Team Australia – Development Tour heads to mainland USA and Hawaii

Source: Surfing Australia - http://www.surfingaustralia.com/

Surfing Australia’s Team Australia (TA) Program is hosting a “TA Development Tour” of the USA (West coast) and Hawaii, from October 25 to November 11.

The tour is part of a developmental strategy to introduce some of our promising junior surfers to the challenges of traveling and competing overseas.

This is the first time a tour like this has been undertaken as part of the development programs of Surfing Australia’s High Performance Centre.

Part of the TA Development Tour will include “events” up against two of the top junior surfing nations in the world Team USA and Team Hawaii. The tour will take in competitions against some of the stronger college surfing teams in America plus the opportunity to introduce team members to the powerful waves on Hawaii’s North Shore.

Two of the surfers selected in the TA Development Tour are the Woods brothers, James and Thomas from Coolongatta. Formerly from South Africa, the Woods’ Brothers are stoked with the opportunities they have received since calling Australia home. “Surfing Australia gives us opportunities we could never have dreamed of back in South Africa and provides so much in the way of development and really supports young and upcoming surfers” James Woods said..

Jill Woods, mother of the Woods Brothers supported her son’s statement by saying “In South Africa, parents have to look after the development of their kid’s surfing privately which normally means spending all their savings on private coaching as it is not provided or available through Surfing South Africa.”

“From Surfing Australia’s perspective, the opportunity to undertake a tour like this has only come about with the generous support of the Domain Casuarina Beach Resort where we established our home base four years ago” stated Surfing Australia’s CEO Mark Lane. “Domain Casuarina Beach Resort’s on-going support as been outstanding and we hope that initiatives like the TA Development Tour will demonstrate our commitment to the region that is supporting us” he added.

The 2007 TA Development Tour, part of the Team Australia Program, is able to go ahead with generous support from Domain Resorts.

Cameron Arnold, Domain Resorts General Manager of Operations stated, “Domain Resorts are extremely excited to be involved in this initiative. The success of Team Australia parallels the success Domain Resorts are having, not only in the Casuarina area, but in our other ventures nationally. This tour will allow Domain Casuarina Beach resort to gain further exposure as a great surfing location to a wider international audience.”

Surfing Australia’s HPC Head Coach Sasha Stoker, who will be supported on the tour by Assistant Coaches, Sandra English (Central Coast NSW) and Ross Slaven (Torquay VIC) is excited about the implementation of the TA Development Tour as part of the Team Australia Program. “This tour is about developing the skills of these surfers without having to concentrate on winning. In previous years when we have taken junior surfers overseas to compete in the Quiksilver ISA World Junior Championships, some of the kids are slightly overwhelmed and are unable to deliver the quality performances on the road as they do at home. This tour is part of the plan to support and guide our junior surfers and acclimatize them to international surfing events”.

The Team Australia Development Tour is supported by Domain Resorts, the Australian Sports Commission and Surfing Australia’s High Performance Centre

If you would like further information, contact:
Bow Edwards
HPC Operations
02 6674 9888
bowe@surfingaustralia.com

TA Development Tour Members
TEALE VANNER, SA
CHRIS SALISBURY, SA
SAM LENDRUM, NSW
JAMES WOODS, QLD
THOMAS WOODS, QLD
TOM MYERS, NSW
JOSH JOHNSON-BAXTER, VIC
TIANA MCNEVEN, QLD
LAURA ENEVER, NSW
BRITTANI NICOLL, NSW
ANGELA KEIGHRAN, NSW

Management Staff
MARK LANE, TOUR MANAGER
SASHA STOCKER, HEAD COACH
ROSS SLAVEN (VIC), ASSISTANT COACH
SANDRA ENGLISH (NSW), ASSISTANT COACH

BACK TO HOME