6 Play the ‘Medal Quest’ online game
Here you can play Medal Quest, an online game developed by The Open University. It presents ten mentoring dilemmas between ages 10 and 20 relating to guiding either a gymnast (Kade), a swimmer (Ivy), a footballer (Zoe) or a Paralympic runner (Andrew).
Open the game by clicking on the thumbnail below or clicking on ‘View’. Open it in a new browser or window.
You have already explored specialisation and enjoyment, so you should feel comfortable with the first few questions. The game then moves onto other areas which you will need to use your own judgement for. These areas will be covered in later sessions.
You will see the impact of each decision in the measures of ‘Early success’ (i.e. U17), ‘Chance of injury’, ‘Long-term prospects’ and ‘Motivation’. Depending on the thresholds reached, a player either reaches a championship final between the ages of 16 and 20, or has to retire early from the sport, with a few different outcomes in between.
By playing this game you will reinforce your understanding that coaching should be stimulating and fun and your understanding of the fine balance between challenge, to stimulate improvement, and being appropriately supported. You will have an opportunity to return to the game later in the course, by which time you will have explored some of the game’s other underlying principles.