Behind The Cups with Courtney Gilmour

Sun, Mar 12, 2023, 9:38 AM
Brumbies.rugby
by Brumbies.rugby

“Behind the Cups” is a series where we sit down one-on-one with people from club land for an in-depth conversation discussing their rugby journey. In honour of Community Coach Week, we will be sitting down with a few community coaches who are making an impact on our game.

 

Courtney Gilmour, has been involved in club rugby most of her life and is currently coaching the Jindabyne Bushpigs U16s girls team.

 

Can you tell us a little bit about your rugby experience and how you got involved in coaching?

“Well, I haven't actually played but I grew up surrounded by rugby up in the Newcastle area, and then moving to Jindabyne my kids got into playing rugby. So when my daughter and her best friend wanted to make it in the under 14's age group, they rounded up some girls and made a team. They were in need of a coach, so I jumped in and I spent a lot of time learning. I love coaching the girls in this area, and this will be my third year coaching them.”

 

It's uncommon for coaches to not have been a player themselves.

“I know yeah! I’ve grown up around quite a sporty family, so we were always involved in sports and lots of different sports from a very young age. So that I think that's helped give me the confidence to start.

 “I always loved being around rugby and watching rugby growing up, but yes it wasn’t until my kids got involved in the sport that I started helping out with the coaching side of things.”

 

Do you have a specific highlight or favourite memory from your time as a coach over the past three years?

“I think my highlight is seeing the girls come back each year. I loved seeing them win the grand final last year, but I think what’s more rewarding is just is to have the girls return each year and them wanting to come back and play.

 

“Watching their development and watching their confidence grow from the start of the season. I love girls, especially teenage girls, being involved in team sports and the confidence they get being involved in a sport like rugby that involves so much skill and strength. Seeing their confidence from the start of the season compared to the end of the season, is great as they’re a part of a team that involves everyone. Everyone gets to fit in.”

Jindabyne U14 girls

 

As a coach of girl’s rugby, it would be especially great to see the continued investment in that?

“Yeah absolutely. I’ve got a daughter coming through, that has just made the U16s Brumbies Country team, so her and her best friend are quite driven in wanting to get further. It involves quite a lot of commitment, but it’s great for them to stay involved in the sport and something they love.

 

“I love the direction and how much they are trying to put into girl’s sport now, especially with the Rugby World Cup that’s coming up in 2029. I love how it’s getting more professional for these girls that are coming through, it's going to be an option for them in the future. If they want to do rugby as their focus and as their job, that's what they can do.

 

As a coach, how important are volunteers in maintaining a club dynamic?

“It's everything. Our club is purely run on volunteers, last year was our biggest season ever, I think we had seven junior teams and two senior teams. So to have that many teams running around each weekend it’s a massive effort for the club and it just wouldn't run without all the volunteers. Most of the coaches and volunteers are generally past players or parents, so yeah, it's everything. 

 

“When you have that many teams there's a lot that goes into it. The kids can travel up to three and a half to four hours just for a Saturday game, so it's pretty massive.

 

“We run raffles every Friday night with one of our sponsors the Lake Jindabyne Hotel, and that money pays for the fuel for the buses, so there’s no outlay or cost to parents to gets kids to games.

 

“That's really helpful for the families in the area because it's generally a really busy time for the Jindabyne families in the winter, so it's great to be able to still provide the kids the chance to go and play.

 

You’ve completed some coaching accreditations through the Brumbies and Rugby Australia. How important has having those resources been to your learning journey?

“Yes, I'm finishing my level one course currently. The Brumbies have been really good in supporting our club, they always come out regionally.

 

“[Sam Norton-Knight] has been so good with us, coming down and basically doing some coaching for the coaches as well as the players. He’s done that for the past two years which has been awesome; getting those guys down and sharing their experience just really helps our coaches grow to help our children out in this area. They are really supportive and we really appreciate all their help.

 

“Ronnie, the Development Officer, he’s been awesome. We've had him down twice already this season. We find those sessions really helpful, they help us out as well as helping the kids out, so that's really good.”

 

What would you say to someone who is thinking of starting their coaching journey, especially if they don’t have experience as a player?

“I would say do it because it's very rewarding. Watching kids grow and learn new skills is probably one of the most rewarding things you can do.

 

“I would say seek out help whenever you can. I'm a big believer in if you don't know something you shouldn't teach it, so if there's anyone around that you can get as much knowledge from, do it. There are so many resources out there for coaches to learn new skills and drills for the kids.”

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