Aspiring Manx athletes learned some valuable lessons at the penultimate Sport Aid Academy workshop for 2018-19.

Those who attended were given the option of four sessions which ran simultaneously; Nutrition, Planning for Performance, Physical Workshops Q&A and Confidence.

After a short break, they selected their second session; Time Management, Evaluating Performance, Stronger or Managing Nerves.

The athletes’ parents and coaches were also encouraged to go along to ensure that the young sportspeople apply their learning outside of the Academy.

Isle of Man Sport Aid sports performance coordinator Chris Quine said: ’The Sport Aid Academy is a collaboration of knowledge, expertise and experience of many people. We listen to the athletes to find out what they want to improve or gain a better understanding of and then develop these workshops to support them in their development. We have also tweaked some of the sessions as we learn what works well and how the athletes can get the most out of them.

’Nutrition, for example, is so important and something that athletes are quite rightly keen to do correctly.

’A nutritious diet which assists you in reaching your goals varies for everyone and is dependent on a number of factors. However, in this workshop the emphasis is on answering the questions, queries and concerns that the athletes and their parents have on general nutrition, training and anything competition specific.

’Managing Nerves was another popular workshop as uneasiness and nerves are present in all sports, at all levels. In this session we discussed what the feeling of nervousness is, what it really means and how to effectively manage any pre-competition tension and turn it into a powerful performance enhancer!’

The academy is supported financially by independent trust and corporate services provider SMP Partners and e-gaming firm Newfield.

Mark Denton, managing director of SMP Partners, said: ’This workshop was an opportunity for the athletes to consider what they need to improve or develop and attend the sessions most relevant to their needs and goals. Personal development is important so it’s great that these young people are learning how to assess where they need extra support.’

Mark Reynolds, a director at Newfield, added: ’It’s fantastic to see how the athletes have grown and improved in confidence as the Academy comes to a close for another set of athletes. It is teaching some important lessons which are proving beneficial not only to the young sportspeople, but to the people that are supporting them through this journey - parents and coaches. It’s so important to have a robust support network and we’re pleased to be a part of that.’