Young athletes from the British Sailing Team are being kept in good shape during lockdown thanks to online sessions run by Dr Chris Szedlak, Lead Sports and Conditioning Coach from Sport and Wellbeing.
With his in-depth knowledge of the physiological requirements and standards required by the British Sailing Team, Chris is running ‘Workout Wednesday’ sessions every week at 09:00, attracting up to 500 views from the British sailing community.
The University and the British Sailing Team have cultivated a long and effective collaboration over the past 15 years. As a result, there are a number of sailors on our Sports Performance Programme and on the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS).
Dr Szedlak was invited to run the courses as part of the British Sailing Team’s SAILFROMHOME, a project designed to continue the provision of sports science and technical support through online channels.
Dr Szedlak made the above video with performance sailor, Nikki Boniface.
The online training will be an ongoing partnership and Chris will be delivering progressive and specific sessions as time goes on. All of these workouts are recorded and will be made available to students on sports performance bursaries, TASS athletes, as well as Sport and Wellbeing members.
Chris said he feels privileged to be part of the project:
“I have been working with British Sailing Team for over 13 years now and I know the staff very well. When I was asked to help and be involved, I did not hesitate to help. It is important that we all stick together in this time and that we support each other as much as we can.
“Exercise is so important, and I know that I can contribute in that way. I am looking forward to developing these sessions and getting used to the online social interactions. This of course will be part of our delivery to our athletes here, as well as our members. To keep it real, I had to come up with an instructor profile that keeps us all smiling, hope you all enjoy the photo above!”
All of the videos can be found on the British Sailing Team YouTube channel.
Health and Wellbeing has provided a range of advice for staff including team resilience, guidance for vulnerable adults, setting up your home workstation and maintaining positive wellbeing whilst working from home.
