South West Academy of Sport

Events

SWAS Cycling Program is NOW open for applications

The South West Academy of Sport Cycling Program, proudly supported by Cycling Victoria, will act as a complementary program for the best cycling athletes in South West Victoria, and provides a development pathway to State and National representation.

The program provides “skills” coaching through ongoing training programs, camps, and sport science services.

  • The aim is to provide services to these athletes which they could not otherwise access, therefore completing and complimenting their current coaching, training and competition environments.

Program Structure

The overarching objective of the SWAS Cycling Program is to implement a program which takes a holistic approach to an athlete’s development.  This is achieved through on and off surface activities.

From a coaching perspective, the program provides a series of “Training Camps” which focus on ‘Skill Development”. The training camps cover drills and activities as determined by the coach, based on athlete needs. Athletes are also provided with a personalised “Riding Program” through the online Training Peaks program. The cycling program’s approach to coaching provision is “to provide athletes with the opportunity to develop and improve skills/knowledge/approaches/attitudes in their cycling”. 

With an athlete-centred approach, the cycling program provides a structure that integrates the physical, technical and mental aspects of cycling. To this end, the program delivers a series of off-course activities around personal excellence and athlete education, these sessions include sport psychology and nutrition, as well as strength & conditioning programs.

2020 Program Delivery 

The 2020 program will run from April 2020 to March 2021, this change has been made to align with the change in seasons – Road & Track, and club activity/operation, and is coordinated by SWAS, with Cycling Victoria.

 

Athletic Support

As with all SWAS programs we offer athletic support to power your growth to a whole new level by supporting athletes with.

  • IAP Musculoskeletal Screening
  • Year Long Weekly Strength & Conditioning Sessions
  • Injury Prevention & Recovery, Support and
  • Education
  • Sports Psychology Sessions
  • Skill Development Assistance
  • 12 month Gym membership
  • Sports Science Testing & Education
  • Personal Development & Education
  • Professional Development & Education
  • Ongoing Access to SWAS’s Medical Support Network
  • Professional Certification Opportunities
  • Athlete Wellness Monitoring

So if you are looking to reach the next level in your surfing pathway as you look to pursue a career in surfing please complete your application today and for more information please click the link below;

2020 SWAS Cycling Program- Powered by Royal Bikes

We guide, educate, support and define emerging athletes, no matter the sport.

 

SWAS INDIVIDUAL ATHLETE PROGRAM NOW OPEN FOR 2020 APPLICATIONS

SWAS INDIVIDUAL ATHLETE PROGRAM NOW OPEN FOR 2020 APPLICATIONS

SWAS is the regional development pathway provider for the Victorian Institute of Sport and is funded by the State government and South West Local Governments to provide training and educational opportunities for aspiring South West athletes and coaches. SWAS works within all Olympic and Commonwealth sports programs and also works in any sport program that is linked with the Department of Sport and Recreation.

Regional athletes face some greater challenges than their metropolitan counterparts due to their geographic location. Funding has been sourced from the State Government through the Victorian Institute of Sport, Local Government and commercial sponsors. As a result, the athlete programs are able to be run with a significant subsidy.

SWAS provides tangible support for talented athletes to access pathways and learn all aspects of training and become leaders in their community as they strive to reach sporting excellence.

SWAS provides a range of performance services for supported talented athletes including:

  • Intensive training by high-quality coaches
  • Technical Skill development
  • Mentoring
  • Strength and conditioning programs, support and advice (including functional movement screening)
  • Athletic load management and Athlete Wellness monitoring
  • Sports science testing and education
  • SWAS uniform
  • Personal Development workshops such as Nutrition, Sports Psychology, Media training and Recovery
  • Access to a medical support network.

In sports where SWAS does not have a partnered squad program, athletes may apply for the Individual Athlete Program. The Individual Athlete Program supports talented athletes from a variety of Olympic, Paralympic and non-Olympic (Commonwealth Games) sports.

Important Dates

The scholarship period for the Individual Athlete Program will run from February 2020 to December 2020. The timeline for the selection process is outlined below:

Closing date for applications 20 January 2020 (COB)

Assessment of applications 29 January 2020

Notification of application outcome to athletes by 3 February 2020

General Eligibility

Who is eligible for assistance?

  • Assistance is only available to those athletes who are registered with a recognised Victorian sporting organisation or peak club in the absence of a specific sporting organisation.
  • Applicants must be Australian Citizens.

Individual scholarships are only available to athletes in sports where SWAS does not host a squad program. In 2020 SWAS has partnered squad programs with the following sports: Clay Target Shooting, Cycling, Golf, Hockey, Netball, Tennis and Surfing.

Selection Guidelines and Procedures

The SWAS Individual Athlete Program has a limited number of programs available each calendar year. For the 2020 program, it is anticipated that up to 20 individuals could be supported.  SWAS has absolute discretion to select less or more of the notional number of individual scholarships if circumstances warrant.

Every effort will be made to confirm receipt of electronically submitted applications, however, due to a large number of applications generally received confirmation of receipt may not be possible.

The following selection guidelines will be used to assess each application on relative merit. Please note that the criteria outlined below should not be viewed in isolation as all selection guidelines will be taken into account.

Selection Guidelines:

  1. Capacity for SWAS to ‘make a difference’ to the athlete’s ongoing development.
  2. Capacity and willingness of the athlete to utilise SWAS services to enhance their athletic development.
  3. Other important criteria against which an application may be assessed include:
    • The athlete’s performance and results over the past 2 years.
    • Current/former SWAS scholarship athlete’s usage of SWAS services and commitment to developing as an elite athlete including their willingness to take direction from SWAS service staff and their personal coach/es. Communication with SWAS staff will also be assessed.
    • Other assistance provided to the athlete from within the Victoria and nationally
  • In general no more than 4 athletes per sport will be awarded positions within the Individual Athlete Program.

Selection Process:

  1. The selection committee will convene and review all applications and recommendations in accordance with the selection guidelines. The selection committee may verify any statement of claims, rankings and performances with Coaches or High-Performance Managers and will be guided in their decision-making process bearing these discussions in mind.
  2. South West Academy of Sport will notify successful and/or unsuccessful athletes in February 2020.

Athlete Induction/Service Plans:

  1. Athletes nominated for the Individual Athlete Program will be required to complete a musculoskeletal screen prior to commencing their Academy program; details regarding the screen will be highlighted in their letter of offer.
  2. Planning meetings with successful athletes will occur in March 2020 and individual service plans agreed to. Athlete’s level of service access and support will be determined by the selection committee and the resources available through the program.

2020 INDIVIDUAL ATHLETE PROGRAM APPLICATION FORM

SWAS Annual General Meeting

South West Academy of Sport

Notice of Annual General Meeting2018/19

3:00 pm Sunday, 13 October 2019

South West Tafe
Timor St, Warrnambool
Building B, Level 3 Conference Room

 

Breaking Barriers for Women in Sport- Sportspersons Dinner

Breaking Barriers for Women in Sport

SWAS Presents a Sportspersons Dinner with Guest Speakers Carol Fox, Sarah Wall and Penny Smith.

Tickets and information: Contact SWAS 55648567

Friday 13th September, 6:00pm start

Flying Horse Upstairs Function Room.

Main course dinner included in ticket price.

Cost: $35 per individual / $300 for a table of 10 / $15 for 2019 SWAS Athletes

*If you would like to book a table please contact SWAS directly.*

 

Come along and hear from these three incredible women.

Carol Fox:

With over 40 years of activity in Australian Sport, Carol Fox has extensive experience from grassroots level to elite levels as an athlete, coach, manager, sports administrator, university lecturer, mentor and leadership workshop facilitator. Carol has worked with thousands of people in her roles as an Executive Coach, Conference Speaker and Facilitator in the Personal & Professional Development Industry collaborating with all levels of Sport, Government, Not for Profit and Corporate Clients teaching concepts from her book – “Confident Communication for Leaders”. A trailblazer in surf lifesaving, Carol was Victoria’s first female Surf Lifesaving Professional Lifeguard, and she also lobbied to race alongside men in surf lifesaving events due to the lack of opportunity for women at the time. Her Master’s thesis: “Women’s Perceived Barriers to Elite Coaching Positions in Australian Sport” was used by the Australian Sports Commission when determining policies for women in sport in the 90’s. As President / Chair of Women Sport Australia (WSA) since 2015, Carol and the board have contributed to the successful increased exposure of women in sport, advocating for equality in all areas.

Sarah Wall:

Sarah Wall is passionate about increasing opportunities for girls and women to play sport. As a Change Our Game ambassador Sarah provides expertise, inspiration and advice to increase female leadership and participation, and to break down barriers in gender equality, both on and off the playing arena. Sarah is the creator of NETFIT NETBALL, and has played netball at the elite level for 12 years, with the Melbourne Phoenix, Queensland Firebirds, Melbourne Vixens, the NSW Swifts and the 2017 season with Giants Netball. Sarah is a qualified teacher, studying Exercise Science and completing her Bachelor of Education at Melbourne University.

Penny Smith:

South West Academy of Sport Alumni, Penny Smith, has been shooting since her early teen years with one goal set firm in her mind – the Olympic Games. Penny has passion and ambition to push her limits and achieve her dreams. She was a worthy winner of Shooting Australia’s Female Shooter of the Year for 2017. In January this year Penny won both the Commonwealth and National Open Women’s titles at the Australian Clay target Association National Championships and in July this year she competed at the ISSF World Championships placing 16th in her individual event and 3rd in the mixed teams. On top of this Penny is a role model for young people in her community and the Victorian shooting community. She has been involved in coaching and leadership work with SWAS and has delivered a number of projects which help school age children in her sport. Penny lives by the Moto “Create the Dream”