R M Cullen MD MSc MFM BA DipStats DipProfEthics

Pro-Pare™	diabetes reversal	midinomics	chance or design?
tamaki sports academy	diabetes blog		genome topology
some thoughts			some opinions

Some thoughts on elite athlete development

over the years I have written a number of opinion pieces. Some of these are below.

NRL Education and Well-being officers. What are they good for? (nov 2017)

Back in September, I heard a NRL/NZRL well-being and education officer interviewed on Tony Veitch's radio programme where he bragged. ... read full piece

Goal Setting (May 2017)
Athletes are introduced to goal-setting through the notion of SMART goals. Once they have mastered this concept, they can be introduced to the idea of PRIME goals read this article...

suggestions for the NZRL High Performance Camps and Age Group team selection (may 2017)

Let's give credit to the NZRL U16 and U18 High Performance Camp held at Cambridge April 26-29... but if a job is worth doing it is worth doing better. ... read full piece

marijuana and the credibility of drug testing in sport (march 2017)

Young elite athletes have a disdain for drug cheats. They understand that performance enhancing drugs are for losers. These same young elite athletes have limited respect for drug testing in sport. They don't see why marijuana is on the banned list. ... read full piece

papakura high school (february 2017)

Ten years or so ago I co-authored Maori Education. In large measure the book was motivated by the dreadful state education system in Papakura ... read full piece

preventing suicide in young elite sportsmen II (november 2016)

In an earlier piece I suggested that there are three parts to a professional rugby league club's suicide prevention programme. Since that time I have had a number of conversations with young men, aged 16-24 and I now realize that I missed something ... read full piece

What might a NZ Warriors development system look like? (october 2016)

The NZ Warriors rugby league club does not have a teenage player development system. The club likes to say it does, ... read full piece

the natural enemies of elite professional sportspeople (march 2016)

Young elite athletes have four natural enemies. They are the media, the police, hangers-on and keyboard cowards... ... read full piece

converting teenage talent into a long professional career II (february 2016)

It was interesting to hear Eric Watson, owner and chairman of the Warriors, comment on the superiority of rugby league development in Australia ... read full piece

when should a rugby league junior move to australia? (december 2015)

Every year there is a dramatic migration of junior rugby league talent from New Zealand to Australia. Sometimes the kid goes because the family is emigrating for other reasons. Often, the shift reflects a preceived disenchantment with rugby league development pathways, particularly in Auckland. ... read full piece

converting teenage talent into a long professional career (october 2015)

As the NZ Warriors rugby league team follows another disappointing season with another review, one which it has been flagged will find the players at fault ... read full piece

Can social risk taking in teenage elite athletes be influenced? (september 2015)

Promising teenagers drink, have sex, get into fights, use marijuana, and perhaps experiment with other recreational drugs. Most athletes grow out of this. Some do not. ... read full piece

what happens when the sport's administrator's are rubbish? (august 2015)

Young elite athletes need opportunities for recognition. If the athelete is in a development programme, or plays for a recognised team, ... read full piece

preventing suicide in young elite sportsmen (april 2015)

Suicide prevention falls into three parts. First is the club systems which make suicide risk negligible. Second is the identification of at-risk club members. Third is the internal review to ensure that those at-risk are not falling between cracks in the systems. ... read full piece

drug testing in school sport? (Jan 2015)

Promising teenagers smoke, drink, have sex, get into fights, use marijuana, and perhaps experiment with other recreational drugs. Some good young players who are 'too small' try anabolic steroids, peptides, or banned supplements in an attempt to get bigger and stronger faster than nature intended for them. Many, perhaps even most, players on a weight training programme use supplements as well. ... read full piece

preparing tomorrow's professional athlete (june 2013)

The first problem is a biggie. Despite several decades of study, there is no reliable method of predicting which promising 17 year olds will go on to professional careers...The second problem is acknowledging the importance of mental and character attributes, as well as the player’s home and social environment ...read full piece

suicide in young elite sportsmen (may 2013)

In the last few months two young elite rugby league players have committed suicide in Australia....It seems from the response of the clubs and that of National Rugby League, that both deaths are going to be attributed, wrongly, to undiagnosed depression. ...read full piece