Western Region Academy of Sport » netball

WRAS Netballers take to the court in Young – 29 April 2008

Flick — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:44:22 +0000

Young will play host to the Western Region Academy of Sport Netball squad this Sunday for the second time in 2008. Due to the overwhelming success of the training day held in Young in January the WRAS squad, led by Head Coach Cate Gardner will return to the Young Shire on 4 May to further develop their netball skills. Training will commence at 10am with athletes traveling from around the region (Bathurst, Cowra, Cudal, Dubbo, Forbes, Gulargambone, Gulgong, Mudgee, Orange, Parkes, and West Wyalong) to attend. Young will be represented by two of the town�s brightest netball talents, Tori Pope and Lauren Sheridan. Athletes will work on developing all aspects of their game, with a specific focus on court performance and fitness using new and specialist techniques. Cate believes that the squad is training well and she is looking forward to the upcoming 2008 State League Competition. �The girls have been training hard and I�m predicting that they will be a force to contend with in the State League competition. This training day in Young will be a fantastic opportunity for the girls to concentrate on their fitness, mental toughness and game play situations�. 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.

Netballers take to the court in Dubbo – 6 April 2008

Flick — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 05:19:38 +0000

Dubbo will play host to the Western Region Academy of Sport Netball Squad this Sunday for an intense training day commencing at 10am, under the watchful eye of head coach Cate Gardner. The 2008 Netball Squad which consists of talented athletes from all around the western region will head to St John�s College to develop all aspects of their game, with a focus on court performance and fitness using new and specialist techniques. Cate believes that the squad is training well and she is looking forward to the upcoming 2008 State League Competition. �The girls have been training hard and I�m predicting that they will be a force to contend with in the State League competition. This training day at Dubbo will be a fantastic opportunity for the girls to concentrate on their fitness, mental toughness and game play situations�. Local netball players, coaches and spectators are welcome to attend the training session which will provide a great opportunity to witness the latest training techniques and drills. END

Survival Guide for Mum and Dad Coaches – 8 April 2008

Flick — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:54:32 +0000

Have you been put in the daunting position of having to coach your child�s sports team this year? Your role as a coach can be made lot of easier by receiving skills and practical knowledge from the professionals. The Western Region Academy of Sport has the answer to this intimidating and often very challenging prospect. Coach the Coach Survival Guide for Mum and Dad Coaches, is a day for beginner coaches that will give them the necessary skills and knowledge to be an effective coach. The program will be held at Charles Sturt University, Bathurst on Sunday 18 May 2008. The initiative will include two sessions; the first is a morning information session which is an hour and a half full of helpful information and tips. Coaches will be taught about how to establish goals and objectives, how to structure a training session, how to handle athletes and parents and how to become a better coach. Simon Woinarski, Sport Education Coordination from NSW Sport and Recreation will conduct the Survival Guide. Simon has over eight years of experience in sport development and will bring a fresh approach to coach education. The optional second component of the Survival Guide is an hour and a half practical which will look at skills and drills specific for basketball, hockey or netball. Attendees will leave with a season plan of drills to implement and develop throughout the training and competition season for their respective sport. A morning tea will be provided between the two sessions to give participants an opportunity to network with fellow beginner coaches from various sports. Survival Guide for Mum and Dads was run successfully last year with participant�s thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to develop and be a better coach for their children. Amanda Matthews attended the day last year and said �The program was very valuable and it helped me as a first time coach. I have been able to put the skills I learnt into practice whilst coaching my daughter�s netball team. The day was also a great opportunity to meet other parents that were in the same position as me, it was definitely value for money�. For more information and to register go to www.wras.org.au, select the �download� tab and download the �Survival Guide for Mum and Dad coaches application form� or call the Western Region Academy of Sport on 63384821.END

Holiday camps for western region rookies – 10 April 2008

Flick — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:52:14 +0000

In July 2008, the Western Region Academy of Sport is conducting Rookie Camps for Hockey and Netball and Rookie �Plus� Camps for Basketball, Lawn Bowls, Tennis and Triathlon. All of these residential camps will provide �rookie� athletes with the opportunity to enhance their skills and knowledge in a fun learning environment. The camps also act as a pre selection trial for the WRAS 2009 squads. Rookie �Plus� camps also include athletes currently in the 2008 WRAS squad which allows them to further their development. The camps will be held in the July school holidays and athletes and coaches will stay on campus of Charles Sturt University, Bathurst. Ages for camps are set by State Sporting Organisation�s and can be found in the camp information packs along with exact dates on the WRAS website at www.wras.org.au in the �download� section. The residential camps will be run under the guidance of highly accredited coaches, who will be assisted by special guest coaches, coaches from the local region, association/club coaches and senior WRAS graduates. Positions are also being offered for coaches of all levels to attend the camps to improve their skills and increase their experience. The camp activities planned include physiological testing, body movement, individual and specialist skills, and game sense. Players and coaches will be exposed to the latest playing and coaching techniques and given instant feedback on improving individual performance. Attendance at the Rookie Camps in 2008 is compulsory for all athletes wishing to try out for the 2009 WRAS squads. Current WRAS squad members for Hockey and Netball who are still eligible to trial for WRAS for 2009 do not need to attend the rookie camps. Players who don�t wish to try out for the Academy will still find any one of these camps a great opportunity to receive instruction from some of the top coaches in NSW and the western region. WRAS Program Manager Rohan Simpson said �these Rookie Camps are a great development opportunity for western region sports people with some of the state�s best coaches heading up the training sessions. They are also a good way for athletes to become involved with the Academy and develop a better understanding of what WRAS does�. Information and nomination forms are available from the WRAS website www.wras.org.au now. Nominations for both athletes and coaches close Friday 16 May 2008. For more information contact the Academy office on 6338 4821. END

WRAS heads to Wallerawang – 1 February 2008

Flick — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:42:54 +0000

Over 160 Western Region Academy of Sport athletes and squad staff from across the region will converge on Wallerawang this weekend for a live-in training camp. The basketball, high performance, hockey, lawn bowls, netball, softball, tennis 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 Wallerawang and Dubbo. The basketball and netball squads will make use of the excellent facilities at the Wallerawang Indoor Sports Stadium, the softball squad will train at Wallerawang Diamond, the tennis squad at the Mt Piper Power Station tennis courts and triathletes will make use of Lake Wallace and surrounds. The Hockey squad will train at the Lithgow hockey complex and the lawn bowlers will spend their weekend training at the Lithgow City Bowling Club. Following the camp welcome on Friday night, athletes will head off into squad groups for an hour of team bonding and planning. Saturday will begin with a practical nutrition workshop for WRAS rookie athletes while the senior members attend a lecture from WRAS S&C Coaches on the importance of strength and conditioning to their athletic development. Squads will then head off for an intense day of training and a pool recovery session at the Lithgow Pool before the athletes enjoy a Games Spectacular on Saturday evening. A number of highly regarded specialists will travel to Wallerawang for the weekend including Ron Clarke from NSW Sport & Recreation and massage therapist and speed coach Paul Unsworth from Bathurst. Athletes taking part in the weekend from the Lithgow region are Romy Casey, Sophie Murray, Elliot Smith, (Basketball) Shelby Craig, Sarah Hodgkinson, Holly Luck, Ben Redding, Beth Redding, David Reid, Courtney Sammut, Luke Thurtell (Hockey) and Natalie Sharp (Lone Star). 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 Wallerawang and WRAS has again had overwhelming support from the Lithgow and Wallerawang communities 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.

The New Zealand Experience

Flick — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 03:38:10 +0000

The girls from the 2007 Netball squad returned home on Sunday night from their week-long adventure to New Zealand. This was the second time the WRAS squad has headed overseas as part of the exchange with the New Zealand Netball Bay of Plenty organisation. The trip was a great development opportunity and an extremely valuable experience for all. Not only did everyone return with sharper netball skills (including Felicity � thanks for the shooting lesson girls!) but the tour also gave the athletes and staff a chance to learn about the Maori culture and the New Zealand way of life. WRAS girls were an absolute credit to the Academy, their families and Australia and WRAS is very proud of them.Thanks go to Cate Gardner, Michelle Byrne, Monique Pointon and Trish Marino who gave up their time and holidays to coach and manage the squad in New Zealand. They did a terrific job! Thanks also to Netball Bay of Plenty, in particular Katie Simmons for all of her hard work.

Congratulations and thanks to everyone for a great trip and don�t forget to send me your pics by the 4 Feb (or give to me at the Combined camp)!

WRAS netball heads to Young

Flick — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 03:23:57 +0000

Young will play host to the Western Region Academy of Sport netball squad this Sunday for an intensive training day. Athletes from across the region will arrive at the Young PCYC at 10am for a full day of training. The 2008 squad consists of some talented young sporting stars of the future including Young�s Tori Pope and Lauren Sheridan. The day will focus on improving court performance and sessions involving fitness, skills and specialist techniques. The WRAS athletes will then further build on these skills the following weekend when they meet again at the Combined Academy Camp. Head Coach Cate Gardner highlighted the importance of having the squad train together as a group. �With athletes in the squad coming from all over the region, training days such as this represent an important part of the development of both individual and team skills�. Local netball players, coaches and spectators are welcome to attend the training session which will provide a great opportunity to witness the latest training techniques and drills.