Athletics Australia – News – Under 17 squad heads home after big weekend in Canberra

Eighty-five up and coming athletes are today recovering from a bumper weekend in Canberra, with the nation’s capital playing host to the 2011 Under 17 Development Squad camp.

Spanning four days, the camp was held at the plentiful facilities of the Australian Institute of Sport and also welcomed more than 20 personal coaches for training program development sessions with Athletics Australia’s National Youth Event Coaches.

“The Under 17 squad is the first step in Athletics Australia’s National Junior Pathway and comprises those athletes we envisage as possible starters with the Australian Spark at the world junior championships and other junior squads like the Under 19 Talent Squad,” Sara Mulkearns, Athletics Australia Junior High Performance Manager said.

“The program has been a fixture of our pathway since 2006 and through ongoing consultation with the National Youth Event Coaches we have this year brought together the largest group ever and on the whole the ability of those involved was quite impressive.”

Athletes at the camp were split into their event groups for training, with the programs undertaken setup to assist in the development of their specific discipline.

These programs were accompanied by a presentation by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority, nutrition and recovery technique for international travel with Athletics Australia’s dieticians and physiotherapists as well as programs around goal setting and aspiring to be your best.

“The aim of the camp was to instil understanding around professionalism and preparation for competition on the world stage,” Mulkearns said.

“It’s about being able to deliver the best result you can when it counts – at an international championship.”

The highlight of the camp for many athletes, however, was a presentation by world championships bound athletes Melissa Breen and Regan Lamble.

Introducing athletes to the rigours of being a professional athlete, the duo discussed their experiences in the sport, the importance of a strong relationship with your coach, experience both with Athletics Australia programs and when travelling with an Australian team as well as stepping up into senior athletics ranks beyond junior participation.

“As always those athletes at the top of their game provided a wonderful example of where you can go with athletics – both Regan and Melissa highlight the great role models sport can provide and are a testament to both a positive attitude and a positive training environment.”

Athletics Australia’s National Junior Pathway now shifts its focus to the IAAF world youth championships, with seven athletes from the weekend’s program set to join a team of 29 in Lille (FRA) when competition commences on July 6, 2011.

Athletics Australia – News