FedUni WestVic Academy of Sport & Horsham College Unite

Wimmera-based athletes will now have greater local access to the support and services of the FedUni WestVic Academy of Sport, thanks to a new partnership between the Academy and Horsham College.

FedUni WestVic Academy Executive (WVAS) Officer Corey Saitta said, “Partnering with schools means the Academy, in conjunction with staff at Horsham College, can identify the most talented athletes more easily, and then support them in a way that compliments existing structures. We are delighted to partner with Horsham College and believe that next year will be the first of many years of successful program and service delivery in the Wimmera region”.

The partnership will see a selection of the best performed athletes from Horsham College be offered individually-provided services, whilst WVAS will also provide services to complement the newly-launched elective subject “Peak Performance”.
“The focus of our work at WVAS is to provide services that athletes require but are not currently receiving. In conjunction with Horsham College, we’ll complement the strength and conditioning coaching and provide education to the athletes on subjects including: Diet and Nutrition, Sports Psychology, Personal Excellence, Public Speaking and other topics on a needs basis.

“Importantly, Horsham College, through the management and oversight of Rod Kirkwood, retains the autonomy to select the athletes year-on-year against a previously developed criteria. The school then provides its athlete intake recommendations to the WVAS, which are duly accepted and ratified and then athletes are formally welcomed into the Academy”, Saitta said.
Horsham College Principal, Rob Pyers, also expressed excitement for the new partnership. “We hope this partnership ensures the Wimmera’s best emerging talent across a range of sports can access all of the necessary services for them to reach their potential. We look forward to working with the FedUni WestVic Academy of Sport to provide these services”.

Currently, WVAS supports 145 athletes across 24 sports throughout the Ballarat and Wimmera regions of the state; all of whom have access to services in areas including: specialist coaching; strength and conditioning; sport science; sport psychology, nutrition and personal excellence sessions.