Rippon mentored by Oarsome Foursome Coach

One of the nation’s most successful rowing coaches, who took crews to five Olympic Games and most notably coached the Oarsome Foursome to two Olympic gold medals has been connected with NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) women’s water polo head coach, Bec Rippon

“I’m having a look at her coaching and we’re working together in a mental performance coach program,” said former Australian Head Rowing Coach Noel Donaldson.

“I’m a mentor and she’s a mentee. Watching her in action, though, it could almost be reversed, certainly in the sport of water polo. But she’s an experienced coach and part of the course is to help them become better coaches.”

Donaldson, who coached the Oarsome Foursome to five World Championship campaigns, winning four gold medals and one silver in the fours and pairs combinations, is one of five mentor coaches connected with 15 mentee coaches in a national program run jointly by the Australian Institute of Sport and the University of Queensland.

“I am using the coach in action tool to observe the coach in terms of how they set sessions up, how they interact with the players, how they are emotively and a range of different things that Bec’s been schooled in. My role is to help facilitate her continuing development.”

Donaldson, who continues to challenge himself in the contemporary world of coaching, described two time Olympian, Rippon as a great coach with excellent communication skills.

“I think she’s fantastic. She’s forthright really clear in her instructions. She’s obviously a great player in her own right. She manages the complexities of the program really well because there’s different age ranges, different phases of the season – some rehab athletes.

“She’s really well planned and she communicates well with Jackie (Northam) too, in terms of helping her get run these sessions.”

The old school days of berating an athlete are long gone and Donaldson says working with the interactions of how people are, and trying to improve their emotive and behavioural areas is a better approach.

“I think by the time the athletes are here they’ve already developed their ideals and their practices. So, where it’s changed is allowing them some socialization. Hopefully they know what they need to do. If they’re not actually doing it, you’ve got to let it go on.”

Donaldson is impressed with the coaching partnership between Rippon and Northam, especially the mutual trust and respect between the two coaches.

“I’m quite impressed between the two of them, how they actually working together,” he said. “And the senior coach can run a specific session for the goalies and trust in the other coach to be able to run the seniors right down to the development athletes as well. It’s a good partnership.”

Donaldson, who cites rowing coach Reinhold Batschi and AFL Premiership winning coach David Parkin as his mentors, welcomes the opportunity to support the development of coaches.

“I think there’s still a very unknown world out there in coaching of how to actually help coaches, and there’s a lot of programs in operation, which is really good to see,” said Donaldson.

“I’ve got huge respect for Parkin and watch his practices. I think he was ahead of the time. He put me on the right path, and I think we all need that every now and again.

“To have people to hold you to court and even when you’re coaching at the senior level, to still reach out and have other people appraise your coaching, helps you.”

Donaldson has recently come out of coaching retirement, not only as a mentor but as a coach.

“I’m back on the tools, coaching the Australian Under 23s,” he said. They brought an old timer back in to just provide a bit of experience not only for the athletes, but also for the other coaches on the team.

And well may we all learn something from Donaldson, good humour, active listening, and humility.

Frances Cordaro, NSWIS