Part 1: Coaching the coaches

Queensland's rural and regional communities have always had the knack of producing more than their fair share of sporting champions.

The stories of young athletes from the bush making it to the big time have become part of folklore in communities around the state.

But in recent times, talented athletes have had the added challenge of a lack of access to quality coaching programs.

It's an issue Murgon-based swimming coach and pool manager Trish Wex is well aware of.

Ms Wex was one of the first coaches to participate in the Queensland Government's Rural/Regional Coach Mentor Program - now part of the State Development Program.

The innovative program is one of a series of Queensland Government initiatives administered by the Department of Communities that are aimed at helping the state's coaches increase their knowledge and skills.

The Rural/Regional Coach Mentor Program recognises the vital role that coaches play in helping children and adults gain the skills and confidence to participate in sport and active recreation.

Similarly, it demonstrates the State Government's commitment to supporting coaches, the majority of whom are unpaid, as they go about making sport possible for everyday Queenslanders at all levels.

The funding provided to Queensland Swimming under the program enabled Ms Wex to travel to Brisbane on a number of occasions to learn new skills from a more experienced "mentor" coach in Scarborough.

"It's great that country coaches like myself now can tap into this valuable program, not only for the present but for the contact and friendship that can last throughout one's coaching career," Ms Wex said.

"As a coach from the country, it's difficult to access training opportunities like the city coaches, which is one of the reasons a program like this is so important."

Ms Wex said the "electric, motivating atmosphere" of her visits to the Scarborough Swimming Pool had helped her to analyse and assess elements of her own programs.

"There are plenty of challenges in front of us, but I'm confident the mentor program will help both my swimmers and myself to reach our full potential," she said.

Queensland Swimming's Education and Development Manager Wayne Lomas said the Rural/Regional Coach Mentor Program was benefiting both the participating coaches and their swimmers.

"Regional coaches are gaining new, innovative ideas while building networks that could ultimately provide a pathway for talented swimmers in their squads to reach the elite level," he said.

Mr Lomas said helping and supporting regional coaches was important to helping swimming move forward as a sport.

"Quite a lot of people's first memories of swimming are negative - maybe the person teaching them to swim didn't know what they were doing, maybe they were thrown in the deep end," he said.

"What we want to see in the future when we ask people about their first swimming experiences is them looking back on something positive.

"The only way we can do that is by exposing our coaches to better methods and ideas."

Ms Wex was one of three regional swimming coaches that were part of the Rural/Regional Coach Mentor Program 2003.

Read more about Queensland Swimming's involvement with the program.