FORTY three athletes from three different sport programs will be inducted into the Northern Inland Academy of Sport this weekend.
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In Gunnedah tomorrow 12 swimmers and 14 of the region's promising young track and field stars will be inducted.
In Tamworth on Sunday, 17 talented rugby players will be inducted into the NIAS.
The three squads will have media workshops after their inductions while the rugby union program also completes its first training session.
The Joblink Plus Swimming program enters its second year under head coach Barb Reynolds.
She said it would again focus on two intensive, weekend skill development camps, an interregional trip as well as regular underwater video analysis for the swimmers.
"The athletes will also receive personal development sessions on topics such as nutrition, media presentation, injury prevention and treatment over the next 12 months," Reynolds said.
"At the first camp, high-level coach Graeme Carroll (Warringah Aquatic Centre) will provide expert coaching to both the swimmers and their individual coaches.
"Graeme is a previous Australian open water coach and has coached marathon swimmer Shelly Taylor-Smith.
"The current Australian ranked 200 IM swimmer, Adam Bugledich, will also accompany Graeme to Gunnedah.
"Adam has just returned from a year-long swimming scholarship in the States and he will give a talk to the NIAS athletes about the commitment and dedication it takes to not only make it but to remain an elite level swimmer."
Level 2 coach Kerry Smith heads the NIAS track and field program with Sue Hogan as a squad manager while former elite runner, Pete Turton, a teacher at McCarthy Catholic College, will be involved as a trainee coach.
Hogan said the squad would compete at a number of carnivals both in the region and as well in Newcastle before a joint training camp with other academies at Narrabeen in January.
She said an inter-regional camp was also planned for Tamworth next Easter.
Head coach Jamie Moore will supervise the induction of 17 rugby union players into the NIAS Eastern Suburbs Beasties Rugby Program on Sunday.
After this weekend the squad will come together on a monthly basis and will head to Sydney in February for a two-day intensive camp with other regional academies, NSW Waratahs and coaches and players from Eastern Suburbs.
JOBLINK PLUS SWIMMING SQUAD: Thomas Harris, Stephen Bennett, Matthew Watson (Armidale), Karlie McGrath (Moree), Cassandra Siko, Michael Harvey, Craig Falkenmire (Tamworth), Clint Hartley, Penelope Stove, Martha Beattie (Gunnedah), Mitchell Swan, Rebecca Horne (Moree).
NIAS TRACK & SQUAD: Courtney Biggs (Ogunbil), Kristy Traynor, Lauren Burns-Rees (Tamworth), Samuel Cameron MitchellShaw (Armidale), Freya Greensill (Warialda), Kieron Hayes, Brady Tydd (Gunnedah), Christopher Hogan (Duri), Benjamin McTackett (Stannum), Danny Smith (Walgett), Neville Suey-Thorne (Walgett), Kathryn Willott (Emmaville), Ian Yeo (Merrygoen).
RUGBY SQUAD: Roy Head, Andrew Coulton (TAS), Anthony Cummins (Moore Creek), Patrick Johnstone, Iain Hall, Hue Douglas, Lachlan Paull (Armidale), Phillip Eden (Nemingha), Adam Faint (Hillgrove), Oliver Fox (Coonabarabran), Ashley Jennings, Daniel Pilon (Moree), Adam Ferris, Brendan McNamara (Narrabri), Samuel McNeil (Inverell), Brocke Reti (Tamworth), Andrew Sulter (Ulamabri).
