| RESULTS
OF 6-MONTH TRIAL OF SERVICES In October athletes from 4 core sports were inducted into SINI for a 6-month trial of athlete services and the commitment of athletes to an Institute environment. Tony Morrison, Optium Leisure has been commissioned to carry out a review of the trial and has spent 4 weeks discussing issues with athletes through interviews, telephone discussions and athlete focus groups. The results of his findings will be published on the website in mid April. Following the pilot, places at the Institute will be reviewed, Governing Body selection procedures revised and where necessary new athletes inducted to replace those leaving.Athlete satisfaction with services, identifying athletes who can access services at Jordanstown and improving SINI/athlete communication are key messages emerging from the review. The website was launched on 7th March and to date has received over 2000 visits from all over the world. We are hoping that the athletes and those who are interested will find this a valuable resource. |
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SINI ADDRESSES PLAYER BURNOUT Over the last few months leading coaches have expressed to Dr Eugene Young their concern over talented player burnout. Eugene organised a workshop to discuss the whole area of “Managing Talented Young Players” at Quinn’s Corner in Ballygawley on Monday 31st March. Chaired by Jarleth Burns the seminar was attended by 35 delegates representing the different stages in a talented young players development. Following a series of presentations including one from SINI physiotherapist Dr Philip Glasgow, the group set about identifying solutions to the problem. View the proposed solutions and read the full story here. |
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5 SINI ATHLETES MAKE IRISH U19 RUGBY SQUAD On Friday 4th April 5 Institute Athletes, RIchard McCarter, Gary Maxwell, Gareth Steenson, Stephen Auld and Thomas Horner will be heading to France for a fortnight to take part in the FIRA U19 Rugby World Championship. In addition Institute athlete David Houston remains on standby until the 9th April. The draw for the competition is seeded and the format guarantees that each participating team plays four matches within the tournament, a top developmental priority. Their first match will be against Italy on the 10th April with further matches on the 13th, 16th and 20th April. Allen Clarke, SINI's Director of Elite Player Development, will be accompanying the lads on the trip. Best wishes to the boys and of course Allen. Keep up to date with the results and news from our website or visit the FIRA official site. |
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| SCIENTIST
TARGETS PORTUGESE CONFERENCE TO ENHANCE SINI PROGRAMMES Institute Sport Scientist Declan Gamble heads off to Portugal on the 11th April to attend the 5th World Congress on Science and Football. Leading authorities from within the Science and Football community will present the latest developments and findings in relation to applied Sport Science, among the codes of Soccer, Rugby, Gaelic football, Australian Rules and American football. It is hoped that Declan’s attendance at the conference will contribute to the development and implementation of the Sport Science programmes here at the Institute. |
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AUSSIE LINK CONTINUES WITH STRENGTH & CONDITIONING During Phil Moreland's leave to Australia, SINI recruited Dave Lasini from UK Sport to support Ciaran Shortt in the Strength and Conditioning facility. A fellow Australian, Dave has been working at UKSI for 2 years having previously worked at the Victorian Institute of Sport 1995-2000. Dave is employed at UKSI as Sports Science Co-ordinator to enhance Sports Science programmes in World Class Performance Programmes by promoting an integrated approach to the delivery of Sport Science. SINI is grateful to Dave and UKSport for it's support during Phil's absence. |
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REWARD FOR PAUL MCKEE'S OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES Last week the Irish Sports Council announced their awards under the Irish Carding scheme. Institute athletes Paul McKee (€22,900) and Paul Brizzell (€8625) have been rewarded for their excellent performances indoors over the last few months. Paul McKee won a bronze medal in the World Indoor 400m whilst Paul Brizzell qualified for the semi finals of the World Indoor 200m and has already broke the Irish Indoor 200m record. |
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SINI SUPPORTS ULSTER HOCKEY TO CHAMPIONSHIP VICTORY SINI provided physiotherapy and massage services to the Ulster Men's Hockey squad which won the Interprovincial Championship in Cork last month. These service personnel managed the recovery programmes of players between tournament matches. The intensity of player performance was maintained in an effective manner as indicated by an 8-1 victory in the final game to clinch a most productive weekend for Ulster Men's Hockey. |
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| INSTITUTE
WELCOMES NEW INTAKE - INCLUDING A WORLD CHAMPION Last month SINI welcomed a new group of athletes. These include 7 female hockey players - Internationals Lynsey McVicker, Katherine Maybin, Jill Orbinson, Angela Platt and Ulster players Suzanne Beaney, Bridget McKeever and Sarah Wilkinson. World disabled waterski-ing champion Janet Gray also joined the Institute, and will start accessing services when she returns from warm weather training in Florida. |
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| REPLACING
THE SWEAT! Powerade have come 'on board' to provide fluids for athletes accessing the Strength and Conditioning Facility. Athletes training at 6am have remarked that the company's strapline of 'get up, stay up' is particularly appropriate for their new early morning lifestyle! |
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| UP
AND COMING EVENTS Coaches workshop - Polar Heart Rate monitoring, Powerbreathe Inspiratory muscle training and Compex electrical muscle stimulation - their impact on training programmes. Check website for dates and times. European Cup Winners Club Championship - Hockey athletes Mark Irwin and Patrick Brown head to Barcelona over the Easter weekend to compete with Club Instonians in the 'A' Division. SANZAR U21 Rugby World Cup - Tommy Bowe, Rory Best and Michael McComish begin the countdown for this tournament to be held in England in June. The Irish preparation involves training sessions in Dublin virtually every weekend over the next 2 months. Irish Universities Championships - A number of SINI athletes are targeting this event, none more so than sprinter Anna Boyle who hopes to use her successful indoor season as a springboard and further enhance her growing reputation. |
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