NEW RELEASES

CAPE COBRAS – A STUDY ON SUSTAINABLE PERFORMANCE

by Braxton Group, 2011

Cape Cobras performance between 2005 and 2009 was not drawing any attention until the new coach took over the reins. Richard Pybus helped the Cobras to achieve the goal of winning trophies, while at the same time ensuring that the Western Cape continues to develop as a nursery of talent for South African cricket. The winning strategy was all about a focus on the team and getting the right professional tools to support him, namely peformax Sport. Read more………

As a world-class high performance centre, WAIS is faced with several challenges regarding the development of its athletes:

• Identify an athlete's talent upon start-up and then develop a career/development plan which will allow the athlete to achieve the highest rank in sport – from potential international up to world-class level;
• Develop coaches in order to measure up to world-class standards;
• Obtain a holistic view of an athlete’s medical history, injuries, treatments, fitness and conditioning.
• Keep track of all the various sport programmes and have an integrated view of their annual plans.
• Development of individualised training plans for each athlete.
• One integrated database of information for all sport programmes and athletes.

PEFORMAX ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES AT WAIS

Peformax Sport has met the challenges that WAIS faced and provides solutions to this high performance centre in the following ways:

• Prognostics Module: Allows the coach to plan career and development plans of new and current athletes. When an athlete starts with WAIS he/she will enter on a potential international level and the coach can then plan the probability of the athlete making international and world-class levels in the next few years.
• Profiles for each sport programme (rowing; swimming; athletics; gymnastics; etc.) which address each stage of athlete and coach development (potential international, developing international, international and world-class).
• Profiles allow WAIS to track athletes’ performance against set targets, as well as individual development against identified standards.
  Regular performance reviews against profile norms allow coaches to track progress made and to identify areas that need attention in order for an athlete to accelerate to the next level of development.
• Personal career aspirations are captured in a Personal Development Plan which provides the coaches with information to manage individual athletes' career expectations.
• A holistic view of athletes’ medical history, injuries, treatments, fitness and conditioning allows the coaches to make informed decisions concerning whether an athlete is ready to compete at a certain level.
• Using the results from performance reviews, medical history and conditioning, enables trainers to develop a specific training plan for each individual athlete customised to his/her needs.
• An annual plan allows all coaches and athletes, from the different sport programmes, to do yearly planning in terms of training phases, competitions, leave, holidays, etc.

These functionalities of peformax Sport assist WAIS in retaining athletes within Western Australia, in order to make it a highly competitive sport state in Australia.

The result is that peformax Sport enables athletes to be more engaged and accountable which, in turn, contributes to a stronger sport state.

WESTERN AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF SPORT (WAIS) – A FOCUS ON DEVELOPING AND RETAINING TOP CLASS ATHLETES

by Braxton Group, 2011

WAIS is a world-class high performance training centre situated in Western Australia which focuses on the development of athletes in various sport programmes. Their aim and goal is: Read more………

WHO IS THE HIGH PERFORMANCE CENTRE (HPC)

The University of Pretoria’s High Performance Centre is Southern Africa’s first elite one-stop sports facility. Launched in May 2002, the centre is the training ground for tomorrow’s sporting champions and the venue of choice for sports professionals and enthusiasts alike. The product & service offering range from training facilities to sport science & medical services, accommodation and food, as well as a state-of-the-art gymnasium.  

The HPCs product & service offerings are:

1. Talent development – through the TuksSport school programmes, as well as providing school leavers the opportunity to break into senior sport by joining the post school TuksSport academies .
2. One-stop Sports training resort which is a world class venue for local & international athletes to train at altitude in year-round sunny weather.
3. Integrated sport science and medical centre that specialises in athlete testing, programme prescription, performance enhancement, as well as recovery and rehabilitation.
 

The HPCs aims and goals are:

• To be the market leader in the development and provision of services to elite sports talent at a provincial, national and international level, with specific emphasis on TuksSport athletes.
• To provide an environment in which talented young sportsmen and women can be developed in an integrated and holistic manner.
• To provide facilities and expertise that will enhance the development and performance of elite sports talent at provincial, national and International levels.
• To lead and mentor similar initiatives/institutes countrywide by leading the way, determining the pace and thereby protecting their business and securing long-term sustainability.

  The HPC has been instrumental in the preparation of a number of South Africa’s top athletes for example:

	LJ van Zyl the 400m hurdle athlete put his trust in the HPC.   “Both athlete and coach believe the High Performance Centre (HPC) at the University of Pretoria is the best place for their preparations, as all necessary facilities are on hand and with the backing of the HPC, LJ gets the best possible support. “Doctors, physio, gym, dietician, you name it, its all here. Everything at your doorstep” says LJ, referring to the sponsorship he receives from the University Pretoria and the HPC. “You cannot ask for any more.” http://web.up.ac.za
	Roland Schoeman, the swimming star, is one of HPCs sponsored athletes.   “Names such as Shaun Rubenstein, William Diering Suzaan Van Biljon, LJ Van Zyl and Roland Schoeman have all put their faith in the expertise of the HPC and TuksSport, who in turn provides all the necessary support structures to see that these athletes achieve the pinnacle of their abilities.” http://web.up.ac.za
	Bridgitte Hartley the first South African to win a medal at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in 2009   “I am very excited to have signed a new contract at the beginning of the year with my trusty sponsors who support me a great deal. HPC, the High Performance Centre in Pretoria has been a major support in my paddling career so far. They have been sponsoring me for two years now and still offer me a good support structure which I require to train and perform at a top level.” http://www.bridgittehartley.com/

THE CHALLENGES THE HPC FACES ARE:

• Need to enable solutions for a Developmental and a High Performance Centre;
• One integrated database of information on all athletes: Obtain a holistic view of an athlete’s academic performance, athletic performance, keeping parents informed, athlete’s medical history and allergies, athlete’s training and developmental information;
• Development of individualised training plans for each athlete and yearly planners that take school obligations into account;
• Develop all staff and in particular coaches in order to compete at world class levels.

The peformax solution assists the HPC in overcoming the challenges they face in the following ways:

• By providing one integrated database of information on all athletes.
• Generating Quarterly Reviews that provide feedback to the athlete, parent, coach and executive members through an integrated view of all role players’ information regarding the athlete’s academic performance, athletic performance, medical history and allergies, training and developmental and progression information.
• The athlete performance index reflects all performance variables into the context of an athlete’s overall performance. This index enables the coaches to set realistic short-term goals for the athletes and manage their action plans to work towards their long-term goals and objectives. This helps the athletes to stay focused; enables the coach to monitor their progress and the executives to predict their performance over a specific period of time.
• Developing all staff and in particular coaches in order to compete at a world class level. During the quarterly reviews coaches share their challenges, solutions and management of their athletes’ performances.
• Allowing all service providers within HPC to view relevant information that can influence their variables.