UK Sport

Fast-Track practitioners reach half-way milestone

Fast-Track Practitioners put through their paces by Graeme Randall
UK Sport

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Jessica Whitehorn 20 February 2008

Participants on the 2007/2008 UK Sport Fast Track Practitioner Programme (FPP) have reached the half-way milestone of their development, completing their third workshop at the Scottish Institute of Sport (SIS) in Stirling.

The FPP, now in its fourth year, runs in partnership with the Home Country Sports Institutes, National Governing Bodies, British Olympic Association and British Paralympic Association, to accelerate the professional development of young practitioners, such as physiotherapists and performance analysts, who demonstrate the potential to work in high performance sport.

The third three-day workshop, one of six that are completed over the year designed to develop the participants’ non-technical skills or ‘high performance competencies’, focused on the theme of ‘change’. The practitioners were encouraged to analyse possible barriers to change within their performance environment and looked at the best way to manage these barriers by understanding different thinking styles and influencing techniques.

The participants also learnt about the SIS, where they heard from both practitioners and coaches from within the system. Chris Martin, High Performance Swimming Coach at the SIS, explained what he expects from his support staff and how they can maintain standards of ‘excellence’, while Graeme Randall, High Performance Judo Coach at the SIS and graduate of UK Sport’s Elite Coach programme, took the participants through their paces in a practical judo session.

Benjamin Rosenblatt, who is currently on the FPP as a rehabilitation strength and conditioning intern based at the Olympic Medical Institute (OMI), explained how he has seen progress in his development following the recent workshop:

“The workshop in Stirling taught me about different ways of communicating with different people in order to facilitate changes that need to be made to provide a better service to our athletes.

"Previously I would try to solve problems in a non structured manner, but the workshops have provided me with the tools I need to provide better solutions and, more importantly, understand where they came from and how to adapt them for different circumstances.”

As part of the FPP, Benjamin’s mentor Dr Marco Cardinale, Head of Science and Research at the OMI, also attends workshops for his own development. He said: “The FPP run by UK Sport has been a great success for us. After identifying the best possible candidate, I have been pleased with his progress. Ben is developing as a practitioner and I am sure he will be a unique professional in our elite sport system. The programme has also been very interesting for my own development. I have greatly benefited from the mentor workshops where I had the opportunity to learn useful tips in becoming a better mentor and exchange experiences with highly qualified professionals working in the elite sport system.

“This is an experience we will repeat in the years to come, with a view of contributing to the education and development of future professionals for the British elite sport system.”

The next workshop will be held in Cardiff on the 15th-17th April. Recruitment for the next intake of the FPP will begin at the end of April. Vacancies will be advertised on the UK Sport website.

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