HPT Junior Development Philosophy:
The below is a rundown of our basic philosophy regarding
developing Junior triathletes. It is intended to explain our
reasoning behind why we do things that
we
do. To develop a junior into a successful
adult athlete
we have to look at a lot of things. How we train them, how we
race them and all the facets below those basic parameters
(Travel, nutrition, injury management, basic life lessons etc).
As we develop young athletes in this sport we must use ALL the
tools available to give us the skills required to reach the top.
It is an adaptable athlete that will become a successful
one
as time moves on in their career and the sport
evolves
to meet it's different demands.
Training:
Skills, Skills, Skills. Training as a junior is all about the
skills. If you don’t develop skills as a junior,
you are severely inhibiting the ability of that athlete
achieving their maximum potential, whether that be as a
professional athlete, or an age grouper. Coupled with the
development of speed,
strength an aerobic
base
and of course
exposure to life’s lesson to equip with the athlete in being
independent (Nutrition, hydration, travel, injury management
etc) athletes should be able to develop in a timely manner.
Racing:
Juniors need to be able to race over the 2 different forms of
the sport to develop fully. (Draft-Legal & Draft-Free) With
triathlon in the Olympics in the draft-legal form it is only
natural that elite junior racing is directed that way. State and
National level competition is draft-legal and is the best way to
pit yourself against others of that calibre from across the
country (or world). It should be noted that draft-legal racing
does not start until age 16.
Draft-Legal Racing
- Juniors can benefit greatly from draft-legal racing in a
number of ways and it is a form of racing that is extremely
important to their development. It is a tool that used wisely,
can help shape an athlete for a bright future. The necessity to
come out of the swim in the front-pack places a huge emphasis on
being a good swimmer. Not just a fast swimmer but a good ,
well-skilled open water swimmer. Next, you have to have great
bike skills. You have to be able to sit in a bunch, go with
attacks, create attacks and be able to withstand the constant
power surges. Run? Well if you are really serious, you will need
to be working towards a 30min 10k as a male elite so you need to
be getting together a 5km time that is close to 16mins as a
junior male. In short, the fast-paced demands of competition
force you to be good or be discarded.
Draft-Free Racing
– Junior athletes of course can also benefit from draft-free
racing. The requirement to put the body up to a high level of
intensity and hold it there is tough. You need to be technically
perfect to put in the training volume required to get to the
top. Skills required are less dominant but draft-free racing is
what some call the true test of the athlete or…..the race of
truth.
Ages:
HPT will only commence training for juniors at age 12. Athletes
will only race short course up to sprint and olympic distance
until age 19 at which point they are no longer a junior. At
this stage they may add a long course race for variety and fun
but serious long course racing should not be started until age
24.
