The focus of the camp was delivering under pressure and focused on both mental and physical preparation ahead of major games, in this Commonwealth Games year.
SINI Lead Performance Planner Jo Hopkins had this to say of the event,
“As a staff we wanted this opportunity to do some valuable face to face work with Northern Ireland’s top bowlers, archers and shooters.
We created an intense and focused environment that challenged these athletes and pushed them beyond their comfort zone. We wanted even the most experienced athletes to reflect on how they operate and seek further improvement.
These sports already have proven winners including World Champions and Commonwealth medallists. Getting these athletes to share their learning was a key part of what we did.
This camp was a new initiative for us, but the indications are that such events have huge potential in driving performance improvement.”
SINI athlete Neil Booth, who is both a Silver and Gold Medalist at the Commonwealth Games, attended the camp and had this to say about the experience,
“The weekend was excellent; it has allowed us to tap into all the different facets of what SINI does and I personally took a lot from it. We focused on mental strength and the advice was exceptional. I think the lessons we have learnt will be invaluable going into competitions.”
Mark McPeak, an experienced lawn bowler who took Silver at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne thought this of the camp,
“It was fantastic to bring the three target sports together. The opportunity to engage with SINI staff and other competitors was excellent. The camp developed understanding of how services can interact to make a difference to performance”
While the camp was targeted mostly at athletes, coaches also attended. Former World Champion Bowler and Commonwealth Medalist Jim Baker had this to say,
“The camp was excellent and the feedback I had from our athletes has been really positive. It’s the accumulation of small changes and applications of learning that can make the difference at the top level.”
Information generated at the camp will be used by the Sports Institute Northern Ireland to target work with these sports in the months ahead.
