After the Illawarra Academy of Sport’s new Swimming Program commenced in recent months, last weekend saw the region’s future top swimmers participate in the Program’s first camp. The IAS Swimming Program is run in conjunction with South Eastern Swimming Association, South East Sports Academy and Swimming NSW, with a heavy emphasis on developing coaches.
The athlete and coach Swimming Camp was the first official session for the new squad and was a great start for the program. 21 athletes and 6 coaches engaged in range of theory and practical sessions at the University of Wollongong, in both group and individual settings.
The participants had access to four industry experts, enabling a fantastic environment for knowledge sharing and learning. These leading experts – David Pyne, swimming physiologist; Derek Panchuk, skill acquisition; David Pease, biomechanics; and Jodie Hirst, nutrition – shared their diverse knowledge to the athletes and coaches to enhance all areas of their development.
“Everyone would have left the camp having improved knowledge that will lead to improved performance in the pool for the athletes,” Athlete, Coach and Program Manager, Dane Robinson said.
The squad was selected following each athlete’s qualification to compete at the Australian Age Championships earlier in the year, with the program goal to take them from qualifying for Nationals to finishing in the top 10. The Swimming Program will hold another two camps in the lead up to the 2020 Nationals, where the athletes and coaches can continue to fine tune their technique and training methods through the utilisation of the biomechanics, swimming physiology and skill acquisition techniques.
