No one gets left on the mountain...

In a world were "winning well" has become such an important mantra, how do we begin to understand the nuances of that phrase and translate it into action whilst maintaining a clear focus on what one of the fundamental metrics of success is in sport - Winning!

Ever since I was a child I have been excited by the hills and the mountains. I think it all started on early trips with my mum, dad and my brother Richard, to the south Shropshire hills near my home town of Shrewsbury. There was something about being outdoors and in the unspoilt natural beauty that really resonated with me as it does for so many. Perhaps no surprise then that when the sport of Mountain biking hit the UK in the early 1990's that I felt that was something I needed to try.

Rachel Morris MBE shortly before collecting her Gold medal for Handcycling at Beijing 2008

Taking up Mountain biking, I've always felt, was a key turning point in my emerging obsession with sport and with coaching which has ultimately led me to where I am today. 

The mountains are certainly a passion of mine and I've always been interested in one mountain in particular - Everest! I've listened to podcasts and watched films and documentaries about those who endeavour to summit it, the tourist companies that run annual trips and tragically about those who have tried to climb into the "death zone" and will sadly never return home.

So it makes sense to me that I look to Everest whenever I am looking for inspiration or to make sense of something I am struggling with.

Since the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2016 the concept of "winning well" has strongly emerged to create a more clear focus around the way we, in the system, want to go about our business - we want to win and win well. Essentially looking to ensure that we move away from what some felt was a "win at any cost" approach and get the delicate balance of challenge and support right for every athlete / player we work with.

Ming Tombs Reservoir was the venue for Olympic Triathlon and Para-Cycling Road races in 2008.

In 2023 the CEO of UKSport, Sally Munday, stated “If that means we come fifth on the medal table rather than fourth, we are very comfortable with that, as long as we can put our hand on heart and say we have done everything we can do to ensure our sports are winning well.’

It’s not just in the UK. Looking at the approach of key competitors and in their 2023 High Performance Sport strategy, NGB's and funding agencies in Australia have stated "By prioritising and focusing on the physical, mental, emotional, and cultural wellbeing of our athletes, coaches, staff, and sport as a whole, we will unlock our full potential and Win Well."

Women's HC A-C Time Trial Podium - Beijing 2008

As a leader within organisations, I have been regularly asked to help practitioners, coaches and athletes to help them understand what winning well looks like within their environment. It’s never the easiest concept to grasp and when misunderstood it can look like an absence of challenge which is neither helpful nor appreciated by athletes from my experience. There can be numerous consequences to an absence of challenge including under performance, over escalation of issues, conversations being avoided and athletes unaware of potential consequences until it's too late.

The “winning well” analogy that resonates with me, and that I like to use with coaches and practitioners, is that of a tour company supporting climbers who want to reach the top of Everest. I believe there have been times in the past when our obsession to reach our summit (winning medals) was a singular focus. I believe, as a system, around the 2012 and 2016 Games we got incredibly good at getting climbers to the top of the mountain but it could also be said that not enough care and attention was being given either to climbers who were struggling on the way up or to getting people back down to base camp afterwards. There have been numerous stories of athletes feeling under supported and over challenged during this time across multiple sports and the sports I was involved with were heavily criticised which was personally incredibly painful.

Rachel Morris on her way to the Gold medal in Beijing.

So now as we move forward from those days I continue to develop that analogy - We still need to get to the top of Everest but we have to ensure there is significant support in place for those who are struggling on the way up and for all those who we have a duty to support safely back to base camp whatever the outcome. That’s what winning well looks like to me.

No one gets left on the mountain.

The pictures I’ve included with this blog all come from the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games and in particular represent my relationship with Rachel Morris MBE who I coached to a Gold medal in handcycling. I would say that we did made it to the top of Everest together but I don't think either of us knew how to get back down. We did eventually return to base camp but I think we both got lost along the way…