The second webinar of the 2022 Coach Webinar Series presented by Gallagher was a great success as Kiera Byland BEM, athlete leader from Special Olympics Great Britain, hosted an athlete panel discussing ways coaches can better work with athletes and partners.
The panel consisted of Boniface Kimeu of Kenya, Angel Rios Santos of Puerto Rico, Joshua Agare of Kenya, and Yang Yihong of China.
The panel began with questions about how coaches can get the most out of each athlete as an individual, making everyone feel comfortable with their role, and important communication tips. The panelists also spoke about their favorite parts of training and competition, as well as some things they really love about their coaches. Finally, each panelist gave some advice for new coaches joining Special Olympics, and ways to effectively handle all elements of being a coach in the movement.
“Having my coach show me what needed to be done before trying it really helped me. Having someone show me what to do when I had questions really helped because good technique helps me win.”
Joshua Agare added, "I found it difficult to coach my former teammates, I was almost giving up [coaching], but the strength and support from my coach, helped me persevere...and now I'm a coach.”
Watch our next webinar, hosted by Special Olympics Paraguay athlete leader Rosalino Chavez. In this webinar, the Coach - Athlete relationship will be explored. We will be joined by Professor Sophia Jowett, an academic expert in this field, as well as alpine skiing coach from Special Olympics Germany, Justus Wolf.
And be sure to check out the 2022 Coach Webinar Series dashboard!