41 Australians Prepping for International Meets to Gather for Camp in Brisbane This Week

A group of 41 junior swimmers have united off the back of Grand Prix three in Brisbane this week for a National Youth Camp that will run until Thursday July 3.

The 20 girls and 21 boys have come together to fine tune their preparations for their major meets this year,  the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing and the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Hawaii in August.

With a total of 19 rookie swimmers making their long course Australian team debut on the current Commonwealth Games Team, it is vital to maintain a smooth transition and provide a clear pathway for junior swimmers as they step up to the senior level.

Swimming Australia’s Performance Pathway Manager Jamie Salter said that the camp is an essential element in promoting the long term development in our aspiring young swimmers and to aid their transition onto the Senior Team in the future.

“We feel it is important to hold our National Youth Camps prior to our Junior Benchmark competitions each year to bring the team together so they can form a team bond between each other and with the team staff before they compete on the international stage together,” Salter said.

“Our aim with the structure of the camp is to mirror where possible the senior team environment and it’s a fantastic opportunity to be able to promote the team culture and values, which have been fundamental in our success over the years,” he said.

Following some tough racing over the weekend at Grand Prix three, which saw junior and senior swimmers in mixed finals, the rising stars will this week participate in group training sessions, body composition tests and educational lectures on topics including recovery, mental preparation, travelling and nutrition.

Head Coach of the Junior Pan Pacific Championship team Glenn Beringen said the camp would allow coaches and athletes to identify and fine tune skills and techniques to ensure they are performing at their peak.

“At the National Youth Camp, athletes are provided with information on a range of topics including body composition, nutrition, recovery and mental preparation,” Beringen said.

“This will allow athletes to learn and develop skills to help them reach their maximum potential,” he said.

Travelling with just eight swimmers, Head coach of the Youth Olympic Games team, Tracey Menzies, said coming together in a camp environment before the major meet makes it easier to adjust when they reunited for the competition.

“Since we will be travelling with a smaller team, it’s good to get the opportunity to come together and get to know the other team members and what processes work for them so that when we reunite for the meet, the athletes and the coaches feel comfortable and can focus their attention onto their performance, ” said Menzies.

Menzies added that she was proud of how the swimmers had handled themselves this week and the way they came together as a team.

“This next generation of swimmers are proving themselves in and out of the water, they are a fantastic group that I have no doubt will represent Australia with pride,” said Menzies.

The swimming component of the Youth Olympic Games will run from August 17 to 22 while the Junior Pan Pacs will commence a week later and run fromAugust 27 to 31.

See below for a full list athletes in attendance at the National Youth Camp and representing Australia at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) or Junior Pan Pacific Championships (JPP)

The above is a press release submitted by Swimming Australia and posted unedited.