The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Sporty youngsters can take game to‘new level’
SOME OF the country’s top sports coaches are backing an ambitious Perthshire initiative to nurture young sporting talent.
Glenalmond College has named a series of national and international coaches for its new activity camp programme for this Easter and summer.
This is the first time the school has run its own activity programmes and the residential and non-residential programmes on offer cover tennis, volleyball, hockey, cricket, rugby and golf, with mini-camps incorporating a number of different sports.
Programme director David Stott, one of Scotland’s leading youth and national hockey coaches, explained why he has brought in top coaches for the courses.
“We felt it was important to kick off our activity programmes with the very best coaches available, to make sure that the young people who come along get the most enjoyable experience possible,” he said.
“The emphasis throughout the courses is on fun but for participants to get the most out of it, this needs to be combined with expert coaching and analysis, to help develop skills and self-confidence, heightening their enjoyment of their chosen sport and taking their game to a new level.”
The coaches include James Ross, head coach for the Perth and Kinross cricket development squads and sportscotland’s young coach of the year in 201213. The full-time cricket development coach for Live Active looks after the full spectrum of players, up to those at various levels on the national pathway.
PGA professional Richard Holt has coached golfers at all levels, from beginners to touring professionals, and focuses on developing individual strategies tailored for each golfer.
Daniel Reed, who is an RPT European and national professional, heads up the tennis coaching team.
Mr Stott is assisted on the hockey camps by, among others, Laurence Docherty andVicky Bunce. Docherty has earned 60 caps for Scotland and 80 for Holland, one of the world’s strongest hockey nations. As well as being the finest player Scotland has produced, he has a wealth of coaching experience working with juniors.
Bunce, a GB and Scottish internationalist, has played for Scotland for many years and is regarded as one of the top coaches in the country, with the ability to coach players at all levels.
She was Scottish Player of the Year in 2010/11 and received her 150th cap at the World League in Rio, Brazil, last year. Glenalmond will also
“We felt it was important to kick off our activity programmes with the very best coaches available.”
offer goalkeeping camps that will be run by Graham Stuart.
Leading the rugby camps is James Wade, a Scottish Rugby development officer with Perthshire RFC, and the coaching line- up will include a number of guest appearances from SRU Scottish internationalists including Dougie Hall, holder of 42 caps and a former Glenalmond pupil.
Throughout each course, the participants are assessed and offered video analysis, to help them improve the finer points of their game. Other aspects of athlete development are also included, such as nutrition, game awareness, fitness training and sports psychology.
Golf course participants will also benefit from trips to Gleneagles and other local links courses to ensure a range of experience.
More details on all the programmes are available from the Glenalmond College website www.glenalmondcollege. co.uk/activityprogrammes or by calling Mr Stott on 01738 842042.