Western Region Academy of Sport » news

WRAS Athletes selected in Australian and NSW sides

Flick — Tue, 12 May 2009 23:10:13 +0000

April and May have been exciting months with many past and present WRAS athletes receiving selection in State and National sides. Here are just some of these remarkable achievements:

Basketball athlete Mitch Mavrak has been selected in the Australian Boomerangs � the national men�s basketball side for athletes with an intellectual disability that will travel to the Czech Republic in July to take part in the 2009 INAS-FID Global Games
Hockey players Jade Warrender and Tamsin Lee included in the Australian 2009 Women’s Junior World Cup Squad
WRAS basketballers Hannah Lepaio and Laurence Mifsud named in the U16 NSW teams to represent the state at the Australian Championships
Following the NSW Junior Touch Football Championships last week, Basketball High Performance squad athlete Olivia Patterson was named in the NSW 16 years Merit Team
Female hockey athletes Kate Brown, Madeline Bott, Keely Hunter, Ailie McGarity and Zoe Watts have all been selected in the NSW U15 Girls squad. The girls will attend a high performance camp in July where the final selections for the team will be completed
Current hockey athletes Tim Eslick, Nick Hill, Nick Milne and Jacob Townsend have been selected in the NSW U16 boys All Schools squad

Congratulations to all these WRAS athletes!

Wramblings 8 May 2009

Flick — Fri, 08 May 2009 07:48:01 +0000

Please download the 16th edition of the WRAS Wrambings

WRAS Wramblings #16 2009

BCiB sponsors WRAS Lawn Bowls Rookie Camp

Flick — Fri, 02 May 2008 05:10:13 +0000

WRAS is pleased to announce a new sponsor. BCiB has once again shown it�s support for the sport of Lawn Bowls by sponsoring the 2008 WRAS Lawn Bowls Rookie Camp. BCiB previously sponsored the WRAS Lawn Bowls squad and it is great to have them back! This sponsorship decreases the direct costs for athletes who attend the camp and we thank Ian Hopper and his team for their contribution. WRAS is always looking for new sponsors to help decrease the costs for athletes and parents and increase the opportunities available for western region sportspeople. For more information about sponsorship opportunities at the Academy, please phone 6338 4821.

State sporting success

Flick — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 01:50:08 +0000

Lone Star athlete Natalie Sharp last weekend competed in the Little Athletics Association of NSW 2008 State Track and Field Championships. Natalie placed 5^th in the 3000m, 3^rd in the 800m and won the 1500m race with a time of 4.53 minutes. Natalie has been training hard with coach Paul Unsworth (WRAS consultant) over the last few months as well as seeing Strength and Conditioning Intern Nathan Carroll to get her time under the 5 minute mark. Congratulations Natalie!

In other exciting news, basketball athletes Will Aisake and Olivia Patterson attended the state trials on the Easter long weekend and were both selected in NSW teams. Will who is a member of the 2008 WRAS basketball senior squad, was selected in the NSW U18 men�s team which is an amazing result considering he has only been playing the sport for a few years. Olivia has been a member of the WRAS for the past 3 years and will play for the NSW U16 women�s team. Both athletes have been working extremely hard over the last few months, preparing for these trials with Will spending 5 hours a day on shooting practice throughout the Christmas school holidays and Olivia having regular sessions with Strength and Conditioning Intern Nathan Carroll. Congratulations Will and Olivia! Don�t forget to let the WRAS office know if you have received some exciting news, we love to hear about it!

Top Tennis Talent

Flick — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 01:38:59 +0000

WRAS High Performance Tennis player Greg last week competed in the 2008 NSW Combined High Schools (CHS) Championships in Penrith where he finished fourth overall in the state in the singles competition. From this Greg has been selected in the NSW CHS 1sts team that will compete in Wollongong on the 25 and 26 March for selection in the Pizzey Cup team for the School Sport Australia Championships. We’ll keep you posted over the coming month with more results from this rising tennis star. Congratulations Greg!

Hockey squad heads to Newcastle for Academy Games – 7 March 2008

Flick — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:59:09 +0000

The Western Region Academy of Sport hockey squad heads to Newcastle this weekend for the Inter Academy Games. Over 400 athletes, coaches, managers, officials, support staff and hockey families will converge on Newcastle for the tournament which will bring together both boys and girls squads from the Western Region, South West Sydney, Illawarra, North Coast, Southern Sports, Hunter and Northern Inland Academies of Sport. They are joined by the NSW under 18 girls team (which includes five WRAS squad members!) who are looking forward to the challenge of playing in the boy�s competition. The Games play an important role in the development of young players in that this competition is based on the philosophy of opportunity and participation. The tournament is seen as a friendly and no pressure environment where athletes can apply the individual skills and tactics they have been developing as part of their squad training in a game situation without the pressure of having to win. The WRAS squad heading to Newcastle consists of James Griffin, Caitlyn Hadley, Jocelyn McGarity, Dylan Smith (Bathurst), Murray Bennett (Canowindra), Andrew White (Carcoar), Courtney Sammut (Clarence), Jaime Buckmaster (Cowra), Robert Singh, Kurt Ward (Dubbo), Shelby Craig, Sarah Hodgkinson, Ben Redding, Beth Redding, Luke Thurtell, Keeley Hunter, Mahala Williams (Lithgow), Amy Symons, Sarah Whiley (Millthorpe), Troy Kenny (Mudgee), Keegan Brooke, Ashleigh Carr, Timothy Eslick, Nicholas Hill, Nicholas Milne, Alexandra Savage (Orange), Sarah Melhuish, Jacob Townsend (Parkes), David Reid (South Bowenfels) and Holly Luck (Wallerawang). Five WRAS athletes Molly Bright, Amelia Burke, Claire McGarity (Bathurst), Kayla Orrock (Stuart Town) and Jade Warrender (Orange) will represent the NSW U 18 girls team. The benefits of the Academy Games extend beyond the hockey field. According to Nancy Haslop, Executive Officer of the Western Region Academy of Sport, �this competition represents an excellent chance for squad members to get together. As most Academy athletes are spread throughout their Academy region, events such as this provide an excellent opportunity for the athletes to develop team skills and mix socially with not only their own squad members but also other hockey players from around the state.�

WRAS triathletes compete against NSW best – 28 & 29 February 2008

Flick — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:54:08 +0000

Members of the WRAS Triathlon squad will travel to the Regatta Centre in Penrith Lakes on Thursday 28 February to compete in the NSW All Schools Triathlon. This event is an important component in the WRAS program as it brings together some of the best young aspiring triathletes in NSW to compete.The NSW All Schools Triathlon is an event for all high school students in NSW and provides an opportunity for students to compete for medals in Triathlon from the three school bodies (CHS, CCC, CIS). It is also a selection race for the NSW All School Triathlon Team to compete at the SSA Triathlon Championships. There is also the opportunity for students to be considered for selection in the NSW Tri Talented athlete program.It has been an exciting year for the triathlon program with the number of athletes increasing significantly from six to sixteen. The three tiered program is suported by Triathlon NSW as well as the Bathurst and Mudgee regional triathlon clubs and offered scholarships in the Talent Identification, Sports Talent Enhancement Program (STEP) and High Performance tiers. WRAS Head Coach Nick Kastelein Snr said �the NSW All Schools is a great event for the up and coming athletes to put into practice the skills developed throughout the WRAS program. All of the athletes have been working extremely hard over the past few months so I�m expecting some pretty good results�. Following the All Schools on Thursday, athletes will travel to Mudgee on the weekend to compete in the State Junior Series. This is the final event for the series and many WRAS are poised to finish in good positions including Tamsyn Moana-Veale who is currently leading the 14-15 female category, Emily Dunn is second in 16-19 female age group and Matt Pellow is third in 16-19 male category.

Bowlers roll into Lithgow – 1 March 2008

Flick — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:52:39 +0000

The Western Region Academy of Sport Lawn Bowls squad will roll in to Lithgow this weekend for an intense training and games weekend at the Lithgow Workies Club. Athletes from Bathurst, Boorowa, Coonabarabran, Cowra, Dubbo and Rylstone will take part in practical on green sessions, circuit training, umpiring discussions and individual fault correction. The squad, comprising some of the best junior bowlers will play a match against reserves from the Lithgow Aces Premier League side on Saturday night and will also be spectators at games between the Aces and rival teams Tamworth and the Western Warriors. Head Coach John Rodis said �the focus of the WRAS program is on skills training and development and that is what this weekend is all about. It will also be a great opportunity for the young bowlers to witness some of the state�s best bowlers in action and give them something to aspire to�. Local players, coaches and spectators are welcome to attend to witness the training sessions and games.

WRAS Hockey heads to Lithgow – 24 February 2008

Flick — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:48:51 +0000

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 Shelby Craig, Sarah Hodgkinson, Holly Luck, Ben Redding, Beth Redding, David Reid, Courtney Sammut and Luke Thurtell. 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 at Newcastle for the hockey Inter Academy Games on the 8 & 9 March. Head Coach Wayne �Wally� Gaynor, of Lithgow, will lead the squad, and be joined by assistant coaches Jo Davis, Michelle Melhuish and Debbie Orrock. Gaynor said “It will be the last training session for the athletes to train together as a squad before the Inter Academy Games in Newcastle. This training is very important for the athletes to put all their skills into practice and refine their team work in game situations, communication and set plays such as penalty corners.” 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.

Future WRAS Tennis stars converge on Bathurst – 25 January 2008

Flick — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:47:08 +0000

Bathurst will play hosts to the Western Region Academy of Sport tennis squad this Friday for an intensive training day. Athletes from across the region will arrive at the Bathurst Tennis Centre at 9am for a full day of training. The squad consists of some of the most talented tennis stars of the future from towns such as West Wyalong, Forbes and Trundle and Bathurst�s own Greg Lynch and Kurt Johns. The athletes will take part in various training drills and games as they focus on improving their court speed, shot selection and game tactics, as they look to follow in the footsteps of Lleyton Hewitt and Casey Dellacqua! This training is getting the squad ready for the JDS tournament in Orange on February 3. Head Coach Andrew Mitton said �It�s a good opportunity for the players to get back focused on their tennis after the Christmas break, and tune up for the Orange tournament.� Local tennis 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.