SOME of Port Macquarie's finest athletes flocked to the opening of its High Performance Centre on Monday to see what the next best thing in athlete development looked like.
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There were champions from a range of fields in the crowd. Commonwealth Games gold medallist boxer Shelley Watts joined swimming sensation James Magnussen and wheelchair rugby athlete Ryley Batt at the centre in the Port Macquarie industrial area.
World champion mountain biker Jason English showed what an athlete he is in just getting to the event. English rode from Newcastle to Port Macquarie for the function, before hitting the bitumen to Gloucester afterwards.
"He's a dead set machine," the centre's director of sports performance, Dean Lawler, said.
"He's not human. Seriously."
Magnussen was full of praise for the centre in his speech before cutting the ribbon.
He said facilities of this kind would ensure Port Macquarie would produce quality athletes for years to come.
Another star athlete in Batt has come on board. He was impressed with the facilities on offer at the Karungi Crescent centre.
Lawler couldn't wait to have Batt involved.
"He is an athlete," he said.
"His upper body strength is amazing. You have to have sheer guts to be in wheelchair rugby.
"You can't get that far on pure talent. He works hard, and it shows."
Lawler, Pat Bowen and Mark Jamsek are the brains behind the centre.
The trio plan to take their set-up to other regional towns like Armidale, Coffs Harbour and Tamworth.
Lawler said that would take time.
"The wheels are in motion for that," he said.
He said the staff was the most important part of making that a success.
"You've got to have the right personnel in the centres," Lawler said.
"I won't half-do it. I've never half-done anything."
Even the finger food at the opening was healthy.
"We want clean athletes," Lawler said.