Third Intake of High-Flying Coaches Selected for Coach Accelerator

Coaches from six sports have been selected for the third intake of a programme aimed at producing more coaches capable of developing World, Olympic or Paralympic champions.

SPARC, the New Zealand Academy of Sport and national sports organisations have been working together to increase New Zealand’s pool of world-class coaches. Coach Accelerator is a three-year professional development programme which is part of the strategy to ensure further high performance success for New Zealand.

The six coaches selected this year to go through the programme are: Crusaders rugby coach Todd Blackadder, rowing coach Gary Hay, New Zealand U21 netball coach Janine Southby, equestrian eventing coach Erik Duvander, assistant Black Sticks hockey coach Darren Smith, and flatwater canoeing coach Gordon Walker.

The Coach Accelerator programme began in 2009. It is funded by SPARC and administered by the New Zealand Academy of Sport.

During the three years, the coaches receive individually-tailored professional development, attend residential camps, and get sport-specific and generic coach training.

There are 12 coaches already going through the programme. They are: All Blacks assistant coach Steve Hansen; cricket coaches Mike Hesson, Grant Bradburn and Gary Stead; netball coach Yvette McCausland-Durie; snowboarding coach Tom Willmott; rowing coaches Dave Thompson and Mark Stallard; bike coaches Dayle Cheatley and Justin Grace, triathlon coach Tim Brazier; and swimming coach Scott Talbot.

SPARC General Manager High Performance Martin Toomey says coaches on the programme will take their skills to a new level.

``The Coach Accelerator programme is a unique opportunity in New Zealand sport to take some of our emerging coaching talent from being good to great. Ultimately, we want the coaches on the programme to push themselves to be the best and to produce more champions for New Zealand,’’ Toomey said.

Coach biographies

Todd Blackadder

Todd Blackadder is Head Coach of the Crusaders, a role he has held since July 2008.
A former All Black and captain of the Crusaders, Blackadder puts his passion for coaching down to the fact that he’s had some fantastic coaches throughout his playing career – from great coaches at club level through to international level coaches like Wayne Smith, Peter Sloane and Robbie Deans.

His first major coaching role was as Scotland’s Assistant Coach under Australian Matt Williams during 2004-2005. He followed this with a role as Head Coach of the Edinburgh Gunners.

In 2006, Blackadder headed back to New Zealand and joined the Tasman Rugby Union as their Director of Coaching, which soon led to the position of Director of Rugby.

He was appointed Coach of the Tasman Makos for the 2008 Air New Zealand Cup and then took over the Crusaders.

Blackadder played 25 times for the All Blacks, including 14 games as captain.

Gary Hay

Christchurch born and bred Gary Hay spends his summer months in Christchurch before relocating for the winter to Lake Karapiro in Cambridge where he coaches New Zealand rowing crews.

Gary spent 22 years in the NZ Police before being appointed in 2009 to the position of head coach of the Rowing New Zealand Southern High Performance Centre in Christchurch.

He was a New Zealand rowing representative from 1985 to 1987, and competed at the 1986 Commonwealth Games and 1986 World Championships.

He spent five years coaching at Rangi Ruru Girls School in Christchurch, and in 2008 coached the New Zealand Junior Women’s Four to a gold medal at the World Junior Championships in Austria.

The following year, he coached the U23 Men’s Double to a gold medal at the World U23 Championships in the Czech Republic.

In 2010, Gary coached the U23 Women’s Lightweight Double to a silver medal at the World U23 Championships in Belarus.

He also coached the Elite Women’s Lightweight single (Louise Ayling) to a silver medal at the Rowing World Championships at Lake Karapiro. At the same regatta, he coached the Lightweight Women’s Double (sixth) and the Women’s Double (seventh).

Gary is currently coaching and preparing the 2011 Elite Women’s Double of Anna Reymer and Fiona Paterson, and the Elite Lightweight Women’s Double (Louise Ayling and Lucy Strack) for the World Championship Regatta in Slovenia in August 2011.

Erik Duvander

Erik Duvander has been coach for the New Zealand eventing team since 2005. After the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, he became Eventing High Performance leader and coach for Equestrian Sports New Zealand.

Duvander, who has Swedish parents, was a successful event rider in his own right. He rode at the Olympics for Sweden, and was also part of the gold medal winning team at the European Championships. He has also coached Swedish and Japanese eventing teams.

After the Beijing Olympics, he pulled together a plan to bridge the gap between New Zealand’s eventing riders and the podium. Having helped New Zealand achieve its first eventing team medal in 12 years and first individual medal in 10 years at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, Duvander is firmly focused on winning medals at the London Olympics.
As he looks towards London, he plans to build on that momentum and see continued improvement in the riders and horses. Getting the last three to four percent out of each horse and rider combination is the hardest bit, he says.

Darren Smith

Darren Smith describes himself as ‘a product of the mighty province of Otago’, completing school and playing his junior hockey career there.

After school, he moved to Christchurch in search of making the Black Sticks team.

From 1995 to 2006, he was capped 212 times and played in two World Cups, three Commonwealth Games and at the 2004 Olympics.

It was during a year playing and coaching in Antwerp, Belgium, that his passion to turn coaching into a career grew.

``My week involved playing, but also would be padded with 20 hours coaching of talented young players and a women's club team.’’

After returning home to New ZeaIand, he started coaching full time, initially with North Harbour and then in 2007, after retiring from the New Zealand team, he became High Performance Director for Midlands.

In 2007 he accepted a role as assistant coach to Shane McLeod and the New Zealand team. He was in this role at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2010 World Cup and 2010 Commonwealth Games.

After three and a half years in Hamilton with Midlands, he now lives in Auckland working full time with Hockey New Zealand.

Janine Southby

Janine Southby started coaching while she was studying at Otago University and has coached at primary school, secondary school, club, representative and national levels.

In 2004-05, she coached Otago B. In 2005 she was assistant coach with the Otago Rebels (under Lois Muir), in 2067 she was promoted to head coach of the Otago Rebels, and then from 2008-09 became assistant coach to the New Zealand U21 team. In 2009, she was assistant coach at the World Youth Championships (under Yvette McCausland-Durie).

Janine was appointed head coach of New Zealand U21 in 2010, and was assistant coach to the New Zealand Fastnet Ferns in 2010 when they won the world series title in Liverpool (under Robyn Broughton).

Her own playing history includes representing Otago (1987-90), Wellington (1991-93), NZ Young Internationals (1992-93), Manawatu (1995-1999), Otago (2000-02), Western Flyers (1996-2000), and Otago Rebels (2001-2003).

Gordon Walker

Gordon Walker majored in Physiology and Sport Science for his Bachelor of Science degree from Auckland University. He has been an exercise physiologist, training consultant and athlete, as well as a coach.

During his coaching career, he has helped a number of athletes reach their goals in triathlon, cycling, running, multisport and kayaking. He has also offered advice to others on training methods, nutrition, supplements and equipment. Gordon is a flatwater canoeing coach for Canoe Racing New Zealand.

He is a three-time winner of the Coast to Coast multisport title and has wins and placings in other races including the Motu Challenge multisport race, Kepler Challenge 60km mountain run, and the Kururau Kruster multisport race.

ENDS

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