Caring and Sharing: Continuity of Care in the Pursuit of Excellence by Prof. Craig Mahoney, Dr Tadhg MacIntyre, Dr Alan Ringland, Mary-Margaret Meade MSc., Jim Lowther MSc. & Dr Gavin Breslin.

The pursuit of excellence is a shared goal between athletes and their support staff. In this context, both the timing and nature of the interactions from support staff are critical. For example, in the lead in to a major event, there is a tendency to increase support provision or overcoach. The principle of Continuity of Care is explored by the experts leading the sessions. Risks and concerns on the timing of support are conveyed using a case study approach. 

WHO SHOULD ATTEND? If you working in high performance sport you would benefit by attending. The workshop is targeted at three audiences: 1. Multidisciplinary practitioners across the sports medicine and sport-science disciplines, including physiotherapists, physiologists, motion analysis, and psychologists, 2. Those coaching athletes and  supporting coaches , performance lifestyle and life coaching providers  3. Individuals who manage performance sport, performance directors, team managers and those wishing to change athlete behaviour or influence systems in the high performance context.

Cost is £75 for BASES/BPS members and £100 for non-members-Registration is prior to Sat. Jan. 7th.For further information see here

A new bespoke and multi-disciplinary approach to talent identification and development in motorsport was launched in July this year, by the Automobile and Touring Club of UAE. The organisation sought to identify and nurture the most talented drivers from across the disciplines of motorsport. The approach used was unique in combing psychological assessment with physiological testing, and they even included media handling in the exercises. Two drivers went on from the short-list of five to partake in a training week at the University of Ulster, where they had access to training in environmental chambers and a pool of experts. Included in this staff were several sport psychologists led by Dr. Tadhg MacIntyre with the assistance of Professor Craig Mahoney, Mary-Margaret Meade and Michael Austin. According to the drivers the sessions "helped us identify the challenges that will arise in meeting our goals, and I believe that I now have the necessary mental skills in problem solving, and positive attitude, to be able to overcome them." Among the learning points for the drivers were skills from the mental skills toolkit including relaxation, routines, goal setting and imagery. The drivers had shown superb imagery skills in the testing sessions and could visualise driving a lap in their mind's eye in the same time as it physically took them to drive the same lap. This level of skill will be a huge asset to their mental game.