Six of Australian Diving’s next generation of athletes joined the sport’s elites on pool deck for a National Talent Squad Camp as their idols battled it out for National Open Titles and selection into the World Championships Team at Sydney Olympic Park earlier this month.

The Camp centred about preparing the young divers for competition, focusing on performance psychology and routine development with workshops led by Diving Australia expert support staff including Laura Cosgrove an MPC (Mental Performance in Competition) Psychologist who worked with the athletes on managing fear and handling pressure.

Emerson Hoo, Hayden Brinckley, Mila Klyne, Irene Kim, Piper Howard and Zachary Chan emersed themselves in the Open Nationals environment relishing the opportunity to see first-hand how the more experienced athletes prepare and perform under pressure, while also putting their judging knowledge to the test during the Women’s 3m springboard event and participating in tours and trivia challenges around the melting pot of history from Sydney 2000, at Sydney Olympic Park.

Divers from across Australia competing at the Open Nationals joined them in the stands across the weekend, and during one session, the NTS group was given special access to observe an event poolside with none other than Australia’s Paris 24 silver medallist, Maddi Keeney.

Suzie Collins, Diving Australia General Manager Performance Pathways said the benefits of hosting the camp during an elite competition provide immeasurable learning opportunities for the young athletes.

“Activities such as selecting a senior athlete to observe, taking detailed notes on their competition routine to then meeting that athlete later in the week to discuss with them personally their approach and the purpose behind their routines provide incredible practical learning that they can utilise hopefully in their own careers.”

“All of these athletes will start the journey on the road to international competition in the coming months and we want to set them up for success both in and out of the water.”