The first-ever FIM Training Camp held outside of Europe has been declared a success by 10-times Women’s Trials World Champion Laia Sanz and all the riders who attended the three-day event in Sydney.
In a ringing endorsement of Women’s Trials in Australia, more than 30 riders made the journey to Pacific Park for the camp and thrived in the intensive training environment under the tutelage of Sanz and the talented coaching panel.
Sanz praised all riders who participated in the camp, believing there is plenty of talent among the Australian Women’s Trials scene.
“I see the young girls who have a lot of talent and if they can be dedicated in their training they could compete in the World Championships,” Sanz said.
“They are eager to learn and pick up on things very quickly, which is a great sign.”
Visiting Australia for the first time, Sanz said she enjoyed being a part of Trials history Down Under and hopes this will not be the only time she visits our shores.
“I’ve really loved my time at the camp,” she said.
“Everyone has been so nice and helped me with everything - Hopefully I can come back to Australia in the future and do a camp like this again.”
Camp Co-ordinator Kevin Zarczynski praised the efforts of all the riders and coaches for their enthusiasm and positive attitude over the three days.
“We’ve seen a massive improvement in the confidence of the riders, being able to ride with girls their own age in an environment where there’s no pressure to compete against their peers,” Zarczynski said.
“It’s a huge opportunity for our girls to see a rider of Laia’s level and she brings a calm attitude and quite disposition - she’s very patient with the girls and really wants to see them improve.”
MA Moto Trials Commissioner Bob McGlinchy praised the work of MA and the Commission to attract someone like Sanz and an FIM Camp to Australia.
“We thought some time ago that if we are going to lift the profile of girls in our sport on a state, national and international level we had to something,” he said.
“So we had the concept, through the FIM, of having a coach come out to Australia and it’s happened now and we’re just so lucky to get someone of the calibre of Laia Sanz.
“I hope it’s something we can do more than once - it was only a couple of years ago we had only one or two girls and today we have more than 30 girls competing which is fantastic effort.”
To see all the images and videos from the 2011 FIM Women’s Trials Training Camp be sure to check out the MA Facebook Page and don’t forget to become a fan.