Applications are flooding into the Gold Coast Academy of Sport but there was one in particular which has been catching the eye
THE Gold Coast Academy of Sport is excited to have received applications for the Future Stars program from some outstanding athletes in a wide variety of sports.
The program starts on May 11 at the Runaway Bay Sports Super Centre and runs until mid-October.
With athletes from swimming, basketball, track and field, ice hockey, ice skating and tennis having applied, there will be some diverse and insightful sessions held.
The most surprising application received was from go kart racing.
You are always hearing of athletes who are champions when they are in the early to mid-teens and I must admit, some people use the term “champion” very loosely.
I know I continually tell some parents that no one remembers a champion at the age of 12 or 13.
Keep them in the sport until they are 18 or 20 and ensure they still have the passion and excitement and then you can put them up there for all to see.
Having said this, the age of the athlete really depends on the sport they are involved in.
For example, swimming, gymnastics, diving and other aesthetic sports really rely on a young, agile and enthusiastic athlete.
If the athlete then stays in the sport for 10 years they are an exception to the rule and must be congratulated.
A sport I knew little about and was excited to receive into the academy was that of gokart racing.
Jac Preston, 14, has been racing only since 2013 and in that short time has represented Australia at the world titles.
Jac has competed in more than 120 local and international events, including five times at the world’s largest karting event, the SKUSA SuperNationals in Las Vegas, USA.
In 2017 he became the youngest driver to win the Australian Rotax Pro Tour Championship in the Junior Max class for 13 to 16-yearolds.
This national title earned him a spot on the 14-strong Australian team for the world championships in Portimao, Portugal.
At this competition in Portugal, Jac consistently finished in the top three of 72 drivers in his class, highlighting the ability he has shown.
Jac has now progressed into the senior ranks and competes in the elite DD2 class at the National Rotax Pro Tour.
Jac first got into go karting at the age of 10 with dad thinking that he wasn’t quite ready.
He proved everyone wrong showing a natural ability with his lap times being particularly quick when trying out at the local kart centre.
With dad having a career in motor racing, it seems to me he has a natural affinity for speed.
Having said this, Jac is a normal teenager, loving his computer games and TV.
He has a dream of successfully progressing from go karts to Formula car racing in the near future, firstly in Australia and then in Europe.
His ultimate dream is to emulate the success of Australian Formula One star Daniel Riccardo.
This weekend Jac is competing in Round 3 of the Australian Rotax Pro Tour National Series at Willowbank’s Ipswich Kart Club.
He will race in the elite DD2 Senior Class and is looking to build on his championship points after his seventh and fifth places achieved in rounds 1 and 2 earlier this year at Melbourne and Dubbo respectively.
The Gold Coast Academy is looking forward to welcoming these young elite sportspeople into the program to help them grow and develop.
Applications close tomorrow. Other programs now open are cricket, rugby league, basketball and soccer.