2021 Emerging Talent Program starts with pre-season camp in Jindabyne

The 2021 Snow Australia Emerging Talent Program kicked off last weekend with a three-day pre-season camp held in Jindabyne. 

Thirty-two young athletes across five disciplines participated in the camp, organised in partnership with the South East Sports Academy (SESA), a NSW regional academy of sport administered by the Office of Sport. 

Snow Australia Talent, Health & Performance Coordinator, Ben Bond said everyone was really excited to finally have the group together and be able to go through some structured programs.

“The weekend saw a huge amount of enthusiasm and effort from this year’s crop of Emerging Talent, which was fantastic to see. The support and encouragement displayed by the athletes and coaches was first class. Many of these athletes had not been involved in formal program activity for the past 18 months, so they were naturally buoyed to be around each other,” he said. 

The camp integrated the expertise, services and facilities of the Jindabyne Sport and Recreation Centre and was designed to provide opportunities for athletes to be guided through educational sessions, physical testing and physiotherapy screening. Individual-discipline practical sessions were also offered, utilising the trampolines, gym equipment and dry-land snowboard cross gate available at the Jindabyne Sport and Recreation Centre.

Two-time Olympian Sami Kennedy-Sim participated in an athlete/coach/parent panel, sharing insights from her successful career with the young emerging talents. Unfortunately, several Victorian-based athletes could not attend the camp due to the COVID-19 related restrictions imposed on the state, but a videoconference session was organised to connect with them during the welcome evening.

Bond said the age between 13-17 years is a key point in a snow sports athlete's progression, as they transition further along the performance pathway.

“It was a great opportunity for myself and the coaches to assess the group in regards to not only their physical status, but also intangible qualities such as receptiveness to feedback, coachability and leadership. Overall we saw a really high standard across the board, which was pleasing.

“I look forward to working closely with parents and clubs to give these athletes the best possible environment to develop over this coming season, leading into our post-season camp in September,” Bond said.
 

About Snow Australia Emerging Talent Program

The Emerging Talent Program (ETP) is Snow Australia Talent Identification and Development (TID) program which aims to identify, support and enhance preparation of potential performance athletes for transition into the performance pathway programs. It is made possible via funding from the AIS Performance Pathway funding stream and with generous support from The Lind Partners and the Hancock Family.

The Lind Partners is a US-based institutional fund manager and leading provider of growth capital to small and mid-cap companies, including many Australian businesses, particularly in the mining sector. The partnership between Snow Australia and The Lind Partners is designed to nurture emerging talents and help them unlock their full potential. Lind Advisory Board member John Hancock made a further pledge to support Australia’s next generation of snow athletes via ongoing program donations, which will enable additional investment and support of the ETP. The generous support of both John and Gemma Hancock and The Lind Partners, through its founder Jeff Easton, will make a substantial difference to the capability of the ETP.