This new programme aims to identify the big performance-based research questions in New Zealand high performance sport. Earlier this year six impact teams were established and charged with identifying gaps in knowledge and developing performance research to help fill those gaps.
The project is now in the hands of Glenn Kearney who took over as Research Manager – Strategy and Innovation earlier this month.
Glenn’s first priority is to get across all aspects of the project as quickly as possible and, at the same time, meet with all sports as part of the commitment to a collaborative approach prior to finalising the research questions.
“Reviewing the questions that have come through is the priority for me, with an initial view of assessing their impacts, risks and what more needs to be teased out,” says Glenn.
“Our aim is to move quickly into a process of selection and prioriatisation on the first set of questions that have come through, with the goal to finalise them by the end of the year.”
Glenn says a parallel priority is to meet with the Innovation leads at NSOs by late November/early December to work with them to finalise the research questions and gather more information on each sport’s long term research requirements
“We can also leverage off the opportunities that emerged from the IWG World Conference on Women and Girls in Sport.
Prior to taking up his research role, Glenn was a senior performance nutritionist for athletics and canoe racing for the past four years and back in 2008 worked with the crack Bejing Olympic Track cycling team.
Before joining HPSNZ, Glenn worked extensively with elite sports in New Zealand and the UK. He has worked as the lead nutritionist for British Tennis including Andy Murray, during which time Murray won Wimbledon again, a second Olympic Singles gold, the David Cup and became the World number one. Prior to this he led the nutrition programme for the British Athletics Track & Field team and GB Canoe Racing Olympic squad at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
In New Zealand, Glenn had a formative experience working for the All Blacks between 2003-2008 which he describes as a life-changing experience working alongside the formidable coaching trio of Sir Graham Henry, Wayne Smith and Sir Steve Hansen.
