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Derbyshire sporting talent told to "reach for the stars"

12 March 2009

The top sports coach, who “makes people win for a living” joined more than 80 young sporting stars who are all competing for England or Great Britain or have been identified as having the potential to do so within 18 months, for the official launch of the 2009 Derbyshire Talented Athlete Fund.

During the event, at the University of Derby, David shared some of his insight into what athletes can do to ensure their performance keeps improving.

He said: “If you want to be talented athletes you have got to have ambition. There is no reason why you can’t be the best – at your age Chris Hoy was no different to how you are today, he is not a robot, he understood what it takes to be the best in the world.

“When your back is against the wall, when it is time to deliver your best performance they know how to do it. Very rarely can you achieve by having a ‘good day’. It takes hours and hours of training so you can perform at the ultimate level.”

He said new Lottery funding in 2004 had given British Cycling a new focus, with a “podium philosophy”.

The team’s strategy was outcome focussed, and was also built on the aggregation of marginal gains.

He said: “Look at everything that could have an impact on performance – your girlfriend, home life stability, distance to the training centre, and then make improvements to every one of these things.”

He added: “You never know what you can become in the future – you can never judge a book by its cover.

“Don’t just stick to what you know – to be the best you have to try new things. It might not feel natural at first but stick with it.”

During the event former national netball coach Liz Broomhead also hosted a workshop for parents, which looked at how they can best support their son or daughter on their chosen sporting path.

Each of the athletes who attended has also received a £300 bursary from the Derbyshire Talented Athlete Fund to help toward training and competition costs, and are among 108 athletes to have received financial support this year.

Among the Fund’s financial backers is Derbyshire County Council, Chesterfield Borough Council, High Peak Borough Council, South Derbyshire District Council, Derby City Council, North East Derbyshire District Council, Amber Valley Borough Council, Erewash Borough Council, Bolsover District Council and Derbyshire Dales District Council.

In addition, Rolls-Royce, the University of Derby, Derbyshire County Cricket Club, Lorson International, Derby College, East Midlands Development Agency and the Electrical Contractors Association have all shown their support financially.

Representatives from many of the funders attended the launch event, and were presented with framed certificates by some of the athletes to officially recognise their contribution to the Fund.