By Jonty Ralphsmith
Gippsland Storm Elite development Netball Club recently conducted its annual preseason camp at Forrest Edge, Neerim in East Gippsland.
Storm’s head coach Simon O’Shanassy said the camp carried great holistic importance.
“Our preseason camp gives our athlete’s additional opportunities to create relationships and connections with their teammates, outside of the usual training environment,” he said.
“The three-day camp allows the coaching staff to identify athlete’s individual personalities, as well as their strengths in a team environment.
“Gippsland Storm’s preseason camps, which have now been held over the last 23 years, have always been seen as a fantastic team building exercise, leading into a 12-month program.
“It’s during our preseason camp, we start to see individual athlete’s come out of their shell and we see true leadership qualities develop, because of this the camp is renowned for being a fantastic three-day program.”
Since Storm’s establishment back in 1998, well over 2000 junior and senior netballers from the outer reaches of the Gippsland region have benefited from Storm’s Elite Development Netball system.
Many Storm juniors have made state squads each year, playing at national and international level.
The majority of the success of the ‘Storm System’ is due to the tireless dedication of O’Shanassy, as senior coach for Gippsland Storm for over twenty years.
O’Shanassy’s shared an insight into into the Storm’s achievements across the past 25 years.
“Through a lot of hard work and dedication, Gippsland Storm has established itself as a club of choice for aspiring athletes, with hopes of reaching their full potential, as well as being part of a pathway program that aims to get the best out of each of their athletes.”
Once a strong State League club, which achieved the ultimate success via a Division One title in State League and once holding down a position in the Championship Premier Division, Gippsland Storm has continued its development of young, up-and-coming athletes who predominantly reside in the Gippsland area, as well as the South East corridor.
Over the last 25 years, Gippsland Storm has proudly seen many of its athletes go on to play Victorian Netball League netball at various levels, and proudly be selected into Victorian Junior Squads.
Gippsland Storm have also won many premierships across its various teams, with the Storm 15-and-under sides alone taking home over a dozen premierships since 2007.
This year’s 25th year anniversary will be a fantastic opportunity to celebrate everything we have achieved as a club, as well as the individual achievements of many of our athletes, who we hope will accept an invitation to attend our celebration dinner in July.
Gippsland Storm offers an open invitation for former players to attend our 25th Anniversary, former high profile players will attend as guest speakers. For more information keep an eye on Storm’s Facebook page for more details or email on info@gippslandstorm.com
