The response to last week’s first instalment has been positive, so that seemed to merit sharing another update. As I rode in the rain on my way back from coaching this morning I pondered what I should share this week, in between marvelling at how many drivers in Vancouver apparently have no grasp of how roundabouts work. The chosen theme this week is relationships and collaboration.

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS…

To continue the theme of last week’s offering, aside from sharing the story, a large part of raising awareness of the Prepared ATH project involves connecting with practitioners directly. Beyond making people aware, the majority of the clients that I am working with have to date come to be via referral. Moreover, as shared in the Prologue, a central objective behind the project is to collaborate with practitioners across Vancouver.

On that basis, rather than what we conventionally think of as marketing and promotion, a lot of my efforts are directed towards meeting in person to communicate the purpose behind the initiative, and on a personal level demonstrating that I am genuine. The objective is building relationships, and these initial interactions are important to begin to build the trust that is necessary for collaboration. An important point is that this is not a zero sum game; I am not positioning myself in competition, but rather seeking to complement and add value to what is already being provided, to serve the ultimate objective of better providing for the needs of the athlete.

As a relative newcomer to Canada (November marks the two year mark since our arrival), growing the network locally remains an ongoing process. I have been greatly assisted in this quest by notable individuals in the sports community within BC who have extended their support for the initiative by making introductions to coaches and practitioners who they feel might be a good fit as prospective partners in the endeavour. This past week I was fortunate to connect with some of these very people following an initial introduction, and meet with them for the first time.

Continuing the theme of collaboration, over these past few days I was also reminded that it rains in Vancouver on occasion. Happily, this was not entirely unanticipated, and for the past several months I have been speaking with prospective partners at a couple of facilities to secure indoor space over the autumn (yes, autumn) and winter, and explore how we might potentially work together. These discussions are at an advanced stage, so expect further update soon…

THE WEEK THAT WAS…

Beginning with the Develop stream, this week’s featured rock star is Sophie, who was something of an early adopter having been part of the Prepared ATH project from the very start. Sophie was originally referred to me having suffered with recurrent overuse injuries. Sophie is VERY active, participating in a host of different sports in any given week. The brief was therefore to find a way to allow Sophie to remain active, and break the ongoing pattern of periodic enforced absences that kept sidelining her from doing what she loves. Happily, thanks to Sophie’s efforts (and grudgingly accepting my advice to restrict her participation on occasion) she has enjoyed an extended period of consistent training and participation over the summer without any issues. Sophie has transformed physically over this period and her movement mechanics are hugely improved. Last weekend Sophie had selection trials for a basketball club team, and on wednesday this week received the news that she has been selected! Fair to say she is STOKED.

Moving onto the Prepare stream, for Mackenzie this was the calm before the storm of the dry land assessments this weekend that determine selection for the national bobsled programmes. Continuing the theme of last week, most of our attention this week was focussed on the mental aspect of preparing for these trials. These efforts have gone towards marshalling how Mackenzie thinks about the scenario faced and her prospects, including unmasking the distortions and illogic at play in the negative thoughts that can trap us in a negative head space. With so much at stake it is easy to lapse into appraising these trials as a threat, and focussing on what there is to lose. It serves us far better to rather be excited about the opportunity and focus on the rewards of doing well, whilst understanding that the world doesn’t end regardless of the outcome.

Practically, this meant some homework last weekend, with some follow up discussion this week, rounded off with some life wisdom shared during treatment with rock star performance therapist Dr Duriell Bernard. A difference maker for performance coaches or practitioners is the ability to engage with the athlete on a human level, and the best practitioners I have worked with are exceptional coaches of humans. Duriell demonstrates all of these qualities. Mackenzie goes into tomorrow’s testing in great shape and I fully anticipate she will smash the standards for World Cup squad selection tomorrow. Whatever the case I look forward to sharing future updates on her journey over this coming season.

Finally, in the Return to Performance stream, we introduce sprinter Sarah for the first time. Sarah came to me via a sports physician friend and former colleague of mine with the mission of getting back to competing on the track, having had to ‘redshirt’ out of competing for the two past college seasons due to recurrent lower leg issues. As we aim to build tolerance for what is required to sprint (putting large amounts of force down through each limb), the ongoing challenge is to keep any symptoms under control (ideally we don’t want any discomfort or pain to be felt during the session). Part of marrying these somewhat contrasting objectives involves the use of plan B (or plan C, plan D, etc) sessions, to allow us to continue to work on technical aspects whilst modulating the load imposed on particular structure and thereby avoiding aggravating symptoms. This week’s plan B session allowed Sarah to experience running on the bend for the first time in a long time, and she got through the session without any issues, having done some excellent work on race plan and technical model for the 200m.

I look forward to updating on the squad again next week…

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