Coaching: Season 2019/2020

Coaching Coordinator:  Mary Harper – 0425 719 384

Emails:  coaching@caulfieldlittleaths.org.au

Mondays from 5.30 pm to 6.30 pm for all registered members

Wednesdays from 5.30 pm to 6.30 pm for all registered members

Thursday from 5.30pm to 6.30pm for all registered members

Come & Try’s at training are welcome, please sign in with coaching co-ordinator when you arrive.  Please note only 2 come and try’s are available per child.

Specialist Training for Southern Metro Region & State Track & Field in February & March 2020 to be advised by email closer to the time.

The aim of the Coaching Program is to provide a safe environment where athletes have fun improving motor skills in running, walking, jumping and throwing.  As a centre we want the athletes to enjoy the experience and for them to look forward to coming back to the next session.

Expectations at training

At each coaching session on a Monday, Wednesday and Thursday we provide coaches for the different events associated with Little Athletics.   The coaching session may look something like this;

5:30pm – Warm up

5:45pm – Athletes choose one event they would like to practice and receive coaching in.  The event session is for 45 minutes.  We don’t encourage changing sessions half way through as this interrupts the coach and other athletes.  There is no benefit for the athlete when swapping and changing.

Events – Distance running (400m, 800m, 1500m), Sprints (70m, 100m, 200m, 400m), Walks, High Jump – flop & scissor kick, Long Jump, Triple Jump, Discus, Shot Put, Javelin, Turbo Javelin, Relays

6:25 – Cool down

A parent or a guardian must be present at Duncan Mackinnon Reserve during training and Saturday competition.  A great way to over come this if it’s a problem is to share the training run with other families.   We encourage parents to come down and keep fit running or walking the DMR Tan track or walk the inside of the track.  For parents/guardians a cup of tea or coffee can be made in the kitchen you can then sit and chat to other parents.

Parents/Guardians if you have questions for the coaches please ask them at the end of the session so not to disturb or distract the session.

Safety is paramount at all times.  All parents and small children need to be cautious where they stand or sit during training.   Always look both ways when crossing the track or the grass area.   Most nights there will be discus’, javelins and shot puts being thrown, the infield is a dangerous place to be.   Please also note we share the track with Glenhuntly Athletics, Glen Eira Masters, Throwers and Maccabi Athletics and need to be mindful and respectful to the other users.

Please ensure your child is in appropriate clothing to train.   Layers are a good idea so they can put on or take off as required.  A hat and a water bottle are essential.

All coaches and committee members have a working with children check.

Training Calendar – What’s on each week?

Monday

• Distance with Brian Schepisi
• Long Jump & Triple Jump with Alwyn Jones
• Hurdles with Kulan Ranasinghe
• Sprints with Morgan McGregor
• Throws with Joshua Plante
• Throws with Kim Mulhall
• Walks with Simon Baker
• High Jump (Scissor Mat Only) with Bella Harper
• U6 & U7 On Track Coaching with various On Track Coaches

 Wednesday

• Sprints with Jason Hodson
• Sprints with Sienna Fighera
• Hurdles with Aisling O’Connor Buckley
• High Jump (U11 to U16) Peter Hatzoglou
• Triple Jump & Long Jump with Alwyn Jones

• U6 & U7 On Track Coaching with various On Track Coaches

Thursday

• Hurdles with Aisling O’Connor Buckley
• Shot Put with Matthew Cowie
• Sprints with James Vine

Please note an email is sent on either a Sunday or early Monday afternoon confirming the training events for the week.  As you can imagine this change day to day all updates are posted to the Facebook page.

Coaching Profiles:

Alwyn Jones

Alwyn has coached at Caulfield Little Athletics for approximately 9 years.  He is a level 3-Advanced Event Group Coach in Jumps and a Level 2 Intermediate Club Coach. Alwyn coaches at Melbourne Grammar and Maribyrnong Secondary College. He is an 8 times National Triple Jump Champion, represented Australia in the World Championships and won a Bronze medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Alwyn’s personal bests (PB’s) are 16.83m for Triple Jump & 7.66m for Long Jump.

Brian Schepisi

Brian is a level 4 running coach (middle and long distance) with 30 years experience in the fitness industry. He is a long time coach with Caulfield Grammar.  Brian also coaches He teaches the Certificate 3 and 4 Fitness Instructors Course at the Australian Institute of Fitness and is a course presenter with Athletics Victoria. Brian has coached at CLAC for approximately 10 years.

Jason Hodson

Jason is an Advanced Level 2 coach in jumps, sprints and hurdles. He is a level 2 Intermediate club coach and an IAAF kids athletic coach.  He specialises in development of junior athletes aged 5 to 20, introducing, promoting and improving technique posture and execution of the relevant discipline from a beginner to state development level. As a specialist Junior Coach, all sessions are tailored to the age of the athlete to limit load and risk of injury through concentration of technique / mechanical advancement, motor skills, stability, balance, core strength, explosive response and speed. He is also part of the Little Athletics Victorias Junior Development Squad (JDS) coaching panel and regularly takes squads on the JDS training days.    Athletics Australia Coach – 7165,  Level 2 Adv – TJ/LJ/HJ/50m – 400m/Hurdles/Relay, Level 2 Int – SP/Dis/Jav/PV, Australian Sports Commission registered coach

Joshua Plante

We welcome throws coach Joshua Plante to the Caulfield LAC coaching panel.  Josh is a AA Level 2 Intermediate Club coach, ASCA Level 1 Strength & Conditioning coach and an IAAF kids athletic coach.  Josh is the throws coach in shot put at Loretto Mandeville Hall in Toorak.  He has 10 years of coaching explosive and power sports ‘Anyone can throw’.  Josh has his own coaching business called Great North Coaching.

 Kim Mulhall

Kim is a level 2 Throws Coach.  Kim started little athletics at Caulfield LAC when she was 7.  She has been competing in Shot put and Discus at International level since 2007.  Kim finished 4th at World Youth and World Juniors and 11th at the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and 5^th in 2018.  She has also been coaching at Wesley College, Little Athletics Victorias Junior Development Squad (JDS) and Athletics Victorias Target Talent Program as Throws Co-ordinator.

Kulan Ranasinghe

Kulan is a level 2 club coach specialising in Sprints and Hurdles. He was the 2012, 400m Hurdles Victorian Champion and won the Australian University title for 400m Hurdles in 2008.   He was a member of the 4x200m relay team that won the Victorian title.  He has also competed in the 400m Hurdles at the 2010 Melbourne IAAF World Challenge.  He is the senior Hurdle champion of the Glenhuntly Athletics Club since 2007.  Kulan has coached at Caulfield LAC for many years.

Matt Cowie

Matt has been coaching Shot Put with CLAC for 3 years on a Thursday evening.  He is a 2 time National Shot Put Champion, represented Australia in the Commonwealth Youth Games and the Junior World Championships.  Matt’s shot put PB is 17.70m.

James Vine

James has been specialising in sprinting and hurdles coaching for approximately 8 years.  He has coached at Melbourne Grammar in the junior, middle and senior schools.   He is a level 1 Athletics Australia coach.  James has competed in athletics since he joined Camberwell Malvern as an U6 going through until U15.  James continues to compete as a professional runner and has a degree in Exercise Science and Sport Management.   James has a passion for fitness and performance and was a finalist in the 2013 Stawell Gift coming 3rd. James represented Australia and medalled in the 110m hurdles at the Junior Olympics.  James leads the OMP recruitment division, specialising in identifying talented footballers.

Sienna Fighera

Sienna is a junior coach at Caulfield LAC this season will be Sienna’s 2^nd year of coaching sprints.  Sienna has been an athlete for many years starting with Brighton Little Aths (U6 to U9), Sandringham Little Aths (U10 to U15). She started her senior athletics at Sandringham Athletics and recently made the move to Diamond Valley Athletics. Her favourite event is 200m and she enjoys competing in 100m and 400m as well.  Sienna is in her final year of VCE.

Morgan McGregor

Morgan has joined the Caulfield Little Athletics Coaching panel this year to coach sprints.  She is currently studying a Bachelor of Environmental Engineering at Monash University Clayton.  Morgan is sports coach at St Leonards College, coaching a variety or sports; tennis, touch rugby, soccer, netball, football and running.  Morgan also works in retail and hospitality.

Aisling O’Connor Buckley

Aisling is a junior coach at Caulfield LAC this will be her 2^nd year of coaching hurdles and her 3^rd year coaching the U6/U7 On Track Program.  Aisling started little athletics at Caulfield in U9 and has gone on to represent Victoria in U13 & U15 Australian Little Athletics Competition (ALAC) in hurdles and the heptathlon.  She was also bestowed the honour of being one of the ALAC captains in 2018.  Aisling has won numerous state medals for relays and track and field in her time at Caulfield LAC. She is now a member of Glenhuntly Athletics Club also based at Duncan Mckinnon Reserve.   Aisling has completed the Little Athletics Australia Introduction to Coaching Course (ITCC).

Isabella Harper

Isabella is a junior coach at Caulfield LAC this will be her 2^nd year of coaching High Jump and her 3^rd year coaching U6/U7 On Track program.  Isabella is a Long service member of Caulfield LAC having completed 10 years as an athlete from U6 to U15. Isabella competed in relays, cross-country and track & field during her time as an athlete at Caulfield achieving numerous state medals. She is now a member of Glenhuntly Athletics Club also based at Duncan Mckinnon Reserve.   Isabella has completed the Little Athletics Australia Introduction to Coaching Course (ITCC).

Peter Hatzoglou

This year we welcome Peter to the Caulfield Coaching panel.  He is a life member at the Keilor Little Athletics Centre having been an athlete there from 2003 – 2010.  He enjoyed the Shot Put and Javelin but was also focused on his cricket and footy, forcing athletics on the back burner for a while.  He rediscovered his interest in athletics as a Year 10 student at Geelong Grammar where he competed in the High Jump and 400m.  At present Peter is the High Jump coach at Caulfield Grammar School while he is studying at Monash Uni.

Simon Baker

This year we welcome Simon Baker to the Caulfield Coaching panel.   Simon is one of our most successful international walkers ever.  He is a Level 5 (Elite/International) coach and was a walks coach at the AIS in Canberra before returning to Melbourne in 1997. Simon is a former member of both the IAAF and Athletics Australia Athletes Commissions.  His impressive resume includes representations in 4 Olympics, 4 World Championships, 3 Commonwealth Games, and 6 World Walking Cups. He was Commonwealth Champion over 30km in 1986, Racewalking World Cup winner over 50 km in 1989 and still holds the Commonwealth 50 km track record.

Coaching Philosophy – Walking is an endurance sport based on speed! I am focused on developing young athletes for the long term, to be capable of their best as 18 and 19 year olds, and for Open athletes to continue to develop for the length of their career. This is focus on a long term development, not just for the next race. I attempt to promote that the personal life of the athlete is integrated well with the physical demands of training. Life is a journey and training for sport can be a big part of making the journey exciting and challenging and to find out your true potential.

On Track Coaches for U6 and U7 Age Groups

The On Track Coaches have attended the Little Athletics Victoria On Track Workshop where they have been trained to deliver the skills based coaching program in a positive environment.  The coaches are present or past Caulfield Little Athletes and have lots of practical experience with all athletic events.   We are proud of our senior athletes giving back to the juniors.

Mary Harper – On Track Co-ordinator

Samantha Miller

Jemma Owen

Maddy Harper

Isabella Harper

James Harper

Georgie Whittle

Joshua Whittle

Aleesha Whittle

Ines Vandame

Genevieve O’Brien

Seamus O’Brien

Aisling O’Connor Buckley

Jordynne Orb

Brett Jacobs

Gemma Craddock

What is the U6 & U7 ON TRACK PROGRAM?

The rationale behind the On Track program is simple, we teach children the skills of athletics before we ask them to perform these skills in a competitive environment.  On Track is a coaching program.  It is based on research that has been completed on how children learn sporting skills, what children want out of their early sporting experiences and the learning capacities of children at different ages.

On Track is designed so that the skills being taught at each level are aligned with learning capacities of children at that particular age. 

The program concentrates on teaching younger athletes fundamental motor skills of running, jumping, hopping, and throwing in a non-competitive environment.

In addition, the program focuses on active learning, participation, improving, having fun and experiencing excitement by increasing activity time, fostering friendships, lowering competition mindset and increasing prospects for learning.

The benefits of On Track

The benefits of your child participating in On track:

• Minimal waiting around
• More chances to practice
• All children have the opportunity to excel
• It’s fun
• It’s easy
• It satisfies
• It’s time friendly

The U6/U7 On Track Program is implemented by qualified coaches.  The coaches have completed the Little Athletics On Track Workshop.   The On Track coaches are also long time athletes with Caulfield Little Athletics, some of which having completed On Track themselves.

We hold 2 On Track coaching sessions on a Monday and Wednesday evening at 5:30pm to 6:30pm as well as the U6 & U7 On Track Program on a Saturday morning 9am to 10:30am.

For more information contact our U6/U7 On Track Coordinator

Mary Harper – coaching@caulfieldlittleaths.org.au

Junior Development Squad (JDS)

The Junior Development Squad (JDS) gives U12 – U16 athletes an opportunity to develop additional skills and improve technical competencies through participation in coaching and training sessions with some of Victoria’s leading coaches. Training with other keen and enthusiastic squad members is both fun and motivational and helps develop new friendships based on an enjoyment of athletics. The emphasis on learning new athletic skills and improving existing ones is in a friendly and supportive environment.

To join JDS, athletes must achieve the qualifying standard in their current age group of the season. Athletes must achieve one standard on two separate occasions or two different standards, once. This ensures that the performances show a consistency and not just a once off.

The JDS information pack contains the calendar, qualifying criteria and standards. By clicking on the link below you will open the information pack.

http://www.lavic.com.au/Education-Training/Athletes/Junior-Development-Squad

Once you have read the information pack and checked that you have qualified, you can register by following the link inside.