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Meet our experts
Click on the members of the team listed below to see their biography:
- Dave Clark
- Dave Crosbee
- Susie Elms
- Malcolm Fairweather
- Andrea Faull
- Kirsty Grahamslaw
- Matt Lock
- Liz Mendl
- Brian Walker
- Mike Whittingham
Dave Clark
Dave Clark has been head of strength and conditioning at the Scottish Institute of Sport for almost a decade. Dave is responsible for an ever growing network of professionals who help Scotland's athletes ensure they are in the best physical shape for competition. Using a range of innovative technologies, including the Muscle Lab used to determine muscle strength and Silicon Coach, a video analysis tool, Dave works with athletes to make sure they are in peak physical condition. From Chris Hoy's thighs to Todd Cooper's shoulders, he has played a vital on role in getting Scotland's top athletes ready to compete.
Brought up in Zululand, Dave has an MSc in Exercise Science and is an accredited strength and conditioning coach. His previous roles include national fitness coach to the South African and the Welsh rugby teams. His career highlights include coaching Chris Hoy when he won Olympic Gold in the kilo and Campbell Walsh when he won Silver medal in the canoe slalom.
Dave Crosbee
Dave Crosbee is head of performance planning at the Scottish Institute of Sport. This entails working with coaches and support staff to ensure that the athletes have bespoke support. He has particular involvement in the judo and hockey programmes, whilst working closely with GB Canoeing and Scottish Shooting, to ensure athletes receive the services they need, when they need them. Dave has in-depth knowledge of all of the Institute athletes and of Scottish sport in general.
As a former canoe slalom athlete and national coach to the Irish Olympic team, Dave is well positioned to understand the demands of high performance sport. An expert in all things canoe- related, his wife is a two-time canoe slalom Olympian, and his brother in-law, Richard Fox is a five-time individual world champion in men's kayak slalom.
Susie Elms
Susie Elms has been head of performance lifestyle at the Scottish Institute of Sport since 1998. In her role Susie provides advice on achieving the all important sport-life balance by helping athletes to juggle their education, job, lifestyle and training demands during and after their career in sport. From choosing the right university course, to helping athletes manage their lives at home while they compete abroad, Susie is on hand to provide support and advice 24/7.
Prior to this role, Susie was a lecturer in Sports Coaching and Sports Development at Edinburgh's Telford College. She holds a degree in Physical Education from Dunfermline College of Physical Education and a post-graduate degree in Athlete Career and Education Management from the Australian Institute of Sport.
Malcolm Fairweather
Dr Malcolm Fairweather is the Scottish Institute of Sport's head of science and innovation. Responsible for bringing a wealth of high-tech equipment to Scotland, he is able to use these impressive gadgets and gizmos to give Scottish athletes the competitive edge. Natural talent is just the starting point for a world class athlete. The cutting edge innovation provided by Malcolm and his network of scientists helps the athletes make the most of their talent.
Pioneering the use of equipment such as the perceptual goggles, smart speed, biomechanics and VO2 max testing, sport science is able to make a valuable contribution to the coaching process. Working with a team of sports science experts, Malcolm has helped to develop a world class system for science support in Scotland and throughout the UK.
Prior to his role at the Scottish Institute of Sport, Malcolm was once a primary school teacher and university lecturer before embarking on career in sports science and innovation.
Andrea Faull
Andrea Faull is a sports psychologist at the Scottish Institute of Sport, working with athletes to ensure they are as well prepared mentally as they are physically. From helping to motivate them to overcome a disappointing performance, to making sure their superstitions are not a hindrance to their preparations, she works with a range of athletes to ensure they are in the right mindset to perform. As a sports psychologist Andrea supports athletes in many different ways from assisting them with visualising victory, to giving them techniques to deal with the pressure of competition.
With a degree in Sport Science and Psychology and an MSc in Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology already under her belt, Andrea is currently writing up her PhD exploring performance failures under stress.
Kirsty Grahamslaw
Kirsty Grahamslaw is on the team of Scottish Institute of Sport physiotherapists, supporting high performance athletes when it comes to injury prevention and rehabilitation. Using advanced technology to monitor movement, Kirsty helps Scotland's athletes keep fighting fit. She works closely with other support services at the Institute, including strength and conditioning and sports science, to ensure all services work in harmony to benefit the athlete. The aim of physiotherapy is to ensure that the athletes will not only make it to competition in one piece, but will also be in the strongest position to ensure they don't pick up any injuries whilst competing.
Born and bred in Edinburgh, Kirsty has a degree in Physiotherapy and a post graduate degree in Manipulative Physiotherapy. With an impressive career history, her experience includes working with Scottish Hockey, Scottish Rugby and Heart of Midlothian Football Club.
Matt Lock
Matt Lock joined the Scottish Institute of Sport as communications and marketing manager in 2005. His role is to ensure the organisation is communicating effectively with its stakeholders and to promote an understanding of the role of the organisation both internally and externally. In this position Matt has an extensive knowledge of all elements of Scotland's sporting hub, from the athletes to the experts.
Matt started out as a primary school teacher in his homeland New Zealand, he then moved into sports advisory and management, prior to embarking on a career in the communications industry. He is well versed in marketing and communications, previously owning and managing a small agency which specialised in organising sports events and online solutions. As a former triathlon age group medal winner, he has first-hand experience of the dedication required to be a high performance competitor.
Liz Mendl
Liz Mendl, director of athlete services, has been with the Scottish Institute of Sport for almost 10 years, ensuring a seamless delivery of valuable services to athletes. Working closely with the Paralympians as well as some of the Olympic athletes, Liz knows all there is to know about these competitors. Athletes work with an ever-increasing number of individuals and organisations, from their personal coach to their sport's National Governing Body, and it's Liz's job to make that process easier for them. She ensures that complications are minimised, and identifies issues and gaps, to make sure all the athlete's needs are met.
A former physiotherapist, Liz has played a role in four Olympics and four Commonwealth Games, which included managing a holding camp in Cyprus prior to the Athens Paralympics and she will be the venue manager for Macau holding camp for Beijing.
Brian Walker
Dr Brian Walker joined the Scottish Institute of Sport over five years ago as head of sports medicine. It is Brian's job to help mend athlete's aches and pains ensuring they stay healthy whilst in training and during competition.
Brian leads the way when it comes to incorporating technology into sports medicine. From sleep watches to heart rate variability, these technologies all contribute to keeping our athletes in tip top condition.
With 25 years experience as a general practitioner, Brian has also worked as a sports doctor at Edinburgh University, the Scottish Rugby Union and Heriot Watt University. He has a number of medical achievements including a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, a post graduate degree in Sports Medicine and he is a Founding Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine.
Mike Whittingham
The Scottish Institute of Sport's executive director, Mike Whittingham, heads up the organisation and is responsible for driving success to ensure that Institute athletes are able to perform to the highest level. Every organisation needs a strong figurehead with both a sporting and business brain; and Mike is that man. In addition to this, he is well versed on the political and corporate issues affecting sport in the UK and is able to discuss the different elements these present.
With far reaching experience in sport, Mike has provided consultative support to organisations including UK Sport; UK Athletics; British Swimming; Millennium Dome; British Triathlon; IAAF as well as the Scottish Institute of Sport before his full-time appointment. In addition, he was a former 400m hurdler and also coached and managed athletes including Roger Black, Kris Akabussi, John Regis and also his own Scottish wife Christine.