Free PhD programme for athletes transitioning into senior athletics

Who am I?

My name is Karla Drew.  I am in the final stages of my PhD which I am doing at Liverpool John Moores university. I am also a GB athlete and have competed in track-and-field since the age of 10. I have represented Great Britain and England in Heptathlon and 100mHurdles. It is through these experiences as an elite athlete and through my research that I want to use what I have learnt to invest in and support younger athletes reach their potential.

What am I doing?

Based on my previous research, I have developed an intervention/programme to support young athletes making the step up into senior sport.  This transition can be an extremely challenging time for athletes. The project willprovide athletes with a tailored intervention to support them through this challenging period whilstmaking the step up from junior-to-senor level in athletics. The project aims to support athletes to make asuccessful transition by providing them with the necessary skills and education to negotiate the transition.

Why am I doing this?

The programme is looking to address the poor progression rates of British junior athletes. We all know a young athlete who has produced outstanding performances as a junior but fail to reproduce this when it counts at a senior level. I think this is because athletes are not given sufficient or the right type of support in helping them to make the transition. I have interviewed many athletes, ranging from Olympic champions to World Junior Champions, who have successfully and unsuccessfully made the transition. This has given me a great insight into what has helped and hindered athletes to make the transition.

What does the programme involve?

The programme is made up of 19 individual sessions, with sessions being run back-to-back on some days. The sessions cover a huge range of topics including sport psychology, performance lifestyle, nutrition, physiotherapy, coach and parent education, and a mentoring scheme. The programme is designed to educate athletes and give them the skills to help them reach their potential as a senior athlete. Each session is delivered by an expert in the field. The programme has world class presenters across all topic areas. The likes of Jessica Ennis-Hill, Toni Minichiello and several other GB athlete/mentors are supporting the programme by delivering a session. The programme will be delivered to 5-10 athletes, aged between 18-22. I’m hoping to create a close group of athletes who can learn from each other as well as the presenters on the programme.

A copy of the  programme content can be found on the following page.

If you want to get involved?

Because the programme runs weekly, athletes will need to be located in the Sheffield area and/or willing and ready to travel to the English Institute of Sport for the sessions. Please look at the dates of the sessions and be sure you can commit to the programme before you apply.

If you are interested in applying just send me an email to: K.Drew@2016.ljmu.ac.ukand I will keep a note of all those who apply. I will then randomly pick 8-10 athletes to take part in the programme.

 

Course content