Jol Finck, James Gibson and Adam Smallwood have been named in the new intake of coaches for the prestigious UK Sport 2014 – 16 Elite Coaching Apprenticeship Programme (ECAP).
The programme aims to create a bespoke development pathway towards coaching excellence, based on the needs of each coach and their sport.
ECAP has been running for the past four years and in that time 10 aquatic coaches have been or are working on the programme and the new intake are hoping to continue their development as coaches.
Finck is Director of Swimming at Millfield School since 2008 and has guided James Guy through to his first senior debut last year and his first international medals in 2014. Guy won
“It’s a real honour to have been selected as part of the new intake of coaches for the ECAP programme,” Finck said. “I think the thing I am most excited about is the opportunity to work with Jon Rudd as my Master Coach.
“He is a coach who has produced an Olympic gold medallist from a programme that is not too dissimilar to mine.
“It’s going to be good to have open conversations about how he works with Ruta and how he took her from an age group swimmer to standing on top of the podium. The opportunity to work with a mentor will also be beneficial to my coaching profile.
“I have had conversations with other coaches that have been on the programme and there a number of modules that really interest me like the self awareness one and the significant work on emotional awareness which mirrors similar work that we have done with Nigel Redman.”
Gibson added: "I am really looking froward to the opportunity to work with other experts in their field and it is an invaluable opportunity to learn about myself and my own personal development journey."
Gibson is a coach the British Gas National Centre, Loughborough and Smallwood is a coach at the City of Leeds Diving Club.