Newsletter 3-09 - North West Athletics

SWIMMERS and RUNNERS .. please ensure parents have the opportunity to read details on ALL Newsletters
100% Right,
is
100% Right
99% Right
is
100% Wrong
50 repeats
forms a habit
Training North Hard West is Easy Athletics ..
NEWSLETTER '09
VSSS
Session
Fees
from
Jan. 1
2009
page 5
Vol. 12; No. 3 (February)
Russell Parsons, OAM, ATFCA4, ASCTA (Bronze)
2/72 Hopwood Street
ECHUCA, 3564
03-54-801-705 nwa@iinet.net.au www.nwaswimaths.com
No opportunity
is ever wasted
Others take up what
you let pass
Thousands
to change a
habit
So?
What’s the
message?
LA Regionals (Bendigo, 14/15 Feb.)
Tough
Times
Don’t
Last
Tough
People
Do
Courtney Schultz (U13): 12 Years: 200: 28.02 (2 nd ); 800: 2:39 (1 st );
100 (2 nd , 13.96); 400: 62.05pb (1 st ).
Logan Power (U11): 2:39.72 (3 rd ); 200: 30.92 (4 th ); 400: 67.32 (1 st ).
Rebekah Lock (U11): 200: 31.75pb (2nd); 400: 71.42pb (1 st ); 800:
2:50.33pb (1 st ); HJ: 1.41pb (1 st ).
Training Hard is Easy ..
Training Smart is the Challenge
Working with Children
approved: 00142786-01
Each Newsletter you will be directed to a program on the web site that may
assist some aspect of your progression
www.nwaswimaths.com > PRESENTATIONS > General
Presentations > NWA .. Learning Basic Skills (DVD available)
Also: DVD - Drills for Speed & Agility .. an introduction
Don’t complain help not sought, is unavailable
DVD’s: Various Races 1 & 2 .. and questions sheets,
available (loan) on request.
The 400 .. www.nwaswimaths.com > PROGRAMS
Wayne Goldsmith is one of the most articulate thinkers and writers
about sport and skill enhancement.
www.sportscoachingbrain.com .. The Role of Parents in Sport
ALL parents are strongly advised to take advantage of Wayne’s expertise.
Part 1 of “The Role of Parents” Newsletter 25-08
Part 2 was in Newsletter 28-08
Part 3 to come
Past Newsletters are to be found in RESOURCES
Applicable to various sports, coaches and parents,
the ATFCA Coaches Code of Ethics presents guidelines that should be
considered, understood, and followed:
www.nwaswimaths.com > RESOURCES > General Resources
State Finals are to be conducted at
Olympic Park on the weekend of
March 21/22. Co-incidentally
(not co-operatively), Swimming
“All” Juniors Semi Finals and Finals
are scheduled for the same weekend.
It should be noted that Swimming
“All” Juniors excludes all medal
winners from the Country and State
Championships from their medal
winning event: hence, “All” Juniors.
Rebekah, Courtney & Logan
Winning is for today
SKILLS are forever
Who won the 16 years 50m freestyle
and/or 16 years 100m at the
2008 SV & AV Championships?
Answer next issue.
Hint .. it’s not how fast, it’s how well.
Erin, Olivia (Happy Birthday), Laura and Taylah
Bethany
Tyler, Libby, Brock .. one trick ponies: no way
Well Done, yet again, to
Erin Gumbleton, on her
performances at the Special
Olympics, Southern Region
Games on February 8.
Erin won several ribbons,
including 1 st place in the 100
F/S and 50 B/K (pb).
Echuca was well represented
by Erin and Head Coach
(Aquatics), Shirley Milgate.
Don’t commit to becoming a one-trick pony

Memberships for competition swimmers: Geelong Swimming Club
North West Athletics swimmers compete (by choice) with Geelong Swimming Club .. registration and membership details >
www.geelongswimmingclub.com.au
Competition entry requires swimmers to be registered with Swimming Victoria
NWA swimmers must be registered to compete in official meets; or, may swim for fitness and fun
.. any queries contact me.
It simply does not matter which club you belong to; NWA-Geelong swimmers are treated with respect, have fun,
learn technique enhancing skills, have access to all individual events and can earn relay participation at all competitions.
The amount of knowledge that it takes to improve an athlete at 13 years,
is very small. Given that the athlete will be totally focused on their
swimming career, will be more than likely training a significant number
of hours, and will more than likely be over-committed to frequent
competitions where improvement in terms of time is often more related
to growth spurts, sometimes early strength development and frequency
of exposure to the stimulus of training rather than coaching expertise.
Master Coach: Bill Sweetenham
These sentiments apply to all sports and agree
with the assertion that most improvements in
“the early years” are related to growth and
maturity as long as fundamental technique
issues are addressed.
Coaches working with young swimmers / athletes, can be Junior
Coaches or Development Coaches .. your call.
Important Dates for Swimmers in 2008-2009
Sat. Feb. 15: Kyabram Encouragement Meet
Feb. 14-15: 2009 Vic. Sprint Championships (Entries: Jan. 30)
Sun. Feb 22: “All” Junior Eliminations (Lara)
Feb. 28:
Country Inter-District
Sun. Mar. 8: Eaglehawk Scratch Meet
Sun. March 15: The Last Blast (Nat. Q only) .. MSAC
Sat/Sun. Mar. 21/22: Country “All” Juniors (MSAC)
April 13-18: 2009 Aust. Age Championships (Sydney)
Please note changes to “All” Juniors (venue and date)
School dates will be added as available -
VSSSA NZ Country: Fri. March 20 (Swan Hill); VSSSA Final, April 2
Advance notice:
2010 Country Swimming Championships
Warrnambool, Sat. Jan 23 – Mon. 25, 2010
Each week, Junior & Intermediate swimmers will
focus on a skill.
The skill will be reflected in the tag they receive
each week.
Example tag shown:
Backstroke
Start
Head back;
drive hard off the wall
Hips high
Hands together on
entry; tight streamline
3-6 kicks Fly kicks
to surface (before 15m)
www.nwaswimaths.com
Well Done to all who have contested School
Swimming Carnivals .. I will/have tried to check
out as many as possible.
Swimsuit Guidelines for Age Group Events
(1) All swimwear worn by competitors in Age Group Events (18 and under) conducted in
Australia by SAL shall be commercially available products.
(2) Swimwear worn by competitors in Age Group Events shall conform to the following
design – effective 1 April 2009:
(i) Men’s swimwear is limited to one (1) swimsuit that covers at most the body
surface from hips to knee. Swimwear must not extend above the waist or
below the knees;
(ii) Women’s swimwear is limited to one (1) swimsuit that is of “open back” and
“open shoulder” designs that may extend down to the knee. Swimwear
must not extend below the knees.
(iii) Swimwear must not have a zipper or any type of fastening system.
An Age Group Event is defined as any 18 and under SAL (Swimming Australia) swimming
event.
Swimming Australia: www.swimming.org.au > NEWS > eSwimmer > Issue 78 Dec. 2008
Northern Mallee Sports Star of the Year Awards were held recently in
Mildura with over 350 people in attendance ..
Kate Robertson received the Junior Sports Star of the Year. Fantastic !!!
The Merbein SC Cross Country Team was awarded the Junior Team of the Year.
Please check the Planner (3-09) for arrangements
in the next few weeks .. note I will be away in
Mildura & Geelong, February 20-23.
It’s been a very hot 2 weeks .. hopefully things
will moderate and while the activities of
swimmers are not impacted upon, it’s a matter of
finding alternatives (cross training) for runners.
Kate with Merbein SC
Principal Garry Costello
Georgie, Kate, Elyse, Tahleesha, Brittany
VSSSA CHAMPIONS 2008
Some have done this,
bringing clearly into focus
Hard Work and Persistence (& Courage) does make a difference
The main difference between a successful person and an unsuccessful person
is what they do in their spare time.

Several DVD’s and question sheets
have been or are being prepared that
focus on specific event categories;
these are available on request on a
4 week loan basis. If a sport is going
to progress, it must attend to the issue
of expanding awareness of ..
the sport’s elite performers, and,
what the sport involves.
So far: Various Races 1: 1500-10,000
Various Races 2: 400’s
400H .. 1991-2003
in production: Hurdles; Sprints 200’s;
Sprints 100’s; Swim Sprints
Checkout: The 400 (in PROGRAMS)
DVD’s are available on request
and must be returned within 4 weeks.
Bar Circuits & General Fitness
Well Done to all athletes who have accepted the
challenge of the Bar Circuits.
YOU can decide on the weight of your bar.
YOU can ensure how each activity is completed
(Remember: body position determines muscle recruitment)
(Technique is Everything)
YOU can decide how often you complete the circuit
(Recommended at least twice a week: 2-3 times through)
(I can lend good music-to-exercise-by - real music, e.g. AC/DC)
There are numerous circuits
No one circuit suits all
Ask questions .. Do what is best for YOU
To grow
Take a chance
Try
something new
Mistakes are allowed (almost
encouraged) at practice.
Mistakes are to learn from.
Mistakes are made by risk takers.
Life in the Australian Army (A “good one” from Phil King)
Text of a letter from a kid from Eromanga to Mum and Dad. (For those of you
not in the know, Eromanga is a small town, west of Quilpie in the far south west
of Queensland )
Dear Mum & Dad,
I am well. Hope youse are too. Tell me big brothers Doug and Phil that the Army
is better than workin' on the farm - tell them to get in bloody quick smart before
the jobs are all gone! I wuz a bit slow in settling down at first, because ya don't
hafta get outta bed until 6am. But, I like sleeping in now, cuz all ya gotta do
before brekky is make ya bed and shine ya boots and clean ya uniform. No
bloody cows to milk, no calves to feed, no feed to stack - nothin'!! Ya haz gotta
shower though, but its not so bad, coz there's lotsa hot water and even a light to
see what ya doing!
At brekky ya get cereal, fruit and eggs but there's no kangaroo steaks or possum
stew like wot Mum makes. You don't get fed again until noon and by that time all
the city boys are buggered because we've been on a 'route march' - geez its only
just like walking to the windmill in the back paddock!!
This one will kill me brothers Doug and Phil with laughter. I keep getting medals
for shootin' - dunno why. The bullseye is as big as a bloody possum's bum and it
don't move and it's not firing back at ya like the Johnsons did when our big
scrubber bull got into their prize cows before the Ekka last year! All ya gotta do is
make yourself comfortable and hit the target - it's almost too easy!! You don't
even load your own cartridges, they comes in little boxes, and ya don't have to
steady yourself against the rollbar of the roo shooting truck when you reload!
Sometimes ya gotta wrestle with the city boys and I gotta be real careful coz they
break easy - it's not like fighting with Doug and Phil and Jack and Boori and Steve
and Muzza all at once like we do at home after the muster.
Turns out I'm not a bad boxer either and it looks like I'm the best the platoon's got,
and I've only been beaten by this one bloke from the Engineers - he's 6 foot 5 and
15 stone and three pick handles across the shoulders and as ya know I'm only 5
foot 7 and eight stone wringin' wet, but I fought him till the other blokes carried me
off to the boozer.
I can't complain about the Army -
tell the boys to get in quick before
word gets around how bloody good it is.
Your loving daughter
Sheila
Risk Takers
are achievers
Here’s a little test? You can choose any sport(s)
Go to any ten (10) people .. any age, but
different ages; male and female; and,
not just your friends:
Question: Name 6 (six) elite performers in:
Netball Basketball Soccer
Athletics AFL Cricket
Swimming Hockey Golf
The results suggest which sports market themselves
best; hey, if your first response starts with “but”, you
are reflecting your sport’s problem .. are you part of
the problem?
Tom and Jaymes
Diving Tasks
are really taking shape
Welcome to
Brohden
“The Gunbower Kid”
Laura
More school medals
Well Done
Perception is the reality we must live with
It is not a question of what we mean, feel, intend .. it’s how we appear
to others: body language is our strongest message.
The 30 second rule applies .. perhaps even a 10 second rule

People often advise me that the programs etc. I “produce” should not be available free on my web site
1. As a young teacher, a former Principal (in 1970) said to me: “the only original idea in the 20 th century has been the invention of
plastic” … now, don’t get involved in thinking of exceptions (if there are any) … think: what did he mean?
2. Ideas are one thing, implementing the idea or some circumstance-specific variation thereof, is another. Having “possession” of a
program or idea is not the important thing … implementing the idea effectively is everything. (Want to check what I mean?
How many sheets, DVD’s, tags, …. are just collected? or, as I say, collect dust on the bedroom floor .. you have possession, but …….?)
Coaching/Teaching is not about talking-the-talk or wandering around laden down by stopwatches, or wearing “Coach” labeled Polo Tops to
reinforce personal insecurity .. coaches/teachers who know their craft seldom need to seek reassurance.
Teaching/Coaching .. it’s not about qualifications .. great teaching - coaching is about empathy.
Swimming Victoria Sprints (Feb. 14-15 .. MSAC)
Great swims by NWA athletes: Brock Norwood (4 swims, 4 pb’s); Ayla Pearson (after two weeks out the water with a cut foot, B/R pb;
both Brock and Ayla made finals (Top 10 in the State); Eric Bolitho, 2 swims, 2 pb’s; Jacqui Nolen (2 pb’s), Sam Bolitho ( 1 swim, 1 pb),
Laura Angove 50 FLY (missed pb by .01) .. a great experience for Laura.
Brock consolidated his great swims with a 3 rd place and another pb (32.89) in Sunday’s final; a great result.
Ayla, 8 th in the State .. another fine performance.
In the Top 10 in the State .. well done to all
the age-group athletes who can
claim such an achievement
in their sport.
Excellent performances by Tyler Parkinson,
now residing in Geelong, were a further feature.
Attention Echuca College Swimming Carnival organisers:
At MSAC:
There were no swimmers wearing floaties in official races ..
(in any races);
- the starter knew what he was doing;
- the races proceeded at a rate of approximately .. a race
every 2 minutes,
.. don’t make excuses, just do it better (others are).
Today’s Preparation
determines
Tomorrow’s Achievements
Ayla & Brock .. SV Sprints Finalist and Medalist
Quote of the Month: Dawn Fraser (to female NWA
swimmer) … Don’t let the boys beat you.
Girls want to learn things .. boys think they know everything (RP)
Technique
can be taught
but
ONLY
Persistence
Produces
Perfection
www.nwaswimaths.com
YOUNG Athletes
Get as far as you can
on as little as you can
(Don’t over-commit too early, except to technique)
Remember: Technique is Everything
(Bill Sweetenham, Master Coach)
50 Repeats forms a habit
Thousands of repeats to change the habit
What’s the message???
(Russell Parsons .. trying to coach)

The fee structure will operate from Jan. 1, 2009 and may be further adjusted.
NWA Session Fees: (2008)
► Swim: Juniors & Intermediates - $6.00 per session; Seniors .. ($5.00 per session) to a maximum of $80.00 per month.
Runners: $6.00 per week.
(Variations may be made for 2 nd , & 3 rd children, and/or swimmers and runners who endure significant travel .. coach discretion)
Payments may be made at sessions, or, invoices will be forwarded at the end of each month. Payment on invoiced amounts MUST
be made within 7 days of receiving the invoice. ALL Senior & Intermediate swimmers will be invoiced; please retain your invoice
which I will initial when payment is made. Adjustments may have to be made in response to any charge increases by the YMCA.
The aim is to cover all costs, including Newsletter costs … an increase is necessary to approach this.
Any person with a question should contact me direct.
Russell Parsons
You’ll never rise higher than your dreams
but to be realized
dreams must become goals
How?
www.nwaswimaths.com > PROGRAMS
> General Programs
> Setting Goals (Naber)
Warren Lowry
Soft Tissue Therapist
89 Hare Street,
ECHUCA, 3564
03-54-801-991
0419 637 358
Control what you
can control – cope
with what you can’t
control – prepare
as if everything
will go wrong.
Seek and follow
experienced
professional advice
with injuries.
Kyabram Encouragement Meet (Sat. Feb. 14)
Olivia Pellegrino: B/R pb 50.78 and 3 rd place medal
Eliza Healey: F/S and B/R 3 rd place
Tallis George: B/R pb
WELL DONE to all swimmers.
And well done to Niall Barlow .. Junior Boy Runner-Up;
a great step forward.
Tallis and Olivia
Best Wishes to all swimmers who are contesting “All” Junior Eliminations next weekend,
at Lara, please seek out Carole Sparkes; and send (email) your results to me promptly ..
I will be in Mildura (Sat. & Sun.) and at Geelong College (Mon. a.m.). I hope to be back for
running Monday p.m.
I am not leaving for Mildura until midday Friday, so all swimming and running sessions
until then will take place as normal; please read the Planner (3-09) carefully. There is no
swimming next Monday, February 23, a.m. Some athletes will be provided with training
programs.
Photographs (email promptly) .. old news is no news. Times: official times only.
2009 Sports Camp
(Paid-up)
Expressions of
Interest
Courtney Schultz (R)
Ben Carmody (S)
Laura Angove (S)
Sam Bolitho (S)
Eric Bolitho (S)
Brock Norwood (S)
Jacqui Nolen (S)
Andrew Dixon (S)
Breanna Beckley (S)*
Morgan Power (S&R)*
India Kinsey (S&R)*
____________________
Russell Parsons
Jenny Nolen (Parent)
Michelle Lonergan
Libby Pellegrino (R)
Eliza
Parents, Swimmers and Runners: times (exact .. official)
and photographs are VERY IMPORTANT .. personal records
are a measure of progress; please report or send ASAP
It’s not how fast,
It’s how well.
Skills are forever
Expression of Interest
Forms are due by the
end of February.
* to be confirmed
In swimming, coach Michel Piper talks about “Make-It Butterfly” .. the swimmer can “make-it” to the other end, but they can’t
really swim butterfly; they are having-a-go .. well done. But, as in running, technique is everything for the young athlete;
running is not jogging .. anybody can jog. (>5 min. / km. = jog).
There are many athletes doing what I call “sort-of drills” - they think, their coaches think, and of course, parents think, they are
doing the drill correctly. But, are they?
50 repeats forms a habit .. thousands of repeats to change the habit
Once an incorrect habit is formed very few corrections take place .. lots of frustration .. lots of drop outs
Skills are something almost every young person can enhance: required: patience, persistence and a “picky” coach.

North West Athletics: SPORTS CAMP 2009 … Sunday, September 27 – Friday, October 2, 2009
Sports Super Centre (Gold Coast): www.sportssupercentre.com.au
A Photo Report on the 2008 camp: www.nwaswimaths.com > PRESENTATIONS > Sports Camp 2008
The following details are for your consideration.
Only those who register interest will be sent further details .. the information below will be
included in NWA Newsletters 23-28 - 08.
Dates are confirmed
Athlete =
Swimmer and/or
Runner
A list will be
presented of
registered
interest. (p.5)
Bottom Line: all have the option of seeking selection, but, all expectations MUST be met .. I retain the right to select all involved.
So, it’s my way or the highway. Camp duration (5 days) is one day more than 2008.
Expectations will be achievable, fair … but very, very firm.
Agility Ladder Drills .. Sept. 2008
Detach and Return if you are interested: Russell Parsons, 2/72 Hopwood Street, ECHUCA, 3564
Total Cost will
vary, but you
should budget at
least $600, incl,.
flights, accom,
evening meals.
Fundamental Expectations: (there are other expectations - there are no exceptions)
- No mobile phones (except coaching staff)
- No boys in girls areas and no girls in boys areas
- 100 Push-Ups and 100 Bent Knee Sit-Ups (or coach variations) every day
All persons will be levied $30 upon arrival at the Camp; these funds will purchase requirements for
breakfasts and lunches. Evening meals are in the Super Sports Centre Dining Hall.
All athletes must wear their NWA T-shirt at all dining hall meals. Other information will be
communicated in due course. 2009 T-shirts will be provided to the final group selected.
Fitness Expectations .. 2008 (likely in 2009):
1. Push Ups: Male: