The WRAS Netball squad will literally be put to the test this Sunday, 29 March at the Gymnasium on campus of Charles Sturt University as athletes undergo their final physical testing. WRAS netballers will travel from towns throughout the region (Bathurst, Dubbo, Forbes, Lithgow, Millthorpe, Orange, West Wyalong and Young) for an intensive training day in Bathurst.

The day will commence with physiological testing of athletes conducted by the Testing and Sport Science Team (TASS Team). The TASS Team is a group of volunteer students from CSU School of Human Movement Studies who have been specifically trained to provide sports science support and testing for WRAS athletes. The team will conduct a variety of physiological tests including height, weight, vertical jump, netball agility, sprint, sit and reach and beep test. Results will be compared to those from previous testing to determine differences and improvements in components such as leg power and strength, speed, agility and fitness.

Following this testing, athletes will move on to netball specific training under the guidance of Head Coach Cate Gardner and Assistant Coaches Trish Williams and Tegan Dray.

The WRAS training day is a great opportunity for local netball players, coaches and spectators to see some of region’s most talented athletes train under the direction of the Academies highly qualified and experienced coaches. Training commences at 10am and anyone with an interest in sports science, testing or netball is strongly encouraged to attend.

END

Lithgow will play hosts to the Western Region Academy of Sport hockey squad this Sunday for an intensive training day. Athletes from across the region will arrive at the Lithgow Hockey Centre at 8am for a full day of training.

The 2008 squad consists of some of the most talented young sporting stars of the future including Lithgow’s Tamika Bostock, Madeleine Bott, Keely Hunter, Rene Hunter, Beth Redding, David Reid and Mahala Williams.

The day will focus on the refinement of skills such as footwork, flicking, drawing defence, channelling and set plays. The training day will be the final squad training before the squad comes together in Armidale for the NSW Academies of Sport Academy Games on 17-19 April 2009.

Coaches, players and parents interested in picking up some coaching tips and seeing what is expected at the next level are welcome to attend the training session.

END

The Western Region Academy of Sport is on the look for that ‘undiscovered’ talent to participate in the 2009 Talent Search Program for basketball, netball and triathlon.

The Academy offers athlete’s quality sports development programs to help them reach higher levels in their sport. WRAS athletes are provided with excellent opportunities including elite coaching, fitness testing, strength and conditioning, athlete education and individual program monitoring. Over the last few years, the Academy has conducted a broad Talent Search Program through schools in the Western Region in conjunction with the Australian Sports Commission. The focus of this years WRAS talent identification program is on discovering athletes suited to the specific sports of basketball, netball and triathlon.

WRAS have identified sport specific attributes necessary for performance in basketball, netball and triathlon. For basketball and netball the suitable requirements include exceptional height, head and shoulders above friends, with an interest in these sports. Exceptional fitness and ability in swimming and running is required for triathlon. If this sounds like you and you are in years 7-9 at school, then the Western Region Academy of Sport wants to hear from you!

The 2009 Western Region Academy of Sport Talent Search process will involve the submission of expression of interest forms, available on the WRAS website. Identified athletes will then be contacted to arrange specific exercise testing conducted by the experienced exercise science team from WRAS. Once testing data has been collected selected athletes will be invited to attend the 2009 WRAS Rookie Camp in the July school holidays. Athletes attending these professionally run camps will be eligible for selection and scholarships in the 2009/10 WRAS program where focus will be on athlete development aimed toward state and national representation.

WRAS executive Nancy Haslop has said that “athletes identified through previous talent search programs run by the experienced WRAS team have had some exceptional results. These include the success with triathlete Nick North who was identified through a WRAS Talent Search Program in 2005. Since his discovery and WRAS selection Nick has risen to the top of the ranks in triathlon. He has attended the Australian development camp with the National Junior Squad and continues to show great promise”.

Western Region Academy of Sport is excited about the prospect of finding and helping western region athletes achieve things that they have never even thought possible. For more information visit the WRAS website at talentid@wras.org.au or alternatively call the WRAS office on 6338 4821 however the expression of interest forms must be completed and returned before 17 April.

Over 120 Western Region Academy of Sport athletes and squad staff from across the region will converge in Dubbo this weekend for a live-in training camp. The basketball, high performance, hockey, lawn bowls, netball and triathlon squads and WRAS lone stars will participate in a variety of development and education sessions.

The Combined WRAS Camp has become an annual event rotating each year between Dubbo and Wallerawang. The basketball and netball squads will make use of the excellent facilities at Dubbo Sportsworld and the triathletes will make use of Barden Park and surrounds. The Hockey squad will train at the Dubbo hockey complex and the lawn bowlers will spend their weekend training at Dubbo Railway Bowling Club.

Following the camp welcome on Friday night, athletes have self development lectures on ‘Planning for success’ and ‘Coping with stress’. On Saturday the squads will head off to training bright and early to help beat the heat and train from 8am through until lunch. Afternoon activities will include a range of sessions on pool recovery, self massage, boxing, a strength competition, team building and some fun games. A number of highly regarded specialists will travel to Dubbo for the weekend including massage therapist and speed coach Paul Unsworth from Bathurst, WRAS Strength and Conditioning interns Sarah Feebrey and Ryan Nelson and members of the Charles Sturt University Testing and Sports Science team.

Athletes taking part in the weekend from the Dubbo region are Matt Pellow (High Performance), Jack Eckford, Stuart McKenzie (Hockey) Jake Carman, Kirt Low, Ashlee Meyers (Lawn Bowls) and Tierra Pychtin-Hausia (Netball).

Academy Executive Officer, Nancy Haslop said “The Combined WRAS Camp is a vital component of the WRAS calendar and a weekend that everyone looks forward to. It’s a great opportunity for all athletes and squad staff to get to know not only everyone within their squad, but also those from the other Academy programs. It’s always great to hold Academy activities in Dubbo and WRAS has again had overwhelming support from the community which we greatly appreciate”.

Local coaches and athletes are invited to witness the sessions, details of times for the squads are available by phoning the Academy on 6338 4821 or visiting the website at wras.org.au