Women of Winter | Kate Blamey
Published Mon 22 Nov 2021
Our Women in Focus series continues this month with NSW Institute of Sport Freestyle Moguls coach Kate Blamey. The former moguls athlete has had a wealth of experience coaching, with previous roles at the Mogul Skiing Academy, Perisher Snowsports School and the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club in Colorado.
Blamey joined NSWIS not long after the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, and is currently in Europe with the Aussie mogul team, as one of three coaches helping them prepare for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Blamey is also one of four women on the Snow Australia - National Freestyle Committee.
Kate, when did you decide that you wanted to be a coach?
There were a couple of pivotal moments in my life that led me to want to be a career coach. From a very young age I loved to be involved in a variety of Sports. I would participate in any and every competitive sport I could sign up to. When I left school, I completed a Bachelor of Exercise & Sport Science at Deakin University, as I wanted to study anything that was remotely related to sport.
It wasn’t until after hanging up my boots from competitive mogul skiing I considered a career in the ski industry. At the time I wasn’t ready to shut the door on the sport I was still so very passionate about. Therefore, I stayed involved through ski instructing at the Mt Buller Ski School, coaching TBR Juniors & completing a FIS Freestyle judging certification.
After 5 years of coaching in Australia under many amazing coaches, I decided I wanted to experience coaching and running a team on my own, to see if I really had what it took to be an elite coach. I got an amazing opportunity as the Freestyle Mogul Head Coach of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club in Colorado, USA. I took the knowledge I had learnt as an athlete and coach in Australia to Steamboat and challenged myself.
Within my first 6 months of coaching in Steamboat Springs I realised how challenging, rewarding and enjoyable coaching was, and since then, I have never looked back.
Having been a coach for close to a decade now, what drives you to be the best coach you can be?
Three things come to mind – Achieving excellence, Athletes Wellbeing & Coach Peter McNiel
Achieving excellence- I do not believe there is such a thing as perfect, but the idea of improving, achieving your personal best and working towards excellence is what gets me out of bed every day. I believe whether it is sport, a language, cooking, the arts or who you are as a person, we can always challenge ourselves, improve, discover more and grow.
So when it comes to coaching, I thoroughly enjoy assisting someone in achieving their own goals and the process it involves. Whether that be assisting an athlete to help realise their potential or seeing the progression of an athlete towards the top end of a sport.
Athletes Wellbeing – Sometimes elite sport can be extremely tough, both mentally and physically, So I believe it is extremely important to ensure an athlete’s happiness and wellbeing are always considered. Much of my coaching direction and proficiencies are driven by an athlete’s wellbeing, as I believe the condition of an athlete’s wellbeing is reflected in their performance.
Peter McNiel - I have coached under and alongside Peter McNiel (NSWIS Head Coach) for over 10+ years, and in that time, he has not only taught me so much, he has also challenged me in many ways. He is constantly thinking outside the box, researching other sports, developing new techniques or bringing back old ones that worked well in the past. He frequently asks questions that no other coach does in order to improve his knowledge and coaching. Working alongside Peter motivates me to be the best coach I can possibly be, to continue learning and to challenge myself every single day.
What has been your proudest moment / achievement?
My proudest achievement would be coaching four girls to qualify for the US National Freestyle Mogul Ski Team over a 3-year period whilst coaching in Steamboat Springs. And then to top it off, being able to watch all four of them compete at the 2018 World Cup Finals in Megeve, France altogether, was truly a special coaching moment.
What's the best piece of advice you've ever received in your career?
A coaching mentor who I have worked very closely with over the last couple of years told me to “Stop worrying about what other people think or do, and just control the controllables”. I believe it is something we should remind ourselves, every single day.
Is there anything else you would like to share with other women in this industry?
I used to think I could never be a National Team coach because there aren’t many female coaches who do what I do in the World - currently there is only one other female coach on World Cup. I have since learnt that just because it isn’t common, doesn’t mean it isn’t possible. If you find something you love and enjoy, stick with it and don’t give up!
Doing something difficult or unusual can even bring something different to the table that can add benefit. For example, we currently have five boys and six girls on the National Team, and having a female coach on the team I believe brings an added benefit that most other teams don’t have on the circuit.
