Clare Stacey has spent her career helping athletes thrive both inside and away from sport and it is that wealth of experience that has led her back to Badminton England.
The Performance Lifestyle Coach is working with the organisation for a third time after previous stints in Milton Keynes and is responsible in creating an inclusive and supporting environment that allows England’s finest badminton stars to flourish when they step onto the court.
Equally important, however, is ensuring that athletes have the skills and tools needed to thrive outside the arena, particularly when it comes to the end of their sporting careers.
Stacey explained: “I work with athletes as they look to navigate their way as an elite athlete, supporting their personal and professional development alongside their playing career.
“At Badminton England, we have got several athletes who are at university studying and we’ve got some who have interests outside the sports hall. It’s about how to balance all of those while being an elite badminton player.
“It’s about supporting the athlete as a whole and as a person. One of our big emphases is have the athletes got a plan when they finish playing badminton?
“One certainty about being an elite athlete is that you’re not being able to do it for the rest of your life. Very few badminton players can make such a fortune through badminton that they never have to work again.
“Getting to the Olympic Games is one of our big benchmarks but even getting to the Olympic Games doesn’t mean you won’t ever have to work.
“Making sure that they have an idea of what they might like to do or even doing something outside the sport is vital for their mental health and we’re fortunate as a country that we have a sports system that values these athletes as individuals.
“It means they play badminton for the right reasons. There’s more evidence coming out from research that shows that athletes that explore and invest in a dual-career and activities outside of their sport tend to achieve higher in their sport and play for longer.”
Working in elite-level sport has been the driving force of Stacey’s professional ambition.
Currently holding an additional role in supporting athletes within Aquatics GB, she admits her favourite moments within her working life has been witnessing those she has worked with live up to their full potential as individuals.
Stacey added: “Ever since a young age, I’ve always wanted to help and support people. I remember even at school supporting younger students achieve their best and I then went onto university and there I was able to see elite-sport for the first time.
“I was never great at sport but I was able to see those athletes performing and training on a weekly basis and that captured an interest in me.
“I had a real interest in the high-performance side of sports and I’ve had various roles in and around elite sport supporting other people and I’ve worked to try and get into the performance lifestyle area.”
“For me, what drives my passion is understanding that these are just human beings trying to achieve their goals. If I can help support them on their journey, I want to make sure every athlete is thriving both in and out of their sporting area.
“It sounds really odd because a lot of people might say their highlight would be when you see athletes performing at the top of their game.
“But for me, it’s when you see athletes who decide to come to the end of their playing career transition to a job they really enjoy or when you work really closely with an athlete and they have something big coming up and just need a little bit of extra support through a certain phase.
“When you see them thriving and enjoying themselves, those are my highlights. If I can help an athlete achieve their goals and that then leads them to inspire a new generation, that’s really powerful to me.
Image Credit: Yves Lacroix/BadmintonPhoto
Go to Source to See Full Article
Author: BEMedia
