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Elite Athletes - They have a job too
by Carole Beckford on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 at 6:23pm
An elite track and field athlete is to be given the same level of respect of a middle to senior manager in an organisation with regards to schedule and number of working hours per week.
The typical work week for an elite athlete is more than 40 hours. This includes
- Gym (strength and endurance preparation)
- Technique, Strategy and Tactics (technical development)
- Cognitive (Decision Making)
- Personal Development (Communication, Finance & Planning)
- Nutrition
- Prevention (massage therapy)
- Rest (recovery)
- Sponsor Commitments (photo, video shoots; appearances, media campaigns)
Take this upcoming track season in preparation for the World Championship scheduled for Daegu, South Korea…the preparation began for some athletes in October 2010. This schedule is maintained for the most part until April when active competition starts. An assessment of performance will come into play. A competition schedule is agreed on based on how well the preliminary work went, and then there is travel in different time zones, climates and culture across the world.
This schedule takes them up to September, if they remain healthy with four to six weeks of vacation – dependent on how long the season runs. This leaves very little time for fun and games or even time with family and friends.
The point
If you want any of these athletes to be present at any of your events, they would require NOTICE so their management teams can PLAN. One of the rules should be, people who are making these requests should be aware of the schedule so they are not disappointed when they are told the athlete is not available. Take for example a company wants an athlete for July 2011. Now most people should know that is the peak of the track and field competitions and more times than not, the athlete may be out of the island. I also beg them to refer to the JAAA schedule so they can become familiar with the events.
To be continued…
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