Jason Harding
Jason Harding
Introduction
Jason Harding is a fanatical surfer, skater and snowboarder. He is also a sport scientist (B.ExSc Hons) and Sports Science Coordinator formerly affiliated with the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia (OWIA) and Griffith University’s Centre for Wireless Monitoring and Applications (GU). Jason’s affiliation with the AIS began in December 2003 when he was awarded a postgraduate scholarship (Quality Assurance) in the Department of Physiology. Jason is currently a Doctor of Philosophy candidate who has focussed his research on enhancing the competitive performance of Australia’s elite-level snowboard athletes. He has undertaken this task using the following approach; 1. A video based analysis of the key performance variables associated with success in elite half-pipe snowboard competition, 2. The subsequent development of an automated micro-technology feedback system enabling calculation of objective information associated with air-time (AT) and degree of rotation (DR) achieved during half-pipe snowboarding and 3. Careful and regular assessment of the potential sociological impact and practice community perception to the integration of automated objectivity into elite-level snowboarding. This process has lead to a sport specific concept with an inherent capacity to assist both the current subjective training and competition judging protocols used in elite-level surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding. Jason’s performance based research with the Australian snowboard team culminated with the AIS Micro-Tech Pipe Challenge. The AIS Micro-Tech Pipe Challenge was an elite-level Australian invitational half-pipe snowboarding competition that utilised both traditional subjective judging measures and innovative micro-technology to assess half-pipe snowboarding performance. The event, conducted on July 30th 2007 in collaboration with the Australian snowboarding community, is believed to be the first half-pipe snowboarding competition in Australia to utilise technolgically based objective feedback to award athletic performance. The AIS Micro-Tech Pipe Challenge 2007 was primarily a concept event conducted as research into sport specific micro-technology and its capacity to assist athletic performance and subjective judging protocols. The event also focused upon supporting Australian half-pipe snowboarding at a grass roots level with a well organised and well judged elite-level competition focused on Australian half-pipe snowboarders. This research won first place in the “Competitive Sports Category in the ISPO Innovation Challenge” in 2008. Jason now uses his website www.AnarchistAthlete.com to publish innovative ideas and research outcomes associated with surf, skate and snow sports disciplines in addition to providing Australian boardriding coaches and athletes world-wide access to their personal testing results and empirical evidence of the progression of their athletic performance. Jason is now based in Jervis Bay (on the NSW south coast) where he continues to conduct and publish research focused on sports performance enhancement and innovative competition judging protocols.
Former Professional Roles (Within the AIS, OWIA and GU)
- Provision of physiological services and ‘dry land’ training camps for national snowboard and mogul skiing teams
- Co-ordination of AIS sport science services for the Australian Winter Olympic Team
- Conduct scientific research focussed on improving Australia’s performance in Winter Olympic sports disciplines
- Conducting scientific research centred upon the development and integration of sport-specific micro-technology
Current Professional Focus
- To enhance the policies with which sporting institutes provide support services to athletes
- To enhance the relationship between sport science support teams and athletes competing in elite-level sport
- To enhance the profile and promote the potential of practical scientific investigation and technological innovation within elite-level sport
- To develop elite-level, sanctioned sporting events that incorporate sport science research, objective judging criteria and augmented athlete feedback
- To revolutionise training and competition judging protocols currently utilised in elite-level skill based sports with technologically based automated objective feedback
- To set up long-term talent identification and development pathways for young surfers, skaters and snowboarders to maximise their competitive and personal success
- To develop a national training centre focused specifically on elite-level competition success in surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding disciplines
- To vigorously promote youth orientated freestyle sports as legitimate Olympic disciplines and to assist the practice community with control over any introduction
Contact Details
Name: Jason Harding
Mobile: 0419 750 116
Email: AnarchistAthlete@gmail.com
Linked In Profile: Jason Harding
Website: www.AnarchistAthlete.com
Sports Photography: Jason Harding
Fine Art Photography: Jason Harding
Current CV: Download PDF Document of Current CV (200KB)
