9:18 PM Tue 13 Apr 2010 GMT
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'Australian Women's Match Racing Team training at the AIS camp in Italy - April, 2010'
Yachting Australia
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The Australian Womens Match Racing Team are mid-way through their first European tour for 2010, having taken Silver and fifth place at the recent Tropheo Princessa Sofia Event in Palma Mallorca, and will compete at another World Cup event in two weeks in Hyeres, France. With a short break in between these events, the ten-woman squad has taken up the opportunity to spend an intensive two week block at the Australian Institute of Sport European training centre in Varese, Italy, to improve their strength and fitness as they work towards Gold in London 2012.
The AIS European Training Centre (ETC) was set up to give athletes who do most of their competitions in Europe access to world-class facilities and expertise from the Institute in Canberra so they can train as they would at home - without the 30 hour flight.
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Team building - AWMRT training camp in Italy - Angela Farrell
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The base is used exclusively by a whole range of Australian athletes, giving them a level playing field (if not an edge) on their European rivals. State of the art facilities include ice-bath units to aid in recovery after heavy training days, access to a fully equipped gym and pool, a live-in Physio, an in-house restaurant preparing nutritious meals, and plenty of hills and lakes for Cross-Training. Varese sits 400m above sea level - which makes cardio training here even more valuable to Aussie athletes.
Team Coach Dayne Sharp comments 'The physical preparation of the sailors is one of the keys to sailing the E6 to its potential. The demands of match racing, and the intensity of the crew manoeuvring calls for very fit and well prepared sailors, as it is in all Olympic classes. Our time in Varese is 90% concentrated on fitness and well-being and the squad is very fortunate to have the opportunity come to the European base of the AIS. This is our second visit here, and we have seen the fitness levels of the squad improve enormously from last year. We have a very strong foundation in which to launch our European Campaign for 2010 and beyond onto 2012.'
Strength and Conditioning coach Andrew Verdon has worked with the Australian Sailing team for seven years and is running this camp for the Match Racing Team. Whilst we wait for the brand new all-in-one ETC centre to be built nearby (to be completed in the next 12months), Andrew is making the most of the existing facilities and ensuring fun and variety feature in the camp.
When asked what team member Amanda Scrivenor is achieving at this base that would not be possible at home in Sydney, she replies: 'We would not have the quality time with the trainers because we would be sharing them with a larger group of athletes in Sydney. Living on site means there are no other distractions and all we do is train like athletes. It is a good place to get acclimatized to Europe before competitions and gets us in the right frame of mind for the regattas.'
I asked the youngest of the team Olivia Price what her favourite aspects of the camp were. She answered: 'One on one training with strength and conditioning Coach Andrew Verdon without distractions. You can fully focus in the gym, and we train as a squad in a focused environment. The facilities are available exclusively for us and people are working for us and to our needs, for example Lynden and Rebecca in the AIS office and Mike as Physiotherapist. Being in Europe-on other side of world away from distractions is also good.'
With the World Cup Hyeres regatta just around the corner, I asked current World number three ranked skipper, Katie Pellew (nee Spithill) what the benefits were specific to this upcoming event. Pellew answers, 'This training block allows us to spend time with our new crew formation and define and enhance our team communication prior to our upcoming event in Hyeres.
We have a pretty intense schedule after we leave Varese, so this is our chance to put our head down and work hard on our Fitness, Nutrition & Recovery in preparation for a busy European Summer Ahead.'
Professional Sailmaker and team member Stacey Jackson comments 'For me this is a great way to settle into a new time zone and season (climate) prior to my first regatta in Europe for the season, and a great way of seeing how the rest of the squad are training, and it pushes each of us to raise the bar. A team that trains together wins together!'
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Stacey Jackson in the ice bath - AWMRT training camp in Italy - Angela Farrell
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Raychelle Martin (training for the bow position) says that 'The most enjoyable aspects of the camp thus far have been the opportunity to develop as a team and learn new techniques and information as a unit. Having access to great facilities and staff to ensure we develop as athletes and getting to experience this all in a culture and landscape different from our own.' And 20 yr old skipper Lucinda Whitty adds 'Well the hill runs and the ergs for sure! The gelato and the food have been amazing and considering we are all trying to put on weight, no one is holding back... Seeing Lake Garda yesterday on our day off would also have to be a highlight.'
When asked what the most physically demanding aspects of the camp have been, current World Match Racing Champion Skipper Nicky Souter replies: 'Ha - definitely yesterday with the hill run session in the morning followed by the strength session in the afternoon. The hill run was hard as when you thought the finish was just around the corner - the coach had moved to the next corner and it seemed to never end! The weights session afterwards was very intense especially with Verge (Verdon) egging us on to go faster and faster and we were exhausted from the hill runs in the morning - but we're not going to Win Gold sitting on the couch are we?'
The team wraps up their training at the ETC on April 16, with some team members then heading to the Hyeres Regatta:
www.sof.ffvoile.net
, and others heading home for some well-deserved time out.
by Angela Farrell
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