Matt Hewson
Two young Geelong athletes will travel to the Gold Coast next weekend to attend a national performance and pathways athletics camp .
Sprint hurdler Evan Bainbridge and triple jumper Cailin Walker both qualified for the 2023 Coles Little Athletics National High-Performance Camp, held from Sunday, October 1 to Wednesday October 4.
The camp is designed to give participants a better understanding of competition, recovery, preparation, psychology and the journey and processes of being a high-performance athlete,
The 80 or so young athletes from around the country will engage in training sessions, workshops, presentations and social activities delivered by current and former Australian international athletes and coaches.
Cailin, who started Little Aths when she was nine years old, said she was particularly interested in learning more about elite-level preparation.
“They’re doing workshops on nutrition, which will be fun,” she said.
“I’ve done a bit about that at school, but I haven’t learned much about it from the athlete’s point of view, so I’m really excited about that.”
Evan, who has focused on sprint hurdles since he was 11, said he was looking forward to getting tips on different aspects of preparation and performance and also meeting other young athletes from around Australia.
“I’m hoping to learn a lot about things like technique, getting advice on diet and how to recover properly,” he said.
“I like the competitive aspect, and definitely improving as well, but I just like socialising, talking with the other kids. I’m excited.”
