Sports Partnership Produces Eight National Reps

Sports Partnership Produces Eight National Reps

A partnership between Palmerston North’s Awatapu College and UCOL’s Bachelor of Human Performance Programme is a roaring success, resulting in eight young people competing at a national level, and one internationally, since its start last July.

The Sports Enhancement Programme pairs the skills and knowledge of students in UCOL’s Bachelor of Human Performance programme with selected pupils at Awatapu College, competing in a range of different sports.

The programme has yielded national representatives in basketball, athletics, golf, boxing, trampolining, netball, speed-skating (also international) and one pupil competing nationally in both inline hockey and rugby.

Each pupil benefits from personally written individual exercise programmes, exercise testing related to their sport, progress monitoring and exercise sessions with their trainer. Other aspects of sport science such as sports psychology and nutrition advice are also included under the supervision of Bachelor of Human Performance lecturers.

Ian Scott, Deputy Principal of Awatapu College says, “I have no doubt whatsoever that this programme has been of great benefit to our athletes”.

UCOL’s Bachelor of Human Performance Lecturers, Paul MacDermid and Tim Seaholme are actively involved in the programme and say it’s certainly helping the athletes. “Not only are they performing better, as shown by their results, but they are gaining an understanding of what it takes to compete at a high level within their sport.”

The programme is run as an extra-curricular option for the 20 selected Awatapu College pupils. As well as the individual support and training, and a weekly general conditioning session run by Bachelor of Hunan Performance third year student Andre Richards, pupils are given access to the UCOL gym after school for supervised training sessions.

Paul and Tim both say the opportunity to work with young athletes is a really valuable learning experience for the UCOL Bachelor of Human Performance students, “They are able to directly apply what they’re learning and to see those athletes benefit from their advice in a practical setting. It’s going really well. ”

ENDS

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