Coaches
Meet the Active Attitude Coaching Team…
Ashleigh McCaw – Manager
About Ashleigh:
Ashleigh has always enjoyed sport and being physically active. From an early age she was swinging on bars in the playground and doing handstands. As a youngster, Ashleigh played netball and did competitive gymnastics. She started coaching gymnastics at the age of 14 and has been involved with instructing children’s physical activity ever since. She enjoys teaching gymnastics, swimming and athletics, as these sports develop fundamental movement skills which provide the foundations for other sports.
Ashleigh has previously worked in gymnastics and swimming organisations and for Gymnastics New Zealand. Ashleigh is looking forward to getting more Northlanders involved in gymnastics and helping to develop youth sports coaching as a recognised profession in New Zealand.
Qualifications/Training:
- Bachelor of Sport and Leisure (Hons).
- Fitness Business Diploma
- Certificate in Personal Training
- Certificate in Sports Administration
- Gymnastics New Zealand Coaching Qualifications (Gymnastics/Gymsports): Basic Skills, Recreation Coach, Play Gym Leader, Junior Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Coach & Junior Aerobics Coach.
- Swimming NZ Swim Teaching Certificates: School Age, Adult, Early Childhood, and Teaching Swimmers with Disabilities.
- Trained Level 3 Run Jump Throw (Athletics) Coach
- Trained Get Set Go (Athletics) Coach
- Gymnastics New Zealand Elementary Aerobics Judge
- Coaching New Zealand (Level 2)
Favourite Sport: Gymnastics
Favourite Healthy Food: Strawberries
Favourite Quote: “It’s is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Felicity Searle
About Felicity:
Felicity has recently moved from Australia, where she developed a background in Sports Aerobics. Coaching and sport are her favourite things to do. She competed for Australia twice at the FISAF Word championships, and then went on to be a National Champion Coach of numerous teams and pairs for the last couple of years. She is really excited to be joining Active Attitude in her role as a Coach and Coordinator of our Aerobics Academy. Felicity is also studying to become a Primary School Teacher.
Qualifications/Training:
- Gymnastics Australia Sport Aerobics Level 1 Coach
Favourite Sport: Sport Aerobics
Favourite Healthy Food: Strawberries
Favourite Quote: “Don’t worry about failures, worry about the chances you miss when you don’t even try!”
Kellie Clarke
About Kellie:
Kellie is a super mum of three…two are our Active Attitude participants – Jerecho (an Active Attitude Coach and athlete) & Willow (an Active Attitude “Coach in Training” and one of our Aerobics Academy members). She has grown up in a gymnastics environment with her siblings being gymnasts and her mum also being a gymnastics coach. Kellie has been a part of the Active Attitude coaching team since 2013.
Qualifications/Training:
- Gymnastics New Zealand Qualifications (Gymnastics): Coaching Today & Understanding Movement.
- Trained Run, Jump, Throw, Level 3 Coach (Athletics)
Favourite Sport: Gymnastics
Favourite Healthy Food: Rock melon
Favourite Quote: “Every child deserves a champion: an adult that will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the very best that they can possibly be.” – Rita Pierson
Natalie (Nat) Cossey
About Nat:
Nat always wanted to become a teacher, and from coaching at Active Attitude while studying towards her Sport and Recreation qualifications she has found that coaching is her passion.
Qualifications/Training:
- Bachelor of Sport and Recreation
- Gymnastics New Zealand Qualifications: Foundation Coach
Favourite Sport: Netball
Favourite Healthy Food: Fruit Salad
Favourite Quote: “Don’t worry about failures, worry about the chances you miss when you don’t even try.” – Jack Canfield
Chelsea Edmonds
About Chelsea:
Favourite Sport: Swimming and Volley ball
Favourite Healthy Food: Yoghurt fruit salad and Subway
Favourite Quote:: “Don’t gain the world and lose your soul, wisdom is better than silver and gold.” – Bob Marley
Bridget Lambert
About Bridget:
Favourite Sport:
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Dean Watson
About Dean:
Dean is a student at Waikato University and currently assists us over Summer with holiday programmes and events. Dean loves dancing, singing and acting.
Favourite Sport: Competitive Rock’n’Roll Dancing
Favourite Healthy Food: Tropical fruit such as Pineapples, Watermelon and Mango.
Favourite Quote: “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” Dr Seuss
Jane Heapy
About Jane:
Jane has been one of our Aerobics Academy athletes since 2015 and has represented Northland in the sport for the past few years. She is a student at Whangarei Girls High School. Jane loves sport and getting involved.
Qualifications/Training:
- XTND Youth Leadership and Coaching Qualification. Currently working towards completing her honours year of XTND.
- Training towards completing her Elementary Aerobics Coaching and Elementary Aerobics Judging Qualifications.
Favourite Sport: Aerobics.
Favourite Healthy Food: Seaweed
Favourite Quote: “ When you win say nothing. When you lose say less”.
Jerecho Clarke
About Jerecho:
Jerecho is one of our Active Attitude Coaches and is a student at Pompallier Catholic College. He has been a member of Active Attitude since we first started our Dargaville Gymnastics Club in 2012. He now coaches and trains at our Whangarei Active Attitude Gymnastics Club.
Qualifications/Training:
- XTND Youth Leadership & Coaching Qualification.
Favourite Sport: Basketball
Favourite Food: Fried Bread
Favourite Quote: “Who needs luck when you have motivation and passion on your side.”
Blake Williamson
About Blake: Blake is one of our Active Attitude “Coaches in Training” and is a student at Whangarei Boys High School. A talented sportsman who is involved in a variety of different sports.
Qualifications/Training: Currently in his second year of the XTND Youth Leadership and Coaching Programme.
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Danielle Kalkhoven
About Danielle: Danielle is an Active Attitude “Coach in Training” and is a student at Pompallier Catholic College. Danielle has been one of our Aerobics Academy athletes since 2016, and was a Northland Aerobics representative in 2017.
Qualifications/Training: Currently in her first year of the XTND Youth Leadership and Coaching Programme.
Favourite Sport: Aerobics.
Favourite Food: Pesto pasta and coconut yoghurt.
Favourite Quote: “Train your mind to see the good in every situation”.
Lucy Bland
About Lucy: Lucy is one of our Active Attitude “Coaches in Training” and is a student at Whangarei Girls High School.
Qualifications/Training: Currently in her second year of the XTND Youth Leadership and Coaching Programme.
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Jessica Woollam
About Jessica : Jessica is one of our Active Attitude “Coaches in Training” and is also a student at Dargaville High School. She has been involved with Active Attitude since we first started our club in Dargaville in 2012.
Qualifications/Training: Currently finishing of the XTND Youth Leadership and Coaching Programme.
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Katie Thirkettle
About Katie : Katie is one of our Active Attitude “Coaches in Training” and is a student at Bream Bay College.
Qualifications/Training: Currently in her second year of the XTND Youth Leadership and Coaching Programme.
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Thomas Davidson
About Thomas : Thomas is one of our Active Attitude “Coaches in Training” and is a student at Pompallier Catholic College. Thomas has been a member of Active Attitude since we first started our club in Dargaville in 2012.
Qualifications/Training: Currently in his first year of the XTND Youth Leadership and Coaching Programme.
Favourite Sport: Gymnastics.
Favourite Food: Bacon.
Favourite Quote: “Study your opponents and train against them and you will have gold.” -Sun Tzu.
Willow Clarke
About Willow : Willow is one of our Active Attitude “Coaches in Training” and is a student at Pompallier Catholic College. She has been a member of Active Attitude since we first started our club in Dargaville in 2012. She now coaches and trains at our Whangarei Gymnastics Club, where she is a member of our Active Attitude Aerobics Academy. Willow has represented Northland at Aerobic Gymnastics since 2015.
Qualifications/Training: Currently in her first year of the XTND Youth Leadership and Coaching Programme.
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Emily Hewitt
About Emily : Emily is one of our Active Attitude “Coaches in Training” and is a student at Whangarei Girls High School. She represented Northland in Aerobic Gymnastics in 2017.
Qualifications/Training: Currently in her first year of the XTND Youth Leadership and Coaching Programme.
Favourite Sport: Aerobics
Favourite Food: Cheese and crackers
Favourite Quote: “You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice.”
