St Paul's Elite Sports Performers Program in Warragul, Victoria | School

St Paul's Elite Sports Performers Program

Locality: Warragul, Victoria

Phone: +61 3 5623 5833

Address: 150 Bowen Street 3820 Warragul, VIC, Australia

Website: http://stpaulsags.vic.edu.au/learning/elite-sports-performers-program

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25.01.2022 This video is by Triple Olympian and Australian Water Polo team member Bronwyn Knox. Bronwyn explains how her preparations for her fourth Olympics has changed due to Covid. Bronwyn has some fantastic advice that will benefit any young athlete at this stage. We would like to thank Bronwyn for taking the time to make this video for our ESP students and wish her well in her training and preparation for Tokyo 2021.

25.01.2022 Sporting scholarships are now open for 2022 at St Paul's. Feel free to share with anyone who might be interested!

24.01.2022 Unfortunately we have had to cancel the AIS Tour that was scheduled for 2020. Due to COVID the tour was postponed until early 2021 however due to ongoing restrictions at the AIS the tour has now been cancelled. The AIS Tour is an amazing experience for any aspiring young athlete so it is extremely disappointing that the trip will not run. We are in the process of booking in for 2022 for our next AIS tour.

22.01.2022 COVID-19 has caused the cancellation of several guest speakers for ESP students. One athlete who was lined up to come and speak to ESP students was Australian Boxing Champion Caitlin Parker. Caitlin, who recently qualified for the Tokyo Olympics will visit St Paul’s when COVID restrictions are eased. Caitlin has sent a quick video to say hello to our ESP students ahead of her visit.

21.01.2022 Jordan Shields (Year 7 ESP) is a talented young sportsperson. He had a history of outstanding performances over many sports in Primary School and is now starting to push ahead with his cricket in particular. Jordan was just selected ahead of many others for the Latrobe Team for the for the Junior Country Week / Gippsland Cricket League competition. Jordan will focus on his cricket over the next few months and will also devote time to his football as he is also a very keen and talented footballer.

21.01.2022 A big thank you to iNSPIRE Sport who have offered great support throughout what has been a difficult year for young athletes in Victoria. Our ESP students have access to their App that not only monitors wellness but also iNSPIRE were able to personalise the content feed so, in addition to the nutrition, psychology and training information there are the videos that have been filmed by Australia’s top athletes specifically for our ESP students. They have also sent St Paul's a bag full of iNSPIRE merchandise as prizes for our students using the App.

20.01.2022 Returning to sport for young athletes with a heavy training load - By Dr. Sacha Fulton for our ESP students. Time away from sport is quite common for athletes. Sometimes time away from training is planned, such as for exam preparation or the occasional family holiday. Often time away from training is unplanned, such as illness, injury and fatigue. This year, the world over, athletes have been forced to cease training and competition altogether and take more time away from th...eir sport than ever before. Return to play and peak form safely and effectively after the challenges of 2020 are hard but not impossible if you understand the principles of training. 1. Progressive overload - When you train above your baseline, the ‘stress’ of training causes your body to adapt to this ‘overload’. 2. Specificity - When you train, the training effect needs to be specific to the exercise or skill you are training. Top tips for safe and effective return to play: 1. Implement the principles of progressive overload and specificity 2. Follow guidance of a coach, mentor or teacher 3. Pay attention to nutrition, hydration, recovery and sleep 4. Implement assistance from the physical therapies 5. Ensure you warm up and cool down properly 6. Monitor resting HR, I-PRRS and RPE 7. Increase frequency of training first, then duration of training and lastly intensity of training 8. Return to play objectives should follow this progression - increase heart rate, gradually increase load, re-develop exercise coordination, skills and tactics and finally restore confidence and functional skills. 9. Return to play exercises should follow this progression - light cardio exercise, simple movement activities, complex movement activities and finally the resumption of normal training activities. 10. Assume that it will take at least the same amount of time that you have not trained for, to return to full fitness. Click on the link below for an interesting read on cricket stars and their return to play: Cricket stars on their return to play and empty stadiums | Austadiums

18.01.2022 A huge congratulations to Tatum, Jorja and Sophie for their outstanding VCE results while being a part of the ESP Program at St Paul's. As most student athletes would agree, juggling high level sport and your studies is no easy feat, so to achieve such success is a wonderful achievement. Congratulations also to former ESP students Tom and Jessie for their fabulous results.

18.01.2022 Wishing all of our ESP students and their families a safe and festive holiday break and all the very best to those students who are back to competing!

17.01.2022 Congratulations to former St Paul’s ESP student Caleb Serong for being awarded the NAB AFL 2020 Rising Star Award tonight! We are so proud of his achievements!

16.01.2022 As we head towards the finish of 2020, we would like to say a huge thank you to all of the elite athletes, coaches and sports specialists who took the time to send messages of support and tips to our ESP students in this difficult year. Your words of encouragement and support were of great help to our student athletes.

16.01.2022 Congratulations to ESP student Myah Healey (Year 11) who has re-signed with Casey Demons for the U/19 VNL (Victorian Netball League). Myah is a very talented all round athlete as she also plays for Dandenong in the Victorian Junior Basketball League and competes in wood chopping. Congratulations Myah and good luck for 2021 with all of your sport.

13.01.2022 A big thank you to Maddie Garrick, Co- Captain of the Deakin Melbourne Boomers WNBL team and a member of the 3x3 team that won Gold at the 2019 FIBA Women’s World Series for taking the time to share her tips and support to our St Paul's ESP students!

12.01.2022 A big thank you for the fabulous ongoing support from Voyage Fitness Warragul who are still offering our ESP students in Years 9-12 the chance to train at Voyage. This video shot during restrictions is testament to the great commitment they show to our student athletes. Anyone who is interested in recommencing training at Voyage please contact Mr Armour.

12.01.2022 Dr Sacha Fulton visited St Paul’s ESP students two years ago and we are excited to have her back and involved with the ESP program. Sacha is has been a Physiologist at the Australian Institute of Sport, has travelled with Olympic teams as a Sports Scientist and has worked at the West Australian Institute of Sport. This experience combined with her experience representing Australia as an athlete has made her a very highly regarded professional in the area of Sports Science. ...Over the next few weeks we will put up posts written by Sacha specifically for teenage pre-elite athletes. The posts will be on hydration tips for the Victorian summer, sleep tips for the teenage athlete and the importance of training principles when returning to a heavy sports training load after the restrictions of COVID. ESP students can also look forward to more information and support from Sacha throughout 2021. See more

11.01.2022 After many months of no water based training it is fantastic to see our ESP swimmers back in training. We have many swimmers in the ESP program as most of them complete approximately nine sessions a week with many of these being before school. Most of our ESP swimmers represent Traralgon Swim Club and Warragul Swim Clubs but do get to compete alongside each other when we compete as a school at SEISA meets. Several of our swimmers are already aiming for the National Championships which will be held in the first part of next year.

10.01.2022 Restrictions due to COVID-19 certainly changed the lives of everyone in today's world, including young athletes with hopes and dreams to take their sport to the next level. The Elite Sports Performers (ESP) Program at St Paul's assisted their 50 ESP students by providing inspirational videos from Olympic and professional athletes and coaches to help motivate them to continue balancing training regimes with their schoolwork and family time. The possibility that motivation leve...ls of students could decline as the length of the lockdown progressed was the driving force behind Scott Armour (Coordinator of the ESP Program) and his ESP team for reaching out to some of Australia’s leading athletes and coaches for assistance. Scott said Without access to the students I wanted a way to get brief messages of support and encouragement to our young athletes. In the first lockdown, the videos focused on getting athletes to show how they had adapted their training to home-based sessions during the lockdown. In the second lockdown, we centred the videos around strategies to get the ESP student athletes to remain positive and focus on their training. Former Olympians, elite athletes, Australian coaches and industry professionals recorded videos just for the students about how they are moving forward with their training despite the pandemic putting a hold on their sport. They also provided valuable tips and advice to help the students be mentally and physically prepared to step straight back into their sport when it returns. Some of the Australian athletes, coaches and industry leaders included: Dean Vickerman, Melbourne United Head Coach and St Paul’s Alumnus Mark Knowles, former Olympic hockey player and Commonwealth Games flag bearer Anabelle Smith, Olympic bronze medallist and Australian diving team member Brenton Jones, professional cyclist (London) and St Paul’s Alumnus Bronwyn Knox, triple Olympian and Australian water polo team member Alex Gummer, professional soccer player (Switzerland) and St Paul's Alumna Kate Smyth, Australian Commonwealth marathon runner Harry McKay and Fraser Phillips, Carlton footballers and St Paul’s ESP graduates Sarah Rowe, Gaelic footballer (Ireland) and Collingwood AFLW player Ben McKay (North Melbourne Football Club) and Taylah Giliam (WNBL player), former St Paul's ESP students Millie Bongiorno, Australian alpine snowboarder Aoife and Maeve Coughlan, national judo and former St Paul's ESP students Hannah Macdougall, elite para-cyclist and former Paralympic swimmer Jamie Macmillan, North Melbourne Football Club Laura Hingston, VIS athlete and member of the Australian diving team Nathan Brown, St Kilda footballer Ashleigh Brennan, two-time Olympic Gymnast and Commonwealth Gold Medallist Maddie Garrick, Co-captain for the Deakin Melbourne Boomers’ WNBL team Caitlin Parker, Australian boxing champion

09.01.2022 Sleep tips for the teenage athlete - By Dr Sacha Fulton. Sleep serves a restorative and rejuvenation function. When we sleep human growth hormone is released and soft tissues grow and repair. We conserve energy and consolidate memory and learning. From the elderly to the very young, sleep is the single most important form of passive recovery. The National Sleep Foundation’s sleep recommendations specify that athletes should get 9 to 10 hours in the weeks surrounding their tra...ining and competitive events, to ensure optimal performance as well as an efficient recovery. During high-level competition, sleep is often one of the greatest issues faced by athletes. Worry about expectations, excitement of high-level competition and early morning training schedules are all causes of sleep issues. Decrements in sleep can lead to decreased information processing, decreased attention and focus, decreased reaction times, decreased mood, decreased performance, poor decision-making, poor nutrition, poor memory and suppression of the immune system. Ten tips for a good night’s sleep: 1. Routine - get up and go to bed at same time every day 2. Exercise daily and consume minimal caffeine 3. Deal with ‘stress’ during the day/early evening 4. Don’t go to bed hungry/thirsty 5. No caffeine or heavy exercise 3-4 hours before bed 6. No screen time 60 mins before bed and no light emitting screens in bedroom 7. Ensure your bedroom is comfortable and inviting (temperature, quiet, dark) 8. Avoid daytime naps >20 mins 9. Avoid work within 90 mins of bed 10. If awake after 20 mins, do something relaxing out of bed until sleepy Click on the link below for an easy to read article on the benefits of sleep for athletes: The benefits of sleep for athletes and how you can sleep better! (snackinginsneakers.com)

09.01.2022 St Paul’s ESP has been fortunate to form a strong link in the past with the AIS through their ESP Tours along with being invited into the MyAISBasecamp program and invitations to well-being conferences. The AIS and the Community Custodians program have taken the time to support our students during these difficult times with a video message to our students from Jenna O’Hea and Nathan Katz. Thank you to both Jenna and Nathan for their messages of support! https://youtu.be/5MlaA0eEFoQ

09.01.2022 ESP staff would like to wish all ESP students their families a relaxing holiday after what has been another big term of online learning. With restrictions starting to ease around the state many of our ESP students will hopefully start to have a greater opportunity for an increase in training and possibly competition. Predicting which restrictions with regards to sport will ease and when is beyond our control so it is important that when our ESP students are thinking about the...ir sport they focus on these five things; Training Sleep Recovery Nutrition Mindset Everything else is out of our control so focus your energy only on what is in your control.

08.01.2022 Congratulations to St Paul’s ESP graduate Aoife Coughlan for yet another outstanding achievement!

08.01.2022 A big thank you to Laura Hingston and Diving Australia for the special shout out to St Paul’s ESP students. Laura is a VIS Athlete and member of the Australian Diving Team. Our ESP students have been fortunate to have access to her full online Athlete Presentation and now Laura has taken the time to send a short message just for our ESP students. Laura is an inspiring young athlete and has some really positive and uplifting messages for our students. Today I will do what others won't, so tomorrow I can do what others can't .

07.01.2022 Good luck to former St Paul's ESP student Rachel Antoniadou who is a part of the WNBL hub in Queensland at the moment with the Melbourne Boomers.

07.01.2022 In the past five years St Paul’s has had six former ESP students drafted into the AFL. During 2020 it has been fantastic to see Ben McKay have a break out season with North Melbourne as a key defender, Harry McKay continue his great form with Carlton and Caleb Serong had a stand out debut year with Fremantle which has seen him become one of the favourites for the Rising Star Award. Both Harry and Caleb have made the squad for the 22 under 22 years AFL side. Other ESP students on AFL lists in 2020 were Fraser Phillips (Carlton) and Noah Gown (Essendon).

04.01.2022 Since March ESP staff have been arranging videos from top level athletes for our ESP Students. Below is a quote from Rachel Jennings (ESP Year 12) on how this type of support is benefiting her. I watched Linden Hall’s VIS presentation and she is an incredible athlete, someone who I look up to in running and hearing her story reinforces my passion in my sport. It’s very easy right now to lose sight of your goals and motivation without the team training environment or competit...iveness of race day, so hearing her journey from a junior athlete into her senior career was inspiring. She encouraged us young athletes to realise there is a bigger picture than the here and now, and how important it is to zoom out and gain perspective. Also, Elizabeth Little (Year 10) summed it up by saying, the videos have been getting me through this tough time.

04.01.2022 Congratulations to former ESP student Ben McKay who finished 9th in the North Melbourne Football Club Best and Fairest. Despite missing seven games Ben had a strong finish to the 2020 season. In what was a difficult year spent in a Hub in Queensland Ben managed to have his best season yet. Congratulations Ben and all the best for your preparation for season 2021.

03.01.2022 A big thank you to two time Olympic Gymnast and Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist Ashleigh Brennan for taking the time to send a video to our ESP students. Ashleigh is a familiar face at St Paul's, presenting several times over the past years to our ESP students at school.

03.01.2022 Thanks very much to Kate Smyth for this video for our ESP students. Kate is an Australian marathon runner. She set her personal best time of 2.28:51, by finishing second at the 2008 Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon in Japan as well as represented Australia at the Commonwealth Games. Not only does Kate run her own business, she is also an accredited athletics coach, involved in national programs run through the IAAF and Athletics Australia and mentors aspiring elite athletes. https://youtu.be/Is3mLIa085E

01.01.2022 Stay tuned for a very exciting announcement next week, when we announce a new partnership that will be of huge benefit to all of our ESP students! The partnership is with an Elite Australian Sporting team and will be focused on assisting our student athletes to improve their knowledge of high performance training, pathways and the roles within a high level professional sporting organisation. The partnership is not sport specific so our students who compete in many different sporting arenas will all benefit from the program. More information to come

01.01.2022 Towards the end of Term 3, ESP students had the opportunity to ask Olympic Bronze Medalist Anabelle Smith a question with regards to training or mindset. Many students took up this opportunity to receive advice and guidance from Anabelle who is currently in hotel quarantine in South Australia as she relocates to continue training for the 2021 Olympics. This initiative was another was that ESP staff were trying to actively assist our ESP students during what has been a very difficult year for our aspiring athletes. Linking our students with an athlete such as Anabelle will assist our students in staying positive and being ready, physically and mentally, when sport returns.

01.01.2022 Finding the Balance... For years ESP students have heard the term 'finding the balance' with reference to finding other pursuits outside of your chosen sport that you enjoy as this is needed when sport is not going as you hope, through times of injury and especially when you finish sport. It is great to see that even at the AIS the athletes are encouraged to find things that interest them outside of sport. In a recent article the AIS Director of People Development and Well-being Matti Clements wrote, Pursuing a passion away from sport can help provide athletes with a more well rounded perspective and ensure that they have more balance in their lives.

01.01.2022 ESP students already have access to the fantastic Inspire Athlete Support and Development App. In the past few months we have been working with the App Developers at Inspire to make the App more specific to the needs of St Paul's ESP. The staff at Inspire have put in some amazing work to manage to create a content feed that is specific to our ESP students. The many videos that are being made by athletes to support our students have been put up in the App so students can get easy access to these. There is also a short video for ESP students from Annie Flamsteed (former elite gymnast and founder of Inspire). Annie sends message of support from her and the Inspire team.