Limestone Coast sports academy helps country teens reach new heights

A sports academy at Mount Gambier is helping young stars reach the height of their potential so they have the same opportunities as their city-based counterparts.

Dallas Skeer, Thomas Bignell and Madi Freeman are part of the Limestone Coast Regional Sporting Academy in Mount Gambier. Picture: Matt Turner

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A sports academy at Mount Gambier is helping young stars reach the height of their potential — and giving them the same opportunities as their city-based counterparts.

The Limestone Coast Regional Sporting Academy has 42 athletes on its books this year, offering an elite strength and conditioning program, access to high-performance testing, education sessions and sports nutrition and psychology.

Co-ordinator Tony Elletson says the program is helping reduce the need for people to move to Adelaide to be selected for national teams.

“It provides young athletes the opportunity to experience programs they’d normally have to travel to the city for,” Mr Elletson says.

“Sometimes in country areas when they have to travel they’re set back a lot because they don’t have access to the education programs that people in the city do.

“The talent is here, but sometimes the access to resources isn’t and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Among the academy’s talent are athletes who are breaking records, attending national championships and gunning for spots in major sports teams.

The program receives $80,000 a year in funding from the State Government and South East councils.

Although similar academies are common interstate, there are just two in SA — based around Mount Gambier and Roxby Downs. Mr Elletson hopes the program will take on 70 athletes next year, and eventually, he’d like to see academies set up in other SA regions.

“We’ve got amazing talent and we’re sure other regions have as well,” he says.

Dallas Skeer, 17, is ranked 7th in Australia in his supersport class, in the Australian Superbike Championships.

He says among the academy’s benefits is learning about nutrition, and how to adapt his diet before and after training.

Madi Freeman, also 17, says she has built her physical strength, which has had huge benefits in her role with the Glenelg Tigers football team.

“I don’t have to go to Adelaide for strength and conditioning — it’s only five minutes to get to that instead of five hours,” she says. Madi will nominate for the AFL draft this year.

Thomas Bignell, 15, says the academy helped him prepare for a national swimming championship last year, including boosting his confidence and helping him focus.

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