March Edition - 2023 Magazine

W E L C O M E

Penrith Bluebet Stadium, 143 Station Street, Penrith 2750

(02) 4732 4977

www wsas com au

WELCOME to the first Quarter of 2023, and the latest edition of WSAS News

Starting a new year at the Academy for 2023 has been full of excitement and we will set the bar for this coming year for our athletes and their programs.

We hope you enjoy all the latest news, athlete insights, events, sponsor information and community engagement that this magazine showcases.

FROM THE CEO

Welcome to another edition of our Academy news magazine, featuring all the news around our athletes and coaches, and our key stakeholders.

2023 is shaping up as a significant – it not critical – year in the development journey many of our athletes will be taking as they target the Brisbane Olympics in 2032.

Regional Academies across the State have been undertaking a collective push to gain relevant and adequate funding from the NSW Government, and I would like to recognise the support we have been receiving from the Minister for Sport, The Hon Alister Henskens MP

The Regional Academies are developing exciting partnerships with the NSW Office of Sport and NSW Institute of Sport that will provide opportunities for our athletes to progress their journeys through talent identification processes, educational and coaching support, and just as importantly personal development activities

We greatly appreciate the support of our programs by our coaching and administrative staff and the new feature in our magazine enables us to show you some of the expertise and knowledge our coaches possess

We are looking forward to the future of our Academy, and the growth in the number of programs we can deliver the our wonderful Western Sydney region

Keep an eye on our socials and website for ongoing updates!

MARTIN BULLOCK Chi f E ti Offi

ATHLETE AND STAFF RECOGNITION!

REGIONAL ACADEMIES OF SPORT AWARDS DINNER

The Regional Academies of Sport hosted their first Awards Dinner involving our Government, Sporting and corporate partners, together with athletes, parents, and Academy Staff. Regional Academies of Sport (RAS) continue to grow in recognition and significance across a wide range of organisations, such as the NSW Government, the NSW Institute of Sport, Paralympics Australia, and State Sporting Organisations, as we transition to Australia’s 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games

The Awards Dinner was held on 21 March 2023, proudly supported by Steadfast and Underwriting Agencies Australia (UAA) as part of their support for athlete and coach leadership The Awards recognise ‘Excellence’ in the following five categories, with the winner in each category selected from nominations from across all Regional Academies of Sport in NSW Congratulations to our Academy nominees, who were recognised for their hard work and consistency throughout their programs.

• Athlete of the Year - Olivia Harris, Rowing & Netball

• Athlete Leadership - Ethan Mackie, Triathlon

• Coach Leadership - James Sweeney, Triathlon Head Coach

• Indigenous Athlete of the Year - Blake Hodges, Golf

• AWD (Athlete with Disability) of the Year - Matthew Engesser, Triathlon

Well done to all our athletes and coaches!

LIVE YOUR PURPOSE

Sydney West Sports Medicine offers an LTAD (program which are run as classes in small groups of approx 8-10 athletes Training blocks align with the school terms (10 week blocks) The commitment to the term is paid for in advance at a rate of $350 To support our athletes in their commitment to this program the Academy will provide a subsidy of $200 to reduce the cost of the program to $150 for athletes participating These sessions are customarily done in a gym-based setting at One55 in Rooty Hill However there may also be an occasional field-based session, depending on the training session requirements

The LTAD (Long Term Athletic Development) Program includes:

One (1) x 1:1 assessments and sports performance testing with an Exercise Physiologist/S&C Coach;

One (1) group session per week (60min);

Personalised programming by the Exercise Physiologist including access to their programs through the online app Teambuildr; All gym entry fees;

Individual performance reports at the end of each block

As a further commitment of support to the Academy's athletes, SWSM will provide one Scholarship for each Academy program that covers all costs for the 10-week program for a term of 2023 Expressions of interest can be submitted by the athlete/parent to the Academy's Athlete Program Manager to be considered for the Athletics Scholarship The Academy will then award these scholarships based on consultation with coaches and support staff and athlete merit

ROWING SUPERSTAR

ON COURSE FOR GOLDEN ROWING CAREER⬆

Not many people become State Champion in a sport they’ve only just picked up, but that was certainly the case for local teenager and WSAS Athlete Ezekiel Pratt. The 14-year-old has only been rowing since April last year and, last month, was crowned the best in the State at the NSW Rowing Championships, held at Sydney International Regatta Centre It was only this time last year that the North St Mary's resident dipped his toe into the sport via a rowing machine at his home

“I took up rowing because my Dad used to do it and it got me interested,” Ezekiel told the Weekender “I started on the rowing machine at home last year I was on it for a couple of months before getting in touch with Nepean Rowing Club and signing up to their Learn to Row program.”

With rowing in his blood thanks to his Dad Ben, Ezekiel took to the sport with relative ease Being quite tall and strong for his age also helped him to get ahead of the pack Ezekiel trains on average eight hours a week, with four or five sessions on the water

Just this year, Ezekiel has enjoyed a stellar season including winning 6 (YES, SIX) Medals at the Taree Regatta in January this year, capped off by winning the NSW State Championship Men's u/16 Single Sculls

For more information on his growing career, click here.

CANOE SLALOM

WSAS ULIMNI TAKING OVER PADDLE AUSTRALIA !

Paddle Australia (PA) is pleased to announce the Australian Canoe Slalom teams for 2023.

Following selection at the Penrith Open and Australian Open, PA is pleased to present the senior, U23 and junior teams that will represent Australia in 2023

Olympic gold medalist and WSAS Ulumni Jessica Fox headline the team which boasts a mix of youth and experience across both the kayak and canoe boats

“Our Canoe Slalom team is world class, boasting a mix of youth and experience across both the kayak and canoe boats This year will be a massive year for our Canoe Slalom program, with the Senior World Championships in London this year the first chance to earn quotas for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games"

“Special thanks to the National Centre of Excellence, pathways and club coaches and support teams that continue to support our athletes in becoming the world’s best paddlers and worlds best people

“The international season is fast approaching, and we’re looking forward to seeing our Australian Canoe Slalom team in action as we continue to countdown to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” Crane said

The Western Sydney Academy of Sport would like to congratulate the following ulumni athletes on their selection:

Jessica Fox, Noemie Fox and Kaylen Bassett.

JESSICA FOX NOEMIE FOX KAYLEN BASSETT

VOLLEYBALL'S

TOP TIPS

By Coach Dan Catchpoole

Move Your Feet

Ensure you focus on your feet and body movement. Make sure that you are constantly trying to get to the ball.

Focus on Keeping Form

Focus on your body! Posture and Knees Bent. This will ensure that you are controlling your power, direction and most importantly the ball.

CONTROL!

When talking about control, we want to ensure that we are understanding that once we control the height of the ball that it can determine the play and how things will go for you in this particular set

Work as a TEAM.

"Volleyball is the EPITOME of a team sport You have to work as a team and COMMUNICATE with your team mates

Enjoy Yourself.

Love the game you play and most importantly - challenge yourself to be the best version of yourself

NETBALL FUTURE STARS

OUR NETBALL GIRLS ON THE RISE! ⬆

CONGRATULATIONS to the 2023 GIANTS Netball Academy Squad.

Supporting the most promising up-and-coming local talent, the GIANTS have selected 16 athletes alongside their four Training Partners to form the Academy for 2023

Here at the Western Sydney Academy of Sport, we are proud to announce that we have five girls in our Program selected for the Giants team A BIG congratulations to the following girls:

Ang Frketic

Charli Fidler

Olivia Harris

Megan O' Keeffe

Violet Wetsteyn

The 20 athletes will work within the GIANTS’ high-performance set-up as they continue their development and endeavours of becoming not only GIANTS and Super Netball players, but Australian Diamonds

For more information, visit the following link here.

CONGRATULATIONS GIRLS

ROWING'S TOP TIPS

By Coach Daniel Waddell

Patience

Rowing can be a hard sport for people to learn but the individuals that stick at it and understand that it will take them time to master the technique are the ones who excel

Relaxation Endurance

The art of rowing is to work very hard while staying relaxed both physically at certain stages and always mentally. This is tough to do but a vital skill for rowing.

Two kilometers is the standard racing distance for rowing so endurance is critical in order to succeed.

Commitment

Rowing requires a lot of training and ensuring a rower undertakes all of the required sessions is very important.

The rowing technique is often seen by outsiders as very simple but this is not the case and rowers are required to be very focused on what they are doing not only on race day but at every training session, focusing on every single stroke

LOOK AT XAVIER GO!

OUR SOFTBALL STAR ON THE RISE!

Meet the latest Penrith Valley Sports Foundation Junior Sports Star Winner, OUR Softballer.

The Western Weekender, in their latest March edition, detail the achievements and accomplishments for our WSAS Softball NSW Athlete Xavier Lachat His achievements thus far have been exceptional across New South Wales, and representing his Local Government Area Penrith City Council

Labelled Penrith Valley’s Sports Foundation Junior Sports Star Winner, Xavier Lachat continues to make it to the big stage and is determined to continue striving to the highest level.

For more details, please visit the Western Weekender’s online publication linked here and pay attention to page 69 for the spiel on Xavier

LONESTAR X PENRITH PANTHERS X HRDKAW

A PARTNERSHIP READY TO EXCEL!

We have an exciting cohort of 22 talented young local Western Sydney athletes who will benefit from their involvement in our educational and personal development services, and the provision of financial support by the Panthers Leagues Club in the administration of our Lone Star program.

Panthers Leagues Club is a strongly established community oriented Club in the western Sydney and broader Sydney metropolitan region, and seeks to implement effective business strategies through engaging the local community and stakeholders

A big thank you to Panthers Leagues Club for providing us with the financial support and the relationship created to help us deliver our great Lone Star Program

Another big thank you to Melissa and Josh Wu from HrdKaw, who have not only previously been an Athlete Ambassador with us at the Academy but who have helped us deliver our Lone Star program for 2022/2023

The support provided has helped the Academy with supporting our Athletes with the delivery of our important Education Seminars, Athlete Uniforms and Academy Events

The purpose of these relationships is to ensure that the Athletes of Western Sydney are seeking to enhance their skills and knowledge within their chosen sports and to provide them with a pathway development.

INTER ACADEMY GOLF CAMP

AT TWIN CREEKS GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB ⬆

We had the opportunity to host an Inter Academy 2 day Golf Camp with South West Sydney Academy of Sport, thanks to our Academy partners, Twin Creeks Golf and Country Club, Jack Newton Junior Golf and The 19th Golf Driving Range

The athletes from our Academy enjoyed two full days of Training, Competitions, Drills and Education Sessions provided by Condor Performance and Green Golf Physio while enjoying the courses

A big thank you to our Academy Coaches, Brad Ward and David Zahra from The 19th Golf Driving Range, and Heath Canning from Jack Newton Junior Golf for all the preparation and help over the two days

PARTNER WITH US SECURE AN ATHLETES FUTURE IN SPORT ⬆

Do you know someone who would be interested in supporting the future generation of Athletes?

The Western Sydney Academy of Sport has a range of opportunities for companies and organisations to support the potential of our programs and their Athletes. The Western Sydney Academy of Sport have opportunities such as our Ambassador Program, which provides opportunities for local businesses and individuals to contribute a small level of support for our talented young athletes

Businesses and Individuals can become an Academy Ambassador through an annual contribution of $500 which enables them to establish a connection with one of the Academy’s athletes and develop a personal relationship, supporting them in their journey and progression along the development pathway. Businesses will also receive marketing benefits in return from the Academy

As a not-for-profit community-based organisation, all revenue generated by the Academy is applied to its program operations which directly benefit over 200 athletes each year. All funds raised from the hip will be applied to the provision of specific activities for the athletes

act now and become a part of securing the s and Sport.

Officer, Madeleine Haddad on 0429 434 940 or how to help the Academy and our Athletes

TO ALL OUR PARTNERS T H A N K Y O U

LET'S GROW

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