A mix of elite athletes, junior sports stars, parents and coaches benefited from the Bermuda Olympic Association’s Athletes Commission forum, which took place at the Hamilton Princess Hotel & Beach Club on Sunday afternoon.

The event, put together by commission members president Dage Minors, vice-president Tyler Smith, Emma Harvey, Alyssa Da Silva and Adriana Penruddocke, brought together Olympians and experts in conditioning, nutrition, sports media and marketing to help Bermuda’s present and future athletes navigate life as an athlete.

Minors, who was able to organise the event thanks to a $10,000 grant from the International Olympic Committee, was delighted at how the commission was able to bring everybody together.

“We limited the numbers to 50 invitees as we thought that was what we could do financially and considering the time of the year,” Minors said.

“But we got up to 50 pretty quickly and the response was great. It was actually a great mix of people as we had Olympians such as Erica Hawley in the room asking questions.

Then you look behind her and there’s a table of five or six junior triathletes who are just taking in being in a room of greatness. There were a few coaches there and parents, and we feel part of the remit of our commission is to promote the growth of sport in Bermuda.

“Parents and coaches are just as important as athletes and ideally we’d love to have every single person involved in sport in Bermuda in the room and trying to better themselves, but that is just not going to happen.”

Minors has received some great feedback from the sessions with Bermudians in a number of sectors making an impact on the audience

“I don’t think you ever stop learning and there is always an opportunity to grow,” Minors said.

“We had some great presenters. I know how good they are and how passionate they are at what they do.

“Strength and conditioning coach Liam Evans spoke and he is actually one of my coaches. He writes my gym programme. Maya Palacios talked about social media and interactions with the public. Hanah Cannon spoke about nutrition especially during this time of year and how you can stay monitoring what you eat and the pros and cons of different foods.

“These are three young individuals trying to not only help develop athletes but also grow their own brand and I was proud to give them an opportunity to show what they offer.”

The forum ended with a panel featuring Olympians Katura Horton-Perinchief, Jenny Smatt, Tyler Smith, Peter Bromby and Elliot Hubbard, with the focus on transitioning out of the sporting world and into the corporate one.

All of our panellists reached the pinnacle of their sport making the Olympics and they’ve all now moved away from competition but boosted themselves up professionally and are doing well in what I call the real world.

“So to hear from that not only can the traits and skills that you are developing as an athlete get you to the Olympics, but they can also be used post-career was really informative, important and valuable information.”

Minors is hopeful of keeping this format fresh and is looking to hold an event such as this every two years to keep stakeholders aware of changes in the sporting landscape.

“We’re hoping that we lay the groundwork so that in the next cycle of the Commission, whoever is in charge, will be able to pick up what's already been laid down and add improvements

“We would love to see that ten to 20 years from now there us an athletes forum that has continued to grow and is helping the next generation of Bermuda sportspeople.”