Gold standard coaches to play vital part in Oz Games
GLASGOW School of Sport is to show off the skill of its coaches on an international stage.
Four coaches from the school’s team have been selected as coaches for Team Scotland during the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in April.
And a fifth has been asked by the International Federation of Gymnastics (FIG) to be a judge during the event from April 4 to 15.
Pauline Smith, who is currently Coach at City of Glasgow Gymnastics Team, will be judging her eighth consecutive Commonwealth Games in a row.
She said: “My first was Auckland in 1990. I’m really proud to have been selected so many times in a row.
“Auckland 1990 was obviously a very special event for me as my first, but Glasgow 2014 will always have a special place in my heart. It was incredible to see how the city just came alive with the event – and even the weather was in our favour.
“However, saying that, my favourite Games so far has been Melbourne 2006. Australians just really know how to put on an event.”
Despite her considerable experience, Pauline still gets nervous before taking on the task of judging.
She added: “No matter how many competitions I judge, I always get nervous. It’s no mean feat trying to remember hundreds of rules whilst also watching an ongoing performance.
“But I absolutely love it, and it really is incredible for me to get to come along to so many competitions - and also to be recognised for my hard work.”
Pauline will be joined by Sandra Stevenson, high performance coach in Gymnastics, who has been selected as Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Coach, and Marius Gherman, Performance Coach in Gymnastics, who will travel to Australis to be Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Coach. For Sandra it will be her second Games but first as Coach while Marius is an old hand, having been at Delhi 2010 and Glasgow 2014.
Marius competed in the Seoul Olympics in 1988, winning a bronze medal for the High Bar, and Barcelona in 1992. He also took silver in the 1993 World Championships in Birmingham.
Marius said: “I’ve competed at world level myself so I completely understand the pressure our athletes are under.
“For me, to have trained at such a high level and to now work with young athletes training at that same level is quite special.
“It’s also a wonderful feeling to then be selected as a judge to travel with those same athletes as they take on the Commonwealth compe- tition. To be able to attend a Games with my own athletes is a feeling quite hard to describe.
“Heading to a Commonwealth Games and representing your country is every gymnast’s dream, and I know first-hand the level of work they put in every single day and it’s amazing to see it pay off.”
Sandra added: “In 2014 I was assistant coach for the women’s team. It’s obviously very exciting to be chosen as head coach but it’s a big responsibility as all the decisions fall to me and you feel that pressure.
“There’s a real expectation.”
While the women’s gymnastics team has not yet been chosen, Sandra already has an eye for who their competition might be – England, feeling of Wales, Canada and Australia.
She added: “Glasgow 2014 will be difficult to match because it was a home game but I’m confident we can bring back some medals.”
Derek Forsyth, who is currently High Performance Coach Hockey, has been selected as Men’s Hockey Coach while Ian Wright, Head Performance Coach City of Glasgow Swim Team, has been selected as Swimming Coach.
Derek said the hockey team is “really looking forward” to getting out to Australia and having another chance to play against the home team.
He said: “They beat us 9-0 in Delhi and 5-0 in Glasgow. We are ranked 23rd in the world and they are first.
“We’re going to compete against the best team in the world.”
When the full team of Scotland’s swimmers is chosen there will be 29 swimmers and four divers – and coach Ian says there are several to watch.
He says Scotland has a good chance of making the medal table in his sport with Ross Murdoch and Hannah Miley joining Duncan Scott, Dan Wallace, Craig Benton and Mark Szaranek to make a fierce team.
Ian added: “It is a privilege and an honour to be selected to represent Scotland as a coach for the team. I feel very proud. Our swim team is very strong and, while we have competition from Canada, England and South Africa in particular, I think we