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Program to kick off

This weekend will see the launch of the 2004 Edison Mission Energy Gippsland Sports Academy swimming program in Warragul.

By Gippsland Sports Academy - 21st July 2004 - Back to News

The swimming program is arguably the Academies most successful program and with the most difficult selection criteria. Athletes are to achieve National Championship qualification times and also compete at the National Championships.

Last year there were 14 athletes initially in the squad with former Traralgon swimmer Sam Ashby being offered an Academic / Swimming scholarship at Caulfield Grammar, Ashley Delaney accepting a swimming scholarship with Nunawading (which has been extended for 2004) and numerous other achievements recorded during the program. Multi Disability swimmer Lichelle Clarke has recently been selected to compete for Australia at the Paralympics in Athens, following the Olympic Games.

The 2004 program boasts the largest ever number of athletes for swimming, with 20 athletes offered scholarships for which they will receive expert coaching, sports science and support services sessions. Dr. Ralph Richards, Regional Program Manager from the Victorian Institute of Sport, will continue in his role as the Mentor / Head Coach and will be supported by local coaches Brian Ford (Traralgon), Michael Watson (Warragul), Geoff Peterson (Morwell) and John Katal (Bairnsdale). Each of the local Gippsland coaches has athletes in the squad.

The program will again provide strength and conditioning for the squad, underwater filming, stroke analysis, competitions as well as lactate and hydration testing to be performed by members of the VIS sports science team. This will assist athletes in all forms of their training, especially technique, pre-competition and recovery.

The program will run through to the National Championships in 2005. On top of the Academy sessions the athletes will continue to train with their local coaches devising their heavy training programs.

The Academy squad for 2004 will be: -

East Gippsland athletes:
Rohan Mofat

Wellington Shire:
Andrew Cameron
Emma Heath

West Gippsland athletes:
Sven Eriksson
Stephen Marks
Joel Minichello
Karley Cook (Neerim Sth)

Cardinia
Lichelle Clarke

Latrobe City athletes:
Elizabeth Bacchetti
Glen James Ferguson
Brenton Ford
Melissa Hopley
Caitie Mitchell
Andrew O’Connor
Jarrod Raun
Rhiannon Raun
Jeremy Saunders
Ben Smits
Abbie Stockdale

2004 looks to be a very exciting and action packed year for the Academy Swimming squad. However, we are still without a program sponsor for the program. The swimming program has been in the academy since its conception and is arguably the most successful with many of our athletes winning medals at Australian Championships and two members making the Athens Para-Olympic team. Without a program sponsor, the program will be unable to achieve all its objectives for 2004, therefore not giving these talented athletes the chance to excel to their full potential.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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