Australia Staging Swimming Camp to Find 2016 Olympic Talent

CANBERRA, Australia, September 28. THIRTY up-and-coming swimmers will descend on the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra this Sunday, to attend a six-day Talent Identification camp under the watchful eye of High Performance Youth Coach Vince Raleigh.

The group of 14 boys and 16 girls will undertake education and testing sessions focussing on skill acquisition, physiology, biomechanics, nutrition and psychology, to ensure each swimmer is given ample opportunities for growth and success in their swimming career.

The Talent Identification Camp follows a successful Road to Rio camp for our future Paralympic stars at this AIS this week which 18 athletes, nine men and women, aged 12-18 start their journey towards Rio in 2016.

An important component of the pathway to selection on senior Australian teams and elite performance, Raleigh says the camp is the next step for many of these young athletes.

“We've invited a wide range of athletes to the camp, not just those who have performed at the age group level, but some older ones as well,” said Raleigh.
“We have access to some fantastic facilities, coaches, and sport scientists at the AIS, and for these swimmers and coaches to get the chance to train here for a week, and learn what's required to make the next step, is invaluable at this stage of their swimming career.”

In a deliberate attempt to broaden the search for champion swimmers, this camp, unlike traditional talent identification camps, has no age limit, which will assist in providing a legacy of education, recognition and encouragement for a number of deserving coaches and swimmers across Australia.

Twenty-four-year-old Holly Barratt will be one of the older swimmers in attendance after showing potential at recent competitions including the Australian Short Course Championships earlier this month.

The West Australian picked up a bronze medal in the 50m backstroke in front of a home crowd in Perth and qualified for the finals of both the 100m freestyle and 100m backstroke events.

Among other attendees is six-time medallist from the 2012 Australian Age Championships in April, Tianni Gilmour from Queensland who will be looking to make the most of her time at the camp.

The 16-year-old will move straight from the camp into competition at the State Teams Short Course Championships, to be held at the AIS starting on Saturday 6 October.

The Pelican Waters swimmer will take on a demanding schedule as part of the Queensland team as she competes in the 100m and 200m breaststroke, the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke and the 200m and 400m individual medley events.

Fellow Queenslander and promising backstroke swimmer Robert Gerlach will also take on the camp and State Teams double, racing in the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke events as well as the 200m freestyle.

The 17-year-old, who won bronze in the 50m backstroke at the Australian Age Championships in Brisbane this year, also holds the State Teams record in the 14/15yrs boys 50m backstroke from 2010.

Sunday's camp will finish on Friday 5 October with the following athletes in attendance:

Name	                State	DOB
Celeste Astorino	VIC     7-Mar-95
Leah Bird	        NSW	26-Oct-93
Tayla Brunt	        QLD	30-Apr-96
Carla Buchanan	        QLD	31-Jul-95
Lily Collins	        VIC	11-Sep-95
Tianni Gilmour	        QLD	19-Feb-96
Emma Handley	        VIC	28-Feb-97
Lucy McJannett	        NSW	7-Apr-98
Emily Nicol	        VIC	22-Nov-93
Clare O'Rourke	        NSW	3-Jun-97
Emily Steer	        NSW	6-Dec-97
Emily Waddington	NSW	12-Jun-97
Sian Whittaker	        Vic	10-Aug-97
Leanne Wright	        NSW	24-Oct-94
Emily Zukic	        Vic	7-Apr-96
Nicholas Brown	        WA	8-Mar-96
Rory Brown	        QLD	3-Nov-96
Robert Gerlach	        NT	15-Nov-94
William	Harmsen	        TAS	6-Apr-95
Ryan Hore	        ACT	7-Jan-95
Isaac Jones	        Vic	16-May-95
Hamish Mcdougall	VIC	1-Nov-96
James Mckechnie	        SA	30-Jun-95
Jake Packard	        QLD	20-Jun-94
Ben Schafer	        NSW	21-Jun-95
Cameron	Tysoe	        ACT	20-Jun-96
Holly Barratt	        WA	1-Jan-88
Christina Licciardi	VIC	21-Sep-95
Lachlan	McLeish	        VIC	18-May-95
Joshua Zuill	        QLD	26-June-97

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World Magazine. It has been posted in its entirety without editing. Swimming World offers all outlets the chance to reach our audience by contacting us at Newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com. However, Swimming World reserves the right to choose what material is posted.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x