LAURA SCHLEBUSCH
“The application of science and knowledge is the journey while success is the goal.” This is the core purpose of the Tuks High Performance Centre (HPC) a facility which offers a range of resources to up-and-coming and professional athletes alike. The HPC played host to the Argentine football team during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and has provided training facilities for athletes such as Roland Schoeman. The HPC has invested in the development of talented young athletes by means of TuksSport High School and a number of TuksSport academies ranging from TuksTaekwondo to TuksGolf. Here, highly talented young athletes can hone their skills whilst receiving the very best coaching, nutrition advice and treatment for injuries.
Situated at the LC de Villiers entrance on Burnett Street, the HPC shares in the University of Pretoria’s top-class sporting facilities and contains a few of its own training areas. The HPC has a four star hotel and hostel on its premises, both of which are equipped to host local and touring sports teams. The Time Out Café employs nutritionists who ensure that, over and above serving healthy meals, teams have their specific nutritional needs met.
The Sports Science and Medical Unit (SSMU) provides holistic training, recovery and skills development programmes with the use of biokineticists, sports psychologists, nutritionists and researchers. A state of the art Sportscience gym and fitness centre uses cutting edge technological methods to provide a one-stop venue in which top athletes can train. The HPC also plays host to a Sports Law Centre, which not only aims to promote research and understanding of sports law, but also aims to assist sports people in matters such as negotiating contracts, managing risk and resolving disputes.
With a combination of world-class facilities, a highly qualified team of specialists and arguably the most sports-conducive altitude in South Africa, the University of Pretoria’s HPC is certainly proving itself capable of fulfilling its vision of providing talented young sports people, along with their provincial and international counterparts, with the ability to succeed through the application of science and knowledge. For more information about this elite training and development facility visit www.up.ac.za.
