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of the Montreal Sports Council
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Excellence sportive Île de Montréal (ESIM) is the Regional Multisport Training Center (CREM) for the Island of Montreal and is part of the Montreal Sports Council. ESIM supports athletes, coaches, and other professionals by offering specialized programs and services that foster development toward excellence.
Welcome to theCOACHES' ACADEMY
Theprograms and services offered to coachesare designedto create, implement, and maintain a culture of learning for all coaches and sports professionals in Montreal.
As part of the Program to Support the Development of Coaching Excellence (PSDEE), ESIM is implementing a collaborative approach that places coaches at the center of the support process. This approach relies in particular on the Integrated Support Teams (ESI), which bring together specialists from various disciplines (physical conditioning, nutrition, sports psychology, physical therapy, medicine, etc.) to provide coordinated, personalized support tailored to the needs of athletes and their environment.
By offering a variety of learning activities tailored to the needs and profiles of its community members, our team of Coach and Environment Development Advisors (CDEE) will foster deliberate reflection, collaboration, and discussion. In addition, the M.E.S. (Sports Training Methodology) meetings provide a dedicated forum for discussion among the coaching community regarding training and performance planning for athletes identified as elite, up-and-coming, and promising.
In summary: The M.E.S. meetings are specifically dedicated to sports training methodology, based on discussions between coaches and sports science specialists, and are held once a month via videoconference, while the CDEE has a broader mandate focused on development, learning, and networking within the coaching community. “athletes identified as elite, up-and-coming, and promising.”
Discover the different programs
THE COACHES' CLUB
The Coaches Club is a community of practice that offers coaches a
space to take a step back from their day-to-day reality, reflect on their coaching, and
learn from one another.
Each session draws on real-life situations encountered in the field and promotes
discussion, reflection, and the exploration of practical courses of action.
In particular, the Club allows members to:
- Sharing experiences, challenges, and strategies among coaches;
- Reflect collectively on real-life situations encountered in the training context;
- Benefit from the perspective and expertise of a CDEE;
- Develop the ability to observe oneself and reflect on one's practice;
- Discover different ways of approaching the same situation;
- Leave with concrete ideas to try out in your own environment.
Examples of topics that can be covered:
- Communication and feedback;
- Leadership and the coach's demeanor;
- Building trust;
- Athletes' motivation and commitment;
- Managing challenging behaviors and situations;
- Developing athletes' independence;
- Managing emotions and stress;
- Relationships with parents, other coaches, and staff members;
- Consistency between one's values, intentions, and behaviors;
- The coach's balance and well-being;
- Developing a team culture that fosters the athlete's overall development.
Suggested format:
Regular small-group meetings, facilitated by a coach
coach and their environment. Topics may
be defined in advance or emerge from the needs and challenges experienced by
of the community.
M.E.S. MEETINGS
The M.E.S. (Sports Training Methodology) workshops are an initiative designed for coaches and sports science professionals who wish to deepen their understanding and optimize their approach to training planning.
This program is based on close collaboration between:
- Coaches of athletes identified by INSQ & ESIM
- Sports science specialists
Create a space for mutual learning focused on real-world issues in order to achieve the best results in elite sports.
Promoting interdisciplinary integration and the incorporation of sports science (ESI) in accordance with the structure of the training plan—with the aim of identifying concrete avenues for collaboration—is part of a program designed to create a forum for discussion on performance planning, drawing on practical experience and scientific literature to foster collaboration between coaches and sports science specialists for the benefit of athletes. These meetings will also provide a valuable opportunity to identify concrete avenues for collaboration.
More specifically, these meetings are held via videoconference at 12:00 p.m. once a month.
INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT
Individual coaching provides professional coaches—or those working toward becoming professionals—with a confidential and personalized space to reflect on their practice, navigate a challenge, or develop their skills.
The coaching is tailored to the needs, goals, and circumstances of each coach. It aims to encourage taking a step back, self-reflection, and the development of practical strategies that can be incorporated into daily practice.
Individual support can be used, in particular, to:
- Reflect on a situation or challenge experienced in your training environment;
- To take a step back from an action or a decision;
- Gain a better understanding of one’s reactions and ways of responding;
- Develop your leadership skills and coaching approach;
- Improve communication and feedback;
- Develop strategies to promote athletes' autonomy, motivation, and commitment;
- Reflect on how to handle interpersonal situations or conflicts;
- Align one’s practice with one’s values and intentions;
- Develop a specific professional or personal skill;
- Supporting a transition or a new responsibility in one’s role as a coach.
- Support can take various forms depending on individual needs:
- A one-time meeting to address a specific issue;
- A series of meetings focused on a specific development goal;
- Practice, training, or competition session with feedback related to development goals.
The goal is not to provide a formula or a ready-made solution, but to support coaches in a process that enables them to better understand their own situation, identify their own areas for improvement, and develop a more intentional and effective approach.
Our team
Mauricio Garzon
Director of Athletic Excellence, Island of Montreal
He has more than twenty years of professional experience in the design, planning, implementation, and monitoring of sports programs, having held various positionssuch as coach, general manager, researcher, teacher, and consultant in the field of elite sports.
His studies in exercise physiology, sports training methodology, and sports management facilitate the implementation of strategies aimed at bridging the gap between science and practice, fostering interdisciplinary teamwork, and making elite sports a key vehicle for educating and transforming the lives of athletes and coaches.
Email: mauricio@conseilsportmontreal.ca
Andrée-Anne Denis
Andrée-Anne Denis — Coach Development Consultant· and their environment
Andrée-Anne holds a master’s degree in physical activity sciences, with a concentration in sports psychology intervention and consultation. She has been working in the Quebec sports community for nearly 10 years, particularly in coach development and mental preparation for athletes at the promising, emerging, and elite levels. Passionate about human development through sports, she draws on her expertise in sports psychology, her hands-on experience, and her collaborative approach to contribute to the training and support of coaches.
Throughout her career, Andrée-Anne has had the opportunity to work with various organizations and sports disciplines, which has allowed her to develop a deep understanding of the realities faced by coaches and others in the field. She is particularly interested in creating environments that enable coaches to develop their leadership, skills, and ability to foster the overall development of athletes.
In her role, she aims to help ensure that coaches’ professional development experiences are relevant, practical, and grounded in their daily realities. She firmly believes in the potential of sports as a tool for human development and in the importance of supporting coaches so that they, in turn, can have a positive and lasting impact on the athletes they coach.
Email: andrée-anne@conseilsportmontreal.ca
Jean-Pierre Chancy
Jean-Pierre Chancy — Coach Development Consultant· and their environment
Jean-Pierre Chancy is a manager, sports developer, and community leader based in Montreal. After making his mark on the history of Canadian volleyball and the University of Montreal Carabins’ elite program as a coach and coordinator, he now puts his interpersonal and organizational expertise to work for the benefit of society, notably as president of the Maison d’Haïti. His career has been recognized with several national awards, including USPORT’s Austin-Matthews Award, which highlights his exceptional leadership.
Email: jean-pierre@conseilsportmontreal.ca
Participant Profile
The PSDEE is available exclusively to a specific customer base divided into the following two segments:
Priority Participant
A coach who trains athletes classified as “Prospect,” “Developing,” or “Elite” and who resides in Montreal or is employed by a club on the Island of Montreal
Additional participant
Sports instructors duly accredited by the ESIM program.
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