Summary

Today we have a different, unscheduled episode mostly in response to a recent Panorama programme about bullying in swimming in some high profile swimming schools. Mount Kelly wasn’t referenced in the Panorama programme at all but, nevertheless, the school wanted to be open and fully transparent to everybody. So we’re about to hear from Emma Collings Barnes, Director of Swimming at the school. I had a chance to ask her about the coaching values, what she has set up at Mount Kelly, and what makes a good, safe, balanced school swim programme.

Takeaways

• We put some real core values in place.
• It's important to create an understanding of why values matter.
• A lot of work can be done on oneself outside the pool.
• We had a leadership team that acted as a bridge between swimmers and coaches.
• We have an open door policy for athletes to talk about their challenges.
• The environment feels like a family, a home away from home.
• We need to treat everyone individually in a large programme.
• It's crucial to focus on the person before the athlete.
• We recognise that not all athletes want to go to the Olympics.
• Actions speak louder than words; ask the athletes about their experiences :)

Links:

www.mountkelly.com

This podcast was produced by The Bonjour Agency Ltd

www.thebonjouragency.com