SAMMY VASS (15) SELECTED BY
HIGHLAND INSTITUTE OF SPORT
Tain 15 year old, Sammy Vass, who earned a Scotland cap for the first time this summer, taking on England, Wales and Ireland at under 16 level, is the newest athlete to be selected for the Highland Institute of Sport.
Vass’s induction comes a year after Scotland’s Area Institute of Sport network began to embrace golf as a core sport. John Fair (Fortrose), Christopher Gaittens (Fortrose) and Kelsey McDonald (Nairn) were the first Highland golfers selected for the Area Institute network, which supports around 400 athletes from 15 sports.
A feeder to the Scottish Institute of Sport, the Area Institute network helps provide athletes with access to quality training facilities and a fully integrated strength and conditioning programme. Complementing the work of the athletes’ individual coaches, the Area Institute network provides access to sports science, sports medicine and performance lifestyle services.
“I’ve been to a gym before and I do some swimming but this is the first time I will have had a strength and conditioning programme worked out for me,” said Sammy, who was nominated for the Highland Institute by the Scottish Ladies Golf Association. “All the top players do this type of training, which will help make me more powerful, be able to hit further, as well as being fitter and more flexible.”
For Sammy, whose mother Magaret is a former Scotland junior player, “Golf was a natural thing for me to do”. As a nine year old Sammy was coached at Tain Golf Club by Mike Sangster. For the past 18 months Martin Piggot, head PGA Professional at Fairways in Inverness, has been her mentor, helping her reduce her handicap from nine to five during this season.
“Sammy is a good all-round athlete and a very talented golfer who works extremely hard,” said Martin. “Technically she has become a lot stronger, which means she will hit better shots far more often. We are also working on course management, so that she can plot her way around the golf course and she already has the game to be able to apply this too.
“With the strength and conditioning she will receive through the Highland Institute of Sport, she is only going to get stronger. The top end players realise the importance of conditioning, nutrition and the need to balance exercise. Golf is a fairly one sided affair and it’s easy to pick up injuries when you are hitting the amount of balls these players do.
“What the Highland Institute will be doing is making sure her fitness is symmetrical, which will prevent injuries and allow Sammy to hit golf balls for a longer time.”
Said Highland Institute of Sport Manager, Chris Hildrey, “The Golf programme within the Highland Institute of Sport has established itself very well and we are excited that, as another talented athlete from the Highlands, Sammy has been nominated for our support.
“Achieving the performance objectives for Sammy will be challenging but all the relevant service providers look forward to enhancing her training programme."
HIGHLAND INSTITUTE OF SPORT
Tain 15 year old, Sammy Vass, who earned a Scotland cap for the first time this summer, taking on England, Wales and Ireland at under 16 level, is the newest athlete to be selected for the Highland Institute of Sport.
Vass’s induction comes a year after Scotland’s Area Institute of Sport network began to embrace golf as a core sport. John Fair (Fortrose), Christopher Gaittens (Fortrose) and Kelsey McDonald (Nairn) were the first Highland golfers selected for the Area Institute network, which supports around 400 athletes from 15 sports.
A feeder to the Scottish Institute of Sport, the Area Institute network helps provide athletes with access to quality training facilities and a fully integrated strength and conditioning programme. Complementing the work of the athletes’ individual coaches, the Area Institute network provides access to sports science, sports medicine and performance lifestyle services.
“I’ve been to a gym before and I do some swimming but this is the first time I will have had a strength and conditioning programme worked out for me,” said Sammy, who was nominated for the Highland Institute by the Scottish Ladies Golf Association. “All the top players do this type of training, which will help make me more powerful, be able to hit further, as well as being fitter and more flexible.”
For Sammy, whose mother Magaret is a former Scotland junior player, “Golf was a natural thing for me to do”. As a nine year old Sammy was coached at Tain Golf Club by Mike Sangster. For the past 18 months Martin Piggot, head PGA Professional at Fairways in Inverness, has been her mentor, helping her reduce her handicap from nine to five during this season.
“Sammy is a good all-round athlete and a very talented golfer who works extremely hard,” said Martin. “Technically she has become a lot stronger, which means she will hit better shots far more often. We are also working on course management, so that she can plot her way around the golf course and she already has the game to be able to apply this too.
“With the strength and conditioning she will receive through the Highland Institute of Sport, she is only going to get stronger. The top end players realise the importance of conditioning, nutrition and the need to balance exercise. Golf is a fairly one sided affair and it’s easy to pick up injuries when you are hitting the amount of balls these players do.
“What the Highland Institute will be doing is making sure her fitness is symmetrical, which will prevent injuries and allow Sammy to hit golf balls for a longer time.”
Said Highland Institute of Sport Manager, Chris Hildrey, “The Golf programme within the Highland Institute of Sport has established itself very well and we are excited that, as another talented athlete from the Highlands, Sammy has been nominated for our support.
“Achieving the performance objectives for Sammy will be challenging but all the relevant service providers look forward to enhancing her training programme."
posted by Colin |
See story on its own page | 6:35:00 pm
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