Rangamar off to Land Down Under

Veteran multi-sport coach Elias Rangamar greeted 2006 by boarding a plane for Australia to take part in an invitation-only Chief Coaching Course.

Rangamar, who began coaching in athletics in 1993, left on New Year’s Day and will take part in the first IAAF Academy course to be held n Oceania. The course begins today at the University of Queensland in Brisbane and will conclude on Jan. 18.

The focus of the course is to develop skills and abilities in the areas of the coaching process, people leadership, and process management, as well as the practical aspects of preparing and managing national programs and national teams.

Prior to leaving, Rangamar said he will have a hefty load during his stay in Brisbane as sessions begin at 9am and conclude at 5:30pm.

“It’s not relax time after that because I’ll have a lot of stuff that I need to study in preparation for the next day, and there’ll also be a lot of one-on-one sessions after the regular sessions, so I’ll have so much things to do and so much to learn,” he said.

The course features two sessions, with part one focusing on developing the coaching, leadership, and management skills necessary for those appointed to leadership roles in coaching.

The first session has been divided into three sessions—Coaching Process, People Leadership and Management, and Process Leadership and Management. It will be conducted by Dr. Cliff Mallett of University of Queensland, as well as other lecturers from the university.

The second part of the course focuses on the practical aspects associated with delivering world class performances, and conduction of the segment will be led by Professor Elio Locatelli, who is head of the IAAF Member Services department. Other presenters include coaches who had successfully conducted national programs as a chief coach.

Rangamar was the only coach from Micronesia selected to take part in the event.

He had earlier explained that as he continues to try to shape local athletes in the Commonwealth, another goal is to one day be a member of the coaching staff for the Oceania team in international competitions.

“My goal is to one day coach an Oceania squad…to be in the coaching staff,” Rangamar said yesterday. “This course is very educational and I expect to learn a lot. I’m still learning. In coaching, you never stop learning because technology and development changes all the time, so it is very challenging, and to master all disciplines in impossible.”

Rangamar, who serves as the coaches’ director in the Northern Marianas Athletics board, has also been active as a basketball coach for over a decade.

He had accompanied NMI athletics participants to countless regional and international competitions such as the Micronesian Games, South Pacific Games, World Championships, and the Oceania Open and 18-and-under Championships, among others.

Rangamar looks to join tennis’ Jeff Race as coach for Oceania. Race coaches the Pacific Oceania Davis Cup team.