The inaugural Institute of Sport class travelled to the Millennium Centre in Auckland recently for a high-performance training camp.

It was a fantastic experience from the time the students arrived at the airport at 6:50am to the time we touched down in Nelson on the Friday night. For some of our students it was their first experience travelling on a plane, and for others their first visit to the North Island.

Over the three days the students got to experience life as an elite athlete. They were fortunate enough to stay at the AUT Millennium Centre’s athlete’s lodge and utilise and train in the Millennium Institute facilities where sports stars like Valerie Adams, Eliza McCartney, and Tracey Lambrechs train, as well as New Zealand and International Commonwealth Games and Olympic teams. The Millennium institute facilities are world class with three Gyms, indoor and outdoor running track, a physiology laboratory and multiple pools.

The students trained on the all-weather tracks, in the Power Gym, the multi-purpose gym, and in the pool with a North Island Water Polo representative. They also participated in a laboratory session where Seth Siebelink endured a V02 max test (this measures the maximum amount of oxygen that an individual can utilise during intense exercise) and a number of students participated in a Wingate test to measure their power and sustained power. A highlight for some (and a lowlight for others) was the hot and cold treatment where students spent a minute in a cold pool followed by a minute in a hot pool consecutively for ten minutes to aid in muscle recovery.

The students also were involved in sessions on goal setting, sports nutrition and an inspirational talk from Tracey Lamberchs, world class weight lifter. The students heard the the secrets to her success and about her experience representing New Zealand at the Commonwealth and Olympic games. Another highlight was learning about Valerie Adams goals, seeing her training and then meeting her in the Millennium cafe.

For the third day the group travelled to Woodhill where the students and staff climbed, swung, leaped and zip lined through various challenge courses in the forest. The students learnt a range of strategies to not only make them a better athlete but also a better person. Several students shared that they felt closer as a class and enjoyed getting to know each other better.

Jane Townsend
Deputy Principal