Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti
6 mins ago
EIT Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science (BSES) students Erin Hurtgen (left) and Maia Colman Savage with Vantage Black Sticks men’s physio Emma Komocki (right) at the EIT Institute of Sport and Health (EIT ISH).
Preparations for the Paris Olympics next month are heating up for the Vantage Black Sticks men’s squad who have been using a Heat Training Facility at the EIT Institute of Sport and Health (EIT ISH).
The squad, who have just finished a five-day camp in Hastings, spent two active heat exposure sessions this week in the facility with the temperatures exceeding 30 degrees and a high humidity.
Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science (BSES) students Erin Hurtgen, Maia Colman Savage and Toni Palermo assisted EIT Technician Michael Bush.
Michael says they had a conversation with the coaching staff who were keen to use the facility.
He says there is strong research to suggest the benefits of heat training sessions for athletes competing in hot environments
Black Sticks Head of Athletic Performance Nick Webb says it’s been fantastic to use the facility based at Mitre 10 Park Hawke’s Bay.
“We reverse engineer everything, so we know that in Paris we are going to be hitting around 32-35 degrees celsius with about 60 per cent humidity so part of this training is to allow the guys to prepare for those environmental demands.”
EIT Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science (BSES) students Maia Colman Savage (left), Erin Hurtgen and Toni Palermo with some of the Black Sticks men’s players at the EIT Institute of Sport and Health (EIT ISH).
Webb says the first session was based around strength training in the heat, while the second session introduced metabolic stress in the heat.
Hawke’s Bay-based Shea McAleese, now one of three assistant coaches, trained at the facility ahead of his performance in the squad at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. However, it is the first time the full squad has trained at EIT ISH.
“When I used to live here, I was on the working committee to start the facility build and plans but it’s awesome to see it be brought to life. It’s an amazing facility, fully integrated with what high performance teams need,” Webb says.
Michael says the training sessions also provided good exposure to their students.
“We believe it is important to ensure our degree students get real life experiences such as these to prepare them for the future sport and exercise workforce.”
Maia, who is in her second year of the BSES programme, said: “It is quite cool to see what preparation is required at a high-performance level”.
Player Kane Russell says it is important that when they get to Paris, the humid conditions are nothing new.
Players from the Vantage Black Sticks men’s squad spent two sessions in a Heat Training Facility at the EIT Institute of Sport and Health (EIT ISH) to prepare for the upcoming Paris Olympics.
“This is awesome. A real high-class facility. Hopefully we can get back in the future.”
