HIGH PERFORMANCE Top Legal Expert Addresses Athlete Career Development Network

29 May 2009

The Irish Institute of Sport welcomed John Menton from top legal firm Arthur Cox to address a group of athletes at a recent athlete career development seminar in the Institute's offices. John is a distinguished legal professional and a proud Olympian having competed for Ireland at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000.

'We were delighted to invite John to address our athlete career network. John is an excellent role model for athletes who aspire to successfully combine a high performance lifestyle with a career external to the sport. His approach to this challenge was innovative and very resourceful.' explained Daragh Sheridan who manages the Institute's Athlete Career Development Programme.

May 1st 2009: John Menton pictured with 4 athletes who recently participated in a career development seminar in the Irish Institute of Sport.

'Throughout my athletic career, I felt it was important that I maintain a level of balance between my sport and the remaining commitments in my life. When living in the US I was working 50-60 hours per week while combining over 20 hours of training in a challenging context. My ability to effectively manage time was a central skill in allowing me to get the best from both worlds' explained John. In addition to the time management skills, John also spoke about the importance of maintaining a balanced lifestyle as part of an effective approach towards achieving greater performance in sport. 'I was always conscious that there are a limited number of DVDs that one can watch in between training sessions. I delivered some of my better performances when my mind was otherwise engaged in between training sessions - it was important to avoid becoming obsessed with my sport and to keep the mind active in areas outside my own sport. This focus allowed me to commit time to my work as a legal professional while allowing me to recover mentally from training.' explained John.

John concluded his talk by sharing his perspectives as an employer. He placed a high importance on the development of a high quality CV which clearly presents a candidate's skills and competencies and avoids career/educational gaps. 'I think athletes having a wonderful opportunity to add real differentiation to their CV as a result of representing Ireland on the international sports stage. The work ethic required to succeed as an athlete can also in many cases translate itself across into the workplace.' explained John.

'I thought John's talk was invaluable. I admire his resourcefulness in overcoming some of lifestyle challenges which he experienced. His combined commitment to his legal career and his sports career ensured a 'win win' that every athlete should aspire to achieve' stated Cathal Moynihan, Olympic Rower.

This recent athlete career development seminar brings to 3 the number of seminars hosted by the Institute since December.