Lifestyle manager

What the...? Joe Glanfield takes on a new role within Skandia Team GBR

The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) has signed up sailing’s double Olympic silver medallist Joe Glanfield as the newest member of the Skandia Team GBR support team.

Glanfield, who competed for Great Britain at the past three Olympic Games in the 470 class, will start an initial three-month stint this autumn as the sailing team’s Performance Lifestyle Advisor, after taking time out of his own sailing career following his second Olympic silver medal in Beijing last year.

The Performance Lifestyle role involves assisting and guiding the sailors, their coaches and support team in personal goal-setting, and in balancing and managing the various aspects of their lives - such as time management, further education, finance, social and future careers - against the main focus of their training and competition commitments.

It’s a role which the 30-year-old Glanfield is well suited to, having not only faced those challenges himself as a world class athlete with a young family, but also having spent the year since Beijing working both as a coach to 49er duo Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes, and as a ‘changingLIVES’ ambassador with the Youth Sport Trust, mentoring schoolchildren as to the positive effects that sport can have on their lives.

“To achieve at the highest level of sailing, young sailors will be embarking on long, dedicated campaigns,” Glanfield explained.

“Having the skills to successfully manage all aspects of their lives is key to reaching their pinnacle. I am looking forward to working with the sailors on their programme and lifestyle so they can find the right balance and be successful in all areas of their lives.”

RYA Olympic Manager Stephen Park added: “We’re delighted that Joe will be joining Skandia Team GBR in this capacity and as a highly successful sailor who has been through the World Class Performance Programme, he is sure to add a great deal of experience and credibility to the Performance Lifestyle post.

“It’s particularly pleasing that, having been involved since the very beginning of the World Class Performance Programme, Joe is now keen to put his experience back into helping the team succeed up to 2012 and beyond, and shows that there is life and a career after sport for elite athletes.”

The Performance Lifestyle Advisor post for sailing was previously occupied on a part-time basis by Nick Slade, Head of Performance Lifestyle at the English Institute of Sport. UK Sport’s funding strategy has now placed increased emphasis on Performance Lifestyle, and provides additional ring-fenced funding for full-time advisors, employed through the EIS, working in partnership with the various National Governing Bodies for Olympic sports.