Shervan Heu
1
Name of Coach
Shervan HeuTell us about the coach (over the last 12 months)
You know how you meet some people who you can make an instant connection with? Shervan is one of those people. She is vivacious, passionate, hard-working, and most importantly fun. Her infectious laugh and funny comments spark good banter and positivity around her. She is direct in her approach as a coach with excellent communication skills. Over the years she has always been involved in sports to some degree either as a coach, referee or supporter and has been a great advocate for encouraging physical activity. Shervan is a doer who takes pride in the work she does for her Melville community. Her commitment to sport in our community is exemplary, her inclusive and healthy competitive nature is felt within the teams she coaches.Shervan is in a fortunate position where she leverages her role as personal assistant to the Principal and Office Manager at Melville Intermediate School. She uses her role to promote involvement and engagement in sport in the school. When enrolling a new student, she will take the opportunity to ask an essential question "Do you play any sports?" followed by "Do you want to play any sports?" which is then followed up with "Here are the times that we have trainings for those sports, you should come along”. The seeds are sown early during enrolment and nurtured through constant encouragement. She is observant and has a positive approach to encouraging participation for youth that she sees has athletic talent.
Shervan is quick to establish a good rapport with students and has a knack for knowing all the names in her teams across the years. Her involvement in supporting rangatahi goes beyond sport as she helps to create connections with community and life beyond school.
How has the coach demonstrated commitment to Balance is Better/Good Sports philosophies in the last 12 months?
From the research, the evidence indicates young people between 12 – 18 demonstrates a significant drop in active participation in sport. In the last 12 months Shervan has worked tirelessly with this age group to organise teams and ensure they have all the necessary equipment - this meant often sacrificing her own time so that the students could participate in their chosen sport. It’s noted that intermediate students are the first to indicate the drop off in physical activity. The commitment that Shervan makes to sport, is a priority which aligns with the Balance is Better principles and Good Sports guide for coaches. She demonstrates and role models these principles extremely well - probably without even knowing it - she’s a natural.Observing her holistic approach to her coaching style it is evident that she has a growth mindset and is constantly inspiring young people to be the best versions of themselves on and off the court/field. Shervan has a philosophy based on encouraging development, mutual respect where attitude is everything and forms a foundation for skill development. She constantly encourages her teams to ‘make adjustments’ or ‘try something new’, taking the focus away from excuses or placing blame on the environment or others. With that said she is a person who leads by example. She recognises and acknowledges her students and provides leadership opportunities across the whole team. Everybody she coaches has a chance to be a leader on and off the court/field, this installs some fundamental learning and development. No child is turned away regardless of their ability, all they need is a desire to ‘have a go’ and play. Whilst she builds on individuals’ ability to develop and perform, her overarching approach is to help rangatahi understand the importance of commitment and receiving support from their peers encouraging them to work together.
What is unique about the coach’s approach to creating a positive environment in sport and active recreation?
Shervan’s superpower as a coach is the ability to assess the skill level of students and make continuous improvements to their game. Her overall approach is about providing the best sporting experience for rangatahi and imparting attitudes of positive fair play. Aside from all the extra time that coaches put into teams supporting each other, Shervan invests a lot of energy into providing good sporting experiences and has the best intentions for students. She is an influencer and takes the time to individually praise the students even if it’s something small. She loves to see students grow in confidence and feel good amongst their peers. She is someone who goes above and beyond to ensure our students are looked after and safe when in her care. At times she has had to be firm and honest with teams/individuals, but she always backed herself which in turn gains respect from them. She has a great sense of humour which is essential for a good coach. The emphasis is always on participation and fun.For some rangatahi in our community sport is a refuge, a safe place to exert oneself and excel under good guidance. Shervan is aware that she has a small window to make an impact on a young person’s direction not only in sport but in life. This leads to conversations about making good choices and creating positive habits and goal setting. When these students are adults, she will definitely be remembered as someone that helped to shape their future direction.
What are some of the results and/or growth observed in the coach’s athletes in the last 12 months?
Below outlines the sports that Shervan coached in the last 12 months.Basketball
She took a team to the AIMS games in September 2022 who competed in 3x3 basketball, the team finished 11th out of 21 teams.
It was a long wait to get to this tournament, in the build-up there was a lot of preparation, fundraising and training. During this time there was a huge improvement in the teams’ overall skills and development of the game.
Coached 3 teams in 2022 through two terms of games and WIMS competitions. (Waikato Intermediate and Middle Schools tournaments involving 16 Waikato schools)
Netball - coached 2 teams in 2022 through two terms of games and WIMS competitions.
Touch - coached 2 teams in through term 4 and term 1 games 2021.
Hockey - coached 1 team in 2021
Softball - coached 2 teams in 2021 in preparation for WIMS tournament at our local Resthill Park which she also co-ordinates.
Shervan has high credibility in coaching and managing and refereeing these sports. She is a senior referee at national level in basketball a game she promotes fiercely and absolutely loves! She supports players in our Melville Intermediate school teams to complete referee courses and certification.
Some of the young people that Shervan has coached have gone on to represent teams at a regional level.
Comments
Whaea Shervan (Posted 2022-10-05 10:22:44)
The face of Melville Intermediate, as first point of contact in the school office, ready to answer/assist/direct any queries visitors may have with a great smile :) Whaea Shervan is reknown for her "No Player Left Behind"!! attitude and for our family this goes beyond just words, Whaea Shervan Heu has picked up my daughter from our house and return twice a week every week for the past 2years so that my daughter and other team mates can participate in their sports games, Basketball and Netball, our family are extremely grateful. Whaea Shervan is that one person who cares enough to go that extra mile, and only asks for your best performance on and off the court in return, this is what creates the foundations of a Winners Mindset in these young ladies to carry into their future, the self belief and pride that no matter their beginnings they are worth it. Thanks Coach 🤝