goal Hamish is chasing cannot be purely defined by medals and he has a more philosophical ambition for what he would like to attain as a coach.

Andrew Longley

Coaching with If-Then Planning
coachup.academy: The art and neuroscience of
high-performance coaching

Article 7 in the Series of 12

Great to be back with you. In my sixth article I introduced you to another part of the coachup model of high-performance teams and coaches, which you can see below. We looked at why and how to coach with clarity with your athletes and teams.

Coach Recognition – Jan & Feb 2024

FIS ALPINE WORLD CUP

  • Tim Cafe & Nils Coberger coached Alice Robinson to 8th in the Giant Slalom at Kranska Gora, Slovenia.
  • Tim Cafe & Nils Coberger coached Alice Robinson to 3rd in the Giant Slalom at Jansa, Slovenia.
  • Tim Cafe & Nils Coberger coached Alice Robinson 8th in the Super-G Giant Slalom at Cortina, Italy.
  • Tim Cafe & Nils Coberger coached Alice Robinson to the 2nd in the Giant Slalom at Soledu, Andorra.
  • Tim Cafe & Nils Coberger coached Alice Robinson to the 2nd in the Giant Slalom at Kronplatz, Italy.

Hockey – FIH Paris Olympic Qualifier – India

  • Phil Burrows coached the Black Sticks Women.

Hockey – FIH Paris Olympic Qualifier, Oman

  • Greg Nichol coached the Black Sticks Men to Olympic Qualification.

UCI 2.2 New Zealand Cycle Classic

  • Adrian Hegyvary coached Aaron Gate to 1st Place at the NZ Cycle Classic. Tour Down Under (World Tour Road Cycling)
  • Paul Manning coached Ally Wollaston who won the first stage (first World Tour victory) of the Tour Down Under.

FIS PARK & PIPE WORLD CUP – LAAX, SWITZERLAND. 16-20 JANUARY 2024

  • Hamish McDougall coached Ruby Andrews to 6th in the Freeski Slopestyle.

Netball – Nations Cup, London

  • Dame Noelene Taurua coached the Silver Ferns at this tournament.

Cycling – UCI Para Road World Cup Time Trial, Adelaide (AUS)

  • Vicki Wade coached Eltje Malzbender to Gold in the T1.
  • Damian Wiseman coached Nicole Murray to Silver in the C5 & Sarah Ellington to 5th in the C2
  • Matt Shallcrass coached Rory Mead to Bronze in

SNOW SPORTS – X-GAMES. ASPEN, USA.

  • Byron Wells coached Nico Porteous to 2nd in the SuperPipe.
  • Hamish McDougall coached Ruby Andrews to 4th in the Freeski Big Air & 7th in the Freeski Slopestyle.
  • Sean Thompson coached Tiarn Collins to 5th in the Snowboard Big Air.

SNOW SPORTS – FIS PARA ALPINE WORLD CUP. VEYSONNA, SWITZERLAND

  • Daniel Bogue coached Adam Hall to 8th in the Slalom.

ATHLETICS – TERRIER CLASSIC. BOSTON USA

  • Dathan Ritzenhein coached George Beamish to 4th in the 5000m (13:04.33). A NZ Record and Olympic Standard.
  • Ray Treacy coached Kimberly May to 2nd in the Mile (4:27.85) A. #2 NZ All Time

ATHLETICS – MEETING DE L’EURE. VAL-DE-REUIL, FRANCE

  • Scott Simpson coached Eliza McCartney to 2nd in the Pole Vault (4.63m).

ATHLETICS – RAZORBACK INVITATIONAL. FAYETTEVILLE, USA

  • Jerry Schumacher coached James Harding to 2nd in the 800m (1:48.97). A NZ Indoor Record.

CANOE SLALOM – OCEANIA CHAMPIONSHIPS

  • Michel Smollen coached Luuka Jones to 4th in Slalom Cross and 10th in the K1 final & HannahThomas who finished 6th in the Women’s C1 event.
  • Aaron Osborne coached Finn Butcher to 6th in Men’s K1 final and 3rd in the Slalom Cross event.

RUGBY SEVENS – WORLD SERIES. Perth, Australia

  • Cory Sweeney coached the Black Ferns 7’s
  • Tomasi Cama coached the All Black 7’s

JUDO – Grand Prix Portugal

  • Luke Preston coached Sydnee Andrews to 7th the H2. (78kg+).