Last week, Emily made the long trip back from France to attend the first training day of the year for the Excel Talent Programme. This Programme is now in its second year and is an exciting initiative aimed at those who are looking at a place on World Class in the near future.
The day started with a talk from Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth Gold Medallist Sally Gunnell who emphasised the importance of both physical and mental planning and preparation. She gave a brief summary of her career and the ups and downs of being a top class athlete, and gave an interesting and exciting blow by blow account of the day she won her Olympic Gold medal which she subsequently produced for all to see.
The rest of the day was comprised of three sessions: accounting advice from Sarah Powell, an introduction to Public Relations and sponsorship from Carole Pendle, and media and interview training from Steven Wilde.
The accounting session brought home just how important it is to keep on top of accounts, even if paperwork is the last thing you want to do after a day spent out on the yard. Sarah had some great tips on how to understand tax and how to get the most of your accounts as well as giving some useful advice on the grey areas of prize money and sponsorship. Of course, to gain sponsorship it is first of all necessary to win over potential sponsors, and this was the focus of the talk from Carole Pendle who had some great ideas on how to present yourself in the media, including social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Much of her presentation was focused on emphasising what riders can do for sponsors, and making the partnership much more of a symbiotic relationship. Finally, there was a session with Steven Wilde on how to conduct interviews in both the written press and on TV and radio. He stressed the need to stand out from the crowd and to make use of the unique parts of your personality that make you different from everyone else.
Overall, all three workshops were useful and served as a reminder that being a rider is not just about working with horses! In the modern world it is impossible to bury your head in the sand and hope that just riding every day is enough to ensure success. Today’s riders need to have an intimate knowledge of accounts, be media-savvy, and ensure that they give back to their sponsors.