FEBRUARY 2020, A first for the Central Coast Academy of Sport hosting a Women’s Health Education session last week. CCAS Female Athletes make up 58% of scholarship holders and are on the rise, making sense to target Female Issues in Sport.
The session consisted of a Nutritionist – Jo Allen from Coast Sport and Laura Watt a Physiotherapist also from Coast Sport. The theme of education was a condition called Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport – RED-S and the effects, signs, and symptoms. The impact of RED-S on female athletes is debilitating – educating young female athletes about the disorder is key to a long-term career in sport, and most importantly long-term health of the athlete.
Robyn Low-Hart the CCAS Programs and Communications Manager said of the session: “The CCAS Programs have had education sessions covering Nutrition and Strength and Conditioning – highlighting the importance of these components for an athlete. The Women’s Health Education session joined all of the dots for Female Athletes. It was clearly shown – under fuelling or consuming too few calories for the activities undertaken can result in Red-S and the associated health and performance impacts. Nobody wants the time of training due to injury – education is fundamental in what CCAS offers athletes, and the take-home messages of the session were key to female health and longevity in sport.”
Laura Watt, Physiotherapist from Coast Sport said, “It was so good to see so many of the CCAS Female Athletes attend the Women’s Education session. Taking care of yourself and understanding the signs, symptoms and causes will be key in injury prevention and management. A lot of the athletes had never heard of Red-S. It is something that they need to be aware of”.
CCAS provides education through The Clubs NSW education program allowing athletes to be educated in areas that impact on their sport, including off-field topics such as Drugs in Sport, Nutrition and Mental Health to name a few. CCAS is excited to have Women’s Health added to the list of education subjects.
