Academy News - Edition 1

Athletes Meet the Mayor Local Fairfield athletes meet with Mayor Frank Carbone, Local Parramatta athletes meet Lord Mayor Bob Dwyer and Deputy Lord Mayor Michelle Garrard and local Hills athletes meet Mayor Dr Michelle Byrne

2021 Academy Games Re-cap Read about how our athletes went over the two days in the Hunter Region

New Programs Underway Our 2021 BMX Program kicks off while Volleyball is getting ready to start

2021

ACADEMY

Athlete Spotlight We talk to Triathlete Ella-Kate Hussein on her 2021 achievements

NEWS

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FIRST

EDITION

WSAS News Welcome to the first edition of WSAS News.

This magazine was created by the Western Sydney Academy of Sport for the greater western Sydney community.

We hope you enjoy all the latest news, athlete insights, events, sponsor information and community engagement that this magazine strives to showcase.

Penrith Bluebet Stadium, 143 Station Street, Penrith 2750 (02) 4732 4977 www.wsas.com.au

Yes it's interactive!

ACADEMY NEWS

From the CEO

How Good is Sport?!

Given the outstanding support we have received from our key stakeholders throughout the entire COVID-19 pandemic, including the NSW Government, our eight local Councils, our State Sporting Organisation partners and our corporate partners, I just have to say “HOW GOOD IS SPORT!?”

Our program coaching staff, our athletes and their families have also been of tremendous support and have demonstrated their hunger and commitment to ensuring our programs continue to deliver across our key operational platforms.

Unfortunately there were some losses sustained with our programs, with our AFL junior development program and our highly successful AFL Girls program unable to continue due to loss of capacity by the SSO. However the Academy is well positioned to increase our sport coverage, scholarship opportunities and coach development initiatives for our Western Sydney athletes and coaches, with some exciting programs either just underway or close to commencement for BMX Riding, Volleyball and Rugby Union.

Our programs continue to focus on the platforms of technical, educational and personal development and are delivered by accredited staff at some of the region’s best venues.

I am looking forward to the many opportunities we will provide for athletes, family and our Academy staff to interact not just through our training sessions, but with a number of our marketing and communications activities such as Civic Receptions, sponsor introductions and media opportunities.

MARTIN BULLOCK CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Regional Academies of Sport Host Sport Summit The Regional Academies of Sport (RAS) have hosted a growth strategy meeting between the many State Sporting Organisations (SSO’s), the NSW State Government and the Office of Sport. In what was a critical meeting for the State’s future sporting stars in NSW, the RAS network facilitated a meeting where the strategy around developing talent pathways in regional NSW was a cornerstone outcome from the meeting.

The RAS is made up of nine member Academies including Central Coast, Hunter, Illawarra, North Coast, Northern Inland, Western Region, Southern, South West Sydney and Western Sydney, as well as two Academies operated by the NSW Government via the Office of Sport, the South East Sports Academy and Far West Academy of Sport. This meeting was hosted by the Illawarra Academy of Sport (IAS) – the first Regional Academy established some 36 years ago in Wollongong. Before the meeting took place John Armstrong, CEO of the IAS commented “we are pretty excited to host such a crucial conference in the place where it all began.

The potential to mark the next step in the growth of Regional Academies through this conference is a realistic prospect”.

When you consider the effects COVID-19 had on sport in 2020 anything that drives the debate around considering greater efficiencies across the sports network should be considered in full. The RAS network is ideally placed to be leading the discussion on building a more robust athlete development system for regional NSW that delivers key outcomes for the sporting organisations in this State.

Ian Robilliard OAM the Chair of the RAS said prior to the meeting: “This meeting was actually planned for the same time last year but as COVID hit everything went into hibernation. So it’s exciting that RAS is able to facilitate a meeting with thirty CEO’s from the various State Sporting Organisation’s with RAS taking a lead on the debate around creating efficiencies in the very regions we operate. In business the concept of Always Be Connecting Dot’s holds true for sport. The ABCD for sport remains very high on the RAS agenda, we can’t and shouldn’t be working in silos and RAS is planning on addressing this theme during the conference.”

Robilliard continued, “The ultimate call to action will be greater engagement across the sport network with RAS. The work RAS does daily in pre-elite athlete development space is critical throughout regional NSW. This is exciting times for RAS, our relevance and our importance has grown considerably in recent years and to be able to facilitate such a meeting is important for our collective group of organisations.”

NEW SPORTS PROGRAMS UNDERWAY

BMX

The Academy’s very first BMX Development program technical session is being held on Saturday 5 June at Sydney BMX Club, Homebush.

In partnership with AusCycling, the program will provide development opportunities for athletes in the areas of technical skill, education and personal development, preparing athletes for the next level of elite sport representation.

Volleyball

The Academy’s new Volleyball Program will provide quality athlete development opportunities for talented young athletes in the western Sydney region.

In partnership with Volleyball NSW, the program provides development opportunities for athletes in the areas of technical skill, education and personal development, preparing athletes for the next level of elite sport representation.

The program is set to be held from June to September at Netball Central.

The full program will include approximately 24 hours of court activity, 8 hours of strength and conditioning, and 8 hours of athlete education (with topics such as nutrition, psychology and preparation).

On court components will be delivered by VNSW endorsed and accredited coaches. Strength and conditioning and athlete education components will be delivered by RASi endorsed and accredited coaches and presenters.

Athletes were selected from different clubs across western Sydney including Blue Mountains BMX Club, Castle Hill BMX Club, Hawkesbury Hornets BMX Club, Penrith BMX Club and Sydney BMX Club.

Congratulations to athletes selected in the squad including Milan Bradshaw, Amelia Clare, AJ Donald, Danielle Fleming, Nicola Fleming, Ethan Geelan, Charlie Masters, Baylee Page, Kasy Salib and Cooper Thompson.

We are excited to kick off the first season with these talented athletes and can’t wait to see how they develop over the next year.

Athlete Spotlight Triathlete Ella-Kate Talented young triathlete Ella-Kate Hussein is in her first year with the Western Sydney Academy of Sport and has had a hugely successful start to 2021!

Ella started off the year competing at the Panthers Tri Club Duathlon in January where she came first in the female super sprint.

In February, she competed in the Swimming NSW State Open Water Championship securing 9th place in the female division and qualifying for Nationals. She placed 5th in the junior female overall division at the Triathlon NSW Ritchie Walker Aquathlon and the following day competed at the Surf Life Saving Australia Shark Island Open Water Swim coming 4th in the 1km elite female and 5th in the 2.3km elite female. Ella came 2nd (female) at the Panthers Tri Club Triathlon and 3rd in the female overall sprint (all ages) at the Sparke Helemore Newcastle City Triathlon. She finished off the month coming 17th in the under 19 female and 5th NSW athlete at the Triathlon Australia ITU Elite and Junior Australian Championship In March, Ella competed at the Hills Triathlon Club Triathlon, placing 3rd in the 16-19 junior female division and the Swimming Australia National Open Water Championships placing 22nd in the female 16-19 years division.

More recently, at the 2021 Your Local Club Academy Games Ella placed third in the overall junior race and was the fastest female junior athlete for the weekend, finishing 10th overall. Ella’s relay team placed third in the overall senior mixed team relay and Ella had the fastest female splits for the youth and junior relay and the fastest swim (male and female) for the weekend.

YOUR LOCAL CLUB ACADEMY GAMES

Golf

Netball

WSAS has always showcased strong netball teams at the Academy Games and this year was no exception. With 25 players and 3 Umpires attending the Games, the Academy presented teams in – Division 1 and Division 2. On both days the girls displayed excellent skill, coordination and teamwork. A special congratulations to Isabella Degei from Division 1 and Olivia Harris from Division 2 who were both awarded Most Valuable Player at the conclusion of the Games. Umpires Jacinta Tui was awarded her National B Badge and Chelsea Sutton was awarded her National C Badge.

The Academy saw six of its talented young golfers compete at the Academy Games. Playing at two tricky courses, Horizons Resort at Salamander Bay and Charlestown Golf Club, and up against some tough competition the boys worked hard and never gave up.

The WSAS-2 team, made up of Coby Carruthers, Harry Daniels and Blake Hodges came first in the team event and up against 50 other golfers, the whole squad came home with fantastic individual results. Special mention goes to Vidur Subramaniam who came in second place in the Overall Gross Boys and Harry Daniels who came in second place in the Overall Nett Boys.

Triathlon

The triathlon tournament took place at Cams Wharf with 12 Academy athletes in attendance. This was a fantastic weekend of racing with each athlete working hard and displaying incredible talent and stamina. Saturday was when all of the individual races took place and all of our athletes came home with great results – special congratulations to Hannah Roots who came second in the Female Youth race, Ella-Kate Hussein who came third in the Female Junior race and Casper Larkin who came second in the Male Junior race. Sunday saw our athletes compete in the Mixed Relay races where Hannah roots was a member of the Property Development Insights NSW Youth team that placed first in the RASI Youth Mixed Team Relay Championships and Ella-Kate Hussein, Jackson Connell, Leila Dickson and Kyle Farrier who were in the WSAS Blue team that placed third in the RASI Junior Mixed Team Relay Championships. Triathlon Australia also took advantage of the event as a chance to run their Triathlon Australia Mixed Team Relay Youth National Championships where Hannah Roots came in second place with her team – Property Development Insights NSW Youth.

ATHLETE AND COUNCIL ENGAGEMENT

City of Parramatta Council Last Thursday afternoon, four of our talented athletes local to the Parramatta area had the opportunity to meet City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Cr Bob Dwyer and Deputy Lord Mayor Cr Michelle Garrard. Golf athlete Vidur Subramanian, softball athlete Rachael Dunk and two of our Lone Star athletes – Harrison Knight (karate) and Phoenix Edwards (judo) – attended the event and spoke about their training schedules, achievements and goals.

Cr Dwyer commented on meeting the athletes “We have so many talented sportspeople in Parramatta who represent our City at an elite level. I was proud to meet with young athletes who are members of the Western Sydney Academy of Sport (WSAS) alongside Deputy Lord Mayor Cr Michelle Garrard on Thursday 29 April. Council is proud to support WSAS to provide Western Sydney’s next generation of sports stars with the best training and development programs in the country.”

The support the Academy receives from City of Parramatta Council is critical in enabling us to help prepare Parramatta’s most promising young athletes for the elite levels of sport. The ongoing support that the Council has given us for the past 16 years is greatly appreciated.

Fairfield City Council On Thursday 8 April, Fairfield City Mayor Frank Carbone met with nine talented young local athletes from the Western Sydney Academy of Sport.

Meeting at Fairfield Showground, athletes from sports including Cycling, Netball, Netball Umpiring and Softball spoke with the Mayor and were able to share their sporting achievements, commitments and goals.

The Academy’s athletes – all local residents – were Felicia Aoina (Netball), Baylee Brgudac (Netball Umpire), Lexis Kaleti (Netball), Riley McGettigan (Softball), Charniah Shepherd (Netball), Isaac Silva (Cycling), Joshua Tierney (Softball), Lauryn-Val Tovia (Netball), Lindsay Tui (Netball) and Jacinta Tui (Netball Umpire).

Mayor Frank Carbone commented that “We have so many talented sportspeople in Fairfield City and a long history of men and women representing us at the elite level.

“That’s why we support the Western Sydney Academy of Sport to provide our current young athletes the best chance to succeed.”

Academy CEO Martin Bullock also commented “Our Academy focuses on preparing athletes for the elite levels of sport, and we greatly appreciate the support that Fairfield City Council provides for its local athletes. It is critical in enabling us to offer these vital services for Fairfield’s most promising young athletes”.

The Hills Shire Council Mayor of The Hills Shire, Dr Michelle Byrne, congratulated 19 young sporting stars from the Western Sydney Academy of Sport (WSAS) during a ceremony on Wednesday, June 2.

The local athletes have been a part of the Academy of Sport’s 2020/21 program which includes developmental training courses to help up-and-coming athletes residing in western Sydney to reach their full potential in their respective sport, including golf, cycling, netball, softball, BMX riding and so much more.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to recognise some of our most talented young athletes” Mayor Byrne said.

“I would like to congratulate these athletes for their incredible hard work and effort in reaching their current elite level. They have achieved so much and I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds for them.

“I would also like to thank The Western Sydney Academy of Sport for all the work they do to help these rising stars to achieve their dreams,” Mayor Byrne added.

Western Sydney Academy of Sport Chief Executive Officer Martin Bullock said the Council has been a foundation supporter of the Academy for 17 years.

“This partnership has proven highly rewarding for young local athletes,” he said, adding “We are greatly appreciative for the wonderful relationship we have.”

The Academy’s programs are targeted at pre-elite athletes, who demonstrate skill and talent with the goal of progressing within their discipline.

The Academy aims to develop athletes into outstanding sports citizens by way of technical skill development, athlete education and personal development.

WSAS Athletes with Clr Reena Jethi, Clr Brooke Collins OAM, Clr Elizabeth Russo, Clr Dr Peter Gangemi and Mayor Dr Michelle Byrne Photography by Kess Media

Softball Athletes Named PVSF Sports Stars Over the last two months, two of our talented softball athletes Ciara Saunby and Brad McCarthy have been named Penrith Valley Sports Foundation Junior Sports Stars of the Month!

Ciara has been a Penrith City Softball Representative player since she was 7 years old and has played in the following age groups: Teeball, U13’s, U14’s, U15’s, U16’s and U18’s.

She represented Sydney West in 2017 and 2018, winning the competition in 2017.

In 2018, Ciara was selected for the NSW U12’s Invitational Team travelling to Japan, to play their school competition over 10 days.

In 2019, Ciara was selected to attend the Hills Sports High School talented sports program for softball. That year she also played in the Blacktown International Sports Challenge playing against teams from Japan and New Zealand. She was selected again to compete in 2020 but unfortunately due to Covid-19, the event did not go ahead.

At the start of 2020, Ciara played for the NSW Metro Green Team, winning the National Championship.

Ciara was also a member of the 2021 New South Wales U16 girls State Squad.

Fifteen-year-old Brad McCarthy is a softball athlete competing for the Penrith District Softball Association since 2013.

Some of his recent achievements include being selected in the NSW Combined Catholic Schools Team and the NSW Metro Team. He was selected to compete at the Blacktown Junior International Challenge which unfortunately didn’t go ahead due to COVID-19.

In 2019, 2020 and 2021 Brad was selected in the Penrith U16s Representative team and in 2020 the Penrith U18s Representative team.

Most recently Brad was selected in the New South Wales 2021 Under 16s Boys Squad.

Both Brad and Ciara have been members of the Western Sydney Academy of Sport since 2019.

REGIONAL ACADEMIES OF SPORT... DID YOU KNOW?

The Regional Academies of Sport across NSW provide a pathway to assist talented young athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers achieve their personal and sporting potential through providing holistic development programs within their home regions.

Collectively, Regional Academies identified 3,286 talented young athletes in 2020, with scholarships provided to 2,498 athletes across NSW (56% Female and 44% Male). These athletes participated in a total of 113 talent development programs across a range of 27 different sports.

A total of 380 coaches were engaged in Regional Academy programs, and a total of 674 volunteers were involved – equating to some 187 full-time employment positions.

In the current Olympic cycle, 34 athletes transitioned through Regional Academy programs – and 41% of Australia’s total Olympic Medal Count at the RIO 2016 Olympics came from Regional Academy Alumni!

Economically, an independent assessment of the Regional Academies’ contribution to the State’s economy shows a value of $69.2 million, providing a return on investment rate of 28:1 for the State Government.

Sydney West Sports Medicine is a leading sports medicine and rehabilitation clinic in the Western Sydney region. Conveniently located within the renowned Sydney Gymnastics and Aquatic Centre at Rooty Hill, our team has access to a range of excellent facilities allowing us to provide superior services to improve the health, wellbeing and sporting abilities of athletes, injured workers and everyday individuals in the local community.

With world class facilities and experienced Practitioners, Sydney West Sports Medicine is proud to offer a range of high-quality treatments for injury rehabilitation, sports performance and health management. Our wide range of services includes Physiotherapy, Exercise Physiology, Sports Medicine, Dietetics and Nutritional Advice, Orthopaedic Specialists, Occupational Health, Massage Therapy, Chiropractic and Podiatry.

Our professional team combined with our evidence-based approach makes Sydney West Sports Medicine the best location to receive effective, individualised and holistic treatment.

Online Booking’s available www.swsm.com.au

Exclusive WSAS Member Offer! Vivid 2021 Packages On Sale now at Elite Travel!

Prices start from $299*pp twin share. Conditions Apply* subject to availability at the time of booking Packages can be tailor made to suit your needs.

Sales until 20 August 2021 unless sold out prior.

Click here for more details.

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