Local athletes, coaches, trainers, students and fitness fans who attended the international Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) Symposium, held recently at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, have cited the event as a success.

Over 150 participants who pre-registered for the symposium themed ‘The Science and Practice of Running’, were engaged in discussions on sports nutrition and exercise science by local and international experts. The topics, aimed at helping attendees to optimise their performance, included nutrition control, weight maintenance, running assessment and monitoring, rehabilitation, physiotherapy, injury prevention and management.

Speaking at the event were Dr Matthew Pahnke, scientific advisor, GSSI; Dr Nicky Kirk, chiropractor & sports physiologist; Dr Rob Schroeter, physical therapist – part of the medical staff of Miami University; Lic Pedro Reinaldo Garcia, sports nutritionist and science advisor for GSSI Latin America and Dr Akshai Mansingh, lecturer in sports medicine and consultant orthopaedic surgeon at University of the West Indies.

For Oneil Morgan, Express Fit Gym manager at the Digicel branch, the use of unique running equipment to conduct tests in fitness performance, cardiovascular endurance, speed and power, was most enlightening. “It’s my first time experiencing a symposium that wasn’t all theoretical. The use of the equipment and apps that help to regularise breathing and improve overall performance was an excellent approach taken by the experts.”

“It (the symposium) was informative and educational, especially the presentation by Dr Rob Schroeter on how to prevent and nurse injuries,” shared Kimani McLean, an athlete at Denbigh High School. “As an athlete, injuries can be the determining factor on how well you perform and how far you advance in the sport.”

At the end of the event, each attendee was awarded a certificate documenting their attendance. Offneil Lamont, physiotherapist at Revamp Comprehensive Rehabilitation Centre, noted that the quality of the event warranted an accredited certificate, one he would willingly pay for. “As a physical therapist, a symposium like this will always be relevant to me so I would attend another one. I think they (GSSI) should find a way to make this a one-day course in sports nutrition and exercise science because I would certainly pay to do it because it was that insightful and informative.”