UC Connect public lecture: More than medals – turning athletes into future leaders
Athletes are an exceptional population as they need to maintain a wide range of skills, attitudes and capabilities
across different domains while competing in competitions. Many successful athletes are also notable for their ability to
either develop additional skills, or acquire a new skill set replacing the original, and subsequently apply them at the
top level of performance. While the characteristics required for learning new skills are not unique to athletes, their
focus on a very precise skill set, coupled with their ability to transfer performance of high standards in one domain
into new activities by being goal-focused, motivated and confident in their abilities, makes them a useful model for the
wider population.
This presentation will focus on how athletes can develop and adapt into fundamentally different and increasingly complex
roles and environments and, as a result, have the potential to be future leaders and influencers in businesses and the
community.
Visiting the University of Canterbury as a 2017 Canterbury Fellow, David Lavallee is a Professor and Head of the School of Sport at the University of Stirling, Scotland. A central focus of his research
is on the transitions experienced by athletes across their career in order to better understand how skills are learned,
developed, applied, maintained and adapted. His research aims to contribute to more responsible support systems by
focusing on the duty of care for participants in sport.
Professor Lavallee is a graduate of Harvard University and the University of Western Australia. He has published 10
books and 85 peer-reviewed journal articles, and has been invited to present his research in 18 countries. His esteem
has been recognised by the award of Fellow of the British Psychological Society, Fellow of the Academy for Social
Sciences and Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (the first ever at a Scottish higher education
institution). This UC Connect lecture is also the 2017 Annual UC Sports Lecture.
UC Connect public lecture: More than medals – turning athletes into future leaders Professor David Lavallee, University of Scotland, 7pm on Wednesday 9 August at the University of Canterbury.
Register to attend at: www.canterbury.ac.nz/ucconnect