NIAS welcomed a fresh bunch of hockey stars last Saturday in Armidale for the first of six training sessions before the Academy Games on the Central Coast next April.
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The hockey program contains mostly first year athletes this season, as well as a new manager in Andrew Brissett.
Greg Doolan and Andrew Farmilo will coach the boys’ and girls’ squad respectively.
The session included a talk about what it takes to be a NIAS athlete.
“It is the next step so the kids have to be committed to the training and fitness,” Brissett said.
“We explained what we wanted to do and also what we expected of them.
“NIAS is about more than just the game.”
A cornerstone of the hockey program in recent years has been fitness, and anyone unsure of that was given a reminder for the first hour at the hockey centre at SportUNE.
“The last few years we have been one of the strongest academies,” Brissett said.
“With a lot of new athletes keeping that image is something we need to aim for.”
All players obviously come into the squads with a high level of ability, although the first few training sessions look at refining those skills and mastering the basics.
Early next year the sessions will become more team oriented as the sides begin to gear up for the Games, the highlight of any academy athlete’s off-season.
Once again NIAS will play the Hunter Academy and also train with them in the lead up to the games.
“That is the only practice match we will get this season,” Brissett said.
This year’s coaches are not only coaching the athletes but are also coaching coaches.
Former academy attendees Katrina Rekunow and Michael Young will be understudies to Doolan and Farmilo.
The two will act as assistant coaches as they go about getting the credentials to be full-blown coaches in the future.
“It is great that NIAS is developing coaches as well,” Brissett said.
The program will include another five training sessions split between Tamworth and Armidale before the Games.