Setting the Compass: How the Coach Academy is Shaping the Next Generation of Emerging Pathway Coaches

Preceding the ETP Launch camp, the 2026 Coach Academy was held at the National Snowsports Training Centre (NSTC) in Jindabyne from May 28-29.

Across the two day academy, there were five key themes explored within the overarching theme of ‘setting the compass for your next level as a coach’.

Centred around building a community of practice, the Coach Academy took emerging pathway coaches through the five pillars of coaching, practical application and live coaching, and invaluable guest insights from HP coach mentors. 

Day one of the academy was about ‘Setting the Compass’. Coaches explored inter-discipline coaching connections, reflected on their strengths and areas of development as coaches. Coaches concluded day one with vision and goals setting.

'Mapping the Way Forward' set the tone for the second and final day of the Coach Academy, kicking off with Nat Logan-Pye leading a thought-provoking discussion on demystifying coach integrity. 

It was followed by a forum led by the New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) and the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia (OWIA) on building an integrated pathway followed, before the afternoon wrapped up with a two-part session on coach communication, diving into both the theory and the practical application.

Snow Australia’s Lead Facilitator - Coach Development Chip Richards said: “Crossing the threshold of a new Olympic quad, we have a unique opportunity to pause, lift our gaze, and set the compass for where we are truly heading. Not just as individual coaches, but as a cross-discipline community of emerging performance pathway coaches in Australian winter sport.  

“In the May Live Lab it was powerful to gather coaches from across all winter disciplines to consider what will it mean (and what will it take) for each of the coaches to maximise their unique potential as a coach, and how can we/they support each other to collectively lift the bar for coaching and performance across winter sport in Australia?

“We learned from HP coaches sharing lessons from the field, we practiced real coaching with peers giving real feedback and we created space for the kind of cross-pollination that only happens when coaches from different worlds come together with open minds and a commitment to grow.

“This Live Lab flowed directly into the ETP Launch Camp so much of what we explored, we also had the chance to practice in real time with athletes over the following days.

“This group of coaches represented the full range of our sport pathway - from Club level & ETP right through to High-performance and Olympic + Paralympic Games… and everyone had something to learn and gain from each other,” he said.

Freeride coach Jake Woods said it was great to be in attendance at the Coach Academy, and learn from all of the sessions as well as his peers.

“Hearing from Pete, Kate, Ollie and Jackson were my standouts,” he said.

“As leaders in their disciplines… I could draw direct insights into high performance coaching systems and where we can apply them to the development of Freeride skiing in Australia,” he said.

“I respect and admire those that are setting the bar high throughout winter sport coaching in this country.”