New coaches graduate from Queensland Academy of Sport Gen2032 program

The 10 coaching prodigies include eight women and a number of elite athletes who have finished their sporting careers and are transitioning to coaching, such as former world surfing champion Chelsea Hodges, Olympic Gold medallist rugby player Shannon Parry and dual Olympic swimmer Tom Fraser-Holmes.

The coaches have completed eight residential learning labs at QAS while working with high performance mentors such as Michael Bohl, one of Australia’s most decorated coaches and coach to Emma McKeon, and Tim Walsh, gold medal winning coach from the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Each coach has been employed by their sport, with the Queensland Government through the Queensland Academy of Sport contributing $1.2 million towards their employment and learning lab costs, and each sport investing at least $70,000 per coach over the two years.

The program is supported by the Australian Institute of Sport, which provided a Coach Development Lead to facilitate the program.

The AIS will invest in a third year of the program for the female coaches and has also taken the program nationally – establishing the AIS National Gen2032 Coach Program a year ago with more than 30 coaches now involved through the State Institutes like the Queensland Academy of Sport.

The graduating coaches as part of Cohort 1 of Gen2032 include:

• Shannon Parry – Rugby Sevens
• Jodie Stuhmcke – Water Polo
• Margo Wilten – Beach Volleyball
• Annie Eastgate – Sailing
• Renee McElduff – Aerial Skiing
• Chelsea Hedges – Surfing
• Casey Atkins – Swimming
• Kelly Crew – Football
• Tom Fraser Holmes – Swimming
• Gus Radero - Rowing

QAS CEO Chelsea Warr said it was an incredibly proud moment to be celebrating the success of the first graduating group of the QAS Gen2032 Coach Program.

“I am thrilled to see and hear from the coaches within this founding group, how beneficial the program has been for them.”

“Thank you to the Australian Institute of Sport and our Sport partners for supporting the QAS program and extending it nationally. This will ensure all Australian athletes can benefit from future focussed expert coaches who can operate in highly complex environments in the lead up to 2032.’ 

“We are grateful for the Australian Institute of Sport supporting an additional third year bolstering the opportunities for more women coaches in the Australia high-performance system.”

“Having such a high calibre of mentors and the cross-sport learning labs, ensures there will be no stone left unturned in our pursuit for excellence in 2028 and 2032.”

Gen2032 Coach Annie Eastgate from Australian Sailing said “The Gen2032 Program has taught me a lot along the journey and particularly about myself. I have learned so much through reflection on how I operate as a coach and my emotional competencies.”

“For me to provide for my athletes and push them to new standards, I needed to get clear on what drives me as a coach and how to adapt in the face of challenge.”