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Survival Guide for Mum and Dad Coaches – 8 April 2008

Posted by Flick in Media Releases on April 22nd, 2008

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

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Holiday camps for western region rookies – 10 April 2008

Posted by Flick in Media Releases on April 22nd, 2008

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

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Why Weight? – 11 April 2008

Posted by Flick in Media Releases on April 22nd, 2008

Ever dreamt about winning a gold medal? Love playing sport but feel that you’re too small to represent at a higher level? Well the Western Region Academy of Sport might have the answer for you. The ‘Why Weight’ Talent Identification Weightlifting program is a new initiative for WRAS in 2008. The aim of the program is to identify athletes with the potential to win a state or national championship in the next few years. Selected athletes will train in power lifting techniques including the ‘snatch’ and ‘clean and jerk’ in Bathurst several times a week. If you are in school year 9 or 10, a quick runner or high jumper, committed to sport, interested in lifting heavy things and enjoy playing sports like basketball, league, netball or union – then WRAS is looking for you! WRAS is conducting Weightlifting Talent Identification days in locations across the central west. Coaches, athletes and staff will be searching for sporting stars of the future from 9.30am-2.30pm in Stockland Bathurst on Saturday, 26 April, Lithgow Valley Plaza on Saturday 3 May and in Myer Orange on Saturday 10 May. Head Coach of the WRAS Weightlifiting Squad Dr Eric Drinkwater said ‘Other sports have used talent identification programs to find athletes that have gone on to compete in Commonwealth and Olympic Games, but nowhere else in NSW is applying this theory to weightlifting. This region’s success in sports like football and netball tells us that there is a huge, untapped potential for a program like this. We’re really breaking new ground here.’ If you think that you’d enjoy weightlifting or just want to find out more about what the Academy does then make sure you come to one of the testing days. There’s no need to make an appointment just turn up and say hello to one of the friendly members of the Academy.END

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Handful of National Champions

Posted by Flick in Latest News on April 10th, 2008

WRAS now includes five National Champions after the NSW U18 Girls Hockey side won the Australian Championships on Saturday 5 April. Athletes Molly Bright, Claire McGarity, Kayla Orrock, Jade Warrender and coach Wally Gaynor were all part of the victorious side that contested the title. Claire was also named NSW Player of the Tournament for her efforts on the field. All athletes were a credit to their towns, the Academy and NSW, with the side also being given the Whistleblower award for their sportsmanship, attitude and behaviour. Congratulations Wally and girls!

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State sporting success

Posted by Flick in Latest News on March 28th, 2008

Lone Star athlete Natalie Sharp last weekend competed in the Little Athletics Association of NSW 2008 State Track and Field Championships. Natalie placed 5th in the 3000m, 3rd 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!

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Top Tennis Talent

Posted by Flick in Latest News on March 18th, 2008

WRAS High Performance Tennis player Greg last week competed in the 2008 High Performance Tennis Star GregNSW 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!

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

Posted by Flick in Media Releases on March 14th, 2008

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.”

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