New AIS program supporting the experts behind Australia’s athletes

Working in one of the newest Olympic and Paralympic sports, Sport Climbing Australia Performance Health Lead Katie Kaminsky is relishing the opportunity to join a new Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) professional development program for senior performance support practitioners. 

Kaminsky is one of 16 practitioners from across the country taking part in the AIS Leveraging Expertise Development Program, which is connecting and supporting those working in disciplines such as biomechanics, strength and conditioning, wellbeing, physiotherapy, nutrition and performance analysis. 

“It's a really unique space where we get to set up systems and start from scratch and capitalise on all of the learnings of the system to date,” Kaminsky said. 

“We don’t want to re-invent the wheel. We are a small team, so drawing from that experience is essential.” 

Complementing existing programs for emerging practitioners and team leaders, the initiative extends development opportunities to senior performance support practitioners as part of the Win Well Strategy commitment to building world-leading knowledge and practice and outstanding people across Australia’s high performance sport system. 

Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) Senior Movement Scientist Helen Bayne was also eager to join after previously completing the AIS Women in STEMM development program. 

“That was a big part of why I wanted to take on another course. I think it was excellently delivered and gave me a lot of tools that have really helped me in the last three years,” Bayne said.  

She’s now looking forward to working with fellow practitioners to improve decision-making.  

“In sport, performance is not the result of one single intervention or one single scientific discipline; it’s about connecting with the different parts of the puzzle to drive performance,” she said. 

“We’ve got so many excellent people and so much experience, so it’s about sharing ideas and working together to problem solve as teams.” 

After meeting for their first in-person workshop at the AIS in March, the cohort will progress through the nine-month program with a mix of in-person and online sessions, including individual coaching to support participants in their unique environments. 

Find out more about the AIS Leveraging Expertise Program.