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Australian Institute of Sport - Athletics Australia National High Performance Program

The primary aim of the Athletics Australia High Performance Program is to be a top ten athletics nation by 2012 (and beyond). To this end, the NHPC program and other initiatives are being introduced.

• National High Performance Centres
• Objective
• Program structure
• Selection rational
• Contacts

National Performance Centres

These centres are located across the country, with each focusing on individual event groups and bringing together the best athletes, their coaches, sports science experts and the best support infrastructure available.

A flexible system managed by Athletics Australia has been developed and may provide some of the following to athletes and personal coaches:

• Specialist coaching and training through live in camps and education sessions
• Support for athletes who choose to stay at home but wish to train at an elite level
• Coach education and a support infrastructure to take coaching in Australia to the highest level

National Centre for Walks, Athletes with a Disability and Greater Coaching Centre for 400m hurdles and horizontal jumps at the Australian Institute of Sport                   

Centre Coaches

• Brent Vallance; Walks
  
• Iryna Dvoskina; athletes with a disability coach (sprints and jumps)
• Alison O'Riordan; athletes with a disability coach (throws)

• Craig Hilliard Hurdles, Horizontal Jumps and 400mH
  

National Performance Centre for Pole Vault

West Australian Institute of Sport   

Centre coach Alex Parnov

As you can see, (in summary) Athletics Australia and the Australian Paralympic Committee has designated the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra to be a centre for the following event groups:-

• Walks
• Athletes with a disability (AWD)
  
• Long and Triple Jumps
• 400m Hurdle

Objective

The objective of the National High Performance Centre (NHPC) is to provide a world class training environment for Australia’s elite level athletes in these disciplines. The AIS NHPC will be the pinnacle for high performance and the development of Australia’s future medal winning athletes.

The Australian Institute of Sport / NHPC is arguably one of the best equipped in the World and has a world wide reputation for excellence in sporting achievement which is the envy of most countries.

The AIS offers the very latest in sports science, including a large state of the art weights facility and the only indoor 115m running track in the Southern Hemisphere. This is installed with world class biomechanical equipment (such as force-time platforms, laser timing, fast action filming, and computer aided motion analysis).

The recently opened world-class AIS rehabilitation-recovery facility (featuring plunge pool, spa, sauna, and running river) is the envy of many. This coupled with access to full time medical staff and services, including sports doctors, physiotherapy, massage, pilates etc. will enable athletes and their coaches to maximise their training potential and assist them to achieve at the highest level.

Program structure

The NPC is centralised at the Australian Institute of Sport, Bruce Campus, Canberra and consist of 6 scholarship categories –

• AIS Residential Scholarships
  • full residential scholarship that covers meals, accommodation on site in the new AIS Residential apartment complex, plus coaching, sports science , sports medicine services, ACE and access to AIS facilities in a full time environment (aged 17+ after leaving school)
  • full time residential scholarship giving athletes the opportunity to live off campus and receive the athlete living-out allowance, plus coaching, sports science ,sports medicine services, ACE and access to AIS facilities (aged 17+ after leaving school)
• AIS Sports Science and Medicine Scholarships
  • Athletes having access to sports science/medicine services as a visiting athlete through a short term residential training camp. This is for nominated medal winning potential athletes to supplement their preparation when needed, for defined short periods
• Visiting athletes and coaches on an individual needs basis
  • Invited athletes and their personal coaches can visit the AIS, to train alongside the AIS Scholarship holders for small periods of time to supplement their preparation and access the world-class coaching, sport science and medical staff available, or to assist with specific issues or medically related problems. They will be housed in the AIS residence during their stay.
  • Athletes who re-locate to Canberra but are unable to receive an AIS Scholarship can, by invitation access the AIS training facilities under the coaching direction of the National Event Leaders based at the AIS.
• National training and coach development squads by invitation by the National Event Leader

Athletes who are in Canberra and are adjudged by Athletics Australia to fulfil the necessary performance standards for inclusion within the National High Performance Program may be invited to receive a Canberra Agreement.  This is a partnership between the home State Institute/Academic, the athlete, their personal coach and Athletics Australia where the AIS may provide access to performance management through the AIS Program Manager plus certain key services such as physiotherapy, soft tissue treatment, recovery and facilities including the AIS tranck and the strength and conditioning staff and facility.

Those who choose not to relocate to take up an AIS Scholarship, can be supported technically through their personal coach in their home environment and financially assisted to attend training camps and competitions held at the AIS by invitation, through AA sponsored camps.

All NHPP identified elite athletes should be supported in their home state by their respective SIS/SAS. There may be a coordinated approach with the SIS/SAS and personal coach to determine the most appropriate and beneficial servicing of that athlete whilst residing away from the NPC.

The identified athletes are supported by a matrix of support agencies including their local State Member Associations, State Sports Institutes and Academies (through the State Performance Coordinators), the Australian Institute of Sport and personal coaches.

Selection rationale

 Standards

These are a guide to the entry requirements for AIS Scholarship athletes and NPC athletes who live elsewhere in Australia. They will be used as a guide only along with any relevant competition results at major and domestic championship events held each year: and recently-

These Age-based and Senior Elite Standards have been established as a guide for the NPP and reflect approximately the 20th best performance for each individual age category, averaged over a 4 year period and will be updated shortly by Athletics Australia.

These standards provide a pathway for elite developing and elite senior athletes towards achieving the objectives of the National High Performance Plan, which is to win medals at the Olympic level. Here is a complimentary set of standards for athletes with a disability contained within the AAPP program, managed by Scott Goodman who is also based at the AIS and employed by Athletics Australia as the Paralympic Program Manager.

They also provide incentives and progression standards for the younger athletes to become part of the NHPP/NPC and to see what an elite pathway looks like. It would also provide a clear guideline to the performance required to gain entry into the NHPP and provide a standard to maintain appropriate levels of funding when at the AIS and support when outside the NPC.

This NPC program will be supported in time by linkage with younger athletes and coaches fed to the program via the AA National Youth and National Talent Identification and Indigenous Programs.

The National Development Pathway is Athletics Australia’s commitment to identifying, developing and nurturing talented young athletes. It provides structured opportunities for talented young athletes to train together under expert junior coaches to help them develop into world-class senior athletes. This program is under the guidance of National Youth Performance Manager Sara Mulkearns and a group of National Youth Event Coaches.

Athletics Australia’s Coach Education and Development program is a new initiative, which will further the coach development offered by the National High Performance Centres. Michael Poulton, the National Coaching Coordinator, will work with the Australian Track and Field Coaches Association and individual Personal Coaches to provide opportunities for committed elite level coaches to develop to a world-class level.

Athletics Australia High Performance Contacts