The NTID Canoeing Newsletter SEPT 2010

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1 The NTID Canoeing Newsletter Welcome to Paddle Prattle, the NTID Canoeing Newsletter. This newsletter contains updates on the current happenings within the NTID Canoeing Program. Feedback or input for the newsletter can be directed to or Regards, Elissa and Sam. NTID Kayakers Get a Taste for International Competition Congratulations to the NTID athletes who have recently returned from tours with the Australian Junior, U23/Emerging and Senior Teams. The 2010 Australian Junior Team saw NTID athletes Nicholas Bolton, Alyce Burnett, Heleena Ethell, Matthew Gilliman and Kellen Mills compete at the International Ruhr Regatta in Bochum, Germany from the 18th 20th June and the Auronzo International Regatta in Italy on the 26th 27th June. Alyce Burnett created history by being the first Australian female to win a gold medal at a Junior International Regatta. Alyce went on to amass a second gold medal at the Bochum regatta and four additional medals in Italy. Alyce took up kayaking two years ago from a surf life saving background and trains with Peter Petho on the Sunshine Coast. NTID representatives on the U23/Emerging Team included Mitchell Crow, Zsolt Dallos, Rachel Dickinson, Christie Pickup and Glenn Wilkinson. With the exception of Christie, all paddlers were on their first Australian kayaking team tour with most only having recently commenced paddling in 2008 (Rachel and Glenn) and 2009 (Mitchell). The (cont..) TOP Alyce and Hailey in the K2 Photo by Balint Vekassy (ICF) MIDDLE Competition preparation in Europe BOTTOM Gold medal presentation on the U23 & Emerging Team Tour 1 The NTID Canoeing Newsletter

2 (cont..) team competed in a range of events including the Hungarian National Championships, a local Italian competition in Mergozzo and the Auronzo International Regatta in Italy which saw the majority of the team come home with a swag of medals. Alyce Burnett, Naomi Flood and Hailey McGinty were selected on their first senior Australian team this year after transferring to kayaking from surf life saving between one (Naomi) and two (Alyce and Hailey) years ago. Together with veteran NTID paddler, Chris Alagich, the senior athletes performed well throughout strong competition at the World Cups with Alyce, Hailey and Chris continuing in Europe to compete at the 2010 World Championships held in Poland from the 19th 22nd August. New NTID/Canoeing Victoria Squad Announced Following a two month trial period throughout which the new Melbourne recruits have learned the front end of a kayak from the back, how to stay upright in a K1 and just how purple your extremities can go in a Melbourne winter, the final squad has been named. From the trial group of 29 athletes, the top 17 athletes have been selected in the final squad to continue development of their kayaking skills and fitness. Congratulations athletes who have been named in the NTID/CV Squad. NTID/CV Squad Members: Jarrad Campbell Virginia Carlton Kieren Carson Arielle Cathcart Madeline Hurst Emma Kieran Mitchell Pope James Porter Nat Salih Jakem Scira Danielle Silvester Jessica Silvester Andrew Snowden Lachlan Stock Bridget Tribe Nathalie Walkington Tomas Watson The NTID/CV squad have already commenced competition in local events to familiarise themselves with kayak racing. Coach, Peter Gargiulo, organised a squad camp at Angelsea in August at which the athletes trained on the flatwater and in the surf (and on surf boards!), prepared training diaries and learnt about nutrition, kayak design and boat maintenance. Special guest, four-time Marathon Kayaking World Champion John Jacoby talked with the athletes about what it takes to get to the top. We look forward to welcoming the squad to their first experience with National competition when some of the athletes compete at GP1 in December. Four time World Marathon Kayaking Champion, John Jacoby, met with the NTID/CV squad Slalom National Talent Squad Produces Two Junior World Titles On the second weekend in July 2010, the work of the Slalom National Talent Squad (NTS) was put to the test. The Junior World Championships were hosted by the French Canoe Federation in the town of Foix in the Pyrenees Mountains. Jessica Fox claimed two gold medals in a weekend of powerful paddling to produce by far the best ever Australian junior canoe slalom team performance. Jessica takes out her second title in C1. Photo by Colin Burrows The seven paddlers representing Australia are all members of the NTS slalom squad; the major highlight was the double gold medal performance of Jessica Fox, winning both the LK1 and LC1 events. 2 The NTID Canoeing Newsletter

3 (cont.) Ali Borrows also had fantastic results with a fourth in the LC1 and 26th in her LK1 event. Jessica and Ali teamed up with Maggie Webster to take 7th in the team s event. In the men s K1 event Andrew Eckhardt qualified for the semi final and placed 34th, Tim Anderson was 48th and Seb Ewing 44th. In the men s C1 event Reilly Edwards placed 36th and Andrew Eckhardt 51st. Jessica Fox and four other members of this team are only 16 years old and so they are young enough to represent Australia in junior teams for another two years. The future is bright. Peter Eckhardt, NTS Coach/Coordinator Athlete in the Spotlight Matt Urquhart Matt in seat 2 at the 2010 World Championships Photo by Balint Vekassy (ICF) RIGHT Matt on his first Australian team tour in 2008 We first met Matt in 2006 when he made the trek down from his home town of Rockhampton to the Gold Coast to take part in NTID kayak testing. Matt relocated from Rocky to commence with the senior NTID squad based at the Gold Coast AIS in From a non-kayaking background, Matt made quick progress to be selected on his first Australian U23 team in 2008, followed by selection on the Australian senior team in both 2009 and What paddling experience did you have before joining the NTID kayaking program? Before joining the NTID kayaking program I had virtually no experience in kayaking. I d come from a surf lifesaving and swimming background. When I was 8 or 9 Dad used to take me down the river on Sundays and try to get me in the K2 with him. Back then I can t say I really liked it that much, think I only lasted 4 or 5 times before I managed to bail out! I m glad things changed! What sparked your interest in applying to join an elite development squad for kayaking? When the opportunity for NTID came round for kayaking I jumped at it. I d become more involved with ski paddling at the surf club and was ready for a new challenge. One of the guys at the club said he d seen an ad for the Kayaking Talent Identification try outs, I looked into it and decided to sign up. The chance at living the Olympic dream was a big motivator and my dad used to be involved with kayaking, so it just made sense to give it a proper go! What has been the most challenging part of your kayaking career so far? At the end of my first season (06/07) I was forced to undergo a shoulder reconstruction. It was a very sobering experience and made me realise what I wanted and how much I really wanted it. Overcoming the injury and getting myself fit enough to be selected in my first National U23 team was a big challenge. And the highlight so far? Major highlights would be my first selection in the National Men s team and competing at my first world championships in Canada. We didn t end up getting the results we wanted but the experience and build up really blew me away. How do you keep busy when you are not in a kayak? I work as an Mechanical Engineer for a Mining Company based here on the Gold Coast, so that takes up a lot of my time during the week. I m a member of Tugun SLSC so always try to get down there to paddle my surf ski whenever I can. I ve also recently taken up surfing, I am completely useless at it but love getting out there and having a crack! What do you hope the future holds for you, kayaking wise? My focus at the moment is on this year s world championships in Poland. I m in the K4 1000m with Tate Smith, Jacob Clear and Murray Stewart and we re pushing for a finish well within the top 10 this year. It s important for us to setup a good base for next year s Olympic qualifications. Long term I want to be one of the four blokes on the start line for the Men s K4 1000m at the London Olympics. Since this interview Matt competed in the K4 at the 2010 World Championships in Poland together with another former NTID athlete, Jacob Clear, finishing 5th. This placing represents Australia s best result in this event in more than a decade. Well done, boys! 3 The NTID Canoeing Newsletter

4 Rapid Recruits Shine at Victorian School Championships As the Melbourne based Rapid Recruits slalom program nears the end of Phase 2, and prepares to launch into selection for Phase 3, the athletes were able to measure their progress at the Victorian Schools Championships last weekend. Water levels were the highest in 10 years and the Championships at Warrandyte on the Yarra River was a great success with 22 Rapid Recruits entering the event, coming away with 6 Gold, 4 Silver, and 7 Bronze medals. These talented year old kids entered the program just under a year ago in October of 2009 and have been training 3 times a week on the Yarra during school terms, and also attended a number of focussed weekend training camps on the more challenging rapids of the Goulburn River (two hours drive from Melbourne). As we enter the summer racing season the Rapid Recruits will be preparing for some good results at the Victorian State Titles in November and the Nationals in January. Warwick Draper, Rapid Recruits Coach/Coordinator NTID/Canoeing WA Squad Finalised and Descending the Avon River The Perth squad underwent physical testing on the 23rd August at the University of Western Australia (UWA) where many of the athletes significantly improved their bench pull and chin up results. Also attending this testing session were a few athletes who joined the squad in May and were completing their 3 month review. The following athletes now make up the NTID/CWA squad, welcome to the NTID family: Shannon, Liam, Nick and Bryce about to start the Junior Avon NTID/CWA Squad Members: Todd Brewer Bryce Pongratz Kylie Broad Liam Quick Declan Clancy-Lowe Shannon Reynolds James Gatti Alana Robertson David Graham Jean-Pierre Schaillee Mitchell Jenkinson Liam Thompson Raia Killen Nicholas Wagstaff Jaymee Lee Martin Nicholas Wroe Eloise Moody (on trial) Several members of the NTID/Canoeing WA squad competed in the Avon Descent held in Perth on the 7th and 8th August. The Avon Descent is a two day, 134km race where the water conditions range from flat water to rapids. The water levels were extremely low and this made the race very long and tiring however the three NTID/CWA squad athletes finished the race with great results: James Gatti - 3rd in the doubles David Graham - 3rd in the single plastic ski, 13th single craft Declan Clancy-Lowe - 16th team of 2 In addition to the main race, four athletes also competed in the Junior Avon which is raced over 16km. Liam Quick was 1st, Nick Wagstaff 4th and Bryce Pongratz 6th in the male division and Shannon Reynolds was 1st in the female division. Congratulations to all of the NTID/CWA athletes who competed! Mitch models his, Kylie s and Shannon s new kayaks 4 The NTID Canoeing Newsletter

5 Good Genes and Surf Life Saving Pedigree Produce Promising Athletes Training on the Sunshine Coast Word-of-mouth power has stirred up interest from potential kayak paddlers in Queensland to express an interest in joining the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast NTID squads. Brothers, sisters, and surf club friends of current NTID paddlers have recently undergone NTID testing in a bid for selection into the squad. Good genes and in many cases a sporting background in surf life saving stood the candidates in good stead through the testing process, following which 16 new paddlers have been added to the Queensland squads. New athletes are participating in a three month trial to ease their way into the world of kayaking. New NTID Gold Coast Squad Members: Rhyam Pankhurst Tom Schneider Clyde Psaltis Lachlan Finlay Lachlan Green Hayden Clark Nelson Barter Chloe Martin Chloe Sterry Brittany Green New NTID Sunshine Coast Squad: Zak Brown Jayden Newell Caitlin Gilliman Senior Program: Pierce Hardy Andrew McAleenan Peta Wait Southern Slalom Stars-Winter in Tassie At this time of year the Southern Slalom Stars wait in anticipation for the rain to come and the wild rivers to run. Dropping over waterfalls and skillfully catching waves to surf and eddies to cross is what the slalom paddlers in Tassie have been doing. So far there has been a trip to the Brady s Lake course and one Picton river trip, a second Brady s weekend in planned in September. Winter training has also involved skill focused training sessions, rolling practice and canoe polo games. In May, six members of the Stars program attended the NTS camp in Penrith. One of our paddlers, Brad Rogers, travelled to North Queensland to paddle the Herbert River, successfully negotiating a 9-metre waterfall and honing his white water skills. Andrew Eckhardt travelled to Europe to compete at the Junior World Championships in France, He finished 34th in his K1 race and 52nd in C1.This was his first taste of international racing, he was 9 seconds behind the gold medallist. The stars have also completed their second round of on-water testing. Test results showed an average 20% gain on the 30 second test and an average 17% gain on the three minute test over a nine month period. Peter Eckhardt, Southern Stars Coach/Coordinator Andrew races in the semi final in K1 Photo by Colin Burrows 5 The NTID Canoeing Newsletter

6 Penrith Valley JETS Hit the White Water! watched on anxiously as the kids did their first laps, and soon their faces turned to smiles mixed with laughter. The kids enjoyed the nerves and excitement before their first run but like their parents on the bank, they soon began to sit back and just smile! Ali, Molly and Noemie all smiles after the Jets white water action This was the first experience the JETS have had with white water and they are extremely keen to progress their skills so that this summer they can venture onto it again, but this time in slalom boats. The NTID Penrith Valley JETS recently took to the white water at Penrith Whitewater Stadium for their first time. With the white water course being designed for Olympic athletes of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the JETS kids didn t tackle it in their slalom boats, but rather to get a feel for the size and power of the water, in two-man rafts. The parents The JETS look forward to emerging into the slalom community over the coming months. Having only trained on the flat water developing the skills required, the JETS athletes will soon hit the summer slalom competition circuit, including local races in Penrith NSW and also the Australian National Schools Championships in Nymboida, NSW in January Will Forsythe, JETS Coach/Coordinator Surf & Kayak Technique Seminar a Success Surf ski paddlers working on their technique In late July the Surf & Kayak Talent Program ran a Technique Intensive Seminar at the Coomera Watersports Centre on the Gold Coast. 23 people attended from Byron Bay through to the Sunshine Coast with 16 paddlers of kayaks and surf skis hitting the water for technique analysis from leading paddling coaches. The on-water session was conducted by QAS/AIS coach Vince Fehervari, a seven time world 200m kayak champion. Paddlers were videoed on a single pass for technique analysis and then participated in paddling drills that can help develop technique, or assist in breaking technical bad habits. Surf & Kayak Talent Program Coordinator Lynda Lehmann presented on technique basics and points for teaching and coaching technique. Coach John Newton presented on coaching philosophies and working with developmental athletes to progress their technique through the junior years. Seven time Olympic coach, Ben Hutchings, lead the technique analysis session. 200m and 2km time trials produced some fast results by the athletes who also underwent physical testing to track their development. Free DVD resources from the Technique Seminar including presentations and technique pointers are available by contacting Lynda Lehmann on llehmann@slsa.asn.au with your address. Time Trials with the Surf & Kayak Talent Program 6 The NTID Canoeing Newsletter

7 Sprint National Talent Squad Athletes Converge on the Gold Coast The 2010 Sprint National Talent Squad 38 athletes from the Sprint National Talent Squad (NTS) attended a camp held at the Tallebudgera Recreation Centre on the Gold Coast from the 8-11th July. In addition to time trial and team boat paddling sessions, the athletes also participated in physical testing, nutrition education, an injury management workshop, a yoga session and the highlight of the camp was a talk by Olympic bronze medallist, Lyndsie Fogarty. The athletes achieved some outstanding results on the physical testing with a few athletes breaking NTID records as shown below. Well Done! The NTS at yoga Waking up to a morning run on the beach A huge thank you needs to go out to the coaches that were involved in the camp John Newton, Julie Jenkinson, Vince Fehervari, Graham Bendeich, Kevin Crisp, Lynda Lehmann without your help the camp would not have been possible. The NTS Touring Team left Australia on Sunday 5th September for Europe to prepare for the Olympic Hopes regatta on the 18th and 19th September in Slovakia. They will be competing against 21 countries including Hungary, Poland, Germany, France and Great Britain. For more information on the regatta please visit the website - The second NTS camp will be held in Adelaide following GP1 from the 5th to 8th December. Age Group Name Result Arm Crank Peak Power Output (Watts) U15 M Victor Gerbaski 1198 U16 M Stephen Giraud 1559 U14 F Joesphine Bulmer 615 U18 F Allison Bryant 899 Bench Pull (Repetitions in one minute) U15 M Victor Gerbaski 78 U14 F Rachel Duncan 36 U18 F Allison Bryant 88 Shuttle Run/Beep Test U16 M Alex Haas U14 F Rachel Duncan Watch out for the NTID/SNBKC Squad this Season! The NTID/SNBKC squad has been training hard over winter. After kicking off in October last year the squad has now settled with 22 athletes (9 girls, 13 boys). While the number of sessions was cut back over winter they used this time to concentrate on developing their technical skill, strength and aerobic fitness and it has been great to watch their improvements both on the water and in their testing results. The hardest part for the squad over the past few months has been the freezing mornings and almost as cold and dark evenings. This week for the first time they got back to the shed at night and could still see just. They are all looking forward to the next few weeks when the sun gets up a little earlier and the thermometer finally hits double figures before 6:00am. Next up for the squad is the Vajda cup at the end of October, they have just finished competing in the 7 The NTID Canoeing Newsletter

8 Ben, Isaac and Josh enjoy a yoga session at the NTS camp MIDDLE Tanielle Basson warming up (cont.) first three PaddleNSW Sprint Regattas with some promising results. Two paddlers to watch in the coming season are Isaac Lawrence and Tanielle Basson who are the current in-form paddlers. Monique O Neill, who is their first squad member to be selected onto a National team, has just left with the NTS Touring Team for Europe. Christine Duff, NTID/SNBKC Coach RIGHT Monique (right) with NTS team mates Kirsty, Tara and Gabby enroute to Berlin Research Corner - Ballerinas, Fighter Pilots and Adam Spencer Entertain NTID Coaches The inaugural NTID Coaching Conference was conducted at the AIS in June. NTID Canoeing Coaches joined more than 100 NTID coaches from 13 sports plus a range of coaches from professional and non-ntid sports to network and listen to presentations which included: NTID General Manager, Dr Jason Gulbin, addresses the conference Pathways to Success: Insights from ballerinas and fighter pilots with Janet Karin, Kinetic Educator from The Australian Ballet School and Group Captain Steve Roberton from the RAAF Amberley Base. The Placebo Effect in regards to athlete development which outlined up-to-the-minute thinking presented by AIS Senior Sport Physiologist, Dr David Martin. Creating Winning Environments: Team Culture with AIS Senior Sport Psychologist, Dr Sally Hughson. Past, Present and Future of Talent Selection with Professor Allan Hahn - Chief Scientist with AIS Performance Research, Geoff Lipshut - CEO of the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia, Phil Brown Head Coach of AIS Women s Basketball and John Fowlie Senior Coach of AIS Swimming. If I Knew Then What I Know Now with Brian Stephens AIS Men s U23 Road Cycling Coach, Barry Barnes Four Time Olympic Basketball Coach, Warren McDonald Commonwealth and Olympic Cycling Coach and Patrick Hunt AIS Applied Technical Advancement Coach. Coaches heard about the placebo effect in athlete development Group Captain Steve Roberton from the RAAF An evening reception with mathematician and television and radio host, Adam Spencer, ignited lively discussion and debate on all things talent identification. Presentations and notes from the conference are available to NTID coaches and athletes. Please contact me at elissa.morley@ausport.gov.au or on if you would like to access a copy of the conference information. 8 The NTID Canoeing Newsletter

9 NTID Leader s Ladder NTID Squads are regularly tested to track the improvement in their physical and physiological development. Our current top scorers on NTID testing are: Age Group Name Program Result Arm Crank Peak Power Output (Watts) U14 M Joshua Yeates NTID Sydney Juniors 810 U15 M Rick Dreyer NTID Sydney Juniors 1046 U16 M Mike Honore NTID Sunshine Coast 1448 U18 M Andrew Snowden NTID Melbourne 1591 Senior M Glenn Wilkinson NTID Sunshine Coast 1990 U14 F Brittany Green NTID Gold Coast 425 U15 F Monique O Neill NTID Sydney Juniors 711 U16 F Coco Howcroft NTID Sunshine Coast 818 U18 F Virginia Carlton NTID Melbourne 827 Senior F Hailey McGinty NTID Sunshine Coast 847 Rowing Ergo Peak Power Output (Watts) U14 M Ryan Anderson NTID Sunshine Coast 408 U15 M Charlie Copeland NTID Sunshine Coast 412 U16 M Todd Jacobs NTID Sydney Juniors 662 U18 M Declan Clancy-Lowe NTID Perth 787 Senior M James Gatti NTID Perth 836 U14 F Kristy Mitchell NTID Gold Coast 270 U15 F Jordan-Lee Jones NTID Sunshine Coast 308 U16 F Jordan-Lee Jones NTID Sunshine Coast 381 U18 F Virginia Carlton NTID Melbourne 415 Senior F Rachel Dickinson NTID Sunshine Coast 402 Bench Pull (Repetitions in one minute) U14 M Jayden Newell NTID Sunshine Coast 47 U15 M Ryan Anderson NTID Sunshine Coast 66 U16 M Charlie Copeland NTID Sunshine Coast 51 U18 M Mike Honore NTID Sunshine Coast Matthew Gilliman NTID Sunshine Coast 59 Senior M Chris Alagich NTID Sunshine Coast 83 U14 F Kristy Mitchell NTID Gold Coast 34 U16 F Shannon Reynolds NTID Perth 64 U18 F Alyce Burnett NTID Sunshine Coast 64 Senior F Chantelle Ellis NTID Sunshine Coast 81 Chin ups (Overhand grip maximal repetitions) U14 M Jakem Scira NTID Melbourne 12 U16 M Charlie Copeland NTID Sunshine Coast 27 U18 M Matthew Gilliman NTID Sunshine Coast Charlie Copeland NTID Sunshine Coast 40 Senior M Zsolt Dallos NTID Sunshine Coast 43 U14 F Kristy Mitchell NTID Gold Coast 4 U16 F Brooke O Toole NTID Sydney Juniors 12 U18 F Remi Francis NTID Gold Coast Jacqueline Green NTID Sydney Juniors 9 Senior F Rachel Dickinson NTID Sunshine Coast 18 Shuttle Run/Beep Test U14 M Jakem Scira NTID Melbourne U16 M Ryan Anderson NTID Sunshine Coast U18 M Andrew Snowden NTID Melbourne Senior M James Stretch NTID Sunshine Coast U14 F Kristy Mitchell NTID Gold Coast 9.08 U16 F Nathalie Walkington NTID Melbourne U18 F Heleena Ethell NTID Gold Coast Ashleigh Coates NTID Sunshine Coast Senior F Rachel Dickinson NTID Sunshine Coast The NTID Canoeing Newsletter