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Susannah Pyatt wishes the mentorship programme initiated for young female coaches by Yachting New Zealand had been around when she was a young coach.
The former Olympian, who has been coaching for 16 years, has been one of the seven mentors utilised since the scheme was introduced at the start of the year. The mentors come from a broad range of backgrounds and experiences, from club coaches to Olympic medallists and there's even a coach with New Zealand Football involved.
They were paired up based on the individual needs of those being mentored and the Magenta Project, whose aim is to develop pathways and generate opportunities for women in performance sailing, were consulted on how to set things up.
The programme was initiated by Yachting New Zealand women's sailing manager Rosie Chapman and has been so successful she wants to see it expand over the coming months.
The current pairings have been extended for another six months and Chapman will be looking for another intake of mentors and young coaches towards the start of the new summer season.
"I just thought it was the next step for what we could do for the coaches," she said. "It started with reaching out to all female coaches in New Zealand and checking in with them to see what they wanted to do. It felt like the natural thing to do.
"Building that network of female coaches to help each other has been huge. It’s been really valuable for them to know there is a support network and wealth of knowledge in this country. They can tap into that and break down some of those barriers that existed previously."
There are presently about 60 female sailing coaches throughout New Zealand and efforts are being made to ensure this number grows at all levels of the sport, right through to the high performance level.
Pyatt, who competed in the 2012 London Olympics, had been campaigning for the Tokyo Games but is now focused on a coaching career. She's working with Raglan-based coach Kirsten Moratz and has found it a valuable experience.
"It’s been beneficial on both sides," she said. "I have gained a lot out of the partnership and we've been able to share ideas through the chats we’ve had with the whole mentor group. I’ve learned a lot about different approaches to different ideas.
"I think it would have been really useful to have someone to go to before I approached employers and parents, to have that sounding board to talk through situations. When you’re in a dilemma, you always think it’s the first time it’s ever happened but as you get older you realise everyone has had similar experiences and there are more successful ways to approach things."
The pairings catch up at least monthly to discuss progress and the entire group meet online every three months to talk on a broader level.
"Mentorships develop but to have that formal partnership is really beneficial," Pyatt added. "Everyone was saying at our last meeting it was only the beginning because it takes time for these things to build momentum. It’s really just in the pilot stage but it’s already been so positive. It will be interesting to see how it develops."
- Anyone interested in learning more about the mentorship programme should contact Yachting New Zealand women's sailing manager Rosie Chapman.
- Pic: Susannah Pyatt has been coaching for 16 years. Photo: Yachting New Zealand.
