SYNCHRO APPOINTS NPD IN TIME FOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
British Synchronised Swimming has appointed a new National
Performance Director tasked with putting a programme in place
to deliver athletes capable of achieving success at the London
2012 Olympics.
Biz Price (45) joined British Synchro at the turn of the
year and immediately took to the pool deck to coach those
athletes earmarked to help reclaim the successes previously
enjoyed by the sport in Britain.
Originally from Vancouver in Canada, Price brings with her
a wealth of experience across a host of leading nations within
the world of synchro.
>From 1986 to 2003, Price was national coach to Canada
and since then
>has worked as a consultant with many countries including
Spain, China
>and New Zealand.
And Price has been impressed with what she has seen already
in Britain which will give her a solid foundation on which
to build as she steers the sport towards being truly competitive
at the 2012 Olympics.
The three athletes identified as forming the nucleus of the
initial programme are Olivia Allison, Jenna Randall and Lauren
Smith who are all based at the Rushmoor Club in Farnborough,
Hampshire.
All three have been selected to compete at the Melbourne
FINA World Championships in March and will benefit from Price's
vast coaching experience in the run up to competition.
"I'll be working closely with the girls between now
and the World Championships," said Price. "I've
spent a week with them already and it's obvious they have
a lot of raw talent. This is a very good place to start.
"They're all very motivated which is essential and I'm
looking forward to seeing how far we can take them while ensuring
we bring other talented athletes through the system."
Price is well aware of the mountain British Synchro has to
climb before its athletes can compete for World and Olympic
honours but she will use her expert knowledge to design a
pathway to ensure the destination is reached as well as putting
in place a team around her that can achieve that ultimate
goal.
Priorities have already been clearly defined and each competition
will bring with it a fresh objective with which to gauge the
progress of the programme.
"I watched the British Synchro Championships in Gloucester
last month and realistically we're a long way off producing
a team to challenge the very best in the world," said
Price.
"But we can and will get there. It wasn't too long ago
that Britain was up there with the very best and our aim is
to be there once again.
"One of the first things I'll be looking to improve
upon is levels of fitness. A synchronised swimmer needs to
be incredibly fit as well as strong so they can withstand
the demands of the modern competition. That has to be a first
priority for the programme.
"The girls I'm currently working with are half way to
gaining the required levels of fitness but we need to ensure
those pushing through the programme also have the necessary
background to enable them to perform in punishing environments."
The quality of coaching provided will be a key factor in
enabling British Synchro to achieve its targets and Price
is looking to ensure the right people are brought into the
programme to lead the development of athletes as she focuses
on the programme itself.
"We need to have a coaching structure in place to deliver
the result we've set ourselves," said Price. "At
the moment I'll be very hands on coaching the current crop
of girls but I'm aiming to employ professional coaches to
help so I can define the programme needed to deliver results.
"We will be centralising our efforts for a select group
of athletes and this will take place at an Army barracks in
Aldershot. This could involve up to 20 athletes at any one
time when juniors and seniors come together to train.
"However, in the main the centre will cater for 10 to
12 athletes and they will train towards Beijing and London
2012. "
Price and her team will be striving to ensure Britain has
a presence at the Beijing Olympics next year and has been
working towards that aim from day one.
"Realistically we'll be looking to qualify the duet
for the Beijing Olympics but we have to get an entire team
to the London Olympics. There is a lot of work to do in that
time," said Price.
"The talent is there. Some of the girls possess much
more talent than some of their international opponents and
now we have to build on that with fitness and the right routines."
The position of NPD and the challenge that goes hand-in-hand
with it is something Price is looking forward to meeting head-on.
"I'm excited about returning to coaching and to see
how far as a team we can go. For the first couple of years
I'm going to be very hands on as we create the type of programme
that will generate a flow of international-standard athletes,"
explained Price.
"We have a deadline of 2012 to deliver that ultimate
performance but it isn't a long time so there will be little
if any rest between now and then. Due to our ranking within
the world we can only go forwards but the challenge is how
far we can take it."
Chief Executive of British Synchro David Sparkes is delighted
by Price's appointment and looks forward to seeing the improvements
the programme will bring.
"Biz has an impressive record in high performance sport
and has worked with some of the leading nations around the
world in synchronised swimming," said Sparkes.
"She faces a colossal task now to take the talented
British athletes to London in 2012 but she has our full support.
"The programme will be operating from a fabulous facility
in Aldershot and will have the full support of the garrison
commander and the pool operator but Biz and synchro as a programme
have a monumental task ahead of them."
|
