During the summer 2019 there were several activities carried out within the project ICY - everyday practical activities in kayak and canoe, and two summer camps in June / July and in July / August. During the sports camps the young athletes were practicing three times a day just as in the previous year. Morning exercises were held at 7:30 outside the water. The first practices on the water were usually held at 11:00 (before the sun became too hot during the hottest hours - 12:00 - 16:00), and the second practices were held at 17:00 (after the hot sun). One of the aims of the project was to attain more children to enter the Regional Sports School of Limbazi and Salacgriva after the summer activities.

So, 51 new athlete of the project target group age entered the sports school on the new school year 2019/2020. It makes around 12% of the total of kayak and canoe athletes of the sports school. This figure makes the project successful also by the fact that not all of the 51 athletes were the project children (project children are 39), but the project children took their friends to enter the sports school as well. As the target group of the project were children from rural regions, but children from the centre of the region also entered the sports school, the total number of the children having entered the department of canoe / kayak of the sports school on the 2019/2020 were 67.

Previously on the school year 2018/2019 there were 37 new athletes who entered the sports school after the summer activities and only two of them were not project members, but they were from rural regions. The total number of the children having entered the department of canoe / kayak of the sports school on the 2018/2019 were 59.

Please find some pictures here

Seminar with experienced professionals from Denmark was held in Audentese Sports Gymnasium focusing on building effective relationships and communication. Louise Kamuk Strom, experienced researcher and a practitioner in coaches development programs, shared knowledge about the importance of effective communication and coach-athlete relationships. One of the focus points of her presentation was on coaches impactful role in supporting their athletes growth as athletes and people via building effective relationships. Coaches learned about increasing their self-awareness in communication and new practical ways to build supportive relationships with their athletes.

Carsten Hvid Larsen, an experienced sport psychologist in Team Denmark, introduced one of the main building blocks of an effective coach-athlete relationship-a sound and well thought-through coaching philosophy. During the presentation, the participants got a thorough insight into the importance of coaching philosophy in their everyday practice. They learned practical steps on how to develop their own philosophy and show that in their everyday communication and behaviors with their athletes. Additionally, the coaches learned practical skills on managing their own stress levels that is necessary for communicating their professional values.

Although the seminar was held in English, the participants gave good feedback during the break about the presenters and the content. One of the participants expressed thanks for the opportunity to learn something new again and complimented on the easily understandable language. The participants were actively asking questions and eager to recieve practical tips for their everyday work.

Therefore, we were really thankful to our guests for creating this opportunity for our coaches to obtain new knowledge that could be useful in their everyday work.

Please find the seminar description in Estonian HERE