Each year The Academy High Performance Program offers internship for aspiring strength and conditioning professionals across our three campuses. Madi joined the Essendon Campus at the start of 2022 for her internship and enjoyed the professional and personal development that came with the program.
The Academy: Why did you decided to apply for the HPP Internship at The Academy?
Madi: I grew up with my dad heavily involved in the AFL which sparked my passion and admiration for movement, young athletes, and high-performance sport. When the opportunity to apply at The Academy came up, I couldn’t help but apply immediately. I’d read and seen a lot about The Academy and Jake (High Performance Manager), I was super eager to learn from him and the aspiring athletes. I also had a similar path as these athletes aspiring to create a career as a professional dancer at their age, so I understood the passion and determination that is needed to make it to the top and wanted to learn more about this from a football and exercise science perspective.
The Academy: What was your role/experience during the Internship?
Madi: What I loved most about the internship was each week our role evolved, and our responsibilities grew. As an intern we weren’t just a number assisting, we were a part of the team. Our roles started with facilitating fitness testing, setting up cones, aiding warmups and stretching, providing corrections in the gym, explaining and coaching exercises, using TeamBuildr, creating & executing programs, planning sessions and supporting the teachers. Our roles developed over time and I’m grateful Steve (Strength & Conditioning Coach) trusted us to take more control in gaining valuable skills outside of the “Strength and Conditioning role” these included communication, collaboration, problem solving, adaptability, leadership, understanding and thinking on your feet.
The Academy: What did you learn during your time at The Academy?
Madi: The list is endless, but a key element I learnt was to continue to use and develop my critical thinking in the gym, at University and throughout all my learning. I learnt there are more ways than one to coach and depending on the athlete you need to adapt as required, as well as countless little “hacks” in setting up exercises, key focuses, and common mistakes to look out for in certain exercises. I was also lucky enough to be apart of The Academy Athlete Testing Day and a Calder Canons Fitness Testing day, where I learnt a great deal about fitness testing and how to facilitate and record data. A huge part of our internship was personal development and Jake provided us with tasks, podcasts, videos, and articles to further our knowledge. This was one of my favourite things about placement. Not only did this PD work give me a greater level of understanding, but it further set me apart in my knowledge and skill set from my peers. I feel like this provided me with that extra experience in being well equipped post study which I will always be super appreciative for.
The Academy: What impact did the HP staff at The Academy have on you and how did this support you/make the Internship valuable?
Madi: One of the big reasons I applied to the HPP Internship was because I admired Jake’s journey in professional sport and how he got there. The Academy staff were no exception across all campuses in how knowledgeable they are. The opportunities they gave me to grow and develop my skills (both inside and outside of The Academy) and push me out of my comfort zone to be a better Strength and Conditioning Coach. Each coach has come from a different background in sport, providing a different lens on how things can be done, with a different methodology. Steve played a huge part in fine tuning my skills, posing questions to allow for thinking outside of the box, encouraging me to up-skill and gave me a deeper insight into the role of a strength and conditioning coaching alongside some amazing opportunities. The staff truly want to see you succeed in every aspect which makes being out of your comfort zone a great place to be thrown into! They encouraged me to use critical thinking in and outside of placement and although I was just an intern, I felt a valued part of the staff by the end.
The Academy: Did the Internship provide you with an insight into a future career path and what are your career aspirations?
Madi: Coming into this internship I had my sight clearly set on Exercise Physiology, however being at The Academy and working with such powerhouses like Steve and Jake, allowed me to deep dive into other avenues I didn’t consider. With exposure to the world of strength and conditioning, fitness testing, data analysis, programming, and multiple opportunities outside of placement with Jake and Steve, I have now found a passion for strength and conditioning. Throughout the internship, we were given more and more responsibility working with the athletes, gaining real-world experience, planning, facilitating and using software used by the industry. This internship opportunity gave me a clear insight into many avenues which has been a huge key to my career development and aspirations.
The Academy: What would you tell someone if they were interested in applying for the HPP Internship at The Academy?
Madi: Absolutely apply! Not only did I leave with skills to better myself as a Strength and Conditioning Coach, but the personal development gained throughout the semester was huge. I learnt a great deal about myself, the industry and left with knowledge and experience. The skills you learn at The Academy are not only AFL based, but they are also transferable skills across the board, and I can’t wait to continue to take these with me into every endeavour across all sports. If you’re someone who loves to be challenged, to think outside the box, a high achiever eager to learn and has a passion for sport – apply! This experience was nothing short of incredible and I look forward to seeing how The Academy grows. I look forward to seeing the pathways of the other interns as I know with the guidance and knowledge of the staff, each one will succeed profoundly.