Three coaching colleagues Millfield have inspired me hugely over the past 8 weeks or so.

Dan Helesfey

Dan is a 25-year-old assistant coach working in the Cricket department at Millfield School. He took charge of a highly talented but under performing group of 15 year-olds at the start of the season.

The group were more interested in belittling other under the guise of banter than developing their cricket skills. They operated in complete contrast to the Meyers XI (our U18’s) who have led the way in high performing behaviours within our programme.

At times, some of the players were disrespectful to their own teammates, to the coaches and to the programme. At other times they were just damn lazy and arrogant.

By the middle of May, it was obvious that the team were going nowhere. Fast!

So in May, Dan shifted his focus to driving behaviour and attitude rather than focus on cricket skills.

He was relentless in this pursuit, he communicated it to all stakeholders (players, parents, line managers and umpires) and took no prisoners when someone slipped back into old habits. He wore himself out by doing it but knew that he was beginning to make a difference to the individuals within the group.

Those high performing behaviours started to break through, bit by bit. The group even started to celebrate those elements within their post-match peer reviews.

Less than four months later the same group of players were crowned ECB/ESCA National under 15 T20 champions. Their performance at Arundel house last Sunday was perfect. They supported each other, delivered their skills under pressure and gave it their all. A real credit to themselves, their parents and the school.

Dan is an example of someone who lives, breathes and drives the changes that he wants to see in his immediate world. Take note Garaway!

Tristan Parris

Tristan is Millfield’s Director of Fencing and Modern Pentathlon.

A massively passionate person who only has one pace (very fast) and one mode (highly positive).

I love walking into the Fencing Salle to watch Tris at work as it reminds me that the best way to get a group going is shine a “Parris Light” across the session. I do this at my best when I’m running fielding sessions, which I love. Tris takes this attitude into every session, every day!

Tristan has just returned from the Olympics in Rio where he coached Millfield Modern Pentathlete Arthur Lanigan-O’Keeffe who finished 8th in the competition. Tristan is Arthur's personal coach and part of the Pentathlon Ireland coaching team.

I am trying to be as enthusiastic as Tris in every session. Goodness, its tiring!

Jol Finck

Director of Swimming at Millfield, Jol Finck, was also at Rio as part of Team GB coaching team.

Jol has coached multiple World Champion, James Guy in the Millfield Swimming Programme for years and continues to be his personal coach to this day.

James won 2 Silvers in the relays with Jol being lead coach in charge of the 4 x 200m freestyle relay, GB’s 1st ever Olympic Relay Medal!

Jol runs the best programme at Millfield, the Swimming culture is immense. Jols programme is highly ambitious and driven yet delivered in a very calm fashion.

Whenever you ask Jol how someone is doing he says “yeah, they are doing OK”. You later read in a National Paper that the swimmer mentioned has won a World Gold Medal, broken a National record or been selected for the Olympics!

Jol inspires me to have a calm exterior when inside the fire is definitely burning.

Again, I’m working on this!

What does this mean to me?

It’s a great reflective exercise to look around you and pick out things in others that you would like to see in yourself as a coach.

Who inspires you?

Which characteristics do you see in your colleagues or coaching heroes that you would like to emulate?