24 March 2021
Year 9 students who are undertaking the Sports Specialisation elective at Coastal Lakes College have had an opportunity to apply their learning in a real-life context today, umpiring various activities at the local CSSA carnival.
Over the past eight weeks students have been learning how to umpire and coach Tee Ball, League Tag, Cricket and Basketball in readiness for the day. A big part of their preparation for the day has been visits from local coaches who have been able to provide in-depth training for their specific sports.
Coaches have included Darcy Middleton from the Western Australian Cricket Association and Ben Meier from Peel Diamond Sports. These coaches not only provide expertise within their sporting areas, they also act as role models to students, showcasing the importance of giving back to the community.
The day was considered a massive success, providing students with an opportunity to achieve success by demonstrating what they have learnt. “It was good to get out and about playing sport. It gives those of us who like sport an extra opportunity to get involved and do something we’re good at. We really got involved with our local primary schools – I was pleased to see Oakwood Primary win”, said Jonty.
In addition to providing students with the skills and confidence they need to undertake paid and unpaid coaching and umpiring jobs within the local community, our sports specialisation program provides an important opportunity to strengthen our links with our local community. Head of Learning Area for Health and Physical Education, Amber Goldsmith commented on the benefits of participating in programs such as the CSSA, “participating in local events encourages students to become active members of our local community and provides them with an opportunity to give back. It also provides our students with another opportunity to achieve success.”
Our sport specialisation elective provides students who excel in particular sports (Basketball, Netball, AFL and Cricket) with an opportunity to develop their leadership skills and sporting prowess to develop coaching programs and umpiring skills that will be used within the sporting community.
Feedback was positive from all students “The day was really fun, we learnt a lot and the teachers involved were really supportive of us. It’s the first time (umpiring and coaching) for many of us, so it was really great to have their support”, commented Kaiya.
Potential career pathways for students who are interested in this area include personal trainer, sporting coach, umpire, exercise physiologist, and club/recreational manager.
A massive thank you to Darcy and Ben, as well as all the other coaches who have visited the College in Term 1, we are incredibly grateful.
