Becoming an official, volunteer or coach

Ever wanted to become more involved in triathlon? Whether you are an athlete looking to give back to the sport, a coach looking to upskill or a parent looking to fill in the time between your kids races, there are opportunities throughout the sport for you to develop your skills.

Micheal Wise (pictured, with Melinda Callaghan) started officiating the sport of triathlon in 1995 (23 years ago). He competed in triathlon himself and was even selected to compete at World Championships, before turning his attention to long course racing - taking on his first Ironman in Forster in 1993.

When Micheal started officiating he was a manager at a hardware store working 60 hours a week and training over 20 hours each week. With a great passion for triathlon, and a knack for knowing the rules of triathlon, Michael was inspired to begin coaching and started leasing pools and coaching a training squad in the early 2000s. As Micheal started to move away from racing, he started to officiate at more events, attend more development courses and is now an ITU Level 2 Technical Official (CTO).

Micheal has recently returned from the Gold Coast where he officiated the triathlon events at the Commonwealth Games and is looking forward to returning soon to officiate the ITU World Championships in September.

"Officiating is a passion, the people who are involved are like family! It is great to see all of these old friends at events. The friendships and camaraderie is fantastic! You know you can rely on these people to do a good job and get it done. We all have a mutual respect for one another, we work together as one big team, working with race directors to ensure events run smoothly" said Micheal.

Micheal is just one of the amazing people in our triathlon community giving hours of dedication to ensure our events and clubs run smoothly and the athlete’s race experience is a positive one.

Aside from competing, Triathlon Queensland has many opportunities where you can get involved.

OFFICIATING:

Are you a triathlon parent attending events every weekend and want to give more? Are you a coach who wants to upskill and better learn the rules of triathlon? As a Technical Official, you'll gain a unique insight into how triathlons and major sporting events are managed, and learn valuable transferable skills. All training is offered free of charge and you'll also receive a financial contribution each time you volunteer to cover your costs.

Here are the dates for the upcoming LTO Courses (Local Technical Official):

- Townsville – Friday evening 17^th Aug
- Mackay – Saturday morning 22^nd Sep
- Brisbane – Saturday morning 22^nd Sep
- Goondiwindi – Saturday 9^th Feb
- Gold Coast – Saturday 24^th Feb
- Julia Creek – Thursday evening 11^th Apr
- Cairns – Saturday 8^th Jun

For more information on officiating and becoming accredited or to find out about LTO training courses coming up, please contact Tracey by emailing technical@qld.triathlon.org.au

COACHING:

Are you an athlete who wants to learn more about the swim/bike/run technique to improve your performance? Or a current coach looking for professional development opportunities? If you’re dedicated to helping athletes reach their potential, coaching could be the next step in your triathlon journey. To gain skills, develop your knowledge & learn the art of coaching - there is a Foundation Coaching Course coming up in Queensland on 8-9 September 2018. 

Queensland Foundation Coaching Course
Date: 8^th & 9^th September, 8am – 5pm
Location: Runaway Bay
Price: $350
Pre Course Learning:

• 20-25 hours of independent learning and assessment tasks over 3-4 weeks via the Knowledge Hub [prior to attending the face to face sessions].

Course Requirements:

• Coaches must be at least 16 years of age at the commencement of the learning program. Coaches under 18 must have constant direct supervision.
• Be a current Triathlon Australia member. This is to provide you with appropriate insurance to cover you whilst completing the program.
• Have access to an internet connected device for the Knowledge Hub online resource.
• Coaches will be registered for the qualification for a period of 12 months from the start of the course. However, most learners complete in-line with the course duration.

Registrations: Opens tomorrow - Register here before 27^th August 2018

For further information on the Foundation Course please see the TA Website . Please also note the Foundation Coaching Course is a pre-requisite for participation in the Development Coaching Course. Please note further dates for courses this season will be announced shortly. For any further information please contact Cathy: development@qld.triathlon.org.au

VOLUNTEERING:

Would you like to try something new, make new friends, gain invaluable experience in event management and give back to your community? Triathlon Queensland are looking for volunteers to assist at our events in various roles such as event promotional activities, pre-event operations and on site operations (water/aid stations, recovery area, registration tent, etc). For more information or to express your interest in joining the volunteer program, please contact Tracey by emailing volunteering@qld.triathlon.org.au