Mid West Academy of Sport begins to search for next Olympic heroes
The Mid West Academy of Sport has launched an ambitious talent identification program with eyes turned toward the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.
Young Mid West athletes will be targeted for specialised coaching to find track and field athletes capable of competing at Australia’s home games in Brisbane in 10 years.
The program will be managed by Gary Clark, a former State marathon and cross-country champion and State decathlon exponent who is the MWAS Head Athletics coach for the track and field squad.
MWAS has athletes in the disciplines of hurdles, jumps, heptathlon and distance events.
The program was launched on Monday, September 5, and invites nominations from young people between the ages of 13 and 23 to be assessed across all track and field disciplines including, sprints, field, middle and distance events.
The nominations will close at 4pm Friday, September 23.
Athletes will be tested, their details collated and those successful will be offered specialised coaching under the Mid West Academy of Sport Track and Field coaches.
Clark, who is also the chairman of the Mid West Academy of Sport, said elite athletes needed to be identified early in order to prime them for the top level.
“The talent identification processes require athletes to start at a young age to ensure the individual receives the 10 years (or 10,000 hours) of deliberate practice that is widely recognised as a necessity on the pathway to elitism,” he said.
“We encourage participants from all sports to apply ... we’d like to get 20 athletes, and we’ll get a top Olympic athlete involved in the selection process when the time comes to narrow the squad.”
Executive officer of the Mid West Academy of Sport, Darren Winterbine, said there were no doubt many talented children hidden in our schools.
“If children can be scouted and told about their hidden talents, they will also become more interested in sports like athletics, for example, and be shown what it takes to make it to the elite end of the sport,” he said.
“We partner with WAIS and will use their expertise to help our athletes and coaches to develop to their full capabilities.”
Anyone interested is encouraged go to the MWAS website and complete an expression of interest form.
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