A key factor in the programme’s success, according to Head of Performance Pathways Tracey Paterson is the appointment of Angus Warwicker-Le Breton, previously a Strength and Conditioning coach with international experience, as the pod lead.
“Angus has created an effective community of future focused athletes, Independent Facilitators (IFs), coaches and mentors to support the needs of the pathway athletes who have been endorsed by their NSOs,” says Tracey.
“He’s also developed a specialist local network of strength and conditioning, biomechanics, nutrition and medical specialists to support the athletes.”
Angus elaborates on the benefits this network has brought to a young 100m sprinter. “He was having hamstring problems so his coach was able to get our biomechanics specialist to do some sessions with him and provide feedback that enabled the coach and athlete to adapt their approach.
“His coach has since moved overseas, so we were able to quickly put a support team around him to help with his training, calendar planning and provide some technical focus points. We were also able to arrange for our sports doctor and physio to take care of him and help with his all-important’ return to performance’ plan.
“Without the pathways programme he would have been isolated and disconnected from any meaningful and experienced support and would have been forced to figure it all out by himself.”
The Hawke’s Bay pod currently has 14 athletes across eight sports – athletics, equestrian, canoe racing, swimming, hockey, netball, softball and badminton – in the performance pathway programme.
As with the other regional pathways programmes around the country, the Hawke’s Bay pod is already demonstrating the benefits of having comprehensive support for young athletes on board.
“We’ve been lucky to have access to some great people with a wealth of experience in high performance sport, such as former Silver Fern Irene Van Dyk and former Black Stick Emily Gaddum who have stepped in as IFs and helped their athletes map out their sporting journey both short and long term.
“These are former elite athletes who understand the holistic approach to performance sport and the importance of bespoke, targeted support in S&C, nutrition and mental skills.
“The more we can prepare these young athletes for the next step, the easier the transition to high performance will be. They will have the skills to ‘thrive not just survive’ so our national coaches are receiving a more well-rounded athlete into their environment, which should in theory allow them to accelerate their development as the foundations will already be in place,” says Angus.
The Hawke’s Bay pod held its first pathways workshop of the year earlier this month with athletes hearing from Black Sticks squad member, Olivia Shannon, and Waka Ama paddler, Peter Cowan, who is pushing to qualify for the Paralympic Games in Paris.
“These two high performance athletes are Hawke’s Bay based and were able to talk through their own growth and experiences transitioning from pathway athletes to high performance,” says Angus.
A mentoring programme has also been set up with pathway athletes being connected with Olympic rowers, Grace Prendergast and Ruby Tew, who will offer the athletes guidance and someone to bounce ideas off, leaning on their own experiences as athletes who have reached the top of their sport.
As the Hawke’s Bay pod becomes more and more established, Angus says it has a clear goal.
“Our ultimate goal is to help produce New Zealand athletes who will compete with the world’s best in LA and Brisbane.
“We believe this starts with facilitating connection and alignment between NSOs, RSOs and regional coaches to identify the right athletes and ensure that talent doesn’t slip through the cracks in our region.
“We then need to ensure that once an athlete has been identified, they have a tailored plan that maps their journeys through the pathway, which starts with ensuring they have the right support and people around them from an early stage.”
