Toby Coote , Head Coach of Sunshine Coast Triathlon Academy / Hybrid Concepts Australia explains why he has chosen Xterra Wetsuits as the choice of wetsuit / speed suit / training accessories for his athletes.

To give you an understanding of Toby's background he came from Surf Life Saving starting as an 8 year old nipper and rose thru the ranks. A water competitor where he excelled in the Surf Swim, Board Paddle and Ironman Events. With a strong swim he chose to pursue Triathlon and in 1995 represented Australia at the Junior Elite World Championships and went on to race Professionally for the next 5 years.
A regular of leading out swims or in front pack's. Toby has a vast knowledge of open water swimming where he has worked with Professional Athletes and Teams, International Triathlon Union (ITU) Camps and thru his own Coaching on the Sunshine Coast.  In 2000 at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships, Toby finished 5th in the restricted (over 25 Years) Surf Race final and 15th in the Open Surf Race Final.

Toby's past 13 years he has been Head Coach of the Sunshine Coast Triathlon Academy and a commentator at Ironman Asia Pacific events.

Over the years I have tried out a lot of wetsuits. So what makes a good wetsuit? Firstly I look for flexibility, especially in and around the shoulder area and Secondly, Buoyancy, having the right thickness in the right areas. Thirdly, Quality and Price.

Having meet Xterra Wetsuits at 2015 Asia Pacific Ironman Championships at Melbourne thru my role of Ironman Live Spotter, I got talking with Sam Fox (Xterra Australia and Titan Performance Group) where he showed me the New Xterra Vengeance Wetsuit. My first look was "Wow" the is some serious wetsuit. As I chatted more and looked at a few key issues I always look at when selecting a wetsuit, the more impressed I was with the suit.

Key Issue # 1 - Flexibility
What I look for here is how flexible the rubber is in and around the shoulder joint. Why you ask? if it is tight in this area you are wasting energy in your swim, fatiguing arms results in poor efficiency especially towards the end of Swim, more so in an Ironman. The more energy we save here helps in the back end of the Marathon.

In my opinion this is the most flexible wetsuit that I have ever used. It is like having a second skin on. There is no restriction and allows you to achieve that same swim stroke you have when not wearing a wetsuit.

Key Issue # 2 - Buoyancy
This is major issue especially for non swimmers. With a lot of athletes these days doing Ironman races and coming from non swimming backgrounds, the more buoyant you are in a wetsuit the faster time gains you will see opposed to a non wetsuit swim. The big issue I see here is a lack of kicking, dragging of the legs and core stability. Being buoyant takes the pressure off the swim stroke therefore becoming more efficient.

Once again the Xterra Vengeance Wetsuit has the right thickness of rubber in the right areas to address this. It’s like swimming with a big pool buoy, holds the core in the right places for maximum efficiency and allows your body position in the water to be that of a swimmer.

Key Issue # 3 – Quality and Price
No point having to sacrifice your savings for a top quality wetsuit that won’t last you for a while. The Xterra Vengeance and the entire Xterra wetsuit range covers both bases here with a very affordable top quality wetsuit that you will be impressed with.
 
If you are about being seen, then the Xterra Vengeance is for you. With silver arms for the boys and pink for the girls, you will be seen out in the swim pack. Makes it a lot easier for your loved ones and spectators to see where you are!! And for the commentators as well.

Two other products that we have used in the Xterra Range is the Lava Pants and Speed Suit.

Lava Pants are perfect for swimmers with heavy legs especially after a big weekend of training. It gives you that pool buoy feeling, but without the restriction and allows you to be able to keep that normal kick going. I use it on the athletes when they are tired, to help with the body position and also in speed sessions.

It allows the athlete to get up in the water and take the pressure of the shoulders while under load and at speed. It is a great tool to be supplemented into a swimming program (especially for non swimmers), but not to be relied on. It works well with swimmers / athletes with pre-existing shoulder problems by taking that load off the problem areas. A very useful coaching tool when used at the right times within the program.

Speed Suit are very useful in non wetsuit swims. The speed suit will help you with the buoyancy that we talked about with the wetsuit, it helps to maintain that core stability and body position in the water. The water repels off the fabric which also reduces the friction that normal lycra causes in the water. Which results in more efficiency and faster swim times.

This is what Sunshine Coast Tri academy / Hybrid Concepts Australia Junior Scholarship recipient, Jake Hynes, had to report on the Xterra Vengeance and Xterra Speed Suit

The Xterra vengeance wetsuit is by far my favourite wetsuit with the ease of movement through the arms yet supportive allows my swim stroke to be able to stretch out and catch more water that also enables me to glide through the water with more ease than other wetsuits i have previously used.
 
While I have only done a handful of races in the wetsuit, my swim times have been massively improving and it is no coincidence that my transition times have also improved because of the flexibility of the suit it allows me to take off the wetsuit quickly and easily.
 
The Xterra speed suit has also been brought out in my last couple of races in the warming weather, my swim with the suit on has also been a massively improving with the results having me come out near the front of the pack and in some cases leading the swim leg into T1. The speed suit not only feels fast but actually IT IS FAST, improving my times and improving my swim position drastically which ultimately sets up the race. The speed suit is also very easy to get out of in transition which allows me to keep good position in to the bike leg.
 
This is my first speed suit that I have used, but in saying that I love it. There isn’t anything that I would change about it, its easy to use, its fast #Freespeed and it looks good too.
 
So there you have we have chosen Xterra as our choice of wetsuit and speed suit of the SCTA Squad #Freespeed

A very successful weekend of racing for Sunshine Coast Triathlon Academy / Hybrid Concepts Australia Athletes with the Queensland Schools Triathlon and Aquathlon Championships in Hervey Bay and the Finale of the Queensland Triathlon Series Race # 7 at Raby Bay.

At the Queensland Schools Triathlon Championships in Hervey Bay where SCTA was represented by 18 athletes over the 3 Triathlon Age Groups and 1 Aquathlon Age Group. To be selected in the Queensland Team the top 5 got automatic selection and the last sport was a discretion spot.

The day started well with both Romy Wolstencroft ( Race Winner)​ and Jake Hynes (2nd place) both in the Senior division being selected in the Qld Team. Jake had a strong day with 4th out of the water, was the strong rider on the cycle leg, ran out in first place but just wavered mentally a little on the run. He finished in a sprint finish for 2nd/3rdto take 2nd. Romy had her work cut out after losing a bit of time in swim (only got cast off broken wrist 2 days before). She stayed strong on the cycle leg to be within 1min 46 sec off the lead in 2nd place. After the first 2.5km loop, Romy had nullified the time gap to be leading and then proceeded to add time to herfellow competitors winning by 1min 46 seconds.  

Next up was the Intermediate division and this wasn't short of drama. Unfortunately Taj Jones crashed on the first lap while on the charge and move on the bike. In the process his chain came off and lost even more valuable time. He rode himself back into 5th place but was unable to hold on in the run. Meg Roberts stopped on the run and medical was sent with a possible appendicitis, but after scans at the hospital it was found to be inflamed lymph nodes. 

During all this Kaya Shults led the girls out of the water and on the bike for 2 laps ​where she was passed by the eventual winner. Kaya ran strong to take the last spot on the Qld Team with her 5th place. Charging home strongly on the run was Anastasia Heikkila with 6th spot and being named first reserve for the Qld Team.

A very competitive Junior division for both Male and Female saw some fast and furious racing. All the SCTA juniors raced extremely well and seen a positive improvement throughout the season. Leading the charge in the Male was Ryan Marsh (31st) and for the Females was Macey Roberts ​(12th) Tahlea Corcoran and Amelia Flieschfresser both raced very well. Promising signs for the future.

On Sunday at the Finale of Queensland Triathlon Series Race # 7 which doubled as the Club Championships as well. Based on how many points you can earn per category it was ​going to be hard to be competitive against the bigger clubs with more competitors. But in saying that we had a small but very successful team compete. SCTA had 13 competitors with 4 x first, 2 x 2nd and 2 x 3rd's to give SCTA 5th place in the Club Championships.

Leading the charge with on the winners podium was Romy Wolstencroft​ (16-19), Matt Wolstencroft (45-49), Angie Hammond (Athena) and Kevin Hammond (90-99kg). Jemma Hynes (7-9 Kool Kids) and Joshua Nixon (10-11 Kool Kids) claimed 2nd, while with 3rd places Ryan Marsh (U/14 Enticer) and Matthew Nixon (7-9 Kool kids) Jake Hynes continued his great form with 5th Open Males. The Kool Kids are showing further improvements with Paige Hynes, Jake and Zak Hammond. Well done to all that raced especially the ones doubling up from Qld Schools. Awesome results from Team SCTA. Happy Coach

Queensland Schools Triathlon Championships - Hervey Bay 19/02/16
Senior Male - 750/20/5 - 34 competitors
Jake Hynes - 2nd Place - Qualified for QLD Team​​​​
Senior Female - 750/20/5 - 23 competitors
Romy wolstencroft - Race Winner - Qualified for Qld Team​
Intermediate Male - 600/16/4 - 76 competitors
Taj Jones - 9th Place
Lachlan Sinclair - 19th Place
Elliot Gray - 25th Place
Claudio Cellie - 34th Place
Intermediate Female - 600/16/4 - 56 competitors
Kaya Shults - 5th Place - Qualified for Qld Team​
​​​​​Anastasia Heikkila - 6th Place - First Reserve for Qld Team
Matilda Barrett - 16th Place
Paris Shield - 18th Place
Junior Male - 400/12/4 - 84 competitors
Ryan Marsh - 31st Place
Benn Seiler - 71st Place
Junior Female - 400/12/4 - 60 competitors​​​​​
Macey Roberts - 12th Place
Tahlea Corcoran - 21st Place
Amelia Fleiscgfresser - 22nd Place
Aquathlon Male - 1km Run/400m Swim/1km Run -​​​​ 91 competitors
Joshua Nixon - 29th Place
Aquathlon Female - 1km Run/400m Swim/1km Run -​​​​ 81 competitors
Jazzy Shults - 3rd Place​

Queensland Triathlon Series Race # 7 Raby Bay - 750/20/5 - 21/02/16
Romy Wolstencroft - 1st Place 16-19 Years Female - 3rd Overall Female
Matt Wolstencroft - 1st Place 45-49 Years Male​​​
Kevin Hammond - 1st Place 90-99kg Clydesdale
Angie Hammond - 1st Place Athena
​​Jake Hynes - 5th Place Open Male - 6th Overall Male
Rachel James - 8th Place 30-34 Years Female

Enticer - 200/10/2.5
Ryan Marsh - 3rd U/14 - 4th Overall​​

​Kool Kids - 100/2/500
Jemma Hynes - 2nd 7-9 Years Female
Joshua Nixon - 2nd 10-11 Years Male - 2nd Overall
Matthew Nixon - 3rd 7-9 Years Male
Jake Hammond - 7th 7-9 Years Male
Paige Hynes - 12th 7-9 Years Female
Zak Hammond - 25th 7-9 Years Male​​​​​​

Good Luck to all racing this weekend at Australian Cross Triathlon Championships at Lake Crackenback and the SCCC Criterium at Caloundra.

The Sunshine Coast Triathlon Academy / Hybrid Concepts Australia Athletes were in action at Bribie Island Triathlon Series Race # 3 and at Hamilton Wheelers Cycle Club Criterium at Lakeside.

On Saturday we had 6 SCTA athletes head down to the Criterium at the Lakeside Raceway Circuit for a 40 min or 50 min (depending on the grade) effort around the hilly course. Taj Jones and Jake Hynes broke away with 2 laps to go, which they thought was the last lap. Both were riding very strongly in B2.

In C1 Lachlan Sinclair was on the attack for most of the 40 min with Elliot Gray and Claudio Cellie. It is great to sit in as a Coach (still hurt tho) and watch how the juniors are riding against some seasoned competitors and on restricted gears as well. Well done Juniors doing a great job. It is a great course and some awesome racing down there if anyone is interested. I will be adding this into the program on a regular basis. You do however need to be a member of Cycling Australia.

On Sunday we had 4 SCTA athletes compete at the Bribie Island Triathlon Series Race # 3. Never from the action is always Mel Charlton (30-34 Years) with a 2nd place and just missing the podium in the same category was Jessica Lee.

In the Short Course we had Tilly Barret (12-15 Years) take out the win while Ryan Marsh wasn't far off the boys in 5th (12-15 Years). Well done to all that raced.

Bribie Island Triathlon Series Race # 3 14.02.16
Long Course - 1/30/8
Melissa Charlton - 2nd 30-34 Years Female
Jessica Lee - 4th 30-34 Years Female

Short Course - 300/10/3
Matilda Barrett - 1st 12-15 Years Female
Ryan Marsh - 5th 12-15 Years Male

National Performance Standard Table by Triathlon Australia
ITU Junior Female
Savannah Wayner # 26
ITU Junior Male
Jake Hynes # 30
ITU Youth Female
Kaya Shults # 12
Paris Shield # 27
ITU Youth Male
Elliot Gray # 16

Good luck to all racing Queensland Schools Triathlon Champs in Hervey Bay Thursday - Saturday and at Queensland Triathlon Series Race # 7 at Raby Bay this weekend.

Why do Sunshine Coast Triathlon Academy / Hybrid Concepts Australia Athletes choose Vorgee Goggles as their choice for training and racing?

Simple.... they are the best on the market. For a fail proof pair of goggle that allows you to perform at your optimum with clear view in all conditions and a pair of goggle for individual face shape and sizes. This is the reason why over 90% of the SCTA squad wears Vorgee goggles. With 75% choosing the Vorgee Missile as their chosen pair.

Head Coach, Toby Coote, has been involved in water sports  since 1984 when he moved to the Sunshine Coast. A noted surf swimmer, he lead out of races or was within the front pack time and time again. He has tried numerous brands of goggles but the one that he has stuck with was the Vorgee Missile.

I started wearing the Vorgee Goggles in 2006 when introduced to them by John Vorgias while I was working at Kawana Aquatic Centre. At that time Vorgee Goggles had only been in the market for a year. I was wearing a rival brand goggle. After my first swim I was impressed with the comfort and the ease that they could be changed.

Since then I have been a Vorgee Goggle convert. In 2010 Vorgee came on board as a sponsor of the Sunshine Coast Triathlon Academy and of the SCTA / HCAUS Junior Scholarship were they supply goggles and training accessories to the 2 lucky recipients each year.

As a Coach I am always on the look out for that edge that will help with performance. I believe we have the right accessory in the form of the Vorgee Goggle range that helps with performance in the water, whether that is racing or training.

All Goggles these days come in a variety of colours, clear and tinted lenses, latex and rubber straps and nose pieces. So how do you know what is right for you?

# 1 Lens Colour - To Tint or not to Tint
For gloomy days or indoor swimming the clear lens is perfect to be able to see with clear vision. If you know you are racing early morning and will be dark then the best bet is the clear lens.

For those days that you are swimming during the day, in high/bright light or swimming into the sun, then the tinted lens is perfect for those conditions. Like having a good pair of tinted sunglasses in the sun, well the swim goggle is no different. The tint will help to protect your eyes from the harmful rays and also help with navigation in the open water.

# 2 Latex / Rubber Straps
These are perfect for longevity of the goggle and also for holding the goggle on your head, without giving you a headache. For those races in the surf or open water always make sure the swim cap goes over the goggles while on your head.

# 3 Nose Pieces
You have a choice of 3 different sizes in the Vorgee Missile range. Try the original one as for 90% of the athletes that use them you won't have to change it. But for the that 10% there is a choice to make the Vorgee Missile perfect for your face shape and nose size.

# 4 Variety of Goggles
With 29 different goggles to chose from in the Vorgee range including 6 kids specific goggles and 3 special editions in pink to support the National Breast Cancer foundation and the Triathlon Pink series.

My pick for Triathlon Specific races and training are the Vorgee Missile range, Vorgee Terminator and Vorgee Vortech. 

To this day I know I can pull out a brand new pair of Vorgee Missiles out of the box put them on my head without adjusting them and start swimming. They are just the perfect fit for me. But make sure you remove the protective film on the front of the lens. They make the vision not so clear if you don't....and believe me I have had  a few forget to remove them. It can be quite funny

For more information or to see the great Vorgee range go to www.vorgee.com

Happy swimming

 A great weekend of results for Sunshine Coast Triathlon Academy / Hybrid Concepts Australia Athletes competing at Xterra Philippines, Queensland Triathlon Series Race # 6 Caloundra Tri and Ironman 70.3 Geelong.

At Xterra Philippines, in warm and humid conditions, Brodie Gardner returned to further his 4th placing from last year. Over a 1.5km Swim, 35km Mt Bike and 9.2km run, Brodie put a great race together to receive his first podium in a Xterra event with a 3rd place. Not a bad effort seen he has been working full time on his business, Intune Sports and Health, and training when he can fit it in. Well done mate and safe travels home.

Onto Ironman 70.3 Geelong, In very warm conditions the aim is to try and get that lucrative slot for World 70.3 Championships right here on the Sunshine Coast in September. Matt Wolstencroft (45-49) led the charge with a 3rd place and gaining a slot for that World Champs. Kirra Seidel had an eventful race in the Professional race to finish 10th, with Courtney Potts (18-24 Years) just having relocated down to the Sunshine Coast from Townsville to join SCTA gained a 10th.

At QTS # 6 at Caloundra we had 35 SCTA Athletes toe the start line in a variety of distances from Kook Kids, Enticer, QTS Super Sprint and QTS Sprint. A very busy day and we saw 10 podium finishes. Leading the charge with a category win was Angie Hammond (Athena's) and Finn Barlow (7-9 Years). Michael Hooper (20-24 Years) with a 2nd and in 3rd place were Kaya Shults (13-15 Years), Taj Jones (13-15 Years), Rachel James (30-34 Years), Zsolt Dallos (35-39 Years), Kevin Hammond (Clydesdales), Jazzy Shults (U/12 Years) and Joshua Nixon (10-11 Years).
​
Xterra Philippines 07/02/16 1.5/35/9.2
Brodie Gardner - 3rd Professional Male​​

​Geelong 70.3 07/02/16 1.9/90/21.1
Matt Wolstencroft - 3rd 45-49 Years Male - Qualified for World 70.3
Kirra Seidel - 10th Professional Female
Courtney Potts - 10th 18-24 Years Female
Matt Carman - 36th 30-34 Years Male ​​​
​
Queensland Triathlon Series Race # 6 Caloundra 07/02/16
Sprint 750/20/5
​Michael Hooper - 2nd 20-24 Years Male
Kaya Shults - 3rd 13-15 Years Male
Rachel James - 3rd 30-34 Years Female
Zsolt Dallos - 3rd 35-39 Years Male
Kevin Hammond - 3rd Clydesdale 90-99kg
Maddison Dutton - 4th 20-24 Years Female
Drew Westbrook - 6th 40-44 Years Male
Jordan Gover - 7th 40-44 Years Male
Jake Hynes - 15th Open Male
Chris George - 20th Open Male​​​​​​​​​

Super Sprint 400/15/4
Angie Hammond - 1st Athenas
Taj Jones - 3rd 14-15 Years Male
Anatasia Heikkila - 5th 14-15 Years Female
Tahlea Corcoran - 6th 13 Years Female
Paris Shield - 8th 14-15 Years Female
Elliot Gray - 9th 14-15 Years Male
Amelia Fleischfresser​​​​​​​​ - 10th 13Years Female
Lachlan Sinclair - 11th 14-15 Years MAle​

Enticer 200/5/2
Jazzy Shults - 3rd U/12 Female
Stephanie Keenan - 5th U/14 Female
Ryan Marsh - 6th U/12 Male​​​​

Kool Kids 200/2/500
Finn Barlow - 1st 7-9 Years Female
Joshua Nixon - 3rd 10-11 Years Male
Matthew Nixon - 4th 7-9 Years Male
Jake Hammond - 6th 7-9 Years Male
Jemma Hynes - 6th 7-9 Years Female
Millie Meredith - 7th 7-9 Years Female
Hugo Cattle - 10th 7-9 Years Male
Memphis Shield - 12th 10-11 Years Male
Zak Hammond - 13th First Timers Male
Pipi Barlow - 15th 7-9 Years Female
Scott Marsh - 15th 10-11 Years Male
Paige Hynes - 16th 7-9 Years Female
Liam Loane - 18th 7-9 Years Male
Tom Loane - 22nd 10-11 Years Male​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Well done to all that raced over the weekend. Good luck to all racing Bribie Island Triathlon this weekend.

Over the weekend we saw Sunshine Coast Triathlon Academy / Hybrid Concepts Australia athletes competing at University of the Sunshine Coast Mini Track Meet, Noosa Open Water Swim and Hamilton Wheelers Criterium at Lakeside

In warm and humid conditions on Thursday night we saw 4 SCTA / HCAUS athletes in action over the 3km distance. With prize money on the line it was always going to be fast and tactical, more so in the men's event. In the Ladies we saw Kirra Seidel (10.13) go straight to the lead after lap 1 and stayed there to take out the race and $200. Hot on her heels was Romy Wolstencroft (10.36) in 2nd , while Jazzy Shults (11.43) just missing 3rd with 4th place.

In the Men's race a very slow first kilometre of 3.13 saw the action hot up with a lot of surging and stopping till the eventual winner went to the front with a 2nd km of 2.56 and last km of 2.46 Jake's Hynes legs were torn out from under him to finish 8th in 9.37. 

On Saturday we saw 3 SCTA / HCAUS athletes in action with Ben Hogan (3km), Chris George (2km) and Ryan Marsh (1km). In ideal conditions for swimming Chris was the best placed with a 2nd 30-39 Years Male.

On Sunday we had a few of the boys head down to Lakeside for the Hamilton Wheelers Criterium. In very Hot and humid conditions they all finished in their respective grades. Kevin Hammond was the best with a 2nd place in C2. Well done to the other Boys Jake Hynes, Lachlan Sinclair and Toby Coote.

University of the Sunshine Coast Mini Meet - 28/01/16
Kirra Seidel - 1st Female
Romy Wolstencroft - 2nd Female
Jazzy Shults - 4th Female
Jake Hynes - 8th Male

Noosa Swim - 30/01/16
Chris George - 2nd 30-29 Years Male 2km
Ryan Marsh - 9th 8-12 Years Male 1km
Ben Hogan - 16th 20-29 Years Male 3km

Well done to all that competed and good luck to all racing QTS # 6 at Caloundra and Geelong 70.3