Sports Academy

mr Stephen Sellwood | Sports Academy Coordinator

The 2021 Sports Academy program involved close to 100 students balancing their academic studies with sporting ambitions, through a specialised and accelerated curriculum with an emphasis on long-term athlete development. Although COVID-19 continued to impact the program, students were still able to experience the following:

STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING SESSIONS

Facilitated by Tom Follett from ACE Performance, Sports Academy students participated in a weekly strength and conditioning session in the college gym when onsite, and through online workouts during our periods of flexible and remote learning.

YEAR 7

Sports Injuries Musculoskeletal System Sports Nutrition and Hydration Biomechanics in Sport

YEAR 8

Training to Improve Performance Cardiorespiratory System Decision Making in Sport Biomechanics in Sport

YEAR 8

Develop a personal management pan Develop a travel and accommodation plan Prepare a pre or post event meal Develop personal media skills Develop a personal financial plan Sports recovery strategies

YEAR 10

Sports Psychology Sports Journalism, Game Reporting and Match Commentary Sports Coaching Energy Systems and Interplay

TECHNICAL SPORTS SESSIONS

This year the college welcomed new coaches Andreas Papanicolaou (Soccer) and Steve Blundell (Tennis) into the program to work alongside our existing coaches Paul Hudson (AFL), Bryce McGain (Cricket) and Matthew Brooks (Basketball), with tennis being included in the Year 7-8 program for the first time.

SPECIALISED THEORY PROGRAm

Students completed a specialised theory program which involved the following sports- specific topics required for athlete development.

SPORTS DIETICIAN

Dietician Ola Luczak was able to present a number of sessions to the boys, as well as provide fortnightly tips to both students and parents throughout the year. She also shared a number of healthy recipes throughout the year for the boys and their families to try.

GUEST SPEAKERS

The boys were able to experience a number of guest speakers/presenters throughout the year, including 2021 Oakleigh Chargers & Vic Metro girls and boys AFL coach Jason Davenport, who took our football players through a training session. In Term 3, the students had a Q&A session with Olympian Brooke Stratton, who had recently returned from the Tokyo Olympics. She discussed her athletics career, including achievements and setbacks, and provided the boys with some advice for their sport and school.

ACHIEVEmENTS

Congratulations to Year 8 Sports Academy student Cooper Fry, who equalled the Under 14 High Jump Record at the 2021 ACC Athletics Championship, with a height of 1.75m. Also, a congratulations to Year 10 Sports Academy students Patrick Forster, Max Sykes and Daniel Valle, who won the team event at the 2021 ACC Triathlon.

ACKNOWLEDGmENTS

I would like to congratulate the boys who participated in the 2021 Sports Academy program. I look forward to working with participating students in 2022, and developing the program further. I would like to thank all the staff who taught the Sports Academy classes throughout the year, particularly Mr Paul Azar, Mr Chris Ryan and Mr Steven Loonstra who mentored the Year 8-10 classes, and went above and beyond with their effort and assistance to the boys.