Whitley’s Week of Rewarding Torture

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WHITLEY'S WEEK OF REWARDING TORTURE

July 11, 2016

Alexandra Whitley

photo credit: David Turner

After a very tough and challenging, but satisfying week of physical development and mental training at The Otago Academy of Sport in Dunedin.

I have returned home feeling tender and sore but I am proud to announce I am a Graduate of the New Zealand Elite Motorsport Academy for 2016. It has been an absolute privilege to have been one of the recipients of the academy.

From Fifty applicants, only eight selected and I was the only female successfully chosen. The week started off hunting for my fellow recipients at the airport, seeking out the other drivers was easy as we all had our helmets close by, we were all just as eager as we were uncertain of what the week ahead was going to bring.

We arrived at the Otago University in conjunction with High Performance Sport New Zealand and were put straight to work; with an extremely busy and tight schedule.

We were put through our paces and thrown so many challenges both physically and mentally as we ran, jumped, sprinted and pushed ourselves throughout the week. We were tested in a heat chamber that reached over 40 degrees. We have all come away with a wealth of knowledge professionally and mentally with and an overload of information. Teaching our brains to act like a sponge to soak it all in. Our teams were put through their paces with every move being judged and counting towards team and personal scores.

The Elite Motorsport Academy is world leading in the development of racing drivers focusing on fields of fitness, nutrition, sponsorship and marketing, mental training and media. It is been an honour to spend the week with not only young upcoming drivers, but elite athletes, professional trainers and mentors. I have learnt lot this week including different aspects of Motorsport which is not often though about.

The aspects of being a professional athlete will be put to use and used to my advantage. This week would not have been possible without the people that worked endlessly behind the scenes, the trustees of the Academy Bob McMurray, David Turner, Tony Herbert and Lyall Williamson.

Motorsport New Zealand and The Otago University of Sport. I look forward to the challenges ahead and putting what I have learnt into practice to further my skills, mentality and career. I now have a different outlook on how to achieve what has to be done. I will be working extremely hard over the next 12 months to make sure my name is on the prestigious Ian Snellgrove Award and I turn my knowledge into results.

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