Oct 26, 2021 | Liz Ubaldi | 1008 views
Sandra Findlay Building Up The Basics
U11 AA SOO JUNIOR GREYHOUNDS (Jarrett) COACH INTERVIEW
(Rob Clayton - Soo Jr. Greyhounds TV)
I was able to catch up with powerskating coach Sandra Findlay after practice on Tuesday. What follows is the audio of the interview, and a transcript.
Q: I'm here with Sandra Findlay, the power skating coach for the U11 Soo Jr. Greyhounds, and we're just going to ask her a couple of questions. Sandra, thanks very much for joining us.
A: Oh, you're quite welcome! I'm glad to be here.
Q: So Sandra, you've had a few sessions now with the boys, and we'd really like to know what's impressed you most working with this group in the short while that you've had them so far?
A: Well, I think what's impressed me the most is they're all so eager to learn. The parents should be really, really proud of how the boys listen and are trying to understand the new concepts because a lot of this skating technique is new to them. So I'm really proud to see how they're keeping their eyes opened and their ears opened.
Q: So it sounds like you've already seen some improvement over these sessions. Is there maybe one thing in particular that you can really point out to say that there is something new that you've introduced and the boys have really grabbed it by both horns and run with it?
A: Well, it's pretty early yet, but I think I like to see how they're understanding the concepts of the actual technique of skating. So a lot of the stuff like I said is new for them, and it's a lot of learning where their body lines with their balance on their skate and they're listening well. I'm trying to say to them I know they've done some of this stuff since they were 4, but in order to improve THAT we have to do THIS, and we have to do THIS to get THIS better. So I think in the end the boys think it's power skating so it's all about skating fast, but right now it's about breaking down the skills and then rebuilding them together.
Q: That's fantastic. And now, looking forward let's assume that the players are listening and reading the transcript of this interview and you have another opportunity here to reinforce the most important concept for them the next few sessions that you'd like them to focus on. What would you say that would be?
A: Well I think the most important thing I've been telling them is to really start to use their knees a bit more and try to find that balance. That comes with a lot of edge work which will build into a good stride, good turns, good crossovers. So the foundation is really like reading or math, the basics are there but we just have to get them stronger in order to actually get into what we call power skating.
Q: Sandra, thank you so much for your time today!
A: Oh, you're quite welcome. And good luck boys on your first tournament coming up!
Listen to this interview