Over the last 2 years and more, around 20 top athletes have been working with the staff at the Sports Institute Northern Ireland (SINI) in preparation for the Commonwealth Games. These athletes have, through their performances in other international competitions, earned the right to be offered specialist support tailored to the demands of competing in India.
SINI works with Northern Ireland’s top athletes, providing them with a range of support services to help improve their performances. Support services include Sports Medicine, Strength and Conditioning and aspects of Sports Science such as Physiology, Performance Analysis and Nutrition. In addition athletes get help with Planning, Lifestyle Management and development of the psychological skills necessary to maximise performance under pressure. The services are planned in conjunction with the athlete’s coach and assembled into programmes. This integrated and multi-disciplinary approach ensures that each SINI athlete is equipped to meet the challenge of the Delhi Games.
Practical advice on how to eat and hydrate when travelling, how to cope with jet lag, and how to manage the transition into the multi-sport games environment all help athletes settle quickly and get down to business.
Northern Irish Bowler and Commonwealth Games medal winner Neil Booth remarked,
“For over a year I’ve been going to SINI and I’ve received a lot of information as far as nutrition is concerned and I’m on a course immune boosting supplements to try and avoid the Delhi belly. There is been a lot of information to take in, but we are going out to try to win a medal so it’s important to make sure we plan far enough in advance so that we don’t have to worry about it when we get out there.”
Mental strength is crucial to any sport and some of the Northern Irish athletes in Delhi have been working on mental strength with SINI Performance Skills Coach Des Jennings who has travelled to Delhi to continue work with some of the SINI athletes while they are competing in India.
Shooter David Beattie who won a Silver medal at the last Commonwealth Games had this to say, “Eighty percent of the sport is mental and thanks to SINI and the team there they have really helped me on that side of things”.
While Bowler Jennifer Dowds has seen a real difference in her performances, “Working with SINI psychologists has given me more self-confidence in my ability and the strength to play more than one game in a day. Now that I have worked with SINI, I don’t have to worry about being able to cope with that.”
The Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games Council, Sport Northern Ireland and the Sports Institute Northern Ireland have been working together over the last number of months to provide a joint approach to the planning and preparation of athletes ahead of Delhi. This joint committee has worked hard to put systems in place for Delhi 2010 and beyond to Glasgow 2014. Some of the work of this group has identified a need for consistency of preparation for athletes, resulting in a number of SINI staff travelling to Delhi to support athletes through the Games. This support will impact all athletes but also provides vital continuity for one real medal contender, squash player Madeline Perry.
Madeline had this to say about the development, “I am really pleased that Dr Phil Glasgow from SINI is part of the team, as SINI have been an integral part of my support over the last four years. It is great to have people who know me and know what it takes for me to perform, around me at the Commonwealths.”
While other nations have seen athletes pull out of Delhi because of all the negative press the Northern Irish team has proved to be a hardy bunch with no competitors jumping ship. Northern Ireland Boxing team captain Eamonn O’Kane who along with the rest of his squad was based at SINI for the week leading up to the departure for India had this to say,
“Our psychologist says “control the controllables”. We can only control ourselves; the facilities are for others to worry about.”
