I was interested last week listening to England Rugby coach Clive Woodward call for the appointment of ‘a real champion of sport’ at the highest level of government. He went on to say that “it has always fascinated me why no government, not just this one, has not taken sport as seriously as they do say in Australia.”

To complete on the world stage takes a lot of investment and to win on that stage takes a huge amount of investment. If we are serious surely the financial resources have to be made available.

With 70 Days left before the start of the Olympics it is anxious times for those athletes trying to make qualifying times for Athens. Paul Brizzel is one of our athletes who has made the qualifying standard and last week his coach ex Olympian – Mike McFarlane was in Belfast talking to staff at SINI and generally keeping in touch with Paul’s progress. Paul's outdoor season starts in the next few weeks in the build up to Athens and we wish him and all the athletes well with their preparations.

Preparation is key to success at the highest level. On June 3rd Australian Paul Gastin was at the Institute to train athletes on the use of a new diary produced by Paul but supported financially by the Sports Council for Northern Ireland. The diary will be a significant tool in helping athletes to maximise their development.

The diary follows 4 key principles

- A long term approach with cycles of manageable stress and adaptation
- Purposeful interventions that are specific and individual
- Accumulating volume of training while monitoring response and performance enhancement
- Regular review and realigning of goals

The diaries will be a great communication tool between the athlete, their coaches and performance managers.

Thirty athletes attended and the others will be expected to attend training in future weeks.

Receiving their diaries will be the new Rugby squad being inducted into the Institute. The strength of the squad shows Ulster Rugby’s commitment to SINI by moving their academy players into the SINI environment.

The new inductees are:

- John Andress
- Blair Clements
- Oisin Hennessey
- Glenn Moore
- Mark Scott
- Lewis Stevenson
- Andrew Trimble

They join the following athletes who retain their places at SINI

- Stephen Ferris
- Chris Henry
- Mark WJ Kettyle
- Jamie Mc Grugan
- Michael Mc Keever
- Gary Maxwell
- Stewart Megaw
- Gareth Steenson
- Glen Telford

Congratulations to 5 members of the SINI squad who were selected last weekend for the Ireland U21 side, heading to the World Cup in Scotland from 9th – 27th June.

Finally later this month on Thursday 24th June the first in a series of bimonthly workshops entitled ‘Winning Ways’ takes place. The first workshop is on “Strength training and young athletes …… Ready to go” and will be led by Strength and Conditioning coach Phil Moreland
The workshops are free and are open to anyone to attend including athletes, coaches and parents. Register interest now by emailing info@sini.co.uk

PhD STUDENTSHIP INVESTIGATING BURNOUT IN GAELIC FOOTBALL PLAYERS

The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) is Ireland’s largest sporting organisation and an estimated 151,350 play Gaelic games on an organised basis. Ulster GAA have recently identified that the prevalence of player burnout in male Gaelic football is increasing, and that this is a cause for concern. Anecdotal evidence and descriptive research in sport has illustrated the considerable health consequences of burnout, which reinforces the need to address burnout within Gaelic football. Ulster GAA’s support of this research represents a ground-breaking step within the organisation to address this problem.

The aim of this PhD studentship is to adopt a psycho-social perspective to investigate the incidence and causes of burnout in male Gaelic football players. Specifically, the influence of both individual psychological factors and the social-cultural environment on the incidence of burnout will be considered within a commitment-based theoretical perspective. An additional aim of the project is to provide strategic recommendations to the GAA on how best to deal with player burnout.

For additional information or informal enquiries please contact Dr David Hassan 02890 366666 or d.hassan@ulster.ac.uk

BACKGROUND TO THE PROJECT

Player Burnout a myth or reality?

· Little evidence in GAA exists to substantiate the comment that we are burning out our talented young players.
· Meeting with top coaches in the Province was called to explore the issues.

Player Burnout Workshop – Quinn’s Corner March 2003

· All County Senior Managers, Higher Education, Vocational and Colleges representatives.
· Burnout identified by all as an issue. Top players playing and training too much.
· Young players can have up to 14 different coaches if playing across different sports and age categories and representative levels.
· Medical impact identified by Dr Phil Glasgow Sports Institute N.I.
· The social and psychological impact is also a major area of concern.

Provincial Conference – Slieve Russell October 2004

· Dr. Niall Moyna, Dublin City University, highlighted the long-term medical impact of too much training. The need to adjust training methods and have a closed season was crucial to sustain players in the game over a longer period of time.
· Dr Eugene Young, Sports Institute for Northern Ireland highlighted the need for some quantitative and qualitative data that can support the ‘burnout’ argument.

Research in to Payer Burnout

· No research study has been completed on burnout in GAA. Other sports have had research completed that has informed their policy makers, competition structures and training loads.

· Full muscular skeletal screening by Sports Institute Northern Ireland on 38 top young players has highlighted a number of problems with young players.

· Many had recurring long-term injuries. Because of the pressure to get back into competition, players have not had the opportunity to fully recovery before going back into training and competition.

· A significant number had poor flexibility in the hamstring and adductor regions and poor core stability. Both of these can contribute to injury.

· Poor posture has also been a significant trend either attributed to desk bound study or lifestyle or to training regimes and poor teaching/ coaching of good athletic movement techniques.

· The root of Gaelic Games in the club and it has been suggested that the social and peer pressure from clubs is an additional factor that leads to too much training and competition.

· Top players are in big demand from clubs, schools or higher education and counties and at key stages in the year they are being pulled in all directions. One Ulster U16 squad member had 14 coaches!

· Burnout has been attributed to social, psychological and physiological factors in other sports related studies. One research study cannot do justice to the area and would be beyond the remit of the research student.

· Collaborative research with other institutions will be co-ordinated so that all other aspects will have been reviewed to provide an overall picture from the many varied and different perspectives.

· The interviews for the post will take place in June and the research will begin in September 2004 over a three-year period.

· The purpose is to increase the awareness among coaches and to provide evidence to support or refute the alleged burnout syndrome with Gaelic Games players.

HOCKEY HIGH PERFORMANCE PLAN LAUNCHED

On Thursday 27th May at the House of Sport, representatives from Men’s and Women’s Hockey got together to launch the Hockey plan for high performance over the next 4 years.
High Performance Manager Sally Bell has been the driving force behind the plan through her post at the Sports Institute Northern Ireland. The report however reflects the views of many within the game through the consultation process which was carried out over the last twelve months.

The vision is for:

“Hockey players within Ulster to have strong representation in Irish teams at all levels and for Ireland to compete successfully in European, World and Olympic competitions”

The plan identifies 4 key objectives. These are:

1. To provide quality competition for athletes.

2. To create a player pathway which allows the athletes to compete successfully for Ulster and Ireland.

3. To increase the number of qualified coaches and officials and their level of competence.

4. To ensure a coordinated approach to high performance planning and programme implementation through the Ulster Hockey Branches, Sports Institute Northern Ireland and the Irish Hockey Association.

Speaking at last nights launch the outgoing president Ulster Branch – Irish Hockey Association George Compston said:

“This plan is the result of hard work and vision from Sally Bell. We commend it to you and expect that it will be the blueprint for an exciting and rewarding time for Ulster Hockey”

The president of the Women’s Hockey Association Marietta Lammey praised the development committees of both branches who individually and collectively assisted Sally in the development of the plan. Both presidents thanked the Sports Council for Northern Ireland for supporting the development plan and for its continuing work supporting Hockey within the Sports Institute Northern Ireland.

Copies of the plan will be sent to all club secretaries in the next few weeks with further information available from Sally Bell at the Sports Institute Northern Ireland – University of Ulster, Jordanstown.

s.bell@ulster.ac.uk
Tel: 028 9036 6758

SINI STARS SET FOR U21 RWC

SINI athletes Gareth Steenson, Glen Telford, Oisin Hennessey and Ryan Caldwell and former SINI athlete Tommy Bowe have made Ireland’s 26-man squad who have been selected for the U21 Rugby World Cup which takes place in Scotland from 11 – 27 June.
The squad headed off on a training camp on Sunday following their 57-19 win over the President’s XV at Blackrock on Saturday.

Games will be played at venues around Scotland, including Raeburn Place, Hughenden and Netherdale.

CHAMPIONSHIP ATHLETICS RETURNS TO ANTRIM STADIUM.

Something that didn’t seem possible a couple of years ago when housing development plans were being discussed- next weeks Northern Ireland and Ulster Championships return to the Antrim Forum. The venue which has been host to many top class meetings during the last 25 years was saved from extinction at the last minute largely due to the tenacity and hard work of local coach Maeve Kyle. 1999 saw Olympic champion Cathy Freeman win two races at the Antrim Games, and the venue also got praised by Steve Ovett in his autobiography. Hopefully the new track will play host to many more top events in the next 25 years; and more importantly help develop our own local champions.

SINI scholarship athletes will be out in force at the championships, with the main finals getting underway around lunchtime on Saturday 12th June, as well as the official opening ceremony.

SPORT SCOTLAND - STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING IV

John Cleary SINI strength and conditioning coach attended Sport Scotland’s Strength and Conditioning IV - a symposium for those with an interest in strength and conditioning for performance orientated athletes.
The purpose of the symposium is to afford an opportunity for learning exchange, allowing participants, whatever their background, to tap into shared experiences. From the scientific principles underpinning physiological training programmes to current trends in physiological training and development.

In achieving this purpose Sport Scotland attracted a team of world-class presenters and strength and conditioning specialists from the UK, Europe and North America.

Strength and Conditioning IV also saw the launch of the British Strength and Conditioning Association (BSCA) Britain’s first independent, professional association for those providing strength and conditioning support for performance-oriented athletes. The results of the Association’s inaugural election process saw Gilmour Stevenson appointed as its first Chairman and the appointment of the associations board of directors.

The association has the following aims:

· To establish and maintain high professional standards for British strength & conditioning practitioners

· The promotion and dissemination of good practice knowledge and research appropriate to strength & conditioning practitioners

· To facilitate communication among BSCA members

· To represent the interests of the membership of the BSCA

Click here to find out more about the BSCA

DO I STAY OR DO I GO?

As A Level examinations kick in across the province, it is worth recognising one of the key dilemmas facing many talented athletes of school leaving age. Do I stay ‘at home’ for my university education or go to one of the universities on the UK mainland?

My experience based on conversations with young athletes, suggests that sport can be a major driver in the decision making process.

In individual sports there is often a drain towards mainland destinations, while this seems less evident in team sports. Loughborough represents a key destination, but other universities also hold attraction due to proximity to Academy structures and / or National Training Centres.

Athletes cite a variety of reasons for such moves, focusing primarily on access to better training partners, better coaches and superior facilities.

Currently this may well be the case for certain sports, but the young athlete needs a degree of caution, as ‘the grass is not always greener on the other side’.

Certainly they would be wise to accumulate information by talking to individuals who have knowledge of the prospective universities. Often it is possible to put the young person in contact with another athlete from his or her own sport that has experience of the university and can offer valuable insight to how the sports environment operates. There are key questions to consider such as:

· Will I be able to join with the elite training group at the university?
· Which support services and facilities will I be able to access?
· How much quality 1to1 coaching input would I receive when working within a larger group?
· How will the transitions associated with living away from home impact on my training?
· How will I keep in touch with elite developments back in Northern Ireland?

Once the young athlete has clarified these types of issue they are better placed to measure the ‘sporting value’ of each prospective university.

In team sports such as GAA football and Rugby, it could be argued that a move to study on the UK mainland would be detrimental to a young athlete’s sporting development. In GAA it is obvious that most young players need the platform of regular U21 County involvement to help them build for Senior representation, while in Rugby recent developments in terms of Academy structures have created significant reasons to study ‘at home’. The advantages for the young athlete of integration into the Ulster Academy Programme and the opportunity to develop within a closely monitored, progressive programme cannot be underestimated. In the past some young talent disappeared to the UK mainland and without structured programmes around them soon became overtaken by players developing within Ulster. Indeed in the last couple of years a number of the provinces most talented young players have transferred from mainland universities in order to complete their studies ‘at home’.

Decisions regarding university are important. Typically Higher Education offers the young athlete a wonderful opportunity to maximise integration of sporting development with academic and personal development. Many athletes take a major step forward during this phase of their life. SINI is working hard in the background to provide support services and facilities that might encourage our best young talent to stay in Ulster. We have also tried to play a part in educating coaches through provision of workshops, specialised courses and access to major opportunities such as the annual World Class Coaching Conference run by UK Sport. The next stage of our facility development will be further clear evidence of the desire to support elite performers in Northern Ireland.

The University of Ulster is also playing its part via the initiative known as the ‘Elite Athlete Scheme’ http://www.ulster.ac.uk/eliteathlete/. This scheme provides opportunity for our most talented athletes to gain discounted entry across the full range of university courses.

It is likely that a proportion of our young talent will remain determined to leave Northern Ireland to study. For others however, the decision is less clear. The need for information while considering options is critical. My advice is to consider each option from three perspectives: academic, sport and lifestyle. What factors are you certain about and what do you need to find out? The best time to start is probably the summer following completion of AS examinations. Good decisions evolve from analysis and discussion of quality information.

Peter McCabe

A couple of months ago an article was published in the newsletter outlining the possibility of introducing innovative body composition assessments into the sport science programmes of SINI athletes. Two female athletes recently attended the Centre for Molecular Biosciences (CMB), which is located on the Coleraine campus of the University of Ulster, to undergo Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry scans (DEXA). The athletes were accompanied by David Reid (High Performance Manager) and Declan Gamble (Sports Scientist).

As mentioned previously the DEXA scanner can be used to measure bone mineral density and to provide accurate assessments of the relative proportions of fat and lean tissue within different regions of the body. Why are these assessments important and how can they be used?

Bone mineral density (BMD) refers to the amount of calcium located in the bones and this can be used to estimate an athlete’s risk of fracture. Female athletes, in particular, tend to be susceptible to stress fractures and other injuries due to weakened bones. This is because a combination of low estrogen (female hormone) levels and poor nutrition can lead to insufficient calcium absorption and invariably, osteoporosis. This condition results in a weakening of the bones due to the loss of bone density and improper bone formation. The DEXA compares the numerical density of the bone (calculated from the image), with empirical (historical) databases of bone density to determine whether an athlete has osteoporosis, and often, to what degree. The skeletal scan can also provide a preliminary assessment of any postural abnormalities.

Normal bone alignment is illustrated in the skeletal diagram below.

The BMD score of 1.39 on the left hand side of the coloured chart represents a value above average for this particular individual’s age, ethnic origin and sex. Values above the average population are desirable for athletes. Scores of –1.0 to –2.5 (blue-yellow area) on the young adult (YA) reference range (on the right hand side) indicate osteopenia (low bone mass) and scores < -2.5 (orange-red
area) indicate osteoporosis.

The DEXA also provides a very accurate assessment of body composition. Athletes often associate body composition with only fat mass, and fail to recognise that body composition also refers to the proportion of lean (muscle) mass and bone content. The example above illustrates the body composition results that are provided by the DEXA.

In addition, the scan also provides a detailed assessment of the relative percentages of fat, muscle and bone within different regions of the body.

This can be used to determine whether any significant imbalances exist in relation to an athlete’s physical make up (i.e differences between right and left legs). If evident, these imbalances have the potential to affect performance and may also predispose the athlete to potential injuries. Fortunately, the support structure at SINI allows intervention programmes to be developed with the assistance of the relevant support staff, to address body composition issues and/or to correct structural problems. These interventions can then contribute to enhancing overall athletic performance.

The initial pilot experience with the DEXA proved to be a success. Following discussions with Allen Clarke (rugby HPM), and Rodney Kennedy (strength and conditioning coach), it was decided that the first SINI squad screening would take place on Friday 4th June when the rugby players attend the CMB. These results should compliment the baseline fitness and strength and conditioning assessments that have taken place during the week, prior to the recommencement of the player’s strength and conditioning programme. It is envisaged that the remaining SINI athletes will be screened over the summer period. This new service is also likely to be made available to new athlete coming into the Institute, and this will compliment the musculo-skeletal screening that is conducted.