Santiago Vanegas: from Hapkido to Rugby high-performance

By Alex Burbano Abosaid

Communicator Cafeteros Pro

Cel. 315 8444729

 

The smile and nerves of Santiago Vanegas during our curious, informal chat,  reaffirms his ability to work hard behind the scenes of a high-performance project. This story speaks not only of Rugby as a transformative space, but of the ability to make history on and off the field.  We will share the experience of this journey towards professional rugby thorough the eyes of the physiotherapist in charge of Cafeteros Pro.

 

Two years after graduating, Santiago came into professional rugby instantly, as he puts it. He was contacted by Oscar Mario, the Indeportes doctor, who gave him the first challenge of his professional career: “This job has been full of learning and constant trials. I had to adapt to a high contact sport. The dynamics of physiotherapy in the field, what the coaching staff needs in real time and the constant monitoring of the players due to their physical demands, are all things this sport has taught me and I couldn’t have learned anywhere else.

 

Professionally, rugby represents extreme concentration for Santiago. He approaches  matches similar to how players approach them, with attention to detail and alertness to attend any situation with the immediacy that a sport such as this demands. And  Santi knows a lot about high performance demands.

 

As a professional Hapkido athlete, he connects on many fronts to the Cafeteros  Pro experience. He knows about commitment and discipline at a high sporting level and understands the physical needs that high impact requires. Thorough his time in the team, he has broadened his knowledge and has generated several connections with the environment and style of play: “for example, I identify with the work the backs do because the speed they require on the field is astounding. I like so many things about rugby because the game is not only about contact, each player has to prepare methodically to carry out their work on the field»

 

He emphasizes a change in the mentality of those who play rugby seriously in this high-performance project. “This opportunity allows what was thought of as a hobby, to become a lifestyle and an opportunity to make a living from it. The player’s responsibility is transforming into a professional one. Now they are going to live to compete and they must have a lifestyle where they take care of themselves , where they pay attention to what they eat and are completely connected to the sport that they practice ”.

 

His awareness and dedication have strengthened Cafeteros Pro. Not only during the preparation but during the challenge of the American Super League that is currently being played. He gives value to the effort of all who contribute to this process. “The SLAR is a project that is future oriented. I like that the players have winning as their primary goal, despite being a young team. I believe that little by little we will create the high-level players Colombia is able to produce”. This is the perception of a high performance athlete in service of the history of high performance in Colombian rugby.