The best performances on Monday’s Picnic Day public holiday in Darwin won’t necessarily come from the thoroughbreds at Fannie Bay, with more than 40 youngsters displaying their sprinting, throwing and leaping potential at a talent identification day at the Northern Territory Institute of Sport.
The young athletes aged between 12 and 18 were invited to take part in the talent ID day after submitting an application to the NTIS following a public call for applications.
The fledgling stars will undergo physical testing across diverse areas to identify areas and strength and areas for improvement, and determine where they may focus their future developmental efforts.
NTIS Coach and Athlete Development Coordinator Chris Clarke said the day was another way in which the NTIS’ specialist team of coaches and support personnel undertook its important work in the Northern Territory developing sporting potential.
Chris, a former elite cyclist and top mountain bike coach who was part of the coaching staff for the Australian Olympic team at the 2012 London Olympics, will be one of the professionals overseeing the talent ID day and spending time with coaches and parents discussing the overall development of young athletes.
“Potential can be honed and developed in a variety of ways, and at such a young age it isn’t just physical prowess which we focus on, but the holistic development of the athlete as a person,” Chris said.
“It’s important for budding young athletes to practice the physical competencies related to their sport, but it’s also important that they take care of basic things such as getting enough sleep, eating right, being organised and managing their time effectively, and parents and coaches can play a big part in encouraging this.
“Throughout this testing day we will be measuring performance in key areas and encouraging young athletes and their parents and coaches to tap into our services, and potentially coming on board with our coach development program.
“The coach development program runs sessions three times a week in Darwin and Alice Springs early in the morning and we invite any coach or teacher of juniors from under 6s to under 20s to take part alongside their young charges where they can watch and learn coaching strategies from NTIS staff.”
Media are invited to come along to the NTIS’ talent identification day for vision and interview opportunities between 10am and 12pm on Monday August 3. Chris Clarke will be available for interview, as will program participants and their parents. For further information contact Shannon Rice on 0477 388 404.