President report

December, 2020

PINES President’s Report December 2020

And so we come to the end of 2020; a year that has transpired to be challenging for all. No one could have predicted the advent of COVID-19 and how much this has changed our lives and impacted on the way we do business. For PINES, this has meant that our usual networking and professional events such as our popular 10 question session at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Annual Meeting did not eventuate. Nor did the pinnacle of competition for our athletes with the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Despite these setbacks, PINES has seen continued growth in membership throughout 2020 (around 40%) which may be reflective of the increasing need to connect globally at a time when we are unable to travel and connect in other ways. PINES recognises the financial impact of COVID-19 on our members and for that reason, we are implementing a change to our fee structure for membership that is based on the World Bank economies. Thanks to our membership officers Shelly Meltzer and Enette Larson-Meyer for driving this change and making PINES more accessible to everyone. More information on these changes will be released early in the new year.

There are in fact many positives that have resulted from this year of change. There have been more opportunities to connect virtually with key conferences such as WE and ISENC going online. This has allowed professionals from all countries to network and share their research and practice in sports nutrition, creating a truly global focus. It has been wonderful to see PINES members presenting and engaging with these events. Thank you to the education committee of Floris Wardenaar and Heidi Lynch for their work on this portfolio, and I look forward to seeing us partner with more professional events in the next year.

Recently PINES commenced our ‘member connect’ sessions with specialised topics of discussion from experts that help expand ideas and share experiences. Our regular e-news has provided fascinating reading with evidenced-based articles and practical information, while our social media sites are continuing to grow and flourish. A big thank you to our communication committee lead by Kathryn Beck, Lachlan Mitchell and Petra Lundstrom for all their work on getting this together. I would also like to acknowledge the work of the previous chair of the communication committee Associate Professor Helen O’Connor who very sadly passed away in January of this year. Helen has left a legacy to the world of sports nutrition and this will not be forgotten.

PINES continues to see members from new countries and regions join our global community, supporting our mission to become global leaders in sports nutrition. Our organisational memberships with Japan Sports Nutrition Association and the Mexican Sports Nutrition Federation helps to grow sports nutrition networks in both of these countries. We continue to partner with professional bodies ACSM and SCAN, and thanks to our partnership and sponsorship committee consisting of Sharon Madigan, Jo Mirtschin, Aurora Leon and Mark Kern, we continue to build these relationships.

Another positive outcome from 2020 was the review of the menu for the athletes’ village for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games by our expert working group. This is an ongoing key activity that PINES have had for the past 12 years and shows the external respect for our expertise as sports nutrition leaders. I am sure all of us are hopeful that the games will proceed in 2021.

Our success is due to work as a team and all of our membership is to be congratulated for surviving 2020. There are few individuals, however, that deserve particular recognition. The growth and development of PINES would not have happened with the dedication of our executive (Jacque Scaramella, Nancy Clark and Hattie Wright). The executive meet once a month to ensure the smooth operation of PINES and help to drive the work of the various committees. Final thanks must go to our hard-working executive officer Rachael Thurecht who goes above and beyond to ensure the smooth operation of PINES.

I would like to see us look forward to 2021 with renewed energy and focus on our continued development of global expertise in the field of sports nutrition. It is time for PINES to review our strategic direction to ensure we are representing our membership and supporting professional growth.  We are always open to all your contributions, so please get involved and help PINES to be the leading professional body of its kind.

Have a happy and relaxing break over the holiday period with your families and friends. I look forward to all your contributions in 2021.