Coach Profile

Q: How did you first get involved in orienteering?
A: An uncle of mine was the first in the family to get involved in orienteering. I first 'orienteered' with my parents in a hiking baby backpack and it gradually went from there. With the exception of a handful years as a teenager I've orienteered ever since.

Q: How did you first get involved in coaching?
A: I was involved in starting a new junior program for Orienteering Ottawa in 2012. At first I was just involved in the admin side but after a couple of years I started coaching a group and I got more and more involved in coaching at the club level and working with a wide range of athletes.

Q: What aspect of coaching is your favourite?
A: I love working one on one with athletes and helping them work through new ways of doing things, new skills, etc.

Q: How do you work with athletes to help them prepare for a specific big race?
A: That's a big question - for the biggest races preparation starts with getting familiar with the terrain and the specific race areas. The more familiar you can be with the terrain and know how to handle it's specific challenges the better. Prep involves studying maps, setting a wide variety of leg and going through how you would approach them, and getting out on the terrain if possible. For JWOC and WOC that involves getting their early and balancing technical training with as much rest and recovery as possible. A day or two before the race we go through the details of the race together and I get each athlete to come up with a timeline/plan for the day leading up to the end of the race. I also sit down with each of them to go through race strategies and goals and remind them that they have all the skills they need to meet their goals and instill confidence.

Q: If you had one tip for young orienteers what would it be?
A: Seek out the joy in orienteering and training.