Lots of your questions answered here including those relating to what is expected of you as a member of the squad, how to manage time-out and oversubscribed sessions, etc.
In signing up for the squad do I need to commit to doing the State Titles and/or Gold Coast Cup?
Yes. You will need to indicate a definite yes or no as to whether you will do one or both of these races when signing up for the squad. Do not sign up for the squad if you can’t.
What if I cannot commit to the water sessions and/or weights session?
Do not sign up for the squad.
What if I do not want to complete the weekly training survey?
Do not sign up for the squad.
Are the requirements for signing up to the squad a bit harsh?
They have been created based on the 2009/10 Race & Training Survey and are what you as PD paddlers have said you want to commit to in order to build on last season’s results and take another step towards being the best outrigger paddlers you can be. In that respect they are only as harsh as what you have decided you want to go for.
I cannot commit to the squad but would still like to do the training. What are my options?
Way to go! The training will be both challenging and fun. All but a few key training sessions will be tied in with normal club sessions. Therefore you can sign up for them on the website as usual. The weights program will also be made available to all via email and the web. You can also download the Injury Prevention Routine from our Health & Safety webpage.
I am faster and more experienced than most paddlers in the squad. Do I need to still meet the minimum squad requirements?
Yes. The training is designed to take you a step closer to being the best outrigger paddler you can be. When we each take that step then the whole squad moves a step closer to being the best it can be. If any one person doesn’t do that then the squad as a whole will fall short if its potential.
If I want to make the top State Titles crews and/or the Gold Coast Cup mens and womens crews do you recommend doing more than the minimum requirements?
Yes. Most paddlers will be doing 5-6 water sessions per week including with a significant proportion wwwoted to single craft and ocean sessions. As usual this high level of commitment still requires the use of recovery weeks as well as appropriate nutrition and awareness of injury prevention.
What if I can’t meet the training requirements during some weeks when I’m busy at work or sick?
You are expected to make them up in the follow week(s) and/or during the scheduled Recovery Weeks. For example, if I only do 2 water sessions one week then the rest of the squad would expect me to do either 6 the following week or 5 for each of the next 2 weeks.
What should I do if sessions are oversubscribed and can’t get enough sessions to meet the minimum training requirements?
This will happen and it’s the reality of being amongst such a keen and enthusiastic bunch of paddlers. You still need to do the minimum number of sessions otherwise we will fall short of our performance expectation. Therefore you will need to get creative. Here’s some ideas to get you started… invariably others will be in the same situation so using PDsingle or the squad’s email group to tee up adhoc mid-week or weekend single craft sessions… if you don’t have your own single craft you can always use the club’s… buy some racks for your car so you can transport club canoes to other SC sessions… buddy up and split the rack costs with someone else in the squad… get yourself trained up to take single craft sessions so you can run some from Kirribilli…
What is the guys max reps chins/lat pulldowns strength test and why do I need to do it?
For those that are able to do chins this involves doing the maximum number of forward-grip chin ups until you cannot do anymore. If you cannot do a chin-up then this is replaced by doing the maximum number of lat pulldowns with a 50kg weight until you cannot do anymore. Once you are able to do a couple of chin-ups you would then move to testing based on chin-ups. As well as helping to wwwelop speed on the water and prevent injury, strength is critical to being able to nail water changes.