Harvey Hillary – Athlete to Elite Coach
49er coach Harvey Hillary was one of 10 coaches singled out by UK Sport for the 2006 intake of its Elite Coach Programme.
Designed to accelerate the development of coaches with the potential to be the driving force behind British medal success in six years time, Hillary will graduate from the three-year Elite Coach Programme in 2009.
He explains how he started coaching and what he plans to do in the roles of Elite Coach:
"Becoming a coach was never something I d seen coming in my crystal ball and indeed the speed at which it s become my career has been a real surprise. Back in 2000 I was lucky enough to be given an opportunity to join the World Class Programme and sail with Ian Barker in his testimonial year post-Sydney. I d been sailing the 49er class since its inception but this was a fantastic platform to jump into Olympic competition.
It s funny the whole experience taught me two things. Firstly, that sailing as part of Team GBR is a tremendous privilege which deserves respect. I made every effort to be the best, most professional athlete I could be something which is lost on many of today s lifestyle athletes across the sporting spectrum.
Secondly, it made me realise that the best way to learn is to sail with someone better!
After a reasonably successful season with Billy Barker, I moved on to sail with Piers Reid and Andy Rice with consistent top 20 finishes in consecutive World Championships. Technically, I was a world class crew, but at Olympic level you need to be exceptional as well as the right size.
The first call to coach came from the 29er National Youth Squad. At the time I was still very much a sailor so I was rough around the edges and a little disorganised. What I did have was an academic background in sport, which gave me a clear understanding of physiology, coaching theory and psychology. This made the transition fast and the results came pretty quickly too. Along with Simon Wergan we set up a programme that followed elite principles to continually succeed at World Championship level. Winning gold medals established that the programme was one of the most successful in Junior Sailing, and it's still looking good for success at the Youth Worlds in 2007.
This initial success brought interest from some very different sources. Some of my previous sparring partners in the 49er wanted a two-boat US-Swiss program in the build-up to Athens. For me the opportunity to coach at the Games was a chance to achieve what I could not do as an athlete one key motivation for a coach.
We built a strong team; qualifying both nations for Athens and winning the respective trials for both individual teams. Unfortunately, the experience left a sour taste in my mouth after politics and lack of accreditation denied me my chance of fulfilling my dream of reaching the Games.
The flip side was that it further motivated me to reach the Games and fulfil my potential as a coach. Thankfully, this potential did not go unnoticed and Skandia Team GBR were keen to match my youth and enthusiasm with the 49er Development Squad. It proved an ideal chance to join the team as they work towards 2008 and 2012 and it s inspirational to be working with such a professional organisation. The more you become involved in the programme, the more impressed you become by the team s attention to detail, its support staff network and the skills of the other coaches.
UK Sport's Elite Coach programme is a great example of a commitment to developing every area of British sport. The scholarship is aimed at raising the profile and developing the skills of Olympic coaches as part of the strategy for finishing fourth in the medals table at London 2012.
I m the second RYA coach to be selected (Ian Barker, who graduated in 2008, was the first) and I get a chance to work alongside world-leading experts and pioneers from different fields to inspire and refine my own techniques. The selection process was one of the most intense experiences I ve even encountered with a format designed to take candidates out of their comfort zone and identify an openness to development. It s both a privilege and recognition of my worth to the RYA and UK Sport, and I m really excited to take on the challenge.
The three year Elite Coach programme is a pathway to Olympic success in 2012. In addition to the education package I'll continue to work with the 49er Squad. Last year I also worked with the sailors in the new Paralympic SKUD18 class. It was an altogether different challenge in terms of the support required by the sailor. However, the sailors are incredibly dedicated and I m really excited about the programme.