Athletics: Aspiring sports stars shown the way

Criss Strange, athlete life advisor for High Performance Sport NZ, talks with paralympic swimmer Kate McKelvie and sprinter Georgia Hulls during a workshop. Photo / Warren Buckland

Youngsters wanting to become elite athletes need to consider everything from what they eat to what they post on social media, an athlete advisor says.

High Performance Sport NZ athlete life adviser Criss Strange gave a group of local athletes some sound advice at a recent workshop to help them prepare for the elite level.

It was part of Marcus Agnew's Pathway to Podium (PTP) programme which fosters young sporting talent.

Strange helps plan life as an athlete.

"I get athletes ready for high-performance life, everything from what you eat to what you post on social media.

"A lot of the parents have no idea how to go about harnessing their child's potential."

He said athletes need to be realistic about goals as it takes 8-12 years to reach the elite level.

He covers everything from sponsorship to fundraising, life skills and relocation.

"Their biggest support system will always be in Hawke's Bay."

Strange said the Bay has some exponential potential and sits in the top six in the country for elite athlete contributions.

"You only need to look at the rugby scene to see how many of those guys are from here.

"It is a great environment to develop sporting skills."

Agnew said it was not enough to be talented, athletes must display resilience, self-reliance and understand the longevity of being a professional athlete.

Sprinter Elise Legarth is one athlete who has really benefited from the PTP programme.

Agnew, who is Sport Hawke's Bay's talent development co-ordinator, has noticed a significant change in Legarth's maturity, confidence and independence.

"She has realised that if she is to achieve her goal she needs to go in eyes wide open."

"There is a real growth among the athletes," he said.

Esteemed alumni Regan Gough and Bobbi Gichard recently graduated from the programme and are paving the way for its future.

Holly Manning is another athlete already shining on the international sporting stage.

The national junior women's 800m champion will begin a $50,000 scholarship with Stonybrook University, near New York, this month.

She credits the PTP programme for her rapid rise.

"I am very grateful I could be a part of such a great programme, the facilities and opportunities have really contributed to my success in the past season," she said.

"I am sure all of the other athletes involved would say the same about themselves. I am sure there are many great successes to come from the Hawke's Bay."