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Nancy Ovens Bursary Update
SkillsActive caught up with a couple of the 2007 Nancy Ovens bursary recipients, Matt Johnson and Janet Warrington, to find out what progress they have made in their personal development projects.
Janet in action coaching
Andrew Brown, SkillsActive - 09/11/2007
Matt Johnson, Head of Development at Reading Rockets Basketball Club, has set himself an ambitious and impressive coaching development pathway, which will see him become the GB Assistant Coach in 2012 and the GB Head Coach by 2016. Part of his development plan was to travel to America to work with a top coach which is what the Nancy Ovens bursary has recently allowed him to do. Last month Matt spent a week at Davidson University for a week of intense study, shadowing Davidson's head coach Bob Mckillop and experiencing the Division 1 College Basketball programme, working with a team that attracts crowds of up to 40,000 spectators on a weekly basis.
Matt said of his experiences:
"It is most definitely when you least expect it that you learn the most, and this is so true for my trip away. After 5 days of sitting in every meeting, practice session, player room, team lunch and anywhere else they would allow me I felt like I had taken in so much information I was fit to burst!
"I can only say thank you to the Nancy Ovens Trust and to Davidson College, North Carolina (specifically Coach Mckillop) for truly helping me to take another small step on my development path."
Janet Warrington, Head Coach at Hoddesddon Swimming Club in Hertfordshire, is currently looking forward to her development opportunities at the end of this month when she will visit Stirling University to spend a week with Scottish Institute of Sport coach, Chris Martin.
Janet's visit is intended to help her develop her knowledge and skills in areas such as sports science, coaching philosophies and technique.
Of her trip to Stirling and what she might learn, Janet said:
"I hope to have a clearer understanding of the pathway for my development as a coach, not to mention come back fully charged, enthused and passionate about getting more swimmers on the England Talent Programme."
More information on Janet, Matt and all the other Nancy Ovens bursars can be found on the Nancy Ovens bursary webpages.
