Using the Raise My Game system developed by former Black Sticks Olympian Suzie Muirhead, the growth planning conversation includes the athletes’ Circle of Support, part of a holistic approach that prioritises their wellbeing.
Often an athlete’s Circle of Support is a multi-layered network of people, all of whom have an important role to play as the athlete navigates their sport, professional and personal goals coherently to prepare for future transitions.
A tight and connected Circle of Support can play a critical role in preparing athletes for transition into high performance sport.
Three aspects of Circle of Support stand out, says Otago Regional Performance Pathways lead, Belinda Colling.
“Circle of Support is athlete led. They identify the key support people in their network, whether it’s parents, coaches, friends, partners or athlete performance support staff such as S&C coaches, nutritionists and the like,” says Belinda.
The second key element is the role of independent facilitators which is an integral part of the Raise My Game programme.
An independent facilitator herself, Belinda says the role is to make sure athletes have their key people engaged in what’s happening and how they can be of support.
“Probably the single most important part of Circle of Support is the focus on communications and providing athletes with the skills and confidence to manage and work with all of the voices in their network – whether it is family, friends, team mates or coaches. It provides athletes with the skills to have those courageous conversations which can be really challenging and at times confronting for a young person.”
Belinda says the Circle of Support is extremely important for Performance Pathway athletes in places like Dunedin. “Most of our pre high performance athletes are students living away from their families. Much of their communication with parents, previously their most important support base, is remote.
“As independent facilitators we will also help parents navigate the journey their child is on. We aim to show them the layers of support around their child and provide them with the confidence they are being well supported with connections that will empower, enable and develop them as individuals as well as sports men and women.”
Coaches are also an important part of the Circle of Support says Belinda. “This results in coaches being better able to understand an athlete’s holistic goals and sometimes the competing priorities and decisions an athlete needs to make at this stage of the pathway as they learn to manage multiple commitments across sport, professional and personal life.”
Belinda’s views are reinforced by Raise My Game founder, Suzie Muirhead, who is contracted to HPSNZ to provide and support athlete growth planning within the programme.
“The programme aims to put the right support around athletes to help them develop self-awareness, learning, sound decision-making, and clarity on priorities,” says Suzie.
“Often athletes’ lives at the pre high performance level can be more complex, especially if they have multiple coaching relationships, at club, regional and national levels. These voices may at times be competing and even in conflict. Helping young athletes navigate these types of challenges in a way in which they feel supported is critical to their development, but more importantly their wellbeing.
“The role the programme plays with parents is also very important. They often fill multiple roles with their child – as their mental skills coach, sports coach, nutritionist and advisor on how to balance sport and study.”
Young netballer, Isabella Galvan, is nearly a year into the Performance Pathways programme and the Circle of Support.
Hailing from Christchurch, the 20-year-old who is in her second-year law at Otago University, says Circle of Support is really great.
“Being an athlete and a student can sometimes feel like a lonely endeavour,” says Isabella. “Circle of Support makes you feel you have a really close support network that will help you as a person and as an athlete.”
Isabella says the single most important learning from Circle of Support so far has been how to use the resources and people around you. “I have some pretty amazing people around me and I feel totally supported. They are a really close knit group who help me have honest, robust conversations that help me grow and learn. Importantly, my Circle of Support are all connected to each other so we are all on the same page.”
Belinda is the first to say that Circle of Support is an evolving process. “We are at the start of an exciting journey with a programme which aims to create an environment that is athlete-centric and that manages and works with many voices, all of whom have the athlete’s future at the very heart.”
