Coaching Resources
Athletics Cook Islands is a member federation of both World Athletics and Oceania Athletics, so the coach education pathway those two run is open to Cook Islands coaches.
You do not need a background in athletics to start. The pathway is built so that a parent helping out at training can begin at one end, and a performance coach can keep going at the other.
Where to start
Oceania Basic Athletics Scheme
The introductory course, written for parents, volunteer coaches and officials with little or no athletics background. It is mostly practical, and it is delivered locally by member federations using certified coaches.
This is the right first step for most people in the Cook Islands.
Kids' Athletics
An online course paired with a practical workshop, for anyone coaching young children. It covers how to run athletics for kids so that it stays fun and still teaches the movement properly.
The World Athletics certification levels
Above the introductory courses sits the World Athletics Coaches Education and Certification System, usually shortened to CECS. It runs in levels and leads to a World Athletics coaching diploma.
Level 1
Aimed at coaching teenagers, roughly 13 to 15 years old. It is the bridge from Kids' Athletics into the real events, and it covers every event group rather than specialising in one.
Level 2
An introduction to performance coaching, for coaches who have done well at Level 1. At this level you specialise in one of five event groups:
- Sprints and hurdles
- Jumps
- Throws
- Middle and long distance
- Combined events
Finishing Level 2 qualifies a coach to identify and coach the basic competition model for their event group, and to build an annual training plan.
Beyond the levels
Above the certification levels sits the World Athletics Academy programme, run with sport universities, for coaches working at international level.
How to get on a course
Courses are arranged through the member federation, which for Cook Islands coaches means Athletics Cook Islands.
Get in touch with us and we will tell you what is coming up and put your name down.
You can also read the pathway in full on the Oceania Athletics website (opens in a new tab), or the certification system on the World Athletics website (opens in a new tab).
Already coaching?
If you are coaching in the Cook Islands and are not yet connected to Athletics Cook Islands, we would like to hear from you. Training runs at Tereora Stadium on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4:30pm.
Local course dates, and photographs from courses already run in the Cook Islands, are still to come.