By Sheree Hoddinett
If you have been involved in athletics locally, chances are you have come across coach Anne Van Daalen. A love of athletics and helping others grow in the sporting domain has propelled Van Daalen to cover a big portion of the region in her coaching role. Her passion and dedication has also seen Van Daalen recognised by Athletics Australia during their Coach Appreciation Month in December.
Based in the Elimbah/Caboolture area, Van Daalen first started at the Caboolture Amateurs Athletics Club before becoming involved in the Track and Field Excellence Program at Grace Lutheran College. Last year, she also coached the GSP Running Club at St Paul’s Lutheran Primary School. Through working in sporting schools and volunteering at various clubs Van Daalen has worked in different areas including the likes of Caboolture, Wamuran, Beerburrum, Bribie Island and surrounding areas.
Originally from South Africa, Van Daalen admits athletics was always her favourite sport as a youngster, with her love for running and athletics growing more as she got older. Her foray into the coaching world came about after discovering a need for more females in the coaching domain.
“We moved to Australia 14 years ago and I started to get more involved with coaching when we moved to Queensland in 2015,” Van Daalen said. “I was listening to the radio while driving in the car one day when they announced the results of a youth sports survey, specifically about girls’ participation in sports. One of the reasons why teenage girls are leaving sport at a much faster rate than boys is because there is a shortage of female coaches. Being a parent to a daughter it really hit home and inspired me to get my coaching qualification in Australia.”
Van Daalen completed her Level 1 and 2 Coaching Certification with Queensland Athletics before following up with Level 3 Performance Development Coaching Certificates in sprints, relays and hurdles as well as jumps (long jump, high jump, triple jump and pole vault). Working with young kids and helping them reach their goals gives Van Daalen a great sense of pride and achievement.
“I absolutely love working with the youth and I’m very passionate about it,” Van Daalen said. “I love both coaching at grassroots level, teaching younger athletes the skills they need, as well as writing programs for my older athletes, helping them to reach their PBs, goals and dreams. Seeing kids improving or mastering skills, growing in confidence, enjoying sport and reaching their goals gives me great joy. I’m also really passionate about keeping kids active. It’s important for kids to engage in sport from a young age as it sets them up for a lifetime of healthy living, even if they don’t get to the Commonwealth Games or Olympic level. Participating in sport improves physical and mental well-being, building self-esteem, confidence, lasting friendships and so much more.”
In late 2022, Van Daalen was recognised and appreciated by Athletics Australia for her hard work and effort. Coach Appreciation Month takes place in December and athletes can nominate their coach with Athletics Australia choosing those lucky enough to receive the nod.
“I’m honoured to receive this recognition and it inspires me even more,” Van Daalen said. “I’m very grateful for the wonderful kids whom I have coached over the years and their families.”
Even after spending years helping so many kids, Van Daalen still recalls one of her favourite moments from throughout her career thus far.
“One of my favourite memories is of a teenage boy who asked me to help him improve his triple jump,” she said. “His favourite sport was basketball and his dream was to be chosen for representative basketball. We worked together and improved his triple jump by almost a metre. The great thing about it was that as we improved his jumping and speed, his basketball significantly improved in a couple of months, so much so that he was chosen to play representative basketball for the first time. Being part of someone’s journey to accomplish their dreams is very rewarding. One of the great things of being an athletics coach is you can also help kids improve their performance in other sports like basketball, soccer, rugby, AFL, NFL etc. It is very satisfying for me to see kids reach their goals in sports which they love.”
Showing her dedication to training and helping others line up and achieve their goals, Van Daalen spends most days deep in the trenches with her team of athletes.
“I’m excited about 2023 and I’m looking forward to helping my athletes reach their goals and PB’s,” she said.
Comments