Local high school students attended an Otago Secondary School Sports Association session for coaches and officials in Cromwell’s rugby pavilion on Wednesday (March 22).

Sixty three students from Dunstan High School, Cromwell College, Mt Aspiring and Lawrence Area School - coaches, umpires and officials - participated in three hours of workshop activities.

Sport Central sport and active recreation advisor Jo Knight spoke about ‘knowing your athlete’ and ‘positive sideline behaviour’.

Jo said she was thrilled with the turnout and the level of engagement from the students.

“These are our coaches for tomorrow.

 “I talked about how coaches need to know themselves and what they bring to the table before knowing their athletes.”

Jo said to remember no two players are the same, and checking in with athletes was important.

Understanding what motivates teams and what athletes need to enjoy and continue playing sports was another point Jo addressed. 

Sport Otago coach lead Grant Milne during a team building activity

Advice on dealing with difficult conversations and how to model positive sideline behaviour was the final aspect Jo covered. 

“Coaches can limit chat about the game in the car ride home and remember that they can stop the game if necessary.”

Dunedin-based Sport Otago coach lead Grant Milne also contributed with tips on icebreakers, team building, templates and resources and the injured athlete. 

Resources on creating positive sporting experiences for tamariki and rangitahi can be found on the Keep. Sport. Positive page of Sports Otago’s website.

Watch a Sport Otago video on positive sideline behaviour here.