Under the guidance of head coach Andrew Davy, womens coach Helen Willis and Hockey NSW Regional Coaching Coordinator Blair Chalmers the girls and boys were tested on their fitness, their core skills and a few more advanced skills.

“It was about getting a base of where they are at,” Davy said.

“They haven’t done a lot since they finished the hockey season.”

After putting them through the beep test, they then threw in some ballwork to test how they perform under fatigue.

“They did 20 seconds of work and then had 20 seconds of rest. They did that about 12 times the first time,” he said.

“Our emphasis was on them doing as well the first time as the 10^th and 11^th.”

The program is for athletes not involved in the Accelerated Athlete Program.

“It helps to keep those kids involved that haven’t made AAP.

“It gives them the opportunity to keep going, otherwise they can get lost,” Davy said.

And there is the potential to work their way into the AAP.

“Two kids from last year have jumped their way into AAP,” he said.

The next training day will be in Tamworth on November 27. It will be the last before they break for Christmas.

“We’ll train every fortnight,” Davy said, alternating between Tamworth and Armidale, where the bulk of the squads hail from.