Every Thursday of May, as part of the Learning Series, Sport Wales will be releasing interesting content for our partners to enjoy and learn from. Explore them all below.
Videos, Podcasts and More
Thursday May 27th
PODCAST: Switching our thinking from deficit to asset
The Street Games team get together to share their thoughts on deficit mindsets; what is it and what is the impact of approaching our work in this way. Sharing their stories and experiences and encouraging us all to flip our thinking.
WEBINAR: Surfacing and Challenging Assumptions with Andy Brogan
2% better is not to be sniffed at but what if the ambition is 50%, 100% or a 1000%? To get there we have to think differently; we have to surface and then challenge our assumptions. But how?
In this pre-recorded webinar we will use a case study exercise to explore practical answers to this question, considering how they can be applied in your work.
Imagine you were doing this session live with Andy, during the webinar he invites you to pause the video to do a task or if you are doing this as a team or group maybe pause the video and work through the task together.
PODCAST: Hockey Wales
Jonathan Roberts, Relationship Manager at Sport Wales catches up with Ria Burrage-Male, CEO Welsh Hockey.
Ria shares her reflections as the CEO of Welsh Hockey, from starting in the role, to becoming a new mum and returning to lead the organisation as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.
May 20th
Podcast: Swim Wales
Susie Osbourne, Relationship Manger at Sport Wales catches up with Swim Wales’ Ross Nicholas – National Performance Director
Spencer Fuge – National strength and conditioning coach and Adam Baker - Lead National Performance coach
The Swim Wales performance team share their experiences of adapting to Covid 19 and athletes being literally ‘fish out of water’. The team explore some of the challenges but also benefits that the situation has brought to athletes, the programme and the performance staff team.
Key themes emerge around the importance of communication and adaptability with health and wellbeing the central pillar to their approach with athletes.
Conversations also consider the benefits of solid foundations across the programme and how these have assisted athletes through this period and contributed to their ability to deliver outstanding performances and personal bests at the recent Olympic qualifiers with 6 Welsh swimmers confirmed for Team GB Tokyo later this year.
Small Changes, Big Wins.
Making small changes within transition periods can result in big wins for your athletes and organisation. A transition represents a period of change for an athlete which results in a new set of demands for them to manage. By this definition and our experiences, we see that transitions are ever-present in athletes lives and that we have a duty of care to navigate these alongside the athletes within our care. Athletes final transition of retirement commonly dominates the narrative, although important, there is a need to broaden our scope and practice. This article identifies some moments in an athlete’s life that can present challenges.
Studying is a key element within athlete's personal and professional development. How can you support your athletes to strike a balance between training and learning? With the right balance, support and guidance, sports and studies can be a winning combination.
Welsh programmes have athletes that are unemployed, juggling work and sport, and those that receive national lottery funding on them – all of which present different challenges relating to finance. Have you considered your offer to athletes that are experiencing transitions relating to finance? Being pro-active and implementing effective strategies can support you with this.
From the moment an athlete first engages in a sport until the final time they compete they will experience multi-faceted environmental transitions. Supporting athletes throughout these transitions will enhance athlete retention and satisfaction.
The performance lifestyle team at Sport Wales has a desire to support organisations to implement strategies to aid athlete transitions. We would also love to learn how your organisation currently supports athletes through different transitional periods.
We have a suite of infographics that are available to support you in raising awareness of challenges athletes face and also importantly some ideas if how you can support them. If you’d like access to these resources and would like to find out more about Sport Wales’ Performance Lifestyle support, please contact:
Zoe Eaton Performance Lifestyle Lead zoe.eaton@sport.wales or Rosie Williams Performance Lifestyle Practitioner rosie.williams@sport.wales
How we return and why it matters
Tune into this podcast from the Dare to Lead Brene Brown series.
In this episode Brene talks with Priya Parker about gathering together again. They discuss about the real, big and small challenges we’ll see when we return to workspaces.
13th May
Podcast: Joy and Darren
In this Learning Series podcast Joy Bringer, Relationship Manager at Sport Wales chats with Darren Warner, CEO Welsh Judo.
Darren shares his personal story of the last 18 months, discussing what he did to create an open and honest environment in his team, shares his strategies for maintaining resilience and the challenges of preparing an Olympian for the Tokyo Olympics.
Please note: The following content contains topics which some listeners may find distressing (suicide and grief)
Mental Health Awareness Week
This week is mental health awareness week and we are being encouraged to connect with nature to experience the powerful benefits of spending time in nature and importantly being present in these moments, noticing the world around us.
The Mental Health Foundation has some excellent information and resources available to support you in finding balance in your life
Find out more about Mental Health Awareness week
Mindfulness: Finding peace in a Frantic World
Take Time
Have you discovered our Take Time resource yet?
Take Time is a resource curated to spark conversation, stimulate thinking, and share insight from across a variety of sectors. The golden thread throughout all editions is well-being and mental health. Each month is themed on topics that impact personal and organisational development, addressing live challenges and equipping us with the skills and behaviours to navigate whatever life throws at us!
The last edition of Take Time included links to previous editions, so in the spirit of the learning series take a look and find what works for you.