The third workshop of the new Isle of Man Sport Aid Academy focused on discipline and self-regulation, with video clips of sport action helping young athletes understand the emotions that can be experienced and how to deal with them.

Attended by 40 of the Island’s most promising young athletes, their parents and coaches, the workshop was the latest event in a major initiative to help young sportspeople develop their skills.

Launched last year the Isle of Man Sport Aid Academy is delivering a programme of education and training with the aim of enhancing the skills needed to shine on the world stage. Athletes aged between 13 and 17 from 12 different sports, as well as six students from Queen Elizabeth II High School, are being given the support and knowledge needed to work towards becoming high performance athletes in the future.

During its first year the Academy, which is being funded by sponsors SMP Partners and Newfield in partnership with Isle of Man Sport, is hosting four workshops aimed at young athletes from the tier below those currently supported by Isle of Man Sport Aid. The athletes’ parents and coaches are also taking an active role in the programme.

The third workshop, at St Ninian’s Lower School in Onchan on April 15, was again introduced by former professional footballer and qualified physiotherapist Paul Jones, who now runs Move to Perform, supported by nine local facilitators representing a wide range of sports.

These included Gianni Epifani, Senior Sports Development Officer at Isle of Man Sport who competed at several Island Games, represented Great Britain in Duathlon and has many years of coaching experience. In addition to understanding sport from the competition side, he is now experiencing being the parent of an up-and-coming athlete, just like the parents of the participants at the workshop.

Another facilitator was Chris Brannigan, who moved to the Isle of Man last summer to take up the position of Rugby Development Officer. He has experience playing and coaching rugby, including working with various age group squads in Lancashire and the Sale Sharks’ under-16 side.

The workshop was again delivered through a series of talks and interactive group sessions involving the athletes, parents and coaches.

Isle of Man Sport Aid Sports Performance Co-ordinator Chris Quine said: ‘As we move into the second half of the first year of the Isle of Man Sport Aid Academy, the impact it is making on the athletes, their families and their coaches is becoming clearer. There has been fantastic engagement from all participants, and a keenness to make the most of the education, assistance and support on offer.

‘The focus of this workshop was self-discipline and self-regulation. We were really expanding on workshop two, where we looked at resilience, determination and persistence, by giving practical examples of some of the “bumps” that may come along during any athlete’s career, and how to deal with them.

‘This time, the athletes explored how by being self-regulated, or in other words displaying self-control and self-discipline over one’s actions and emotions, they are able to become the drivers of their own cars along the bumpy road to success. We discussed how to implement methods the young athletes can put in action to achieve this control.’

He added: ‘Once again I’d like to thank our sponsors SMP Partners and Newfield helping to ensure this unique opportunity is available for so many young people to learn lessons which can be applied to their sport and used throughout their lives.’

As part of the workshop, the young athletes watched videos of sporting action and discussed the emotional response that top athletes experience from seeing their reaction to different situations. Identifying what triggers which emotional responses is a key part of learning to control them.

Once again the participants were set tasks to complete ahead of the fourth workshop, which takes place on July 15.
Mark Denton, Managing Director of leading independent trust and corporate services provider SMP Partners, said: ‘During the second workshop I was delighted to see how eager all the participants are to grasp this opportunity to learn more about the road to success, and that enthusiasm continued in the latest event. The aim of the Sport Aid Academy is to equip these young Island athletes with the skills to achieve excellence in their sport, but it is important that many of the lessons we are learning now will give them skills which will be beneficial in their future lives and careers, however they develop.

‘Building on the second workshop, which focused on coping with and learning from failure, Friday’s event developed the theme of understanding there will always be highs and lows in life. The sessions gave the participants the tools to recognise and control their emotional responses to both, which will be invaluable in sport but also an important life skill for them all.’

Newfield Director Mark Reynolds added: ‘It has been very rewarding to watch the young athletes growing in confidence and skill as each workshop takes place. We became involved with the Isle of Man Sport Aid Academy because its aims, of nurturing local sporting talent to prepare to compete on the world stage, directly mirror the ambition of Newfield and our company motto “tackling international challenges through local talent”. At each stage of the Academy process the participants are learning to develop skills which will help them excel in their chosen sport, but will also equip them with tools that will benefit them whatever their futures hold.

‘The latest workshop helped to explain self-discipline and self-regulation, understanding emotional responses and how to manage them, something which is fundamental to the industry in which we work, and which the Isle of Man prides itself in the form of its regulatory standards. The application of these lessons in sport is obvious, and was demonstrated in the videos shown, but they will also prove valuable should the participants pursue careers outside sport.’