The Life Skills education day (formally Growth Day) will be held at the Armidale City Bowling Club on the 10th of February. It is supported by “Your Local Club” and is implemented by the 11 Regional Academies across NSW.

The educational day focuses on helping the athletes build an understanding of what it takes to become an elite athlete.

They are presented to about nutrition (Food Smart Selena), psychology (Peak Psychology) and physiotherapy (Pro-Active Physiotherapy).

The University of New England will also present to the athletes regarding their own Athlete Program, Strength and Conditioning (Former Sydney Swan’s conditioning coach Matt Pine) as well as education options for post-sporting life. 

The university will also conduct testing on the athletes throughout the day.

This will give the participants a proper understanding of where their basic fitness and capabilities are, what they can improve on and where they match up against other athletes.

It will also give them a benchmark to work off, so they can measure their improvements at the end of the year.

This is a compulsory aspect of the NIAS sporting programs which all athletes are expected to attend. The educational facet is a constantly changing, developing and growing as part of the NIAS program. 

NIAS CEO James Cooper says it is just as important to build these athletes off the field as it is to build them on the field. 

“Nutrition, psychology and physiotherapy are all extremely important aspects of becoming an elite athlete. The focus that elite sports have on these aspects is growing every day and the sooner that our athletes can get into good routines and build a deeper understanding the better.”

“Our athletes all have grand aspirations and we want to help them as much as we can to reach their dreams, but it is also our job to provide them with a well-rounded platform that they can use both within and outside of the sporting environment.

“We not only deliver this content face to face, but we have an online component that includes other topics such as financial fitness and youth leadership.”

There will be a second Life Skills education day held at the Gunnedah Services and Bowling Club later in the year.

The NIAS “Tamworth Services” Rugby League program and the New Rugby Union programs have not been selected yet and the “Tamworth City Toyota” Basketball program are away this weekend for their tour of Sydney, and the “Inland Technology” tennis athletes have a Junior Development Series tournament in Armidale.

 Program: “Tamworth Golf Club” Golf Program.

Home town: Gunnedah.

Age: Seventeen

How long have you played golf for? I have played for over eight years and been a part of NIAS for the past three years.

Who is your favourite athlete? He’s not a golfer but my favourite athlete is Jonathon Thurston.

What is your home course? I play out of the Coonabarabran Golf Club.

What do you hope to achieve out of the NIAS program? I’d like to try and excel at the sport and improve my overall game.