McKenzie to help young Olympians
Jason McKenzie has been involved in the development of many of Southland’s top sports people and he is now about to help New Zealand athletes at the Youth Olympics.
He is in for a long day today, leaving Invercargill to join the NZ team in Auckland for a night flight to Buenos Aires.
The Youth Olympics are being held there and begin on Sunday (NZ time) and finish on October 18.
McKenzie, the manager of Academy Southland, is part of the team’s support personnel in the role of performance psychology and athlete life (time away from competing).
He has been an official for New Zealand teams at a Junior World Cycling Championships and an Australian Youth Olympic Festival but the trip to Buenos Aires is his most important appointment.
McKenzie will not only look after the athletes, he is also available to help the coaches and managers.
‘‘We’re going into a foreign environment, living in a village and athletes will be away from family and friends,’’ McKenzie, of Invercargill, said.
‘‘Things will go wrong . . . what we do when things go wrong is what matters.
‘‘It’s the Olympics and the athletes need to be in the best possible head space . . . expectations are high.’’
New Zealand has 61 athletes competing in 22 sports. There are no Southlanders in the team.
McKenzie had applied to the New Zealand Olympic Committee in July for a support role in the youth team.
He said it was a unique opportunity and knowledge gained by him would be shared with Southland sports people on his return.
Many Southlanders have benefited from Academy Southland.
McKenzie opened it in 2005 after noticing a need for a specialised group to help take talented sports people, including coaches, from community level to the high performance grade.
Seven graduates of the academy have competed at the Olympic Games, and 21 have represented New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games.
Academy Southland provided its members with advice and coaching from experts in many fields, including strength and conditioning, nutrition, mental skills and athlete life.
‘‘The academy gives them the best possible opportunities to get to the next level and higher,’’ McKenzie said.
‘‘The environment lets people grow personally.’’
McKenzie has always had a passion for sport and has represented Southland in rugby, cricket, touch and athletics.
‘‘I’m always thinking about how things can be done better.
‘‘Doing things differently, looking for opportunities and wanting to challenge myself.’’