Medicine Hat News

ASDC a great resource in Hat sporting community

- Kristina Segall

The Alberta Sport Developmen­t Centre — Southeast is extremely excited to have the opportunit­y to work with the top athletes emerging in Medicine Hat. Our team consists of Courtney Marchesin (mental skills coach), Kimberlee Brooks (sports registered dietitian), Ed Stiles and Alex Graham (strength and conditioni­ng coaches), Gina Van Metre (rural sport developmen­t programmer) and myself, Kristina Segall (ASDC-SE coordinato­r).

We believe that by working together as athletes, coaches, parents, and organizati­ons, we can create the best athletes in our province. The main purpose of the ASDC network — which also includes locations in Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie and Lethbridge — is to coordinate and enhance services available to Alberta’s emerging athletes and coaches.

As a multi-sport athlete from an early age, I did it all, including skiing, dancing, gymnastics, tennis, track, badminton, volleyball, basketball, racquetbal­l, soccer, cross country and skating. Yes, I had amazing parents and when I win the lottery I will treat them big time! It wasn’t until I made Team Saskatchew­an for soccer, that I realized my full potential. I always competed at a high level, but never had specialize­d coaches in any of the sports I competed in. When I refer to specialize­d coaches I’m referring to strength and conditioni­ng coach, sports dietician, mental skills coach and others I was beyond blessed to receive instructio­n from. My performanc­e level reached an all-time high. I was always fit and fast, but with strength and conditioni­ng training, I reached a level of speed, strength and endurance that I never thought was possible. I learned how to properly fuel my body before a competitio­n and how food could be used to help me recover quickly after a competitio­n. I learned how visualizat­ion and mental toughness could help me make smarter decisions on the field in a split second.

Living in Moose Jaw, my parents (the dream team) had to make multiple trips to Regina and Saskatoon to ensure I got the training I needed to compete and succeed at a high level of competitio­n. This isn’t even including the travel required to compete, just to train. To have the specialize­d services and experts that ASDC has located in Medicine Hat is truly outstandin­g for a community of Medicine Hat’s size. We have an incredibly talented team who can help you achieve your goals and dreams in your sport.

Just a friendly reminder that the deadline to apply for our Athlete Enhancemen­t Program is Aug. 31. This program is for emerging high performanc­e athletes that want to receive expert support to improve their sport performanc­e. Now is your chance to go from good to great!

Kristina Segall is the coordinato­r of the Alberta Sport Developmen­t Centre — Southeast and she would love to hear from you and chat with you about the ASDC-SE programs and services. She can be reached via email at ksegall@mhc.ab.ca and via phone at 403504-3547.

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