Towards Excellence

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Towards Excellence
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What you need to be a champion?

• You need talent and hard work. But you also
  need
• Top coaching.
• Top facilities.
• Financial help.
• Help from sports science and sports medicine.
• Sports Councils and other bodies work to improve
  athletes in these areas.

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National Coaching Foundation

• It was set up by the Sports Council in 1983 to
  improve coaching skills. It includes
• Coaching Development Unit this runs courses for
  coaches at all levels from beginner to advanced.
• National Coaching Centres they are based in
  universities around the country.
• Champion Coaching it is a scheme for after
  school coaching aimed at children aged 11 14
  who show promise.

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Centres of Excellence
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Crystal Palace

• It is in London and caters for a range of sports
  including athletics, swimming, boxing, martial
  arts and judo.
• It is also a national and international venue.

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Bisham Abbey

• It is in Buckinghamshire and mainly caters for
  tennis.
• It also caters for football, hockey, squash,
  weight training and golf.

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Lilleshall

• It is in Shropshire and caters for football.
• It also does table-tennis, cricket, gymnastics,
  archery and hockey.
• It also has a sports injuries clinic.

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Holme Pierrepoint

• It is in Nottinghamshire and does watersports.
• It has a 2000m regatta lake, ski tow ropes and a
  canoe slalom.

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Plas-Y-Brenin

• It is in Snowdonia in Wales and does mountain and
  other outdoor activities including, climbing,
  canoeing, orienteering and dry slope skiing.

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National Cycling Centre

• It is in Manchester.
• It opened in 1994 and is the newest of the
  centres.
• It boasts the largest indoor cycle track
  (velondrome) in the UK.

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Funding

• Training and competing is very expensive.
• The Sports Aid Foundation provides grants for top
  athletes.
• Some athletes get sponsorship from business.
• Some have to manage a full time job and training
  and just scrape by (Sir Steve Redgrave).

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Sports Science and Medicine

• For a top athlete a change in training method or
  diet could mean the difference from coming first
  or last.
• The sports council funds research in these areas.
• The specialists advise the governing bodies and
  work with top athletes to prepare them for
  competition.

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Future Plans

• The government want to create a British Academy
  of Sport.
• This would bring together under one roof
  everything thats needed to help athletes become
  champions.
• A debate is going on as to whether to put it in
  one place or several smaller ones.
• This debate started in 1995.