Saturday 12 September 2026
The Science Behind the Athlete
Barbados Performance 2026 — sports science and high-performance athlete development, 5:00 – 8:00 PM at Hilton Barbados Resort.
Free entry — limited seating
The question
Are we doing enough to help our athletes reach their full potential?
Barbados produces exceptional talent. This evening looks honestly at what happens next — how sports science, technology, coaching, strength & conditioning and education can work together to develop the island's athletes.
How this came about
An initiative first, a conference second
The evening grew out of the Barbados High Performance Athlete Assessment Initiative — a professional contribution to Barbadian sport that brought internationally recognised testing methods to local athletes and their coaches, at no cost to any association, athlete or family.
More than 25 athletes across sporting disciplines — including swimming, Road Tennis, football and track & field — have been assessed free of charge under the initiative. This conference is where those findings are shared openly with the wider sporting community.
Michael J. D. Hall, FdSc, BSc (Hons), is a sports scientist and strength & conditioning coach who led the assessments. He returns to the United Kingdom shortly afterwards to complete his MSc in the same field — making this the moment the Barbados data is presented in person.
What you'll experience
Four parts to the evening
Sports science in action
Objective testing that identifies an athlete's strengths, weaknesses and development priorities — not opinion, measurement.
VALD technology showcase
Representatives from VALD present the technology used across modern high-performance sport.
Barbados athlete findings
Michael J. D. Hall, BSc (Hons) presents results from the Barbados High Performance Athlete Assessment Initiative.
Expert perspectives
Strength & conditioning, coaching, education and sports science, in one room.
Featured presentation
Measured, not guessed
Live demonstrations of force plates, dynamometry and the online performance system used by elite programmes worldwide — with the Barbados assessment data behind them.
Open mic panel
What does Barbados need to develop the next generation of elite athletes?
Ask questions. Challenge ideas. Join the conversation. The floor is open to everyone in the room.
Venue
Hilton Barbados Resort
- Date
- Saturday 12 September 2026
- Time
- 5:00 – 8:00 PM
- Address
- Needham's Point, Aquatic Gap, St. Michael, Barbados
The Hilton Event
Itinerary · 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Introduction
Welcome and framing of the evening.
Bernella Caines-Hall — Parent of Athlete perspective & sports science career
15 minutes
MSc Counselling Psychology, BEd Special Education, Cert.Ed, PgCert.SEN, Dip.SEN | Educator, Counsellor & Academic Empowerment Specialist
Michael J. D. Hall — Barbados Athlete Findings & VALD demonstration
30 minutes
BSc (Hons) Strength, Conditioning & Sports Nutrition | Sports Scientist, & Performance Analyst
Renato Treviño Theriot — VALD representative presentation
15 minutes
Business Development Manager, VALD
Roland Butcher — Breaking barriers & resilience
15 minutes
Former England International Cricketer | Coach | Author | Mentor | Speaker
Simeon Christophe — Strength & conditioning
15 minutes
MSc, UKSCA Accredited Strength & Conditioning Coach | Sports Therapist
Break — light snacks and refreshments
30 minutes
Panel discussion — How sports science can help athletes in Barbados
Audience open mic. What can be done?
Close
End of the Hilton event.
Additional speakers and panelists to be announced.
Registration closed
Reserve your free seat
Entry is free and seating is limited. One registration per attendee; your ticket is issued by email.
Registration is not open
FAQ
Before you come
- Is the event really free?
- Yes. Entry is free, but seating is limited and registration is required for every attendee.
- Who should attend?
- Athletes, coaches, parents, educators, sporting associations and strength & conditioning professionals.
- Do I need a ticket to enter?
- Yes. Each registration issues one ticket with a unique reference code, scanned once at the door.
- Can I register more than one person?
- Each attendee needs their own registration so that every seat and ticket is accounted for.
- Can I show my ticket on my phone?
- Yes. The ticket is scanned from your phone screen or a printed copy — both carry the same reference code.
- What happens if the event is full?
- Registration closes automatically when the last seat is taken, and the page shows a sold-out state rather than accepting a booking it cannot honour.
- How do I retrieve my ticket later?
- Sign in to your account and open My events — the same ticket can be viewed and downloaded again at any time. Reprinting never creates a second ticket.