Caitlin Callahan and Jy Timperley from Byron Bay SLSC were among 28 of the state’s emerging water athletes who ramped up their preparation for summer at the 2016 Senior Performance Academy.
The three-day program held at the Sydney Academy of Sport was an opportunity for surf life savers to come together and fine-tune their skills in a high-performance environment.
During the program the life savers participated in training sessions, technical analysis, education sessions and team-building exercises with some of the most formidable minds on the Surf Sport circuit.
Australian Life Saving head coach Danny Short, the man at the helm of the recent World Championship campaign in the Netherlands, presented a series of lectures on planning, athlete preparation and pathways.
Athlete development is an important focus for SLS NSW, according to development officer Tim Piper.
He was delighted with the successful staging of the Senior Performance Academy.
‘All the athletes who attended have been identified by their clubs and branches as capable of making that step up to the next level of competition,’ Tim said.
‘The Senior Performance Academy is a great stepping stone to higher honours. I’m sure that everyone who attended gained a lot out of the experience,’ he said.
Those selected to attend already boast impressive resumes with NSW and Australian medallists counted among them.
‘They will come away from the weekend full of additional confidence,’ Tim said.