Glenwood High School representative, Marc Labuschagne, attended the annual ASPC (Association of Sport Performance Centres) Forum from the 24th – 26th August.
Prime Human Performance Institute Directors, Brendon Goodenough, Peter O’Connor and Dr. Kevin Subban, were part of the LOC. This was the first time that this Forum has taken place in Africa, and the LOC are to be commended for their warm hospitality and their professional management of the programme.
On the 10th anniversary of the ASPC Forum, 2 distinct streams were offered. The ASPC stream was for the international delegates whilst the Workshop stream was geared more for African coaches, athletes, administrators and medical professionals. Due to the depth of international and local speakers, it made for interesting scheduling as we ran between venues to make sure we took full advantage of the expertise on hand.
All three days delivered world-class presentations from diverse sectors. For me, some of the interesting talks came from outside the track and field arena.
Xavi Reche, data analyst for FC Barcelona, gave us an inside look into athlete tracking as well as how to use data capturing to bring about high performance.
US Navy Seals performance consultant, John Underwood, provided a unique perspective to recovery and the impact sleep has on performance as well as CNS readiness. His presentations were in-depth and his perspective on performance revealed an original perspective that I had not considered before.
One of the highlights was listening to Dr Carol Austin, the Director of Health and Performance for Team Dimension Data. Their story of how they became the first African entered team at the Tour de France and how they planned their 3 week competition was inspiring. Their strategic plans for 2020 and their vision to win the Tour in the near future was an outstanding example of how planning, passion, vision and dedication can elevate performance, on the international stage, to podium level.
The Forum provided a platform for anyone with an interest in high performance and the quality of the programme ensured each delegate left having taken at least one new instructive idea.
Many thanks to the DSR KZN for inviting Glenwood and to the LOC for an outstanding international experience.