As the sun sets on this the 31st year of the Illawarra Academy of Sport, we reflect on the achievements of the Academy and our athletes over the past 12-months with admiration, pride and a sense of accomplishment.
Throughout 2016 the IAS made a number of significant improvements to the various sport programs delivered and as a result has further enhanced the sport development experience for its scholarship athletes.
The IAS once again assembled an extremely talented group of coaches and managers to facilitate the delivery of our ten sport programs. Quality coaching is paramount for the technical and tactical development of our athletes.
In 2016 the IAS provided disabled regional athletes with an elite pathway to State and National representative levels. Special acknowledgment must go to The Disability Trust for their investment and assistance with the delivery of this program.
2016 was a fantastic year for the IAS with 165 athletes graduating from ten sports programs covering 21 various sports. The sports programs included Cricket, Cycling, Golf, Lawn Bowls, Hockey, Netball, Rugby Sevens, Triathlon, LoneStar and Athletes with a Disability.
The IAS has further entrenched itself in the local community with a number of community based initiatives undertaken by staff and athletes, including the support and participation of the BaiMed 100 100’s raising funds for The Disability Trust, The Salvation Army’s Red Shield Appeal, Ride-4-Rotary raising funds for under privileged youth in the Illawarra and the Pleds, Probs & Personalities raising awareness for Suicide Prevention Australian. Additionally, numerous scholarship holders provided coaching and officiating assistance to the various clubs and associations across the region.
The IAS attended the ClubsNSW Academy Games on the Central Coast with over sixty-five athletes and twelve coaches competing across four sports competitions including Golf, Hockey, Netball and Triathlon. The IAS would like to acknowledge Premier Transport Group for their support of our squad in the provision of transport to and from the games.
We would like to acknowledge and thank the following organisations for their commitment to supporting the Academy and therefore the regions talented young athletes in their pursuit of sporting excellence. MCT Solutions, Print Media and Par-Tee Virtual Golf.
In addition, we would also like to acknowledge the recent partnership with Jett Fitness, which will add significant value to the scholarship experience for 2017 athletes.
These community minded local organisations joined our existing Partners who maintained their support to the Academy, These included the Office of Sport – Sport & Recreation, Platinum Sponsor Collegians RLFC, Major Event Sponsor Southern Phone, Education Partner the University of Wollongong Australia, Council Partners Kiama Municipal Council, Shellharbour City Council, Shoalhaven City Council, Wingecarribee Shire Council, Wollongong City Council, Gold Sponsors BlueScopeWIN Community Partners, Silver Sponsors the Illawarra Mercury, Big Fat Smile & BaiMed, Bronze Sponsors Hume Coal, Cram Fluid Power, Aceit Sportswear and Program partners Peoplecare, Premier Transport Group, Choice Home Loans, Soto Consulting Engineers, and The Disability Trust.
2016 also saw the consolidation of the IAS’s relationship with the University of Wollongong Australia through a number of initiatives established for mutual benefit. These included the integration of exercise science rehabilitation and exercise prescription students with the IAS resistance training program, the alignment of UOW Science, Medicine and Health faculty with the IAS through the undertaking of numerous research projects. It’s a partnership that will continue to strengthen throughout the 2016 Scholarship year with the IAS recently partnering with the newly created International Bachelor of Science degree as well as the inclusion of the In-2-UNI education module into our scholarship education curriculum.
The IAS takes great pride in the outstanding achievements of our athletes, past and present, and like previous years, 2016 provided numerous highlights including:
Chloe Heffernan – 1 Gold, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze at the U19 Oceania Track Championships
Courtney Buchanan – A Bronze Medal at the South East Asian & Pacific Fencing Championships
Maddy Eaton – Achieved the highest honour for her age in Netball being selected in the Under 17’s Australian Netball Squad at the age of 15. Maddy has also been awarded a NSW Institute of Sport Scholarship for 2016/2017.
Abby Holmes – Selection in the Australian Rugby Union’s National Youth Rugby 7’s Development Squad.
Lucy Cliff – NSW All Schools Triathlon State Champion and selected into the NSW Triathlon Emerging Talent Squad for 2016/2017.
Thomas Dolby – Selected in the Hockey NSW Accelerated Athlete Program and subsequently the NSW U18’s Men’s Hockey Team
Matthew Hearne – Selected in the Open Australian Pararoos Paralympic Football Team
Mitchell Wright – 3 Gold at the Australian Junior Track Cycling Championships
In 2016 the IAS was well represented at the Rio Olympic Games with seven graduates competing across three sports. IAS Olympians in 2016 included Emma McKeon (gold medallist), David McKeon, Jarrod Poort, Blake Govers, Grace Stewart, Madeline Hills (nee Heiner) and Ryan Gregson.
We would like to acknowledge and thank all the national, state and local associations who support our programs and therefore our athletes. We would also like to thank our extremely dedicated, passionate and talented coaches, managers, education consultants and the various other volunteers who allow us to continually achieve great results both on and off the field.
The IAS is extremely proud of what we have achieved in 2016 and is excited about the challenges and opportunities that await us in 2017.
Finally, on behalf of the Board, Staff, Coaches and Athletes we would like to wish you and your family all the joy, hope and happiness this Christmas and for a safe and prosperous 2017.
