FISAF Australia Quarterly

It is with much excitement that we look forward to seeing you all very soon as the 2022 season gets underway! For some, it will be the first time competing on stage in a couple of years, and for others their first time on stage ever! We are packing as much as we can into this season to make it extra special for everyone involved.

Of course, restrictions are still changing daily around the country but we are working with the latest information available at all times. Our aim will be to provide live events with as many participants and spectators as possible. We recognise that it's not only athletes who have been impacted by the last couple of years, but family and friends who could not watch their loved ones up on stage which was a shame.

Here at the FISAF office we have been busy with both planning the events, and getting more people involved in the sport - particularly school students. You'll be able to read about this in this edition and much more. We also Spotlight another member of our community, Allira Bull from Newcastle Sport Aerobics, who we know you will enjoy reading about.

Please sit back and enjoy this first issue of the 2022 season!

- The FISAF Australia Team

As you may know, FISAF Australia is responsible for the regulation, development and promotion of our sport here in Australia. We are a member of FISAF International who regulate the sport on an international level, in addition to hosting the European Championships and World Championships each year.

In the past we have formed an Advisory Panel to assist in regulation/rule changes and other aspects of the sport that require impartial decision-making.

This year, we have chosen to align this function to be structured in a way that better aligns with FISAF International committees. We are pleased to announce that we now have a Technical Committee, and an Executive Committee. We believe this structure will enable more streamlined processing of decisions of matters going forward.

Executive Committee

The 2022 Executive Committee (EC) was formed this year by invitation. To be considered for the EC, members must have solid experience in the sport, and have successfully held a variety of roles during their time with FISAF (such as judging, managing club & school programs, coaching, competing, etc). The EC is responsible for discussion and decision making on complex rule changes, strategic direction, grievances and dispute resolution, and communication with FISAF International.

Technical Committee

The 2022 Technical Committee (TC) was formed by nomination, and approved by the EC. This committee is responsible for straight-forward rule and category changes, and deciding on requests by athletes to compete in a way that is a slight variation to the rules, for specific reasons.

Sport Development is an important activity that enables more people to learn and get involved in our sport, as well as help clubs and schools further develop their programs. FISAF Australia is dedicated to continued development, and invests in a full-time resource who is dedicated to sport development.

There are a number of ways that FISAF Australia works to develop the sport. These include activities such as:

Contacting new schools and dance studios to introduce them to sport aerobics and discuss how the sport can benefit them and their students.
Supporting existing schools and clubs to find ways to develop their programs
Provide education in the way of workshops and materials to assist coaches to develop their skills
Provide funding assistance to new clubs and schools to help them get their programs and coaching started
Visit new schools to run free Come & Try sessions and Team Selection sessions
Attend, exhibit and present at conferences to promote the sport to school leaders and other school staff (such as Sport Directors, PDHPE teachers etc).

Over the last two months, Natalie and Pip travelled to Newcastle and Gladstone for FISAF sport development meetings. During the trips they met with several schools to introduce them to the sport and discuss getting a new program started. They also provided some free coaching sessions to schools joining FISAF for the first time this year, and Pip also ran a free workshop at a club who are joining FISAF this year. These trips lead to several new schools deciding to offer aerobics to their students, and even participate in our competition season this year. It has also enabled a few of our clubs to expand their business by running the sport aerobics programs for those schools, and gain some new club members in the process.

We very much look forward to welcoming everyone to the wonderful community that we have here in Australian sport aerobics. We also look forward to more development trips in the future to help build the sport in other regions!

As previously reported, we have been able to add an additional event to our 2022 competition season! This will be an additional Super Series event held in Gladstone on 21st May. We have already had quite a bit of interest in this event and look forward to seeing those who are joining us there.

Just a reminder that all Super Series events are preparation/feedback events to assist athletes to better prepare for their State Championship event. Judges are pleased to be able to provide feedback on a variety of elements in each routine for coaches to consider.

Please click on the link below for the dates and locations for this years events.

EVENTS CALENDAR

FISAF International have confirmed that this years European Open event will be held live which is wonderful news. Our very own Australian Judge, Lucy Goddard, will be on the judging panel for this exciting event, for which we wish her all the best. Information about the livestream will be sent to those involved closer to the event.

Planning is already underway for the World Championships to also be held as a live event.

For the first time in 3 years, qualifying international stream athletes, coaches and their supporters will be able to meet again. We know how much it means to those involved - including the Australian Judges who attend the event each year!

We are delighted to spotlight Allira for this issue!

Allira began her sporting career with gymnastics at age 5. She enjoyed a lot of competitive success (particularly with her floor routines) until she was 12 where she reached the national level of the competition circuit.

A friend then introduced Allira to sport aerobics and showed her some skills, which was enough for her to make the decision to move over and challenge herself even further in a new sport. Allira thrived from the very beginning, and in 2011 she won her very first Worlds gold medal with Cameron Brown in the mixed pairs division.

From 2011 through to 2019, Allira won an impressive 8 World gold medals, of which 5 are Individual Adult golds - and this includes a 1 year break from competition! Alongside pouring endless hard work and dedication into the sport, Allira's achievements have enabled her to travel the world and make many international friendships during that time. Outside of Australia, she has competed in Prague, Dordrecht and Leiden in the Netherlands, in Serbia, in Vienna, and on the beautiful French island of Martinique. It has been an amazing dream come true for Allira, and she will forever be grateful to have been introduced to the wonderful world of sport aerobics.

In addition to her decorated career competing, Allira has also busied herself with other adventures, including cheerleading for the Newcastle Knights for 3 years! She has also built a successful club called Newcastle Sport Aerobics since its doors opened in 2012. She has, and continues to coach, numerous World Champions in singles, pairs and trios, and had the pleasure of coaching two European athletes who travelled to Australia to work with her.

Aside from the successes, it is the "camaraderie involved in our amazing sport and the wonderful friendships made" she says are the most enjoyable part of being in the FISAF sport aerobics community.

Looking forward, Allira plans to continue to pass on her knowledge and experience to her athletes and be with them during their exciting sport aerobics journey for many years to come. Perfectly summed up, "I may be a retired athlete, but my heart will forever stay in this sport" she said.

Allira Bull
Owner & Head Coach, Newcastle Sport Aerobics
8-time World Champion Athlete
School program coach/coordinator

Allira's passion and enthusiasm brings joy not just to her club members, but to many others in the sport too. We would like to congratulate her on the success she has achieved, and thank her for her contribution to the sport so far. We look forward to working with Allira for many years to come, and seeing her positivity shine at the competitions ahead.

"There is GOLD in every piece of your story!"
- Allira Bull

Schools around Australia love sport aerobics, and we want to reach out to your school to get them involved as well!

The FISAF Australia School Stream offers a simplified approach to learning and performing aerobics to enable as many students to become involved in our amazing sport as possible.

We have plenty of useful resources to help get a program going. We also have a dedicated School Development Representative who has years of experience in running programs in schools who can help too.

If you would like your school to offer the sport that you love, please email us at natalie@fisafaustralia.com.au. We would love to hear from you!