Michelle Power. Performance Coach to Irish U21 and Senior Women’s Teams in Canoe Polo.

 

  1. You played internationally for many years and have coached at Club and Junior Development level, what was the motivation for stepping into a Performance coaching role this year? I travelled to watch the senior women compete at the World Championships in France last year. I observed very capable and talented young women not reaching their full potential. As I reflected on the role of a high-performance coach responsible for coaching highly skilled athletes that focuses primarily on performance and is expected to achieve successful outcomes at the highest level of competition, I felt very strongly that these athletes would benefit hugely from the fun and athlete development principles of the development coach. When we returned home, the role of coach became available, I rewatched the matches to understand what was working and what wasn’t, I thought that a combination of my coaching experience to date, my team building and strategic skills from my professional career could meet the challenges ahead.
  2. What individual coaching strengths are you bringing to this role and how are they reflected in your process? I should thank (or blame) my observation and reflection strengths for this role. I have a natural tendency to stand back and notice what’s happening, over the years I’ve learned to reflect on these observations and build a plan around them. Also, accountability to the team and to yourself, everyone is expected to prepare herself to the best of her ability and put her talents to work for the team, no matter what role they play.
  3. What has been the biggest challenge so far? Making short term sacrifices and trade-offs to maximise the team’s opportunity for their long-term success.
  4. What has been the most “rewarding” moment so far? We had a particularly hard competition recently, the last game being against our strongest opposition, the scoreline was not pretty but as a team we had set our own objectives and what a win would look like for us. The whole team left the pitch with a smile on their face. We’re very much at the start of our performance journey, fun and development will be a central part of this.
  5. What would you say to other women considering coaching at any level? There are many challenges in being a coach but there are few things more rewarding than being part of your athlete’s process in achieving their full potential and seeing them grow as a person.
  6. Is there something you believe might enable/encourage more women to coach at performance level in Paddlesports and/or other sports? There needs to be a mindset change at club level. In many clubs’ women will be seen as the nurturers with expectations that they will look after the new intake of beginners regardless of experience and qualification.