Beginning the Conversation: Female Athlete Health

Ironwoman Harriet Brown beginning the conversation in schools around Female Athlete Health.

Supported by Study Gold Coast and their Education Vision Project Fund, Griffith University and RDK Sports International, Champion Ironwoman Harriet Brown has been delivering?educational sessions?on female athlete health to school sporting excellence programs on the Gold Coast.

Harriet has been educating talented young sportswomen from?Palm Beach Currumbin State High School, Miami State High School and Robina State High School Sports Academy?as part of a wider program aimed at delivering an elite athlete curriculum to sporting excellence students.?

RDK Sports International has designed this program to arm student athletes with the tools to transition into elite sport once they complete their studies. Other topics covered have included Mental Skills, Mindfulness, Nutrition, Strength and Conditioning, Sleep Quality and Recovery. The program has also focussed on increasing student employability in sport as South-East Queensland works towards the hosting of the 2032 Olympic Games.

Harriets goals and objectives from the delivery of her Female Athlete Health sessions is to?ensure girls who pursue their sporting dreams understand how tracking and understanding female health and healthy menstrual cycles can support their training, performance and recovery.?Harriet draws on her own experience and up to date research to deliver interactive and informative workshops.

Her passion for the subject is obvious. “It's so important for female athletes?to have a good understanding of their bodies. Understanding?and tracking their menstrual cycle is so valuable to being a healthy athlete and can also help with training, recovery and being the best athlete they can be. This is a topic that should?be spoken more about”

Insightful for not only students, there has been some critical learnings for teachers and coaches that will support these female athletes now and into the future.

Robina Sports Academy Director Daniel Norton-Smith reinforced the importance of Harriet’s education.?“Harriet‘s knowledge and experience as an elite athlete was invaluable to our young aspiring sportswomen at Robina State High School. Her ability to communicate and engage with our girls and challenge them to start thinking about how they can incorporate the research she shared with them into their own sports will only accelerate their performances in our Sports Academy programs.”