Free winter lecture series kicks off at Waikato University

The annual University of Waikato free Winter Lecture Series kicked off on Wednesday night with a high performance athlete, a high performance monitor and an elite coach discussing what it takes to reach the next level in sport.

Fostering Achievement 

Waikato University alumnus, transatlantic rower and Antarctic adventurer Jamie Fitzgerald was joined by University of Waikato lecturer and NZ Rowing high performance monitor Brett Smith and Northern District Cricket Association’s Pat Malcon to discuss what it takes to foster high achievement.

Speaking about his Antarctic adventure Fitzgerald, who lost 31kg during a 52-day hike to the South Pole, said the fundamentals for success in any sport remain the same; an “unrelenting discipline to a goal”.

Fitzgerald spoke about the practice of focusing on what you have achieved, instead of any failings saying “success comes down to the lifestyle that you choose to lead.”

Risk of Injury

This was further emphasised by Smith who conducted research on the NZ Rowing team to predict when athletes were at risk of injury. However, the science that pointed to athletes being stressed to the point of injury proved incorrect with those pushing themselves past their limits winning medals, he said.

“Most kids joining NZ Rowing know that if they can suffer more than the others they will be the best,” Smith told the audience.

Keep Sport Fun

Northern Cricket’s Pat Malcon said while suffering and discipline were good  tools for athletes, playing a range of sports often had positive side effects for their specialised sport and kept sport fun.

“It’s a special person who can stay with that specialisation. You have to be careful you don’t take away that factor in sport that makes [athletes] enjoy it and perhaps makes them perform better.”

Upcoming Lectures

The next lecture in the series is ‘Sporting Lessons for Business’. Professor Mike Pratt from the Waikato Management School will discuss the link between sporting strategies that provide valuable lessons for business.

The lectures are free and open to the public and are on each Wednesday for the month of August. ‘Sporting Lessons for Business’ takes place at the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts, 6 - 7pm, on August 10. Find out about the other lectures here.

View this 2011 Winter Lecture series on the University of Waikato's iTunes U Channel.