Christine,
I have just read the paper you wrote with Dave Collins and it has set me off on a tangent. On page 470 the suggestion that coaches are better able to interact with athletes if they were performers themselves. I have no concrete evidence other than Archery GB's attempt to fast track the 2012 squad into coaching. Not all made it to the highest levels. I have a gut feeling that some top athletes make top coaches but not all, otherwise why are we not awash with excellent coaches who have "retired" from competition in their sport .Also on a political note it is interesting that the government seems to think it will get expert teachers who have higher degrees but have not undergone formal teacher training. Again my experience tells me these are few and it flies against your description of expert on page 472.
You can tell me off if you think I am being provocative but I wonder what the others think?
