Even though Grant van Velden's day starts at the crack of dawn, his fantastic team of co-workers at Maties Sport makes it all worthwhile. He manages sports technology and training innovations at the Maties Sport High Performance Unit (HPU).

In the month of  Workers' Day, we feature some of our staff and their part in keeping the wheels turning at our institution. Van Velden gave us a glimpse into his typical day at work.

What is your role at Stellenbosch University?

My primary role is to ensure that our Maties Sport teams, student athletes, sports scientists, strength and conditioning coaches as well as head coaches are supported through different sports technologies, which enable data-based performance improvement. My secondary role is to deliver strength and conditioning sessions for two of our teams (Maties Cricket and Maties Swimming) as well as for two individual javelin and shot-put student athletes. I am also involved in two support programmes for coaches and team captains.

What does a typical day at work look like?

My typical day starts at 06:00 with a gym session with one of our HPU teams. This is followed by breakfast with HPU colleagues, and then I analyse the data collected from the previous night and the morning's training sessions. I discuss the findings with the coaches and the integrated medical and science team, and afternoon training sessions are adjusted accordingly. Gym sessions with my javelin and shot-put student athletes take place during the day. The rest of my time I spend planning for upcoming competitions, and preparing the sports technology for afternoon training sessions. I spend afternoons on the field or court, assisting with the implementation of sports technology, or leading a conditioning session.

How did your education or past experiences prepare you for this job? 

I am an SU alumnus and obtained my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from the Department of Sport Science. I also gained work experience at Alan Zondagh's Rugby Performance Centre in Riebeek Wes under the mentorship of Mr Sean Surmon (now HPU deputy director). 

Having graduated with my master's in 2010, my supervisor, the late Prof Liz Bressan, recruited me to work with her at the then Centre for Human Performance Sciences (CHPS), one of the projects that had stemmed from the late Prof Russel Botman's HOPE Project. This is where I was first exposed to sports technology and saw the impact it could have on athletic performance. After many happy years at CHPS under Prof Bressan's amazing leadership and guidance, the CHPS merged with Maties Sport, and I was employed in my current role in April 2018. 

What do you enjoy most about your role and working at Stellenbosch University?

I am very fortunate to work with a fantastic team of highly motivated and caring individuals. This is one of the reasons why I look forward to coming to work every day. Our phenomenal student athletes are inspirational. We demand a lot of them, both on and off the field, and they do not disappoint. 

The pandemic has changed the way we work and live. What keeps you motivated during these times?

My main motivation is my young family. I got married during the 2020 lockdown, and we are expecting our first child in September this year, so that is all the motivation I need.

Tell us something about you that few people would expect/something exciting that few people know about you?

I love spending time in the bush and try to take a 'bush break' at least once a year to reset and refocus. Spending time in nature is food for my soul. In fact, I want to enrol for a basic field guide course to further my knowledge of South Africa's amazing fauna and flora.

Photo: Grant van Velden in a training session with F41 field para-athlete Joshua van Staden, a World Para-athletics junior javelin silver medallist and current South African record holder in shot-put.​