The Irish Strength & Conditioning Network Conference took place in DCU on 15th & 16th August 2024. The Friday evening event was run in conjunction with the GAA. Friday’s event was earmarked for the Gaelic games pathways (coach and players), it centered around the athletic development of community practice, and included a roundtable of invaluable discussions from Cora Staunton, Dr.Niall Moyna, Jack Cooney (Pictured below). It was an excellent event to begin the weekend with and set the standard for what was next.
Friday's event with roundtable discussion
ARTI were delighted to support the Irish S&C Conference by collaborating as exhibitors for the duration – this allowed us to setup an exhibitors table to:
- Display what ARTI does for members
- Discuss what Certified Athletic Therapists do for the general population and athletes
- Network with Strength and Conditioning Coaches nationwide to cement the working relationship between CATs and S&C coaches
- Liaise with other exhibitors to promote our members – keep an eye for future discount offers for our members.
Some of the merchandise we showcased and gave out to promote ARTI
Three members of the executive attended over the 2-day event, Shane Dalton (Vice PRO), Karen McCann (Secretary) & Ciara Mulrooney (PRO). The feedback was that it was a thoroughly enjoyable and beneficial experience overall.
L-R ARTI Executive members Ciara Mulrooney (PRO) & Karen McCann (Secretary)
Over the course of the event there were several lectures, try it out experiences and practical sessions to see the theory implemented. This was interspersed by networking times during registration, coffee and lunch breaks – these times allowed us to mingle with the attendees and highlight ARTI to familiar faces and those new to the skillset of Certified Athletic Therapist- something we are passionate about showcasing.
Some of the talks included Dr. Dan Coughlan discussing high performance golf and showing how to use tools such as VALD in assessment, the image below shows the practical session taking place in DCU Gym. As a slightly more niche area it was great to see the work at top level golf and think about its use for the amateur and recreational golfer or use similar protocols for professionals as appropriate.
Professor Brian Devitt gave an insightful talk on ACLs and knee rehabilitation – an extremely topical area and one which is hugely beneficial due to the number of ACL sprains or reconstructions occurring in sport. With Professor Devitt’s renowned background in orthopaedic knee surgery and expertise it gave a valuable look at what occurs both anatomically and physiologically and what is important to consider.
Lynne Cantwell provided an interesting dive into the realm of female sport in high performance and the obstacles faced. She is currently working in South Africa with Rugby and sees firsthand discrepancies occurring – she highlighted the visibility of female role models and areas that need to changed – participation for females, promotion and retention with age are elements we need to fix.
Lynne Cantwell's talk
Other talks included a showcase of HRIG by Dr. Martin McIntyre – they also had the Hamstring Assessment tool available to test out during the networking sessions. Patrick Harding who works closely with Alex Albon of Formula One’s team Williams provided a lecture on elements he works on with F1 drivers and during the practical showed how drivers train to withstand the forces applied to the cervical spine by training to counteract it. Ivi Casagrande talked about the need within high performance roles and environments and what aids the practitioner and athletes.
Patrick Harding's practical session
These were intermixed with research spotlights on areas such as academy soccer, hurling, football, and decision making, research posters on display complimented these talks further. The whole conference was anchored by an address from Professor Ian Jeffreys on the NSCA and the role of S&C – overall a thoroughly enjoyable and educational experience.
We look forward to the next event we can network and showcase the brilliant work of our members at.
According to the British Journal of Sports Medicine blog "Rehabilitation of athletes (recreational & professional) must be recognised as an advanced skill requiring specialist training." Athletic Therapy fulfills this, without requiring further postgrad studies.