On Saturday, November 4, 2023, from 13:00 to 21:00, the Women in Canoe Sport conference took place, the aim of which was to introduce the Women in Canoe Sport project, its activities and plans for the future. At the same time there were presentations by young academics working for the project.
The conference was attended by over 70 participants, mostly from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. However, there were also representatives from Sweden and Spain.
The presentations of all speakers are freely available on the project website www.womenincanoesport.com.
Jan Busta opened the conference with a recapitulation of the project and visions for the future. "The project will continue in the future and we plan to expand it to other Nordic countries. Of course, Spain, which is now cooperating with the project on a voluntary basis, also wants to join. We also plan to involve supranational organisations such as International Canoe Federation and European Canoe Assocciation", said the project coordinator from Faculty of Physical Education and Sport at Charles University in Prague.
Dr. Busta was directly followed by his colleague from the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport at Comenius University in Bratislava with a lecture on the long-term development of female athletes. Dr. Vajda came to Prague together with his student Felix Krupa to present the results of his research on the fitness of female athletes.
Matej Vajda was followed by Jáchym Kolář, a physiotherapist working at the Centre for Movement Medicine, who has been cooperating with Czech slalom racers as a fitness coach for a long time. Mgr. Kolář did not stay only with the theory, but also devoted himself to the practice, when he taught those present in the gym essential exercises.
PhDr. Jan Busta, Ph.D.: Project Women in Canoe Sport and its influence
Mgr. Matej Vajda, Ph.D.: Long-term athlete development
Mgr. Jáchym Kolář: Compensatory exercise and strength training in women
The trio of men was followed by a trio of women. First Andrea Duchoňová with the topic of nutrition of sporty girls, then Tereza Hybská with the topic of menstrual cycle and its influence on performance and finally the 2006 World Champion and former long-time successful Slovak representative Jana Dukátová with the topic of Mental training of women. Andrea, Tereza and Jana also participated in training camps organized by the project.
Mgr. Andrea Duchoňová: Nutrition, supplementation and nutritional disorders
Mgr. Tereza Hybská: Menstrual cycle and its influence on performance
Jana Dukátová: Mental training of women
The coach of Gabriela Satková and Lucie Nesnídalová (both won the European U23 Championships this year) introduced the training process of these two athletes and, with their support, presented the difficulties they encounter in training or competitions and which they overcome together (e.g. shoulder problems, fatigue, combining everyday training and studying at university or preparing for top competitions).
Bc. Ondřej Cvikl: In practice - Training process of top female athletes
Lucie Nesnídalová performed right after Ondřej. She described her own struggle with nutrition, eating disorders and related problems in recent years. With her own humour she spoke deep into the soul of all the coaches present and received well-deserved applause.
Lucie Nesnídalová: In practice - My nutrition
Carmen Costa Sanchéz has started her PhD studies in Spain this autumn, where she wants to focus on women in canoeing. She has therefore established a close collaboration with the Women in Canoe Sport project, in particular with Jan Busta and the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, where she is currently on a month-long internship. Throughout the summer she worked as a coach for the ICF Development Program, which aims to support athletes from countries with minimal canoeing infrastructure in order to integrate them into international competitions. And it was this interesting phase of her life that she described during the conference, which was certainly inspiring for many young women considering a coaching career.
Carmen Costa Sanchéz: In practice – My experience as a coach
At the end, instead of Anna Barosso, who could not come, Svatka Nováková gave a lecture based on her dissertation. Svatka's lecture drew a considerable response from the audience and her conclusions were discussed long after the lecture was over.
Mgr. Svatka Nováková, Ph.D.: Relationship between fitness and performance in canoe slalom
The whole conference took place in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Most of the participants were involved in the subsequent discussion regarding the training of women and girls. We are very pleased that a number of young female athletes attended the conference.
