WAIS water polo athletes have been selected for Australian women’s junior and youth national teams set to embark on international preparatory tours.
Western Australians Cathryn Earl, Jessica Zimmerman and Lillian Hedges have been included in an Australian Born ’93 junior women’s team preparing for a whirlwind tour of Europe that takes in two international tournaments in Greece and Hungary before a tilt at the FINA World Junior Championships in Greece in August.
Head coach of the Born ’93 squad Ryan Moar is excited by the prospect of leading another Australian team to a junior world championship medal and believes the 13 girls selected have what it takes to go all the way.
“This squad has evolved over the last three years to finally become a team. The team consists of youth and maturity as well as experience and potential,” Moar said.
“As a coach I am looking to replicate the success that I achieved alongside Aleks Osadchuk as co-coach of the 2007 junior world championship gold medal winning team.”
The team leaves Australia in late July ahead of their first lead up tournament in Dunaujvaros, Hungary from August 2-4, followed by the Pythia Cup in Itea, Greece from August 9-11.
WAIS assistant water polo coach Georgina Kovacs will lead a combined Australian Born ’95/96 squad on a two week tour of Canada and America as the respective age groups ready themselves for the FINA World Youth Championships in 2014 and World Junior Championships in 2015.
The touring party, which features WAIS scholarship holders Monique Robelo, Kate Abbey-Wardale and Tess Hoskins, will undergo a series of opposed camps in Montreal and Los Angles.
Kovacs said it was an exciting time for Australia’s youth and junior programs and believed the camps against Canada and the USA would provide a great grounding for future Australian teams.
“The majority of the girls have been selected from the Australian Born ’95 squad based on their performances at the 18 & Under Club Championships held in Perth,” Kovacs said.
“There are few Born ’96/97 players who missed out on selection for the upcoming Born ’96 tour to Europe, but were provided with another chance to prove they should be considered for future Australian squads.
“This tour is the first stage of a two year junior development program and is an exceptional opportunity for the girls to gain international experience while competing against strong Canadian and American youth teams.
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