Talented Teens Athletics Top Target
As the athletics community gets set to witness Australia’s top track and field stars take on the 2011 domestic season, Athletics Australia’s high performance team has been hard at work preparing the next generation of athletes to carry the mantle for years to come.
Introduced alongside Athletics Australia’s National Pathways Program in 2011, the all-new Target Talent Program aims to support Australian athletes achieving world-class performances at a young age and those identified as possessing world-class potential, supporting the individual needs of the athletes to develop Australia’s junior talent pool into athletes in the senior ranks.
Under the leadership of Athletics Australia High Performance Manager Eric Hollingsworth and Target Talent Coordinator Rosie Ditton, the Target Talent Program aims to identify athlete talent and assist in athlete development, initiate professionalism in Target athletes and increase the number of Australian peak performance athletes.
The individualised, needs-assessed nature of the program sees the daily training environments of athletes in the upper tiers of the program assessed to ensure the necessary support is in place – including strength and conditioning and recovery resources – for athletes’ continuing development. The program encourages high performance partners – including state and national institutes and academies of sport – to work in close collaboration with Athletics Australia to support the training needs of the athletes.
The Target Talent Program comprises eight tiers and close to 100 athletes with an involvement in the program at some level, headed by WAIS Youth Olympic Games silver medallist and Commonwealth Games representative Liz Parnov (pole vault).
The program was launched last month with 14 Target athletes travelling to the North Island of New Zealand to take part in a nine-day international experience tour, featuring three meets on the New Zealand domestic season calendar; the Sylvia Potts Classic in Hastings, Cooks Classic in Palmerston North and Capital Classic in Wellington.
With a total of 12 personal best performances – including four to Victorian shot putter Damien Birkinhead – and two world youth qualifying performances, the touring athletes were quick to show their future potential on the senior international stage.
On tour, coaches Matt Beckenham (track) and WAIS field expert Grant Ward ran through video analysis of the athletes’ performances to assist with their daily training and implemented practices pertinent to competing on international teams.
Throughout 2011 athletes involved in the tour of New Zealand will take part in four one-week intensive training camps with an Athletics Australia high performance coach specific to their event, along with their personal coach.
Also in the weeks ahead, event-based camps will be held for athletes competing in 400m hurdles, 4x100m relays and 4x400m relays events, all targeted areas in the high performance plan.
With a busy few months on the calendar for Athletics Australia’s junior high performance team, Target Talent athletes will be out in force across the Australian Athletics Tour, Australian Junior Athletics Championships and as proud and passionate members of the Australian Flame in the years ahead.
– Athletics Australia