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Aussies Countdown: Tips from ENGINE Athletes
Aussies is more than just a competition - it’s the pinnacle of the surf lifesaving season. With the countdown on, we spoke to ENGINE athletes who shared the tips and habits that help them feel confident stepping onto the sand.
Charlie Verco
3. Eat: 5 days of racing stacks up, you need to ensure you're eating enough from day 1 (and even before) to have enough energy reserves to get you through the week. 2. Judge how you raced, not what your result:Measure your success on how you executed your races, e.g. landed my start cleanly, made the correct decisions to pop or roll, made the right choice to lead or rest on wash. Don't judge on the result, because in a sport where so many uncontrollable factors impact the position you finish, you will be setting yourself up for disappointment. If you made a mistake, own that, and be disappointed, and use that disappointment to motivate yourself to prevent making that mistake next time. Then quickly move on to remembering why you are really at Aussies, my next point... 1. Have fun: Remember the reason you chose to be here doing this sport as opposed to any other. It's very easy to get caught up in how you went in races, thinking forward to finals day, or even just waiting in anticipation for the post-Aussies celebrations, but the best reflections I have from my Aussies are in all the bits in between. Being at the beach laughing under the tent with all the people that love the same sport as you, debriefing each day with your team, and watching your mates nosedive in the board rescue — those are the bits that make Aussies so great. Other notes for racing at Kirra: - Long hard sand banks: if you can get some running training in on harder surfaces at speed. This will build up your body's tolerance for those sprint starts and finishes on the concrete-like sand. - Work every runner: Kirra is jag central, often very glassy with tiny swells. Those are the ones that separate the races; when you feel a bump coming, work it as far as you can! - Race hard: This is the last racing of the season, so you don't want to get to the end of the week and feel like you should have left more out there during the races.
Lana Rogers
Race tips:
- Enjoy the moments with ya mates
- Trust yourself
- Stick to the process
Mental game advice:
- Write down in journal. Debrief races, training. Get it off your chest so you can move on and continue your day
- If a race doesn’t go to plan, you have 5 minutes. This has always worked for me. If you dwell on one thing that didn’t go your way, it could ruin your whole day of racing.
Focusing on the road to Aussies:
- Rest and recovery
- Eat well
- Get enough sleep
- Enjoy the last weeks of training as much as you can
Callum Brennan
In preparation for Aussies, about a week out from racing it’s important to focus on working in rather than working out. At this time you can’t get fitter you can only get fresher. So having a focus on nutrition, stretching and hydration is very important to give yourself the best opportunity come race day.
Matt Bevilacqu
Race Prep - Focus on each day separately. Look at each day and the events required for that day. In the training leading up to Aussies try and picture yourself racing those events. Who are your team mates, who's probably your best competition, what are the conditions going to be like, make the visualizing as real as possible, what do you want to focus on? This helps to maintain motivation at the back end of the season as well as training specificity but it also helps you race on the day better.. Why? You've visualized it, you've been there before, so it's not as daunting and you can race with more confidence.
Nutrition and hydration is always spoken about, but with back-to-back long days on the beach it couldn't be more important. Bananas, Dried fruit, wraps with nutella, muffins. For me carbs and electrolytes are key so if you don't have electrolytes in your bottle get yourself organised now.
Goodluck!
