Helping prepare our aspiring young athletes

Friday, January 17, 2014

Helping prepare our aspiring young athletes

Professor Steve Stannard

Aspiring elite young athletes attending an upcoming training camp in Penrose will get the benefit of nutrition advice from one of New Zealand’s leading authorities.

Massey University’s Head of School of Sport and Exercise, Professor Steve Stannard, will present a lecture on nutrition, which includes his own elite level experience.

Hosted by Athletics Auckland, the Aspire Development Academy is for athletes transitioning from junior to senior athletics, with the goal of reaching regional and national representation.

Throughout the four-day academy, the young athletes will receive coaching on technique covering sprints, hurdles, throws, and distance running.

They will also take part in theory sessions covering competition preparation, injury prevention, and maintaining a healthy well-being.

As with all sports, nutrition is the key building block on which athletic performance is built. Professor Stannard, a high-level cyclist himself who once represented Australia, knows the importance of nutrition both through personal experience and from his research.

"There are many factors which dictate how well you perform in competitive sport,” he says. “Only a few of these are directly under your control, and your nutrition is one such factor."

31 athletes, ranging from 12 to 16, have been selected to attend the academy, which takes place from January 21-24.

Athletics Auckland Inc. is a not-for-profit regional sporting organisation devoted to the advancement and education of youth in the broader community, from North Harbour to Franklin areas, including primary, intermediate, and high schools.

Professor Stannard has a Masters of Nutritional Science and a PhD in Exercise Physiology from the University of Sydney. His work on fasted-training, antioxidants in exercise, and alcohol’s effect on delaying muscle recovery has received international recognition.

ENDS

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