Two programs operated by the Central Coast Academy of Sport (CCAS) find themselves in full swing during the October school holidays with the Greater Bank Netball program travelling to Orange to attend the Academy Challenge long weekend. This event will combine an inter-academy competition with an ‘enjoy the challenge’ integrated development aspect. Netball NSW coaches, selectors, and mentors will attend the event to observe, educate and upskill academy athletes, coaches and umpires. Twelve academies from across the state of NSW will be attending the event bringing close to 300 junior netballers together for the 3 day challenge. CCAS will also have three selected umpires tour with the squad, to further develop their officiating.
The Mingara One Swim Program under the watchful eye of Stephen Critoph are travelling to New Zealand to participate in the NZ Short Course Championships, to be held in Auckland. The Elite Swimming squad was introduced to provide a more complete pathway for top level swimmers now able to participate and train locally with some of the very best coaches available in the sport. The Elite Swim athletes were also introduced to state of the art software support through the use of an Athlete Monitoring System (AMS), where training load is monitored daily to ensure they are optimizing their chance of success in NZ.
Emily Burgess-Moore the Events Manager for the CCAS said of the pending tours: “These two programs are going to receive some outstanding benefits through participation at these events. The Orange Netball Tour was introduced last year and all the girls who are repeat athletes are really excited to be attending again. The Swim Tour to NZ is a first for the CCAS, we are thrilled to be able to make this opportunity happen. To be able to compete at an International Competition representing our region is something quite unique to the program. A very big thank you to both Greater Bank and Mingara One for their support to allow the CCAS to make these opportunities happen.”
Jess Morgan the Head Coach of the Greater Bank Netball Program said: “We are so excited about the tour to Orange this year. The squad have trained hard over the past couple of months and are well prepared for a competitive tournament. The athletes have individual goals they will work towards and the coaches are confident they can put out some great netball”
Stephen Critoph the Elite Squad Coach said: “We are looking forward to a great competition and an opportunity to grow and develop at our first International Meet. The boys will be competing for 5 days in a team environment away from family and will be exposed to skills they need to learn to be a part of a National Team.”
