Fifteen children attended the inaugural Concord Triathlon Club Juniors Camp at Sydney Olympic Park Lodge at Newington Armory on 13th and 14th April 2011. The children were aged between 7 and 15 years of age with nine regular club members and six newcomers.
The camp commenced with an excellent ‘hands on’ session on Bike Fit and Bike Maintenance conducted by Jeremy and Jimmy from Bicycle Garage. Jeremy ‘fitted’ a number of the children onto their bikes with careful seat adjustments and Jimmy had the children learning how to change a tyre and look after their bikes. “Love your chain” was one of his important messages.
Next was a swim session at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre conducted by Sarah and Susan. The children worked well on their tri-specific swimming skills and there was ample time for free play in the whirlpool and giant slide. Thank you particularly to Sarah for organising the hire of a minibus from Mitchell High School and for driving us all to and from the pool.
After lunch Susan was joined by specialist bike coaches Gay Chandler and Ian Watson from Lidcombe Auburn Cycle Club to lead the older participants on a bunch ride around Sydney Olympic Park bike paths. The ride incorporated skills including ‘hot dog’ turns, hill climbing and hill descents. One of the children said “It was a long way .. I would usually just ride around the park .. but it was fun”. At the same time the younger participants headed off to Blaxland Riverside Park for some bike skill activities/games and the highlight of the afternoon – a group ride with Scott, Sarah and Sharyn.
The campers were fuelled by morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, timed to military precision by the catering staff at SOPA Lodge. On top of a full programme of scheduled activities, there was still time for volleyball, soccer, and beach cricket – and, after dinner, time to sit back in the Lodge hall to watch a movie with popcorn and hot chocolate. Sharyn, Sarah and the younger girls were well catered for in a very cosy cottage and Susan, Scott, the older girls and all the boys had the run of a larger dormitory-style lodge. The older girls lamented the absence of a mirror and survived the Spartan bathroom facilities. A welldeserved thank-you to Sharyn Lenthall who stayed overnight and played ‘mother hen’ to the younger girls.
On day two, the campers were up with the dawn and hovering around the kitchen with hearty appetites. The first session of the day was running for the older children (a ‘pack’ run involving a Fartlek programme) whereas the younger children played relay games. Both groups then tackled some fast and furious transition practice in the lead up to a duathlon. This event was the Grand Finale of the camp and run over two courses to cater for the different age groups. Thank you to the parents (Brett and Mandy) who assisted as course marshals and to the children who were great helpers when they were not out on the course themselves.
Thank you to all of the coaches, to the parents and most importantly to the children for making this first camp such a success. Many of the participants asked for another camp and one of the children thought the next camp should go for a week!
Juniors Report – 17th March 2011
This season CTC junior members from the Sunday and Wednesday junior development programmes have been participating in some external triathlon events and putting their triathlon skills into practice. For some, this was their first season of triathlon.
In October, Carla D, Isabella D, Rebecca W and Tamara L all bravely participated in the Triathlon Pink event at Sydney Olympic Park in October. The conditions were tough with cold temperatures and strong winds producing a formidable challenge on the cycle and run legs.
In November, not to be outdone by the girls, Scott, Charles C and David stepped up to the challenge of the Nepean Enticer events at the Sydney International Regatta Centre in November with Scott taking out 3rd place in the 16-19 category. Laura M also extended herself with the approval of her touch coach to undertake the event for some cross-training! A great reason for juniors to try Triathlon sport!
In December and January, John T, Carla D, Isabella D, Laura M, David M, Rebecca W and Gabriel H. (and his dad!) all participated in one of the Cronulla Triathlon Club events held at Sutherland Leisure Centre and Sutherland Bike Track. The bike track was re-surfaced at the end of last year and records came tumbling in 2011!
On the 8th and 9th of March Rebecca W participated in the NSW All Schools Triathlon as an individual in the Junior division and as a swimmer for the teams event! In the individual event she was 4th out of the water and came 12th in her category overall. This was a great effort for Rebecca’s first competitive triathlon event.
Seasoned triathletes Carla, Isabella and Laura participated in their second Tri Shave All Women’s Triathlon Festival on Sunday 13th March. They all completed the Try-a-Tri event and this year they were able to run the 1.5km without stopping. Great effort girls! Carla had a great swim coming 4th. Isabella came out of the swim in 6th and out of T1 in 3rd! Just proves the value of including some transition practice into training! Laura on a ‘racing’ road bike definitely gave her an edge in addition to some touch training at school. She came 2nd in the U30 category and 2nd overall in the Try-a-Tri event. It was a hot morning for everyone.
Isaac B joined his family at the Huskisson Triathlon Festival and participated in the junior event – well done to all of you!
There have been 24 TRYstars junior members attending one or more of the Sunday afternoon training sessions this season with a regular attendance of ten to twelve each session. 27 children between the ages of 7 and 17 participated in the club’s inaugural triathlon event on Sunday 5th December held at Enfield Swimming Centre and Henley Park.
There are four to six juniors regularly attending the Wednesday sessions. This season the club has included a separate wave start for juniors in four Wednesday night aquathlons on the calendar. The reason for this is two-fold; firstly to offer two events each term as the club’s commitment to junior development and secondly to encourage more Junior Club members (16-19 years) to participate in triathlon-related events.
This term the coaching team has included some open swim sessions at Dawn Fraser Baths and bunch riding and intermediate cycling skills in Sydney Olympic Park. As a celebration of the end of the triathlon season for existing club members and a way of offering a ‘come and try’ experience before joining the club, Susan Murray, Marisol Retamal and Sarah Maguire are looking forward to the inaugural CTC Juniors Camp during the first week of the school holidays from Wednesday 14th April until Thursday 15th April. Please see the attached flyer for more information.