ACADEMIES
APEX EDUCATION ACADEMY
The Apex Education Academy is focused on supporting coaches, leaders, parents, and communities through lifelong education and continuous professional development.
The Academy has been created from the belief that high-quality sporting environments are shaped not only by technical expertise, but also by leadership, communication, psychology, culture, education, and intentional organisational design.
At Apex, we believe learning should never stop.
The organisation places strong emphasis on creating a culture where coaches, staff, athletes, and families are encouraged to grow, reflect, improve, and pursue excellence through ongoing education and evidence-informed practice.
WHERE SCIENCE MEETS SPORT
Apex is being intentionally developed as an organisation guided by evidence-informed thinking and professional best practice.
The broader Apex philosophy has been shaped by extensive experience across:
- Behavioural sciences
- Developmental psychology
- Organisational culture
- Coaching
- Education
- Sports psychology
- Athlete development
This includes the professional expertise of Dr Schaefer, whose academic background includes qualifications, research experience, and clinical work across psychology, sociology, criminal justice, behaviour science, and organisational systems.
Rather than viewing coaching solely through a technical lens, Apex aims to combine sporting expertise, behavioural science, positive psychology, leadership theory, and developmental research. This cultivates environments purposively designed to support athlete growth, wellbeing, confidence, motivation, and long-term development.
The goal is to create a professional organisation where culture is intentional, leadership matters, learning is continuous, and high standards are supported by strong systems and emotionally intelligent practice.
A COMMUNITY OF LEARNING
The Apex Education Academy is intended to support a strong culture of continuous learning and professional growth throughout the broader organisation.
Apex aims to create environments where coaches and staff are encouraged to:
- Pursue ongoing education
- Refine their professional practice
- Develop leadership capability
- Remain at the forefront of both technical and psychological understanding within sport and athlete development
Several educational opportunities are being planned. These include:
- Internal workshops
- Continuing professional development sessions
- Mentorship initiatives
- Leadership education
- Technical coaching development
- Collaborative learning opportunities across multiple sporting disciplines
The long-term vision is to build a culture where learning, reflection, and improvement are embedded into the organisational identity itself.
EDUCATION BEYOND THE GYM FLOOR
The Apex Education Academy also intends to host seminars, workshops, and other educational events designed to support varied audiences:
- Coaches external to Apex, within related gymsports as well as the broader sports and recreation industry
- Parents of athletes
- Sporting organisations across the sector
- Leaders of clubs and teams
- Broader community members
Sessions may be delivered by Dr Schaefer alongside invited guest speakers and industry professionals from a range of relevant disciplines.
Educational content is currently being planned for the following topics.
- Athlete Wellbeing in Competitive Sport
- Growth Mindsets in Developmental Psychology
- The Science of Behaviour Modification
- Positive Psychology in Organisational Culture
- Identifying and Nurturing Workforce Capabilities
The broader vision is to create educational opportunities that help strengthen sporting environments, coaching quality, leadership capability, organisational culture, and athlete wellbeing across the wider community.
Importantly, educational opportunities are not intended to remain exclusive to Apex families or staff. Coaches, judges, parents, organisations, and community members from both within and beyond the gymnastics, cheerleading, dance, and sporting sectors are encouraged to engage with future Apex Education Academy offerings.
Members of the community are also welcome to contact the Apex team to suggest or request future workshop and seminar topics. Apex will aim to provide educational opportunities that align with community demand and emerging industry conversations wherever possible.
UPCOMING EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
Specific information regarding future workshops, seminars, educational events, and professional development opportunities will become available progressively as planning continues.
This page will eventually include:
- Upcoming event information
- Speaker announcements
- Registration pathways
- Educational resources
- Future professional development opportunities
Visitors are encouraged to join the Apex mailing list and follow Apex on social media to remain updated regarding future seminars and workshops, guest speaker events, coach education opportunities, and broader Education Academy announcements.