By Nassim Hariss Year 10
The three campuses of Ecolint are the first international schools to have this program. Launched in 2017, it offers students competing at national or international levels support in their academic and physical development. As high-level athletes need excellent organization, Sports Plus helps students excel in three main aspects of their lives: athleticism, health, and academics.
Club Training
Being in a club is great. It helps you be more consistent with your training. However, elite athletes may need more than just training. Sports Plus helps with this. It provides physical preparation for nearly every aspect of your needs and is perfectly tailored to your persona.
A Well-rounded Program
As previously mentioned, the Sports Plus Program has three main aspects.
The first and most important aspect is, unsurprisingly, sports. Sports Plus is centered around physical performance. You get a personal trainer and between 2 to 4 muscular strengthening sessions per week. You also get specific training sessions for widely practiced sports and gain access to training camps. The coaches are also regularly in contact with clubs, making the Sports Plus program more adapted to the individual needs of each student in their sport.
With amazing physical performance and multiple extensive training sessions every week, athletes have to take care of their health. Yes, we do not often think about this aspect of sports, but it can be dangerous. Doctors and physiotherapists are available for consultation every week to ensure the athletes stay in shape. Ecolint has also partnered with l’Hôpital de la Tour, which is officially Swiss Olympics-certified and approved.
The education of athletes regarding sports and its implications is core to Sports Plus. Several times a year, the program members attend conferences informing them about doping, overheating, and many other important issues.
But athletes also have to be able to continue doing their sport without compromising their education. They are supervised by IB counselors and can be excused from classes. Tutors are also offered if needed, providing students with even more support if they want it.
For All Ages
Sports Plus is made to accompany athletes from Year 3 to Year 13. Primary students are mainly taught how to warm up the correct way and how to stretch after exercising. The activities are also gamified to make them more engaging for younger athletes. However, for secondary students, the coaches make the program more specific to the sport of the individual, professionalizing the activities and tailoring them for performance.
Overall, Sports Plus is the best athletic program in any international school. It’s professional and incredibly effective. It helps with practicing sport in a safe, fun, and effective way. So if sport is a core part of your life and you want to take it to the next level, Sports Plus might be made for you.
