30/09/2026
We kicked off the 26/27 season a little differently this year, swapping our first paddle session for strength and conditioning testing with third-year Sport and Exercise Science students and researchers from the University of Auckland. And while there were no paddles involved, they still managed to put us through our paces. 🥵
What started as a research partnership last season has grown even further this year, with Lion now involved in three different research projects across three research groups. Each explores different areas of athlete development, strength and conditioning, and race readiness, giving us some pretty valuable insight into our paddlers along the way.
For us, it’s an awesome opportunity to better understand our athletes and bring those findings into the S&C work already happening within the club. For the students, it’s a chance to take their research beyond the classroom, work directly with athletes and apply what they’re studying in a real sporting environment.
We’re incredibly grateful to the students and researchers who give their time, both in and outside of class, to work alongside us. We love being able to contribute to their research while learning plenty about ourselves in the process.
And of course, the partnership goes both ways. Once they’ve finished putting us through our paces, it’s only fair we get them out on the water and put a paddle in their hands. 😉
