Delights - SportsTG · swimming, by the time you read this the Pan Pacific Championships will have been ‘swum and won’. australia’s opposition, lead by the usa, will have provided

Journal of the australian swimming CoaChes & teaChers assoCiation

Volume 27. no.1 september 2010

DelightsDelhi

Pan Pacassault in

IrvineThe Man

Nick Darcybehind

Unsure what to buy? Here is the list of the top 12 selling items in the asctaSHOP during 2009/2010.

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Journal of the australian swimming CoaChes & teaChers assoCiation

Volume 27. No 1 - September 2010

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34all copy is subject to acceptance by the publisher. all advertisers must ensure that their advertisements comply strictly with the requirements of all federal legislation. the publisher reserves the right to reject copy without giving any reason or explanation.

the swimming in australia Publisher, ascta, strongly advises all concerned that any attempts to reprint articles or excerpts from contents is prohibited without the written permission of the publisher and the author. any infringements of copyright will be dealt with accordingly.

Views expressed in articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or the Board of ascta.

Photography Acknowledgements to : Swimming Australia/Delly Carr Sportshoot Photography, ascta, Swim Australia, Ralph Richards, Australian Swimmers Association, Hanson Media Group, Lucas Wroe, H.M. Photographics, PBC Exposwimming in australia Publisher:

ascta13 / 2 Central avenue, moorabbin, ViC, 3189Po Box 2175, moorabbin, ViC, 3189Ph: +61 3 9555 7020fax: +61 3 9555 7073ascta insurance Brokers 1300 305 [email protected]: andrew mcKellarDesigner: www.neue.com.au

features10 emily and Jess lead Pan Pac assault in irvine

14 seebohm blasts her way to short Course glory

16 'skippy' to lead Dolphin Calves to world short Course in Dubai

24 aussies win 13 gold medals at the 2010 Junior Pan Pacific Championships

28 Brian stehr: the man behind nick D'arcy

32 stan tilley

38 tax time for swimming teachers and Coaches

47 Best medal haul for australians since sydney Paralympic games

high PerformanCe18 Calling all past and present australian swim team members

20 head Coaches news

Youth DeVeloPment18 i went to the results board to see how i did...

36 early Years swimming research report: stage one findings: survey data

DeVeloPing the swim inDustrY22 Personal Development

34 Creative Coaching: the next wave of swimming Coaching innovation is... already inside you

46 inclusion is best practice

51 australian water safety Conference

52 swim australia™ teacher of learners with Disability Course review

regulars8 editorial

27 the swimmer

40 asctaaCCreDitation

42 asctaoffiCe

44 swim australia

54 ascta Calendar

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swimming in australia8

EDITORIALRoss Gage ascta Chief Executive Officer

FEEDBACk HAS BEEn OvERWHELMInGLy POSITIvE FOR ASCTA’S nEW, FREE MEMBER SERvICES: SWIM AUSTRALIA’S SWIMTIPS, InSIDE COACHInG AnD BOTH THE SWIMMInG In AUSTRALIA WEBSITE (WWW.SIA.ASn.AU) AnD ASCTA E-SPLASH.

Congratulations go to the ‘editors’; respectively: Barbara nolan, michael ursu and andrew mcKellar. Based on your responses, discussions are taking place as to how best expand on these offerings.

in particular it is recognised asCta needs to go further to ensure our members receive the latest ‘edge’ to improve their excellence in teaching and coaching, in order to ensure the australian learn-to-swim industry and the sport of swimming in australia continues to forge ahead as a world leader.

to this end, asCta is sending representatives to asCa us’s Clinic (tony shaw, asCta Vice-President), the international federation of swimming teachers associations’ Conference (David speechley, asCta general manager) and the us swim schools Conference (Jay Johnston, swim australia general manager).

speaking of excellence, congratulations to all those Coaches who placed swimmers on the australian swim team for the world short Course Championships!

a special mention also goes to the australian team Coaches: matthew Brown (QlD), ian Pope (ViC), stephan widmer (QlD), John fowlie (aCt), Peter gartrell (QlD), John wallace (QlD), matthew Brown (nsw), ron mcKeon (nsw), lead by national head Coach, leigh nugent. asCta’s treasurer, wayne lomas, will be with the team as manager.

in addition, further congratulations also go to Vince raleigh, former long-serving asCta Director, on his appointment as sal’s national Youth Coach. from his work with asCta we know firsthand that Vince will do an outstanding job!

while on the subject of high Performance swimming, by the time you read this the Pan Pacific Championships will have been ‘swum and won’. australia’s opposition, lead by the usa, will have provided a litmus test as to our progress towards the london olympics. likewise, particularly the British, will be a gauge at the Commonwealth games in Delhi, and then fit into the equation, the european Championships! after all these meets are completed, swimmers and Coaches will be targeted for 2012; with a wider net cast for 2016.

on another note asCta’s venture into teacher accreditation (swim australiatm teacher program - sat) continues to exceed expectations. the recently launched sat of Competitive swimming accreditation course, with its video-laden CD-rom, has been a great hit (this replaces the JsaC course). next ‘cab off the rank’ will be the sat of learners with Disability. two world-leading products on offer from asCta!

and ‘small’ things are also important. the asCta Board has further supported its Branches, providing free asCta membership to Branch life members. this provides due recognition of the magnificent contribution made by such members; whilst freeing up finances for Branches to service members closer to home

what ‘small’ things have you got in mind to enhance your performance and that of your swim school or swimming Club? the performance of the asctaoffiCe has been anything but small. they have coped admirably with the relocation and new staffing. membership and insurance processing issues have been sorted with extreme application. at the same time, new processes and initiatives are being developed.

use the coming months to ‘spring into summer’.

ross gage, asCta Ceo

Ps. Please note the dates for the asctaConVention 2011 are a few weeks later than normal – 17-24 may 2011; again to be held at the sofitel – gold Coast. Planning is already well advanced to ensure retention of its status as the world’s leading swimming professional development event.

PPs. have you checked out the asCta library recently at www.ascta.com – this free resource for asCta members is full of information to help you add value to your swim teaching and coaching!

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Ian HansonHanson Sports Media

AUSTRALIA’S WOMEn AGAIn LED THE DOLPHInS ASSAULT AT THE 2010 PAn PACIFIC CHAMPIOnSHIPS In IRvInE CALIFORnIA, WInnInG SIx GOLD MEDALS, WITH EMILy SEEBOHM AnD JESSICAH SCHIPPER, In PARTICULAR, LEADInG THE WAy In OLyMPIC EvEnTS.SEEBOHM LOWERED THE COLOURS OF BOTH nATALIE COUGHLIn AnD ARIAnA kUkORS In WInnInG THE 100M BACkSTROkE AnD THE 200M InDIvIDUAL MEDLEy – TWO MAJOR SCALPS AS SHE PREPARES FOR An ExCITInG BUILD UP TO THE 2012 OLyMPIC GAMES In LOnDOn.and despite looking out of form, schipper showed us everything we have always known about her when she came from behind to defend her Pan Pacific Championship 200m Butterfly crown.

it was a courageous swim by the reigning world champion and we hope it is just the boost she needs to keep her on track as she strives for that olympic gold medal dream.

open water olympian, melissa gorman, also showed why she will be one to watch over the next two years; winning gold in the 1500m freestyle the night before bronze in the 10Km event – the race she will again target for london.

there were two other gold medals for australia – in the women’s 50m Backstroke to sophie edington and 50m Butterfly to world champion marieke guehrer.

however, these gold medals were not included in the overall medal tally as it had earlier been agreed by the Pan Pacific charter countries that the 50m form strokes would not be included on the medal tally or the point score. rather, they were only included on the program to assist countries like australia with selections for their Commonwealth games teams.

in contrast to the women’s events in the men’s events it was noticeable that australia’s men’s stocks are struggling. for the first time they failed to win a gold medal

there was no matching it with the usa’s Allison Schmitt in the 200m freestyle as she lowered her own Pan Pacific Championship record of 1:56.23 (set in the heats) to 1:56.10, with australian pair Blair Evans (1:57.13) and kylie Palmer (1:57.50) third and fourth respectively.

evans joined 18-year-old katie Goldman in the 400m final with american, Chloe sutton, taking the gold medal in 4:05.19, from the fast finishing goldman (4:05.84 PB) who became the third fastest australian behind Beijing golden girls, Bronte Barratt and Linda Mackenzie, and third placed evans (4:06.36 PB) becoming the sixth fastest.

the 800m saw us pair kate Ziegler (8:21.59) and sutton (8:24.51) take the quinella with goldman capping her brilliant international debut with a bronze medal in 8:26.38. fourth went to 5Km world champion

LEAD PAN PAC ASSAULT IN IRVINE

emilyand

Jessat the Championships and they also failed to win a freestyle medal from 50m through to 10Km.

with that being said, there was some light at the end of the tunnel with a spirited silver in the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay.

here is a full wrap of the 2010 Pan Pacific Championships.

WOMEnFreestyle

Emily Seebohm (53.96 PB and the fifth fastest time by an australian) stood up and was counted in the 100m freestyle final, dead-heating for second with american Dana volmer behind natalie Coughlin (53.67) with 14-year-old yolane kukla fourth in 54.02 PB, the sixth fastest time by an australian.

this result followed seebohm’s fourth placing in the 50m freestyle in 24.95, which also saw Marieke Guehrer fifth in 25.25.

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Melissa Gorman (8:30.45 PB) before she went on to win the gold medal and break her own australian record with a time of 16:01.53 (1:02.25; 2:06.60; 4:15.72; 8:34.67) in the 1500m freestyle.

gorman would also go on to add another medal, this time bronze, behind us pair Chris Jennings and Eva Fabian in the olympic distance 10Km open water event, with Danielle de Francesco the next best australian (two per nation) in fifth.

Backstroke

Sophie Edington and Emily Seebohm dominated the sprint Backstroke events while fellow olympian Belinda Hocking kept the us girls honest over the 200m. edington, a former world record holder over 50m, showed she was fast approaching her best, winning the gold in 27.83 with grace loh sixth in 28.45, while seebohm won the B

final in 28.30 – a time that would have seen her grab bronze in the a final.

But she more than made up for that with a determined gold medal, her first individual gold in international competition, when she lowered olympic champion natalie Coughlin’s colours in the 100m final, clocking a new Pan Pacific Championship record of 59.45 ahead of Japan’s Aya Terakawa (59.59) and Coughlin (59.70) with edington sixth in 1:00.54.

hocking’s bronze in the 200m in 2:08.60 behind us pair Elizabeth Beisel (2:07.83) and Elizabeth Pelton (2:08.10) was under the old Pan Pacific Championship record and put her very much in line with the best in the world. seebohm clocked 2:08.45 in the preliminaries but withdrew from the final to concentrate on other events.

Breaststroke

it has been a long time since Leisel Jones has left a major international meet without a gold medal – but the olympic and world champion showed she is still going to keep the world honest with three outstanding swims to finish with silver behind a very much in-form american Rebecca Soni in the 100m and 200m and bronze behind american Jessica hardy and emerging aussie team-mate Leiston Pickett in the 50m.

the 100m saw soni less than half a second outside her own wr in 1:04.93 to Jones (1:05.66) and nunawading team-mate Sarah katsoulis (1:07.04) third.

the 200m and soni (2:20.69) was again just 0.57 outside Canadian Annamay Pierse’s 2009 world record followed by Jones (2:23.23) and Pierse (2:23.65).

the 50m saw hardy, back from suspension following a positive doping result at the us olympic trials, 0.23 outside her own world record in 30.03 followed by emerging Pickett (30.75 PB and fifth fastest australian) and Jones (30.78).

Butterfly

once again australia showed why it is regarded as one of the best female Butterfly swimming nations with world champions Marieke Guehrer (25.99 – equal Pan Pacific Championship record) winning the 50m final and Jess Schipper (2:06.90) coming from behind to win a fabulous 200m final.

guehrer spearheaded an australian 1-2 finish with everywhere girl, Emily Seebohm (26.08), taking silver.

the B final also demonstrated just how dominant the australian girls are with teenage whiz kid yolane kukla setting a

new Pan Pacific Championship record of 25.99, which guehrer then equaled in the a final. schipper again showed why she is amongst the toughest female swimmers in world swimming, reaching out to grab the gold in 2:06.90 from us pair, Teresa Crippen (2:06.93) and kathleen Hersey (2:07.27).

after schipper led the first 50m, Crippen crept up to open the narrowest of leads at the 150m mark but schipper swimming in lane seven after an indifferent heat swim of 2:09.52, pulled out everything in the final stages. it was as courageous a win of any by the australians in recent years. Sam Hamill was sixth in 2:09.23.

the 100m saw schipper miss the final which saw olympic individual medleyer Alicia Coutts (57.99 PB, sixth fastest australian) storming home to snatch bronze from her team-mate yolane kukla (58.22 PB, ninth fastest australian). the more experienced

schipper (58.26) and Felicity Galvez (58.60) were first and second in the B final.

Individual Medley

Emily Seebohm stamped herself as the ‘girl most likely’ to put the wind up the world after the Pan Pacific Championships and it was in the 200m individual medley that she really started to turn heads as a multi-event swimmer.

seebohm broke american Whitney Myers 2006 Pan Pacific Championship record and beat world champion Ariana kukors in the process.

the talented 18-year-old clocked 2:09.93 to Kukors 2:10.25 with another us girl, Caitlin Leverenz, taking bronze in 2:11.21. it could well be the swim to officially label seebohm as someone who gives australia a real two-pronged 200m individual medley attack for london alongside defending champ

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Stephanie Rice, who watched seebohm’s breakthrough from the grandstand, nursing her injured shoulder.

the 400m individual medley was another encouraging step for olympian Sam Hamill who equaled her PB of 4:37.84 to finish second to american 200m Backstroke winner Elizabeth Beisel (4:34.69).

Relays

it was silvers all round for the australian girls in all three relays with Emily Seebohm, Alicia Coutts and 14-year-old rookie yolane kukla featuring in the new-look 4x100m freestyle and 4x100m medley teams.

they were joined by the experienced duo Felicity Galvez in the freestyle group and leisel Jones in the medley mix.

the lone survivor of the victorious Beijing team, was joined by Blair Evans, katie Goldman and Meagen nay.

in a consistent performance, evans led off in 1:58.31, followed by Palmer (1:58.01), goldman (1:58.19) and nay, who anchored in 1:58.13. But it was the us who grabbed the gold in a new Pan Pacific Championship record of 7:51.21 – too strong for australia (7:52.64) and Canada (7:54.32).

MEnFreestyle

there were slim pickings for australia in the freestyle events and for the first time in Pan Pacific Championship history the australian men failed to medal in any freestyle event from 50m to 10Km.

for the record: nathan Adrian (usa) won the 50m and the 100m in 21.55 (Pan Pacific Championship record) and 48.15 respectively. additionally, the usa’s new swim-king Ryan Lochte won the gold in the 200m in 1:45.30; Korean Park Tae Hwan the 400m in 3:44.73 and Canadian Ryan Cochrane the 800m and 1500m in 7:48.71 and 14:49.47.

other medallists came from the usa, Canada, Brazil, China, Japan and Korea.

Backstroke

olympian Ashley Delaney stood tall for australia winning two out of three Backstroke medals over 50m, 100m and 200m. first up Delaney grabbed bronze behind olympic Backstroking legend Aaron

Kukla led off the freestyle foursome in 55.51, followed by seebohm (53.86), Coutts (54.34) and galvez (54.35) but their combined time of 3:38.06 was no match for the natalie Coughlin-led us team in 3:35.23, and only just better than Canada who took bronze in 3:38.14.

in the medley relay seebohm threw down the gauntlet to Coughlin, beating the olympic champion in the opening Backstroke leg, again, clocking 59.34 to Coughlin’s 59.85 before Jones dived in to record a 1:05.38 – just 0.03 slower than Rebecca Soni.

it was then over to the unlikely Coutts (fourth in this year’s australian Championships but third at the Pan Pacific Championships) who split a solid 57.86 and Kukla (54.38) who held off the fastest-finishing Japanese.

the 4x200m saw the olympic champions australia go head-to-head with the experienced usa team and an emerging Canadian quartet. australia’s kylie Palmer,

in 2006 in Victoria Canada it was left to Eamon Sullivan to land a dead-heat for bronze to salvage something for the australians, but in 2010, for the first time since the first Pan Pacific Championships in 1985, there was no australian on the podium in the 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m or 10Km open water.

the closest any australian male came to a medal was rookie, Thomas Fraser-Holmes, the youngest of all the combatants, who clocked a PB of 1:47.23 in the 200m while olympian kenrick Monk was fifth in 1:47.37.

the 50m saw triple olympian, Ashley Callus (22.15) seventh and rookie Cameron Prosser (22.41) eighth. the 100m saw kylie Richardson sixth in 48.81 and former world record holder Eamon Sullivan seventh in 48.84. Robert Hurley was the best of the australians, seventh in the 400m in 3:49.36 and fourth over 800m in 7:52.71.

in the 1500m australia did not figure in the top eight with Ryan napoleon finishing ninth in 15:14.91 and hurley tenth in 15:16.74.

Peirsol and Japan’s Junya koga in the 100m with Delaney clocking 53.78.

next up the 50m dash, where Koga just out-touched Delaney, 24.86 to 24.98, while in the 200m, man-of-the-moment Ryan Lochte set a new Pan Pacific Championship record of 1:54.12 to hold off team-mate Tyler Clary (1:54.90), Japan’s Ryosuke Irie (1:55.21) and Delaney 1:57.78.

other australians in the finals were Ben treffers (fifth in the 50m in 25.32) and olympic bronze medallist Hayden Stoeckel (sixth in the 100m in 54.06).

Breaststroke

australian pair Christian Sprenger and Brenton Rickard collected a pair of silver medals in the two major Breaststroke finals over the olympic distance 100m and 200m events – both were second to Japanese Breaststroking king, kosuke kitajima.

sprenger, racing in an outside lane topped the clock at 1:00.18 to Kitajima’s 59.35 while the usa’s Mark Gangloff finished third in 1:00.24.

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the 200m saw a gutsy rickard second in 2:09.97 to Kitajima’s Pan Pacific Championship record time of 2:08.36 with us cancer survivor, Eric Shanteau, third in 2:10.13.

the non olympic 50m event went to Brazilian Felipe Silva in 27.26 from gangloff 27.52 and Canada’s Scott Dickens 27.63.

Butterfly

nick D’Arcy was close to the best of the australian individual male olympic event swimmers with his eye-catching silver medal swim in the 200m when he raced the greatest Michael Phelps down the final lap.

D’arcy stopped the clock at 1:54.73 to Phelps 1:54.11 with Japan’s olympic bronze medallist Takeshi Matsuda third in 1:54.81 – his career very much back on track after missing the Beijing olympics and rome world Championships.

Based on the Pan Pacific Championship results, D’arcy, despite everything that has happened, could be the one australia turns to for success in london and even shanghai next year at the world Championships.

as hard as he tried 31-year-old Geoff Huegill, who was second in his only other Pan Pacific Championship appearances in 1999 and 2002, finished fourth over 50m and a creditable fifth in the 100m while Mitchell Patterson was eighth in the 50m and Chris Wright sixth over 100m.

olympic bronze medallist Andrew Lauterstein finished twelfth in the 100m in 53.28 and Jayden hadler tenth and wright eleventh over 200m.

Individual Medley

australia’s male medley stocks seemed to be on ‘struggle street’ with the best place-getters Leith Brodie (sixth over 200m individual medley in 1:59.74); Tommaso D’Orsogna (eighth over 200m individual medley in 2:03.99) and rookie Jayden Hadler (eighth over 400m individual medley in 4:23.72).

for the record, us superstar Ryan Lochte won the 200m and 400m individual medley double in 1:54.43 and 4:07.59, both results Pan Pacific Championship records and with arch rival Michael Phelps watching from the grandstand.

Relays

Despite a lack of depth and lack of form in australia’s men’s team the 4x100m freestyle boys showed enormous potential as a group that could stand tall in london 2012.

it was obvious that australia’s best sprinter Eamon Sullivan was far from his best but as hard a he tried he could still only manage a lead off of 49.19. it was left to the new boys kyle Richardson (48.48), Cameron Prosser (48.38) and James Magnussen (48.25) to hang-tough (as they say), and that is just what the new faces did against lochte, lezak and adrian – who with lead-off Phelps

clocked a Pan Pacific Championship record of 3:11.74 to australia’s 3:14.30.

the medley relay saw australia well beaten by the us and Japan and it was the same result in the 4x200m. australia’s medley relay foursome of ashley Delaney (53.97), Christian sprenger (1:01.21), geoff huegill (51.45) and Kyle richardson (48.92) were no match for the americans and vastly improved Japanese, although huegill did pull one right out of the box with his 51.45 Butterfly split.

the men’s 4x200m had to settle for a heart-breaking bronze, beaten by 0.04 for silver by Japan. the us won in 7:03.84, a new Pan Pacific Championship record, followed by Japan (7:11.01) and australia (7:11.05). the australian team splits were: Thomas Fraser-Holmes 1:47.70; nic Ffrost 1:47.71; kenrick Monk 1:46.82 and Leith Brodie 1:48.82.

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THE 2010 AUSTRALIAn SHORT COURSE SWIMMInG CHAMPIOnSHIPS SAW THE EMERGEnCE OF THE nExT GEnERATIOn OF TEEnAGE SWIM STARS, WITH ‘TEEn-qUEEn’ EMILy SEEBOHM, LEADInG A HOST OF nEW FACES WITH THEIR HEARTS SET On LOnDOn In 2012.the one thing that is certain at an australian swimming Championship is that nothing is certain.

seebohm was the out-and-out star of the show. four gold medals in the 100m and 200m individual medley as well as gold in the 100m freestyle and 100m Backstroke as well as silver in the 50m Backstroke to Marieke Guehrer.

there were also new australian records in the 200m individual medley and the 100m Backstroke.

But it was the 200m individual medley where seebohm was really tested, by former Cairns national age-group star kotuku ngawati (pronounced nawati in the maori tongue), who is now at melbourne Vicentre under the tutelage of experienced olympic Coach, ian Pope.

ngawati was discovered by former asCta Ceo Michael Ursu while he was head Coach at the trinity anglican school in Cairns, and just two years ago he tipped his young charge to one day represent australia.

"she has talent i have not seen in a long time," ursu said at the beginning of 2009.

"i have seen a lot of swimmers in my time but this one is very special. i have not pushed her yet. she will go now to the gym and work on her upper body strength, her core body strength and her leg strength."

he was certainly a good judge and he was as excited as anyone when ngawati stormed home behind seebohm – with both swimmers under the old australian record time.

seebohm held on to win in 2:07.64 to ngawati’s 2:07.76 – times that rank the girls 13th and 17th in the world all-time rankings. however, given the girls in front of them are current swimmers, to make top eight in Dubai will be a challenge to say the least.

it could well take a sub 2:07.00 swim just to make the final in one of the most competitive events in world swimming.

also in an exciting pool are the likes of miami distance swimmer (and Pan Pacific Championship star) katie Goldman, 14-year-old st Peters western sprint ace yolane kukla, wollongong freestyle sprinter Emma Mckeon, sunshine Coast Breaststroking individual medleyer Tessa Wallace, trinity grammar all-rounder and Youth olympic star kenneth To, and Chandler’s Butterflying individual medleyer Jayden Hadler.

among many others to shine were defending world champion Felicty Galvez, who won the 50m, 100m and 200m Butterfly treble and Chandler’s Chris Wright who won the 100m and 200m Butterfly double.

Christian Sprenger and Brenton Rickard again continued their duels in the Breaststroke with rickard winning the 50m and sprenger the 100m and 200m double.

here is a further look at the 2010 telstra australian short Course Championships.

WOMEnFreestyle

fourteen-year-old yolane kukla (st Peters western, QlD/Qas) broke through for her maiden australian championship gold medal to record a comfortable victory in the 50m freestyle in 24.14 becoming the fifth fastest australian, leaving national record holder Marieke Guehrer (24.67) and fellow 16-year-old rising star Emma Mckeon in third.

the 100m saw brilliant all-rounder Emily Seebohm (Brothers, QlD/Qas) take the gold in 53.16, only just outside her PB, with mcKeon (53.37) edging out the experienced Felicity Galvez (53.51) in the battle for the minors.

the 200m went to olympic relay gold medallist Bronte Barratt (albany Creek, QlD/ais) in 1:54.83 from wa rising star Blair Evans (1:55.06) with another olympic relay golden girl kylie Palmer (1:55.55) showing she is well and truly back from shoulder surgery taking bronze and adding the 400m gold medal in 3:59.92 – just outside her 2008 australian record.

miami teen katie Goldman showed why she will be one to watch in distance freestyle with her silver in the 400m 4:00.45, touching out evans (4:00.71).

goldman also nudged Palmer’s 800m freestyle australian mark, with her 8:12.65, to become the second fastest all-time australian with evans second in a PB of 8:14.86 (third fastest australian) and Jessica ashwood (8:22.06 PB, eighth fastest) in an encouraging final.

ashwood (16:12.64) finished second to south africa’s Jessica Pengelly (16:11.24) in the 1500m with the hunter’s Erin killey (16:14.86) third.

Blasts her waY to short Course glorY

Seebohm

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Backstroke

it was a case of back-to-the-future for 2004 athens olympic Backstroker, Marieke Guehrer (melbourne Vicentre, ViC), who set a new australian all-Comers record of 26.81 to beat Emily Seebohm (26.82) and Rachel Goh (27.15) in a sizzling 50m final.

in the 100m it was girl-of-the-moment seebohm who smashed the australian record to win in 56.58 from Beijing olympic team mate Belinda Hocking (57.67) and goh (58.00).

200m specialist hocking successfully defended her crown in 2:03.47 from another Beijing olympian, Meagen nay (2:05.88), and 15-year-old national age-group star Mikkayla Maselli-Sheridan (2:07.48).

Breaststroke

gold Coast 18-year-old Leiston Pickett (30.37) broke through for her first national title in the 50m final to beat defending champion and Commonwealth record holder, Sarah katsoulis (30.77), and another gold Coaster Sara Marson (31.18).

the 100m final saw the queen Leisel Jones (nunawading, ViC) return to her realm with her stunning australian all-Comers record time of 1:03.63 ahead of Katsoulis (1:06.14) and Pickett (1:06.59) – a successful defence of her crown.

it was also Jones in the 200m final with a time of 2:18.86 from sunshine Coaster Tessa Wallace (2:21.48) and far north Queenslander Rebecca kemp (2:22.45).

Butterfly

Felicity Galvez (soPaC/ais), the star of the 2008 fina world sC Championships, showed why she will again be the one to watch in Dubai with a rare Butterfly treble, defending her 50m title in 25.65; toweling her opponents in the 100m final in 56.34 and leaving fellow olympians Sam Hamill and Jess Schipper in her wake as she went on to win the 200m in 2:04.76.

the 50m saw her account for rising star Yolane Kukla (25.91) and olympian alicia Coutts (26.12) while 15-year-old Madeline Groves and hamill were second and third respectively in the 100m in 58.94 and 59.02.

the 200m was all galvez as she sped through the 100m in 58.74, almost two seconds ahead of the field, with hamill touching second in 2:06.18 and schipper third in 2:07.12.

Individual Medley

the sprint medleys turned into the ‘Emily Seebohm show’ – indicating that seebohm could blast through 2010 after a successful defence of her 100m and 200m individual medley titles.

seebohm won the 100m in 59.29 from Tessa Wallace (1:00.36) and Chelsea Carpenter (1:01.43) and the 200m in a nail-biter from amazing 16-year-old Victorian kotuku ngawati and sa’s Tiffany Papaemanouil.

the 200m saw seebohm hanging on to set a new australian record in 2:07.64 ahead of the vastly improving 16-year-old ngawati who clocked an extraordinary PB of 2:07.76 and Papaemanouil (2:10.40). ngawati now finds herself on the plane to her first fina world Championship.

the 400m individual medley went to the ever-present sam hamill in 4:32.58 from Any Levings (4:36.27) and Mikkayla Maselli-Sheridan (4:36.29).

MEnFreestyle

the 50m freestyle saw giant-killing kyle Richardson (Chandler, QlD) claim his first national crown in 21.62 from defending champion Matt Abood (21.75) with ais-based Victorian Cameron Prosser (21.88) taking the bronze ahead of olympians, Ashley Callus and Eamon Sullivan.

abood flew off the blocks and led all the way to defend his 100m title in 47.07 ahead of richardson (47.57) with ais swimmer Tommaso D’Orsogna (47.63) third and sydney’s James Magnussen (47.68) fourth – grabbing a vital relay place for Dubai.

the 200m saw olympic relay bronze medallist nic Ffrost (southport, QlD) add the short course title to his long course title in 1:45.12 from D’orsogna (1:45.22), richardson (1:45.50) and dual olympian Patrick Murphy (1:45.66).

in the 400m it was wests illawarra’s Robert Hurley (3:41.58) who snatched the win from murphy (3:42.02) and rising ais star Thomas Fraser-Holmes (3:43.38).

the 800m saw returning olympian Travis nederpelt (City of Perth, wa) win in 7:51.89, from nsw youngster Wally Eggleton (7:53.74) and Theo Pasialis (7:57.33) while hurley added the 1500m title to his list in 14:41.80 ahead of fraser-holmes (14:53.81) and eggleton (14:58.61).

Backstroke

Canberra-based Ben Treffers broke through for his maiden national title in the 50m to beat a red-hot field in 23.81 PB (fifth fastest australian) with nunawading olympian Ashley Delaney (24.17) second and Daniel Arnamnart (24.08) third.

Delaney showed all his class to edge out olympic team mate Hayden Stoeckel in the 100m and was too good for the field as he mounted a successful defence of his 200m title. the 100m saw Delaney clock 51.4, stoeckel 51.81 and arnamnart 52.14. it took 1:52.25 for Delaney to win the 200m from Queensland rookies Braiden Camm (1:53.97) and Mitch Larkin (1:54.63).

Breaststroke

Breaststroking sparing partners Brenton Rickard and Christian Sprenger were at it again in the 50m, 100m and 200m Breaststroke finals with rickard (southport, QlD) winning the 50m ahead of sprenger (Chandler, QlD) and sprenger edging in front of rickard to win the 100m and 200m titles.

rickard clocked 27.26 and sprenger 27.40 in the 50m with Brad Morrison from nsw third in 27.76.

sprenger stopped the clock at 58.75 to rickard’s 59.14 in the 100m, with kenneth To (who would go on to star in the Youth olympics) third in 59.70.

the 200m saw sprenger and rickard at their duelling best with rickard leading through the first 100m before sprenger turned on the after-burners coming home to defend his title in 2:06.47 to rickard’s 2:06.77 with Craig Calder third in 2:07.28. sprenger’s time was almost four-and-a-half seconds outside his 2009 suit-assisted world record.

Butterfly

after missing the final in the 100m it was a case of putting all his eggs in the 50m basket for geoff ‘skippy’ huegill as he chased a place on his third world short Course team.

the 31-year-old didn’t disappoint adding the short course national title to his long course win in march and another notch to his comeback belt. huegill clocked 22.95, ahead of Christopher Wright (23.39) and fellow veteran Adam Pine (23.45).

the 100m and 200m double went to wright in 51.17 and 1:51.74 respectively. in the 100m he left Queenslander Daniel Lester (51.71) and defending world short Course champion Pine (51.82) behind. in the 200m, wright accounted for training partner Jayden Hadler (1:53.10) and Lachlan Staples (1:55.14).

Individual Medley

trinity grammar youngster kenneth To (52.39 PB and the second fastest time by an australian and a non-suit swim) signalled his international intentions with a powerful display to win the 100m individual medley and his first national crown ahead of Tommaso D’Orsogna (53.06) and Carlile’s John Goo (54.54).

the more experienced D’orsogna turned the tables on to, to win the 200m individual medley in 1:55.92 ahead of to 1:56.40 and Jayden Hadler (1:57.02).

hadler showed all his toughness to win his first national title in the 400m individual medley in 4:07.06 PB (second fastest australian) in a real dog-fight with Thomas Fraser-Holmes (4:07.50 PB) the third fastest and Daniel Tranter (4:09.29 PB) the sixth fastest australian.

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AUSTRALIA WILL SEnD A 30-STROnG TEAM OF yOUTH AnD ExPERIEnCE TO THE 10TH FInA WORLD SHORT COURSE CHAMPIOnSHIPS In DUBAI (UAE) FROM 15 – 19 DECEMBER 2010 AT THE DUBAI SPORTS COMPLEx.the experienced end of the scales will see 31-year-old dual olympian Geoff Huegill back in his third world short Course team after winning the 50m Butterfly at this year’s australian short Course Championships and world Championship selection trials.

huegill made his debut in gothenburg in 1997 at the 3rd world Championships, finishing second to Lars Frolander in the 100m Butterfly final with fellow aussie Michael klim third. this was the same boxed trifecta at the 2000 olympics which saw Klim with the silver and huegill the bronze behind the flying swede.

it would be five years before ‘skippy’ was back at the world short Course Championships, this time in moscow in 2002 when he struck gold in both the 50m and 100m Butterfly, each time at the helm of an australian quinella with adam Pine.

now eight years on, huegill will line up alongside emerging Butterfly ace Chris Wright almost 10 years his junior in a team that has an average age of just over 20.

the youngest male on the team, Jayden Hadler, 16, was just four years old when huegill made his debut in gothenburg. hadler is also a Butterflyer over 200m as well as the 400m individual medley.

Duelling Breaststrokers Brenton Rickard and Christian Sprenger round out the experience with Youth olympic games star kenneth To, 18, australian 50m Backstroke champion Ben Treffers, 18, and sprint-freestyle find James Magnussen, 19, rounding out the teenagers.

on the women’s team, the experience will come from triple olympian and 2008 Beijing gold medallist, Breaststroke queen Leisel Jones – who at 24 will be making her world short Course debut. Jones will also be joined by two-time olympian and defending 50m and 100m Butterfly world short Course champion, Felicity Galvez.

Jones won the 100m and 200m Breaststroke double at the selection trials while galvez showed all her skills and determination to win the 50m, 100m and 200m Butterfly treble.

they will be supported by 2004 athens olympian and 2009 world Champion and 2010 Pan Pacific Champion for 50m Butterfly, Marieke Guehrer, who is one of the finest short course swimmers in the world.

although the average age of the women’s team is like the men, just over 20, half the women’s team are aged 19 years and under – with wollongong freestyler emma Mckeon and sunshine Coaster Tessa Wallace equal youngest at just 16 years of age.

wallace will be joined by her father and Coach John Wallace, capping what has been a great year for fathers and daughters with mcKeon’s father, two-time olympian and Commonwealth games gold medallist

Ron Mckeon, selected as head Coach of the australian contingent at the Youth olympics in singapore.

the Coaching staff for Dubai will give organisers a double take with two Matt Browns on the team – matt Brown from Brothers, QlD who coaches Backstroke, freestyle and medley star Emily Seebohm, and matt Brown from triniity grammar, nsw who is guiding the special talents of another all-rounder, 100m individual medley national champion, kenneth To.

for seebohm it will be another chance to shine on the international stage; the chance to step up and race the best in the world.

for the 18-year-old from Brisbane that will be like money in the bank as she builds up her medal deposits for next year’s fina long

'skippy'To lead Dolphin Calves to World Short Course in Dubai

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Course world Championships in shanghai and the 2012 olympics in london.

the Dolphins have been very much a part of fina world short Course history, having contested every meet since the inaugural Championships in Palma de mallorca in spain in 1993 when they won four gold medals and finished third on the medal tally behind China and the usa.

that year it was Daniel kowalski and Phil Rogers who stood up for the men with Kowalski’s gold medal swims in the 400m and 1500m freestyle and rogers’s in the 100m Breaststroke.

that year Susie O’neill snared australia’s only gold in the women’s events which were dominated by the dubious presence of a Chinese team that would subsequently be discredited for systematic doping. in that meet it was China who accepted 10 gold medals, including all three relays and all in women’s events.

it was a different case two years later in rio de Janeiro when Don Talbot’s australians turned up the heat at Copacabana, winning the meet with 12 gold medals to China’s five and it was a similar case in 1997 in gothenburg when australia topped the gold medal tally with nine – the same number they won two years later when Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett unleashed their power in hong Kong.

there were slim pickings in athens in 2000, the year of the sydney olympics, with Rebecca Brown winning australia’s only gold medal.

two years later in moscow and despite the majority of the team suffering food poisoning they were still able to take away 10 gold medals with Grant Hackett, Matt Welsh and Geoff Huegill each winning two individual gold medals.

indianapolis in 2004 saw the Dolphins win seven gold medals with Brooke Hanson creating history by winning six – five individual and the 4x100m medley relay in world record time with 100m freestyle winning Libby Lenton, Sophie Edington and Jess Schipper.

the gold continued to flow in shanghai with the Dolphins coming straight off the Commonwealth games to win 13 gold medals and top the gold medal tally – with welsh adding the 50m Butterfly to his defence of the 50m and 100m Backstroke and the australians winning three of the six relays.

in 2008 australia finished second to the usa with eight gold medals, at a meet that saw

Felicity Galvez and kylie Palmer both win gold medal doubles in the 50m and 100m Butterfly and the 200m and 400m freestyle.

the 2010 Championships will come at the end of a busy competitive year for the australians, with the majority of the team part of the Pan Pacific Championships, Commonwealth games, Youth Pan Pacific Championships or the inaugural Youth olympics in singapore.

But if past form is anything to go by, they will be keen to finish on a high note before returning home for a Christmas break and the australian 2011 season that will culminate in next year’s fina world long Course Championships in shanghai.

AUSTRALIAn SWIMMInG TEAM 2010 FInA WORLD SHORT COURSE CHAMPIOnSHIPS, DUBAI (UAE), 15 – 19 DECEMBER 2010, DUBAI SPORTS COMPLEx

MEnmatthew abood, 24 (sydney university, nsw)

Daniel arnamnart, 20 (aquaburn, nsw)

mitchell Dixon, 20 (soPaC, nsw)

tommaso D'orsogna, 19 (west Coast, wa)

Jayden hadler, 16 (Chandler, QlD)

geoff huegill, 31 (soPaC, nsw)

James magnussen, 19 (macquarie university, nsw)

Patrick murphy, 26 (melbourne Vicentre, ViC)

Kyle richardson, 23 (Chandler, QlD)

Brenton rickard, 26 (southport olympic, QlD)

Christian sprenger, 24 (Chandler, QlD)

Kenneth to, 18 (trinity grammar, nsw)

Benjamin treffers, 18 (Burley griffin, nsw)

Christopher wright, 22 (Chandler, QlD)

WOMEnBlair evans, 19 (City of Perth, wa)

felicity galvez, 25 (soPaC, nsw)

rachel goh, 24 (melbourne Vicentre, ViC)

Katie goldman, 18 (Pro-ma miami, QlD)

marieke guehrer, 24 (melbourne Vicentre, ViC)

samantha hamill, 19 (Kawana waters, QlD)

leisel Jones 24, (nunawading, ViC)

sarah Katsoulis, 26 (nunawading, ViC)

emma mcKeon, 16 (wests illawarra aquatic, nsw)

Jade neilsen, 18 (Pro-ma miami, QlD)

Kotuku ngawati, 16

(melbourne Vicentre, ViC)

Kylie Palmer, 20 (Chandler, QlD)

leiston Pickett, 18 (southport olympic, QlD)

emily seebohm, 18 (Brothers, QlD)

Kelly stubbins, 26 (haileybury waterlions, ViC)

tessa wallace, 16 (Pelican waters Caloundra, QlD)

COACHInG TEAMHead Coach

leigh nugent

Team Coaches

matthew Brown (Brothers, QlD)

matthew Brown (trinity grammar, nsw)

John fowlie (australian institute of sport)

Peter gartrell (Kawana waters, QlD)

ron mcKeon (wests illawarra aquatic, nsw)

ian Pope (melbourne Vicentre, ViC)

John wallace (Pelican waters Caloundra, QlD)

stephan widmer (Chandler, QlD)

Team Staff

Head Manager: wayne lomas

Assistant Manager: erin Kelsey

Performance Science: Bernard savage, Jessica Corones, Danielle stefano

Doctor: michael makdissi

Physiotherapists: Justin mcevoy, Brett slocombe

Massage Therapists: thea Dillon, leesa ricketts

nutrition: greg shaw

Media: lachlan searle

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AnyOnE WHO HAS BEEn InvOLvED WITH SWIMMInG AT Any LEvEL, knOWS THAT nO OnE MAkES IT On TO An AUSTRALIAn SWIM TEAM By CHAnCE. yOU GET THERE THROUGH TALEnT AnD RELEnTLESS HARD WORk.

John LeonardAmerican Swimming Coaches Association

IT WAS A GREAT TEACHABLE MOMEnT. OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF yOUnG PEOPLE COME THInGS THAT ‘SET UP’ THE COACH FOR An OPPORTUnITy TO DO SOME GREAT EDUCATIOn. WHEn An ATHLETE CAME OvER TO ME AnD STARTED WITH THE SEnTEnCE AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE, HERE WAS My RESPOnSE.

CALLInG ALL PAST AnD PRESEnT AUSTRALIAn SWIM TEAM MEMBERS

to make it on the team often means you put your social life on hold, and have given the sport everything you have got. But what happens after you hang up the goggles?

swimming australia ltd (sal) wants to create a community for all our australian swim team members, not only while on the team, but after retiring from the sport.

we are looking at forming a swimming alumni, and we want you, our swimmers, Coaches and support personnel, involved from the beginning.

we are not going to dictate what the alumni is going to do, or why you should join, rather we want you to tell us what you want from it so we can set it up to suit you and your needs.

this is your chance to shape the swimming alumni the way you want it!

Do you want social events to catch up with former teammates? Do you want to receive newsletters? Do you want a level of involvement with a swimming program that you are interested in? tell us what pushes your buttons.

have your say, and shape the swimming alumni into something you want to be a part of.

all you have to do for now, is email your full name to [email protected] or call 02 6219 5600 to register your interest.

after sending through your details, you will be sent a confidential survey that provides you with the chance to have your say about what you would like from the swimming alumni.

shape your alumni the way you want it. have your say!

“I WEnT TO THE RESULTS BOARD TO SEE HOW I DID…”

“really? You didn’t already know how you did?”

“well, i was sixth in the 100 fly and fifth in the 100 back and….”

“no, really, you didn’t already know how you did?”

“what do you mean?”

“well, what did you do incorrectly in the 100 fly and what do you need to do to improve?”

“You said i have to keep my hips up on the back 50 and make sure i keep breathing every second stroke…”

“and so….??”

“huh?”

“and so, that is ‘how you did’. not the place. the place means nothing. i can take you to plenty of swim meets where you can finish first….and can take you to even more where you will finish dead last. where you

finish depends on what others have done, not on how you have done. You need to measure two things: your time versus your best time (which is you against the previous best you) and how you did compared to the assignment i gave you before you headed for the starting blocks. how was your time?”

“well, i don’t know, i never swam long course before.”

“of course you haven’t, so now you have a time to measure yourself against…congratulations! and do you need a results board to tell you how you did?”

“no, i guess not.”

“Don’t guess. Know that you don’t. if you go to the blocks with clear goals, you know how you did without anyone else needing to tell you. You can evaluate the race for yourself, and ‘know how you did’.”

“so what is the race for?”

“two things…first, it is always easier (and more fun) to swim fast when you are racing someone next to you. and second, as you mature, there is a purpose to ‘winning races’, but in the developmental stage, it is a terrible way to evaluate yourself. racing is stimulation, not a measurement of you as an athlete, a learner, a person….anything. enjoy the race, but measure yourself against your own best self.”

this is indeed a lesson to take to your heart and mind!

Published by the american swimming Coaches association, 5101 nw 21 avenue, suite 200, fort lauderdale fl 33309

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Leigh Nugent Swimming Australia

AS ExPECTED, AUGUST PROvED TO BE A vERy BUSy AnD REWARDInG MOnTH On THE 2010 SWIMMInG CALEnDAR. THE PAn PACIFIC CHAMPIOnSHIPS In IRvInE, CALIFORnIA PRESEnTED THE AUSTRALIAn TEAM WITH SOME STIFF COMPETITIOn, MAInLy FROM A RESOLUTE AMERICAn OUTFIT AnD JAPAnESE SEnSATIOn, kOSUkE kITAJIMA.

HEAD COACHES nEWS

in our post event comparison of the Pan Pacific Championships and european Championships we noted a number of our swimmers ranked in the top ten across a number of events, with a couple of athletes right at the peak.

the challenge now, is trying to elevate those people in the top ten, up to number one, two or three in the world. with the Commonwealth games and the asian games (november) still yet to be swum, we will not get a final indication of ‘best’ performances until these meets have finished.

as Coaches we always look at the lessons that can be taken away from major competitions. the key development that our 17 ‘tyros’ can take away from their first major international meet was the need to race fast and do it often – with the heats proving just as competitive as finals in most events.

many of the swimmers not only stood up on the world stage, but progressed on the developments they made at the trials in march, which was extremely pleasing and will be of a benefit in Delhi.

Being number one in the world is a vision australia, as a swimming nation, has held for a long time. But, for a swimmer and their Coach, being number one does not mean simply ticking one magical box. there are a lot of boxes that need to be ticked to ensure you reach and realise your potential.

You need tick the pool and dry land training box, the sleeping and dietary box and you cannot underestimate the importance of ticking the psychologically fit box. if you are not ticking a high percentage of these boxes, you are not even putting yourself in a position to be number one – and in a sense you are handicapping your chances of success.

Due the relatively small size of our talent pool and the number of competitive athletes in australia we cannot afford to not tick all the boxes. we have to be diligent and aim for number one in everything that we do.

our small talent pool can also be an advantage. Due to our small national program, we are able to closely monitor every swimmer in our system and provide

them with the best and most tailored support possible, with a strong emphasis on the daily training environment.

we are also not too proud as a nation to listen to, and learn off what other countries are doing to succeed.

it was clear the americans were far superior to the rest of the teams competing at the Pan Pacific Championships. they have a greater retention of senior members in their high performance centres from when they graduate university, with athletes like ryan lochte a prime example of this. they have mature swimmers racing against, in our case, developing swimmers. they are also doing some outstanding work out of the pool to ensure both their male and female athletes have their bodies in the best possible shape. Couple this with their intense pool regimes and they are giving their athletes a head-start on the competition.

while we have some of the world’s best pool programs, we need to work harder on the transition from developing to mature swimmers. while we accept there are genetic factors we simply cannot control, such as an athlete’s height, we can dictate their environmental factors. monitoring and fine-tuning their body composition, such as low skin folds and a good strength to weight ratio, will, in my opinion, help our top ten swimmers grab that elusive podium spot come london 2012.

But before we cast our eyes too far forward to london, we must first tackle the Commonwealth games in Delhi. it will be a defining meet for the British nations, who will be looking to perform well in the lead-up to their home olympics, in 2012.

it is no secret the British men really gave our guys a ‘touch up’ at the last Commonwealth games in melbourne. the women’s swimming program in Britain is also much stronger than it was in 2006. all of which is pointing towards some really stiff competition at the Commonwealth games in Delhi.

our swimmers must enter every race, even the heats, with the mindset that they are competing against the world’s best.

my message to the 52-strong swim team heading to india will be simple. the Commonwealth games is a fantastic occasion, where australia has a long and proud tradition of success. But there will be no room for complacency, every swimmer will need to be at their best and tick all the boxes if they want success in Delhi.

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John BladonMLC Marlins, Head Coach

AS COACHES AnD TEACHERS IT IS EASy TO BECOME ISOLATED AnD STUCk In OUR OLD WAyS. AS THE SAyInG GOES “DO yOU HAvE 10 yEARS ExPERIEnCE OR THE OnE yEARS ExPERIEnCE TEn TIMES?”i started coaching in australia at siaC now the sydney olympic Park aquatic Centre (soPaC). at that time a number of australia’s top Coaches trained at the pool. i witnessed and learnt from numerous coaching greats such as Doug frost, Brian wilkinson, tony shaw, ruth everest, greg mcwhirter and alan thompson to name a few.

the centre played host to numerous national and international competitions. the problem was not learning but how quickly i could put what i was learning into practice.

Very quickly i realised that i need to improve my knowledge if i was going to understand the information and input that i had been exposed to.

i undertook a sport science degree and read as much as i could. i had the opportunity to view and gain practical experience from the Coaches working at the same centre.

i took this abundant availability of new ideas and an environment of excellence as standard. it was not unusual to have australian swim camps to view regularly.

my horizons and expectations were set at the highest level.

i left the position at soPaC after eight years and have spent the last eight years with the mlC marlins swim team. During my time at mlC we have had age-group success and both state and national level.

four years ago i realised that as a Coach my views and philosophies had not evolved. i looked back at old season programs and realised that i was doing some things better but a few things l had let slip. it had been 10 years since i completed my degree.

The MLC pool is only 10 minutes from SOPAC however I had become isolated.my coaching had not changed significantly. i missed the competition of coaching alongside the best Coaches in the country.

i had visited a few programs and attended state and national camps but they had not

provided the continuous motivation that is required to drive a program forward.

that’s when i realised that as a head Coach you must continue to improve your knowledge. You must drive the program and your staff forward. the moment you stop you are moving backwards.

The only thing that stays constant is change and the Queen.in a changing world we need to learn, change and adapt.

in most programs in australia we need to coach the talent that comes through the door. we do not pick the swimmers. as Coaches we need to learn how to coach the athletes that are in our program. most club Coaches do not have the luxury of coaching a stroke or a particular distance. if you have a sprinter you need to learn how to coach a sprinter.

in January i took the advice of Vince raieigh and visited three university programs in the usa: arizona, texas and southern California.

asCta nsw and swimming nsw had a grant in 2009 for Coaches to attend programs. i was one of two that applied and received financial help to attend. this was a huge learning curve and i came back inspired and with a million and one new ideas.

this year frank Preston (mlC’s head Junior Coach) also used this initiative to gain a one week visit to three programs in Queensland. he has come back enthused and with a hatful of ideas as well.

frank and i attended the national Conference and five of our Coaches attended this year’s nsw coaching conference.

i have also been lucky enough to visit the ais numerous times in the last three years and be a part of the australian Youth teams and squads over the last few years.

taking up all these opportunities has not only provided me with new ideas but has also inspired me. Being with highly motivated knowledgeable Coaches changes your mindset and stops the isolation.

If you are surrounded by normality you will become normal. If you take the opportunity to be with exceptional people you can become exceptional.i thought our dry land program was good. i liked to think that with my background and with my knowledge that i knew what to do. i was right. it was good but not great, not exceptional.

the trip to the usa really showed me what swimmers can do in the gym. the last few months i have been driving three swimmers to the nsw institute of sport for fortnightly dry land sessions at 5.30am. the gym Coaches have been a great source of knowledge and inspiration.

on tuesday mornings i could stay isolated in my own pool doing the same old thing, but i chose to get out of my comfort zone. our dry land program has improved at every level.

PERSOnAL DEvELOPMEnT

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every leader and manager has times in their careers where things do not go as well as they would like. there are ups and downs.

The great leaders step back and assess the situation. They then take steps to rectify the problems and move forward.Constant personal development keeps you moving forward.

the next challenge is who looks after the program while you are away. You need to develop a good assistant Coach. every time i have a week away i come back and the assistant Coaches have grown in stature. it is important to develop them.

frank Preston coached his first national age Champion this year and gained his silver licence. whilst chatting i enquired about his happiness and the possibility of him moving on to be a head Coach. his reply was i am happy while i am learning, i am still learning.

three of mlC’s head Junior Coaches have left to become head Coaches and one to work as a development officer for swimming nsw. three started coaching at junior squad level in the mlC or soPaC programs.

Bill sweetenham recently sent out a great link to a site addressing the question of what motivates people in the work place. manual labour aside people are not motivated by money. they desire peer recognition, challenge and responsibility.

the next hurdle comes from parents and swimmers that are not on the camps with you at national Competitions and miss you while you are away “why are you spending time with the few special swimmers and not my daughter/son?”

Your answer is professional development. what i learn on camps, from other Coaches and at competitions goes directly into our program and is used to develop all Coaches and swimmers in the mlC program.

Personal development is the key to success. Developing a good Assistant Coach is the key to finding time for your own personal development.

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THE AUSTRALIAn SWIM TEAM STARS OF THE FUTURE CAME TOGETHER FOR THE FOURTH STAGInG OF THE JUnIOR PAn PACIFIC CHAMPIOnSHIPS HELD In MAUI In AUGUST 2010. WITH THE TALEnT On SHOW IT WAS CLEAR THIS MEET WAS THE BREEDInG GROUnD FOR FUTURE OLyMPIC CHAMPIOnS.

o’Brien swum down the field to win gold in 1:50:59.12, with ashwood taking bronze in 1:53:28.29.

Backstroke

Queensland’s rising star Mitch Larkin was the best of the australian Backstrokers, winning silver in the 200m Backstroke in 2:00.33 (PB) – finally gate-crashing through the 2:01.00 barrier, which he had clocked twice. this result edged him closer to the australian all-time top 10. gold in the 200m went to outstanding Kiwi Gareth keen who clocked a new Junior Pan Pacific Championship record of 1:57.78. Declan Potts finished sixth in 2:04.04.

in the 100m Backstroke final Ben Edmonds (56.86) and Joshua Beavers (57.14) were fifth and sixth, respectively.

Breaststroke

Queensland’s nicolas Schafer added to his gold medal collection, winning the 100m Breaststroke to match his gold medal from the Youth olympic games in singapore. schafer’s winning time of 1:01.92 was not

quite a PB (1:01.38 in singapore), however a sub 1:02 time at this stage of a promising career was impressive. fellow Queenslander Buster Sykes was seventh in 1:03.84.

schafer was also third in the 200m Breaststroke in 2:13.92 (just off his PB of 2:13.72 from the Youth olympic games) with sykes again seventh in 2:16.63.

Butterfly

Jayden Hadler thrives on tough racing and his dual wins in the 100m and 200m Butterfly stamped him as a boy most likely.

hadler’s winning 100m Butterfly time of 52.91 (PB) edged just under his best of 52.99 set at this year’s australian Championships, 0.20 in front of the usa’s David nolan with kenneth To fifth in 54.05.

the tough-as-teak 16-year-old cracked the 2009 Junior Pan Pacific Championship record with his 1:57.47 in the 200m Butterfly. whilst this time was still 0.40 outside his best, it was a time that will certainly make him competitive for a medal at the 2010 Commonwealth games in Delhi. team-mate, Daniel Tranter, was a promising third in 1:59.46.

Individual Medley

australia’s hard-luck story of 2010, Mitch Larkin, produced arguably the swim of the meet in the men’s team with his meet record of 4:16.07 (PB) in the 400m individual medley. this time placed larkin just 0.87 outside Justin norris’s 2004 australian

AUSSIES WIn 13 GOLD MEDALS AT THE 2010 JUnIOR PAn PACIFIC CHAMPIOnSHIPS

australia, with 13 gold, 12 silver, and 12 bronze medals, finished second on the overall medal tally behind the us and ahead of Japan, new Zealand and Canada.

the us claimed 17 gold, 17 silver and 14 bronze medals ahead of australia, Japan (4-4-6), new Zealand (2-0-0) and Canada (0-3-4).

kenneth To, yolane kukla, Jayden Hadler and Mitch Larkin were among the stars from the australian contingent that has always reveled in the Junior Pan Pacific Championship meet. the meet has often been a stepping stone for some of australia’s best international talent over the past six years – a happy hunting ground for national head Coach, leigh nugent, to nurture his future champions.

MEnFreestyle

kenneth To, fresh from his successes at the Youth olympics in singapore continued his rise up the world rankings with a winning time of 22.49 (PB) spearheading australia to a 1-2 finish in the 50m freestyle. fellow nsw swimmer Te Haumi Maxwell took silver in 22.66 (a shade slower than his 22.48 PB and Junior Pan Pacific record swum in the heats).

it was also to who had a hold on gold in the 100m freestyle with a time of 50.16 (PB), edging closer to what has become the magical ‘50 seconds barrier’. fellow australian ned Mckendry finished fourth in the 100m in 50.56.

mcKendry would be a dominant force in the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle events with three silver medals. mcKendry (1:48.71 (PB)) finished second to the usa’s Clay Youngquist (1:48.44) in the 200m; nicholas Caldwell (3:50.51) to mcKendry’s 3:50.71 (PB) in the 400m and Evan Pinion (7:58.93) to mcKendry’s 8:02.28 (PB) in the 800m.

the 1500m saw Pinion win gold for the us in 15:17.09 with Christopher ashwood (15:43.64) the best of the australians in sixth.

the 10Km open water event saw George O’Brien produced one of the bravest wins of the meet. overcoming severe cramps which almost forced him out of the race,

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record of 4:15.20 and ahead of olympians Travis nederpelt, Leith Brodie and Matt Dunn. it ranked him 20th in the world and fifth in the Commonwealth – a time that would have won him this year’s national title. this young man struck down with glandular fever in the lead-up to this year’s australian Championships is one to mark down for next year’s world Championships in shanghai and the 2012 olympics in london. Daniel tranter again showed his consistency to finish with bronze in 4:20.53 (PB) – over two seconds under his previous best.

larkin also clocked 2:01.53 (PB) in the 200m individual medley to win silver behind the usa’s David nolan. the result making larkin the ninth fastest all-time australian over the 200m individual medley. Jayden hadler was snapping at his heels in 2:03.40 (over a second outside his best).

Relays

in typical australia versus usa duelling, the men’s relays lived up to all expectations with the highlight for the australian boys coming in the 4x200m freestyle – so often a benchmark of the depth of a country’s swimming program.

the australian foursome of ned Mckendry (1:49.02); kenneth To (1:51.63), Jayden Hadler (1:48.68) and Declan Potts (1:49.02) came back at the us with hadler’s fighting third leg and Potts’ smart final leg to hold the americans at bay, winning the gold by just 0.75 seconds in 7:18.35.

the australian team’s time was just outside the meet record of 7:17.79 set by the australian team of Daniel Smith, Tommaso D’Orsogna, mcKendry and Ryan napoleon in guam in 2009.

it was the us, however, who had the wood on the australians in both the 4x100m freestyle and 4x100m medley relays.

the ‘ironmen’ of the australian team to and hadler lined up in all three relays – bringing back memories of Michael klim – a key man for australia’s relays from 1997 to 2007. the freestylers to (50.81), mcKendry (50.35), Te Haumi Maxwell (50.06) and hadler (50.14) came up just over a second short against the us boys, 3:20.09 to 3:21.36.

in the medley relay it was again the us lads who held the ascendancy from the opening Backstroke leg. as hard as they tried the australians just could not peg back the us who eventually won the gold in a new meet record of 3:38.44 (a time of 3:41.59 set in the heats by a completely different us team) to australia’s 3:40.28 (also under the previous best).

for the record the australian boys’ splits were: Ben Edmonds 56.18 (Backstroke); nicholas Schafer 1:01.48 (Breaststroke); hadler 52.73 (Butterfly) and to 49.89 (freestyle).

WOMEnFreestyle

the freestyle events again showed australia’s enormous depth, with Yolane Kukla, fresh from her senior Pan Pacific Championships debut in irvine, the week before, jetting in to join the junior team.

Kukla certainly made her presence felt with gold medal swims in the 50m and 100m freestyle. her 50m freestyle was swum in a meet record and PB time of 24.74 with only the likes of Libby Trickett, Cate Campbell, Alice Mills and Jodie Henry having swum faster. team-mate Brittany Elmslie was fifth in 25.94. Emma Mckeon won the B final in a solid 25.32.

Kukla was again on the top of the podium in the 100m freestyle, clocking a smart 54.69 – half a second outside her best but a commendable swim given her busy schedule. mcKeon was fifth in 56.27, with elmslie winning the B final in 56.27.

the 200m freestlye saw Amy Levings take bronze in 1:59.98 with elmslie fifth in 2:02.67 and mcKeon winning the B final in 2:00.45.

Jessica Ashwood took bronze in the 400m freestyle in 4:12.47, with the fastest final 50m in the field (29.74).

it was 15-year-old Bonnie McDonald who grabbed the well-deserved silver in the 800m freestyle in 8:37.00 (PB) with ashwood fourth in 8:38.70 (PB). following that, the australian pair snared a heart-stopping

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quinella in the 1500m with mcDonald stopping the clock at 16:29.79 (PB) and ashwood at 16:30.40 (PB) and what a race it was!

it was mcDonald who held a slender lead in a stroke-for-stroke battle-royal for the first 29 laps of the intense 30-lapper, with ashwood turning in front for the very first time with 50m to swim. But it with the australian team cheering madly, it was miami’s mcDonald who had kept something in reserve to speed home in the final 50m in 29.75 to touch out ashwood who split 30.53 in one of the most exciting individual races of the meet.

mcDonald’s week in maui was not over and she had to endure another heart-stopper when she finished fourth 10Km open water event, beaten by less than half-a-second for bronze, by Japan’s Haruna Ota, with Belinda Bennett the next best placed australian in seventh.

Backstroke

the Backstroke events saw australia’s Whitney Ireland, Hayley Baker and Jeni O’neil well outside their best times. in the 100m Backstroke, ireland (1:03.20) and Baker (1:03.40) finished seventh and eighth respectively, with o’neil (1:03.50) third in the B final.

in the 200m Backstroke Baker (2:14.65) placed seventh in the a final and o’neil (2:14.30) again third in the B final.

Breaststroke

it was a mixed meet for sunshine Coaster, Tessa Wallace, who claimed gold in the 100m Breaststroke in a new meet record of 1:07.99, just outside her PB of 1:07.92 from

the Pan Pacific Championships. far north Queenslander Rebecca kemp finished with the bronze in 1:08.98, also just outside her PB of 1:08.86.

in the 200m Breaststroke it was Kemp who took home the gold after wallace was disqualified for moving at the start. Kemp trumped her own PB of 2:26.55 set at the world school games in Doha last December with a new meet record of 2:26.47, under Japan’s keiko Fukudome’s time of 2:26.92 set in guam in 2009.

Butterfly

Madeline Groves proved to the best of australia’s Butterflyers, grabbing a hard-fought silver medal in the 200m Butterfly final in 2:12.15, just outside her PB with amy levings sixth in 2:14.54.

groves was also fifth in the 100m Butterfly in 1:00.28, just a touch off her best of 59.85, with Brittany Elmslie eighth in 1:01.78.

Individual Medley

australia’s keryn McMaster clocked her PB of 2:17.02 to finish fourth in the 200m individual medley, less than a second outside bronze, with the ever-present Amy Levings fifth in 2:18.34.

the australian girls swam themselves onto the podium over the gruelling 400m individual medley with levings, the young cancer survivor from the gold Coast, taking home the silver, only just behind american nicole vernon. levings clocked 4:44.93 (PB), leaving her an encouraging fourth-fastest australian in 2010 behind Stephanie Rice, Sam Hamill and Blair Evans. mcmaster won a well deserved bronze in 4:45.51 (PB) – the fifth fastest australian for the year.

Relays

yolane kukla and Emma Mckeon found themselves in all three relays with the best result coming the 4x100m medley relay.

Backstroker, Whitney Ireland, lifted for her team-mates with her 1:02.73 lead off, before Tessa Wallace’s Breaststroke leg of 1:08.37 kept australia in the hunt with the us girls. Kukla (59.22 – Butterfly) and mcKeon (54.84 – freestyle) also had commendable swims. however, a 58.15 Butterfly split from american kelly naze was a full 0.70 quicker than her silver medal swim in the 100m individual event. this proved to be the key leg for the us, who won the gold in 4:03.73 from australia (4:05.16) and Canada (4:07.59).

the 4x100m freestyle relay saw the australian foursome of mcKeon (55.72 – lead off), Kukla (54.51), levings (56.71) and elmslie (55.64) mix it with the us and Canada with Kukla’s quickest split of the day keeping australia in second. But the us and Canada proved to be just that much quicker over the back-end with the us winning in a meet record time of 3:40.97, from Canada (3:42.50) who just out-touched australia (3:42.58).

the same australian team of Kukla (2:03.98), mcKeon (2:01.21) levings (2:00.80) and elmslie (2:00.52) were forced to play catch-up against the us and Canada in the 4x200m freestyle with the americans winning in a slick 8:00.89 from Canada (8:06.00) and the australians (8:06.51) in second and third place, respectively.

regu

lars


THE SWIMMER

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BEHInD EvERy GREAT SWIMMER IS A GREAT COACH. SO OFTEn A MEnTOR, A COnFIDAnT, A PERSOn WHO GUIDES A SWIMMER nOT OnLy On THE POOL DECk BUT In LIFE – A PERSOn WHO WILL BE knOWn AFFECTIOnATELy AS ‘COACH’ LOnG AFTER THE SWIMMER HAS RETIRED.swimmers and their Coaches go through thick and thin; they do not always agree and at times the relationships are strained to say the least. But at the end of a hard week, a tough preparation, a bad meet, a good meet, there is so often a lasting, special bond.

and in this case the Coach and swimmer experienced some of the most trying and traumatic times anyone could imagine.

for noosa aquatic Centre Coach Brian stehr and his star pupil, nick D’arcy, it has been a relationship that has certainly been tested more often than most after nick was banned from the 2008 Beijing olympics following a highly publicised incident with former Commonwealth games gold medallist simon Cowley.

two years of court cases and judgment days that put swimming and nick D’arcy on the front pages for all the wrong reasons.

apart from losing his opportunity to race at the olympics it would also preclude D’arcy and stehr from the 2009 fina world Championships and many wondered whether D’arcy would swim on.

But australia’s premier 200m Butterflyer has swum on, training harder than ever under stehr’s watchful eye and in march this year, was only a touch outside his own australian record in the 200m Butterfly to clinch positions on both the australian teams for the Pan Pacific Championships and the Commonwealth games.

stehr has been alongside him every stroke of the way since the age of seven as one of australia’s hardest working swimmers tries desperately to put the past behind him with his sights set firmly on one thing….the london 2012 olympics.

over the next two years nick D’arcy will have to face up to one of sport’s greatest challenges – how to beat 14-time olympic champion, Phelps.

having Coach Brian stehr in his corner will give him every chance of setting the record straight – whether he beats Phelps or not.

in the lead up to the Commonwealth games, ian hanson spoke to Coach Brian stehr about his elevation to the australian

team and a young man who he has seen grow from just another kid in lane one into one of australia’s best olympic prospects….a boy he has never given up on.

Ian Hanson

IH: Congratulations Brian on your appointment for two major australian swim teams in 2010 the Pan Pacific Championships and Commonwealth games…. you must be over the moon!

Brian Stehr

BS: Yeah i am pretty excited; i am now one of the oldest Coaches on the pool deck which is interesting and here i am just breaking through into major teams so it is pretty exciting even at my age.

IH: what is the secret to maintaining that enthusiasm – getting up in the early hours of the morning and doing what you need to do during the day and then coming back to the pool at night?

BS: well, i think it comes down to the swimmers you have to work with. if i did not have the type of swimmers i have now got in my stable i would probably struggle with the motivation side of things so that is what inspires me. there are some really terrific kids on the sunshine Coast and i am looking forward to working with them over the next few years. we had a great result at age nationals with four gold, four silver and a bronze.

THE MAn BEHInD nICk D’ARCyBrian stehr

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IH: it must be nice when you look back over your career after watching the Commonwealth games, olympics, world Championships and Pan Pacific Championships over the years and to know that you will finally be part of that coaching group.

BS: it was obviously a bit of a disappointment last year and that is to understate the situation. when i made the world Championships team and i did not get to go to rome for reasons we all know now, but that has been an interesting journey.

IH: how have you kept nick D’arcy in the pool through the ups and downs of his recent career? You must be looking more towards 2010 and exciting times ahead.

BS: this year, of course, is just not a stepping stone towards london in 2012 but it is a big move for us. i think from nick’s point of view, where he has had some fairly disappointing things happen over past year or so in his case, it is a vital step for him really.

IH: You could not have blamed nick if he gave up on this sport (not so much give up on the sport but to retire). what role did you play in keeping nick D’arcy in the sport of swimming?

BS: i am not too sure what my answer to that is because a lot of it came from nick’s own personality and his determination to see this thing through and to never give up. that is the sort of thing that makes champions. i can only say that my own position through that whole affair was one of support and understanding.

what happened was never premeditated and it was an unfortunate circumstance that was in many ways blown out of proportion through the media treatment of it. i think we can safely say that if nick had not made the

olympic team, it would have been a small paragraph perhaps in the paper and that would have been the end of it. it would have had some other repercussions from it but nothing like what we saw come out of it at the end.

IH: it is extraordinary when you go back through the lives of sport stars and high achievers to see the downs they have to overcome to finally achieve their major goals. looking forward it looks like the best times are to come for nick D'arcy.

BS: i do not have any doubt that he has a lot of improvement in him yet and he has some things to prove. i respect him greatly. not only how he managed himself through that business but for the way he applies himself to his sport of swimming and prepares himself for his races – his mental attitude and everything going into a race.

he loves to race, he loves to race the best and one of the best things he can do for himself is to race michael Phelps. i can tell you when he gets on the blocks to race michael Phelps he is there to beat him; he is not beaten before the gun goes off. i think that is a great mental approach because he is racing somebody who is known as a superstar of swimming – probably the greatest of all time.

IH: arguably the greatest swimmer we have ever seen. ian thorpe probably had that mantle for several years after 1999, 2000 and 2004, but michael Phelps is now the man. what would it take to beat michael Phelps in the 200m Butterfly?

BS: well nick has beaten him of course…. he beat him in the fina world Cup meets last year in europe a couple of times but we did not know where Phelps was at with his training and fitness, however, it was pretty obvious he was not on top of his game. But just that alone is confidence boosting for nick – the fact that michael Phelps does not just stand up and race and win every time.

what will it take it would take for nick? a two or three second drop in the 200m Butterfly for sure. he is on the world rankings before the Pan Pacific Championships. it is really a big question mark for us. we just have to prepare and control the things that we can control, have nick ready to race when the time comes and believe that he will do a great job.

IH: after what he has been through it sounds like he is prepared to do what ever it takes to get the absolute best out of himself for london in 2012.

BS: Yes, he does that on a daily basis in training. anybody who has worked with nick in a training environment cannot believe what he puts himself through in the training pool. he is very mentally tough, he is very physically tough and he deserves any success that comes his way.

IH: Can you give us some examples of some of the extraordinary things that you have seen nick do in the training pool?

BS: i have one example i have shared with a few Coaches over the last year or so. we were doing a 3,000m heart-rate set (on monday morning november 7, 2009)….it was 5 x 200m, 10 x 100m and then 20 x 50m and normally when we would do a set like that, the 200m would be freestyle, the 100m would be Butterfly down and freestyle back, and the 50m would be Butterfly. they would be pretty much race pace.

nick said to me this day he wanted to do it Butterfly – all of it. i said i did not think that was such a good idea as it was going to affect us for quite some days afterwards. But in his own way he managed to convince me that he would do it. i did not have any doubts he could do it but it is a pretty tough call for anybody. anyway he did the whole set – 3,000m Butterfly and did not miss a beat along the way. his 20 x 50m at the end were 29 seconds and even a 28 second high – that is a pretty amazing.

i have seen many levels of pain on his face after many years together and he just did an amazing job that day. i said to him afterwards that we are not going to do that very often, because it obviously had some impact on what we could do for the next two or three days or so – and it did take him two or three days to get over it, to be honest.

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IH: when he steps up on the blocks against men like michael Phelps who have done everything in the sport, looking back on that particular set it is obviously mentally and physically going to help him.

BS: there is no doubt he has the capacity to put himself through what i would consider a greater pain in training every day of the week almost than what he would experience in a race. i think that is very much the key to success – to expose your body to experience that is beyond what you would experience in a race.

IH: what was said between Coach and swimmer (after this year’s australian Championships) after the success nick has had to finally crack it and make it on to the australian team for the Pan Pacific Championships and the Commonwealth games?

BS: well to be honest i was not happy how he swam at the trials. sure he had a point to prove. he was over-excited, he

went out too hard in the first 100m…around 54.32 (if i remember correctly) and that had a big impact on his back end.

the time was great but i believe the time could have been a lot better. he could have gone out in 54.9 or 55 seconds feeling a lot easier and could have come home a lot faster. i believe that day he could have gone 1.53 (high). i really believe that was a possibility.

IH: what was nick’s reaction to the Coach’s reaction?

BS: well to a certain extent nick’s his own man. we have an interesting understanding. normally nick’s a pretty sensible racer but it was just so long since he had been in that position that he just wanted to step up there and kick some butt and he did exactly that. in reality it is not the end of the world. he will have plenty more opportunities this year to improve on that time and if he swims the race a bit smarter i think we will see a much better result as well.

IH: You have probably had more ups and downs with this young man than anyone else has had with a swimmer but all that must help you to understand the swimmer. as you said he is very much his own man. how important is in a Coach-swimmer relationship to have that amazing understanding?

BS: i firmly believe as a Coach we need to make our swimmers reasonably independent. they are not always going to have us with them. they are going to be on teams where at times they will not have their Coach there. i try to develop an independent attitude anyway.

nick swims himself down after his races. he could be in the water for 35 to 40 minutes, sometimes even longer preparing himself for the next race. he does that on his own and that is developed over a long period of time. so he knows what he needs to do and he sets about doing it. But to be honest it would not worry him if it was midnight, he would still be in the pool going up and down and getting over the race he has just been in.

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always come home and prepared at home and i am not so sure that is going to be possible this time. we have yet to sit down and talk about it, so that is an area of concern, but to be honest if anyone can overcome that … nick can.

IH: moving onto next year of course – the world Championships are another key platform leading into the london olympics. it is going to be crucial that he makes that team and goes to shanghai as well.

BS: Yes i agree. But we just take one year at a time because there are a lot of other things going on in nick’s life and i think that it is important for him to have balance in his life. he has university and loves to go for a surf. those things matter to him and keep him sane and i am sure and i would never stand in the way of that. i would never ask nick to be 100 percent committed to his swimming because he has to have other things going on in his life as well.

BS: i think nick was born to do the stroke but (he was) unknown when he was very young – remember we have been together since he was six. it is a pretty long association. i am not sure if there has been any longer.

he did not show anything special when he was very young. i guess it just started to happen when he was 13 or 14 years of age and from that point on i started to see something really coming through in nick. it has been quite an interesting journey to be honest.

IH: it would be fantastic for Queensland, the sunshine Coast, and for noosa to have nick D’arcy there as one of it’s finest achievers over the next two years.

BS: it is really quite a story with the circumstances over the last year or two and i think every australian likes to see someone turn their life around, overcoming major hurdles and obstacles to achieve something special. i believe nick is capable of doing that.

IH: You said earlier on you had some very encouraging results at the national age Championships. some more bright futures from the noosa aquatic Centre Club?

BS: for sure. there is a whole bunch of kids up here that are becoming more and more committed. with each season they have the ability to do it. they have the commitment, the dedication and they have seen how nick trains which has been such a wonderful thing for them to experience. he has had an impact on them from that point of view and you cannot put a price on that.

IH: it is amazing the inspiration that someone like nick can provide to the next generation.

BS: Yes. he really is a great role model for them in the pool, for sure.

IH: nick has done some tremendous work around the community helping to raise funds for numerous organizations through charity swims and the like. while his former team mates were overseas swimming he was still doing some wonderful things back home.

BS: that is a different side of nick that most people do not see or are not aware of and i think those sorts of things are important. it is just not all about nick – it is what he can give back as well.

IH: and you, Brian, are you looking forward to many more years on the pool deck coaching?

BS: Yes i think so. i cannot ever see myself stopping. i might be the next Ken wood who knows! i will just have to stay fit and healthy for a long time to come and hopefully i will make more major teams in the future.

IH: Queensland has a brilliant history in producing some wonderful athletes with some great Coaches. You must be proud to be following in the footsteps of great Coaches like Joe King and Ken woods, John Carew and laurie lawrence – all of whom have led some great swimmers around the world.

BS: it is a great environment – to coach in Queensland. we get tremendous support from the Queensland academy of sport, from swimming Queensland not only in words but financial support. there is a good network of Coaches with no bad feelings between them. i am not so sure in other states, but we have got it together in Queensland and i cannot see that changing for a long, long time.

IH: what are the plans for nick for the next international season, coming into the Pan Pacific Championships and Commonwealth games?

BS: well we are in a little bit of a difficult situation right now where he is trying to balance his university studies throughout his preparation. i am not sure his preparation for the Pan Pacific Championships will be as good as his preparation for Commonwealth games.

for that reason, he does spend a bit of time in Brisbane where he trains with michael Bohl and that has always worked in the past – but he has never been away for the final preparation. those final six to eight weeks he has

IH: But how satisfying would it be for Coach and swimmer (and family of course) to see nick in that 200m Butterfly final in london in 2012?

BS: that would be awesome. that is two years away and nick’s going to be 25, hopefully at the peak of his physical prowess, so i think we will see the best of nick in london for sure. what the best is – i do not know – but it will be exciting.

IH: Jon sieben who won the 200m Butterfly in 1984 in los angeles once said that there are swimmers and there are Butterflyers, because of the hard yards that Butterflyers do. it sounds like you have got a fair dinkum Butterflyer here.

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STAn TILLEy WAS A PASSIOnATE MAn WHO LOvED HIS FAMILy, HIS SWIM TEAM AnD HIS COMMUnITy. AS A RESULT yOU COULD nOT HELP BUT GET SWEPT UP In HIS EnTHUSIASM FOR LIFE AnD HIS SEARCH FOR A CHAMPIOn.he was one of life’s great characters who spoke his mind and so often got his way with that affable stuttering voice that would corner you until he had made his point.

swim Coaches are like that. they have an amazing capacity to leave a life-long indelible mark on their swimmers, families and their clubs.

stan tilley was at the top of that everlasting tree of indelibility. he can be proud of the legacy he has left, as was shown when hundreds turned out at st mary’s anglican Church in Ballina to pay their respects to one of australian swimming’s unsung heroes.

stan passed away peacefully at the Crowley nursing home just weeks before his 85th birthday in July and six months after the passing of his wife, leila. he had lived out his life in the town he had put on the international swimming map.

on his coffin was a stopwatch (a symbol of his years as a swimming Coach) and a photograph of him in his beloved royal australian air force uniform.

he loved the nsw north Coast and it loved him. he would become synonymous with Ballina indoor and a country program that would be the envy of swimming Coaches and clubs all round australia.

stan taught hundreds of north Coast kids to swim and had enormous influence on olympians Petria thomas, adam Pine and Dyana Calub amongst many other state and

national swimmers. many of his swimmers would travel up to 100Km a day for the privilege of training under ‘mr t’.

stan would often bring his troops to sydney to take on the city slickers, whether it be to the Blacktown Pool, north sydney olympic Pool or sydney olympic Park. stan would not bring his team to sydney if they were not ready to fight for every metre – especially in the relays.

if you were drawn against anyone from Ballina indoor, lennox, Casino, lismore or mullumbimby then you knew you were in for a heck of a fight. nine times out of ten they would have come from the tilley stable; no matter whether it was at the nsw state Championships, the nationals or the very competitive nsw Chs Championships.

sydney 2000 olympian, Dyana Calub, addressed the service and described stan tilley as a legendary Coach who meant so much to her.

“he was a great man, a hard Coach and a hard trainer – but it was worth it. stan helped get me onto my first australian team,” Calub said.

freestyle sprinter, Jonathan newton, referred to stan as ‘mr t’, as he was affectionately known by his students, and agreed he was a “… hard taskmaster”.

“But he was very well respected,” he said. “whenever people would ask me who my Coach was, i’d tell them ‘stan tilley’, and everyone would know of him.”

Butterfly golden girl, Petria thomas, was stan tilley’s most successful swimmer, going on to win eight olympic medals which included three gold medals at her third olympics in athens.

thomas also won three world Championship gold medals and nine Commonwealth games gold medals as well as 15 national titles and was recently admitted into the international swimming hall of fame.

“i owe a lot to stan and i will miss him very much,” she said. “he really was like a grandfather to me. whenever i came home to mullumbimby i would try to catch up with him.”

the reverend richard Brown said: “we are grieving the loss of a great australian who gave so much to his community and to his country.

“many of the people here know stan from his years as a swimming Coach, when you would have to get up early in the morning. and if you were late, i am sure stan would have had a few words with you, particularly if you had a big night the night before.”

stan’s son greg tilley, supported by his sister, Karen Pound, spoke of their father’s dedication to the royal australian air force and his young swimmers.

he talked of the love between his late mother leila and his father, who were married for more than 60 years. “they truly loved each other’s company most of all,” greg said.

when stan tilley joined the raaf the family moved to Blacktown, and that is where he developed his love of swimming coaching. he coached the raaf swimming team for 10 years and it was beaten on only one occasion, greg told mourners.

“that was the year i was in the army team and everyone hassled him over that because he spent a lot of time cheering for the opposition,” he said. “he also did two tours of Vietnam, but rarely spoke of it.”

in 1974 the tilleys moved to Ballina, where stan ran the newly-opened Ballina swimming Pool before moving to the Ballina indoor Club.

“But his enduring legacy, which we are most proud of, is the hundreds of kids he taught to swim,” greg said. “rest in peace, mate.”

the loving husband and father... thanks for the memories

THE MAn, THE COACH

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STAn’S MOTTO: RAIn, HAIL OR SHInE – GET In AnD TRAInAdam Pine holds a special place in the history of the Australian Swimming Team, having come from the country town of Lismore. He was a young man who would put his name on the map from his first Australian team in 1993 and on to three Olympic Games. A swimmer who swam at the 2009 Fina World Championships in Rome making it a remarkable total of 17 years on a very competitive National team.

In-between he would make his name at the AIS, graduate from the University of Nebraska and contest four Commonwealth Games, win individual gold at the 2008 Fina World Short Course Championships and the World University Games.

His remarkable longevity in the sport began under the coaching of a man who would bop him on the head with a piece of dowel in rain, hail or shine. Here ADAM PINE remembers the Coach who started it all.

the first time i came to train with the legendary stan tilley was at the Ballina outdoor pool in the late 1980s. it was a typical hot and humid february day, which led to thunder and lightning.

By the time i was due to get in the pool it was bucketing down and you could hear the thunder and see the lightning flickering down the richmond river.

there was stan, the only one not under cover, running around in the rain holding a huge golf umbrella and yelling to the swimmers: “You will be right. get in and get going. the storm will pass”.

i think back on it now and cringe about the possibility of lightning hitting the pool or even the end of that big metal golf umbrella. every time there was a storm, stan could be found with his golf umbrella, holding it high as if he knew he would be ok. as if he knew he was yet to fulfil his purpose.

as it turned out his purpose in swimming was always finding the next talented swimmer, and then the next, and the next, and so on.

stan was very well known in the northern nsw coastal town of Ballina where he made his name as a swimming Coach. even in the past five years he was still involved in coaching one or two talented youngsters in his backyard pool.

stan was very vocal and very stubborn (all common traits of high achieving swimming Coaches). except stan was a very modest achiever. he enjoyed the success of his swimmers but never took the credit.

stan discovered many great swimming talents including Petria thomas, sally-anne sullivan and Dyana Calub. stan was like a father to many of his pupils. he taught the principles of hard work, dedication and most importantly respect.

he was family as well as a swim Coach and mentor. some swimmers moved from remote areas to come and live with him and his wife leila or he arranged for boarding within the town.

Children came from all over to learn and develop with him. he was well known at the local schools who he would have to contact regularly – enrolling new students who had moved to train with him. he was more than just a Coach, stan was a mentor in life.

i was living and going to school in lismore when i first started training with stan fulltime. after school i would get mum to dive me the 30Km to Ballina for training. Petria would drive 45Km from mullumbimby.

there were three other swimmers from lismore that we would sometimes car-pool with or there was sally-anne sullivan who came from Casino and drove through lismore on her 65Km each-way trip to training.

swimmers came daily from all over the place, just to be coached by stan. Ballina was by no means a metropolitan centre, but kids came from all over nsw and Queensland to live and train in Ballina too.

stan would get them in, teach them all he knew and then send them off to the next level. one thing stan did better than any Coach i have ever met is know his place in the pathway. he knew what he did well and he also knew when a swimmer had developed beyond his or her abilities.

this brings me to the summer of 1992-93 when stan pushed, pleaded, and begged for not one but four of his developing swimmers to be given the opportunity to train at the ais in Canberra. i was one of those four swimmers and probably the one he had to argue for the most.

in January 1993, Petria thomas, sally-anne sullivan, scott Cousin and i moved to the ais to train. two-and-a half months later sally- anne, Petria and i were on the national team for the Pan Pacific Championships in Kobe.

stan was a swimming Coach when there was no money to be made coaching. he was devoted to the sport and not at all concerned about finances and squad fees, often tipping in his own money to help swimmers get to meets. he even once paid for me to go to the us to compete in 1996 when i narrowly missed the olympic team.

stan knew the value of hard work but he also understood the importance of training at speed and intensity well before his time.

in the 1980s and 1990s, when all the australian Coaches were flogging kilometres and the importance of getting a good base, stan was focused on racing and doing race-pace simulation at training.

i can still remember stan walking up and down pool deck in Ballina with his

wooden stick – a bit of dowel from the local hardware store. he would use that stick to reach across two lanes and bop you on the head if you were not following his technical instruction. he was very big on technique and had a great eye for talent.

i looked up to stan in many ways. one of the things i admired about him was his love and devotion to his wife of more than 60 years, leila. stan and leila were inseparable even right up to the end, with stan only living six months more than his bride.

at the Crowley retirement home in Ballina where they resided for the past few years they had adjoining rooms and even a special designated dining table just for the two of them. it is comforting to know that stan and leila are at piece together. we will miss you stan!

WE HAvE LOST A GOOD FRIEnD, A GREAT BLOkE AnD A PIOnEER In COACHInGDoug FrostHead Coach Stirling High Performance Team, Scotland

Doug frost, is a three-time winner of the asCta Coach of the year and the man who guided ian thorpe to his olympic gold medals in sydney and countless world records. here he speaks on behalf of Coaches from all around australia with this tribute to stan tilley – the Coach’s Coach, a man ahead of his time, who had that special eye for detail, for talent and a heart of gold.

i first had the fortune of meeting stan during the later part of the 1960s. stan was operating the richmond swimming Centre in sydney’s west following on from his stint with the raaf.

at that time i had just started coaching in lithgow – helping out with the swimming club program. But due to the weather in the early summer period i regularly took my squad group to his pool for training sessions – a four hour round trip.

at that time i had little knowledge of developing a training plan and welcomed the regular discussions we had between sessions. the area that i gained most from was his understanding of stroke mechanics. stan had a very good eye for detail and i certainly gained experience from my contact with him.

it is without doubt that stan was a ‘great bloke’ and a pioneer in the coaching field. all Coaches should be grateful for the standards and ideals this great australian swimming Coach set in place.

we all share in the sadness of losing a good friend and i would publicly like to express my gratitude in having had the privilege of his acquaintance.

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Wayne Goldsmithwww.sportscoachingbrain.com www.swimcoachingbrain.com

THERE IS A TRIBE In THE HIGHLAnDS OF PAPUA nEW GUInEA WHO HAvE nEvER SEEn MODERn TECHnOLOGy. A TRIBE WHO COULD nOT EvEn IMAGInE USInG THE LATEST ELECTROnIC TOOLS, WHO CAnnOT COMPREHEnD WESTERn SOCIETy COnCEPTS OF COMPUTInG, SOCIAL MEDIA, HIGH-SPEED InTERnET, LASER TECHnOLOGy OR SATELLITE nAvIGATIOn.this tribe, believes that the best way (the only way) everyone must adopt to cut down a tree is to make an axe by lashing a sharp rock to a piece of wood. this knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. this tribe knows for certain that the only way to cut down a tree is to use a handmade stone axe.

and then, one day, through the forest, comes a man from sydney carrying a chainsaw…

You decide to learn how to be a swimming Coach. so what do you do?

You enrol in a swimming coaching education program. You attend a weekend swimming coaching course. You listen to the swimming coaching presentations, you read the swimming coaching books and you do the swimming coaching practical sessions.

and all of these sessions are presented by swimming Coaches who like you, learnt from other swimming Coaches who learnt from other swimming Coaches who learnt from other swimming Coaches.

there is no doubt a level of sports specific knowledge and information is critical to learn in all sports: You need a certain level of core or basic technical and tactical knowledge in the sport you are planning to coach.

however, believing that all the solutions to swimming problems (or tennis, or football or hockey etc…), lie within swimming limits the potential for progress and is a coaching dead end. now more than ever, successful coaching is about creativity.

in truth, like the tribe in Papua new guinea, believing that what swimming knows and what swimming does is the only way of

doing things is one step short of insanity, and a recipe for coaching mediocrity.

the reason people believe that swimming ‘sees all and knows all’ is that in all likelihood they do not really know what else is out there – and unless someone comes crashing into their pool with a ‘chainsaw’ of new ideas, information and innovations – it is likely they will never know what else is out there.

Particularly in the case of high performance coaching, winning means being unique, being different, taking risks, being the first, being more innovative and more creative than your opposition. Copying the ideas of others within your own sport means failure: copying equals losing - the best ideas win!

to be able to think outside the box, you have to first step outside the box. You have to move outside of swimming and look at:

1. Coaching in other sports;

2. Coaching in other industries which involve teaching, learning, communication and skill development;

3. Coaching in other fields of endeavour which prize innovation, creativity, uniqueness, achievement and success.

CREATIvITy IS kInG In COACHInG!the internet has made information about swimming available anywhere, anytime, to anyone and for free. everyone is an expert – what you need to be is a ‘next-pert’. this is an expert who has a vision for the future and is prepared to take some intelligent risks to get there first!

You have to assume that now everyone within swimming knows what you know and that knowledge about swimming is freely available to other Coaches, athletes, parents, administrators, the media and the general public – everyone is an expert.

if you do not believe me – go to Youtube. in the search line put ‘world’s best freestyle drills’ and see what comes up. hours and hours of quality drills from some of the world’s leading professional swimming Coaches, accessible for free: available to anyone, anytime, anywhere.

Creative CoachingThe next wave of swimming coaching innovation is... Already inside you

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Parents can be sitting on pool deck, watching you take your team through freestyle drills while watching someone doing it better live on their smart-phone!

so, if all your competitors know what you know and have learnt it the same way you learnt it, how will you gain an advantage over them?

the most important part of thinking outside the box is accepting that other people, other sports, other Coaches might know more than you (and swimming) know. it is critical to look outside of the box with an open mind, an inquisitive spirit and a humble soul and to not judge what you see out there from a ‘that is not the way we do it’ perspective.

i have seen more than one ‘benchmarking’ group from a sport visit other sports but do so with their eyes, ears, hearts and minds closed. essentially wanting only to confirm how much better they are than everyone else.

You have to walk away from your ‘box’ and look at new ideas, information and innovations objectively, intelligently and inquisitively with what we call a ‘Clean-screen’ approach.

SO WHAT IS CREATIvITy?Creativity is not thinking – it is un-thinking! it is doing the opposite of what most of us are trained to do.

Creative thinking is taking ideas and information and expanding them, exploding them and enhancing them.

where most people put ideas and information into boxes, creative thinking requires the ability to put things in rectangles, pyramids, octagons, circles and tubes – upside down, sideways and inside out, all at the same time – while standing on one leg in a bucket of blue jelly.

the big question is………..Can you teach creative thinking? Can you ‘create’ creativity?

the simple answer is yes, but it requires some training in ‘un-thinking’ and ‘un-learning’.

here are just two simple exercises to try to help you to create creativity.

1. THE ‘Un-THInkInG’ ExERCISElook at a common household object like a chair, table, door or plate. it does not really matter. Pick something that is ordinary and something which most of the time has a single, simple purpose.

now write down everything you can think of that the object you have selected can be used for – no matter how crazy it may sound (i.e. everything except for its more traditional accepted use).

for example a common chair could be used to stand on to fix something. two of

them placed back to back could be used for exercise equipment (e.g. ‘dips’). You could put a pillow on one and use it for a leg rest. You could sit backwards on it and have someone massage your shoulders in a comfortable position. and of course - if you absolutely had to - you could sit on it.

the aim of this exercise is to teach your brain to look at ideas, objects, concepts and information not as single, isolated things but as triggers to explore multiple possibilities – to embrace thinking without limits and to develop problem solving skills which are unparalleled.

HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO SWIMMInG COACHInG?if you were faced with the challenge of enhancing a swimmer’s speed how would you go about it?

if you were like most people you would get on the internet and find out how everyone else in swimming has done it in the past. then you might cut and paste a few ideas, borrow a few training sets from here and there and head to the pool thinking you had the answers.

this is not being creative – this being a good researcher and data collector.

instead, why not sit down with a ‘Clean-screen’ and write down all you can about swimming speed: all the physical, mental, technical, tactical, strategic aspects of swimming speed. then challenge yourself to ask; “how can i develop swimming speed?” the answers should have no limits, no restrictions, no boundaries, no ‘must dos’ or ‘nevers’ – just you, your imagination and a problem to solve.

when your own ideas are 90 percent formed and developed, then head for the laptop and go through the research to maybe do some fine tuning but do not do this until your own ideas are well formed.

if you put the research before your own creativity, you immediately limit your ability to create something new, exciting and effective. this is because you immediately place barriers on your thinking based on the biases and prejudices of what others have done.

2. THE WORD ‘Un-ASSOCIATIOn’ GAMEsit down with a friend or colleague and start to play the word ‘un-association’ game.

we’ve all seen the ‘word association’ game on tV. You say “car” and i say “petrol”. i say “school” and you say “teacher”.

in the word ‘un-association’ game, you score points for how un-related your word is to the initial theme word.

so if your friend says “car”, you might reply “france”. You say “school” and they say “turkey”. the aim of the game is to teach your brain to reject the most obvious

and immediate associations and to seek alternate words and thoughts vaguely or remotely associated with the theme word.

the key to creating creativity is thinking differently

where most thinking requires people to place things in categories or ‘boxes’ to give them meaning, creative thinking requires ‘un-thinking’ and ‘anti-categorisation’: it requires you to not try and classify, categorise or theorise. it requires you to be imaginative and allow your brain to be fluid, dynamic and see limitless possibilities.

HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO SWIMMInG COACHInG?too often when swimming Coaches hear the word ‘endurance’ they immediately think back to their previous experiences with endurance training and apply their past methods to a current (and future) problem.

they may think, “the way to enhance the endurance of all swimmers is to……….” this is an example of what we call ‘in the box’ thinking. a problem comes up and immediately we put it inside the box labelled ‘endurance’ and place limits on what it is and how to develop it.

to a creative Coach, the word endurance says “how many different ways can i enhance the endurance capacity of this swimmer?”

will swimmers continue to break world records in the future? of course!

and will Coaches training those swimmers find new, unique and creative ways of coaching swimmers to break those world records? Yes.

the best ideas win with creativity.

SUMMARy:the secret to swimming coaching success in the future lies in knowing three things:

1. i know as much as i can know about swimming (i.e. sports specific knowledge);

2. i know as much as i can know about other sports and other fields of endeavour (i.e. knowledge of what the best people outside swimming are doing to succeed);

3. i know that i must continue to strive to learn as much as i can learn about swimming, other sports and other fields of endeavour if i am to succeed as a Coach (i.e. a commitment to continuous improvement and accelerated learning throughout my career).

so, what do you know?

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Robyn Jorgensen, Peter Grootenboer, Brooke Harris-Reeves

THIS PROJECT IS A LOnGITUDInAL STUDy InvESTIGATInG THE POSSIBLE BEnEFITS FOR yOUnG CHILDREn WHO UnDERTAkE SWIMMInG LESSOnS In THEIR FIRST FIvE yEARS. THERE HAvE BEEn nO STUDIES In THE LAST 20 yEARS THAT HAvE InvESTIGATED THE WAyS In WHICH EARLy yEARS SWIMMInG MAy OFFER OTHER BEnEFITS TO yOUnG CHILDREn DESPITE THE SIGnIFICAnT AnECDOTAL REPORTS FROM SWIMMInG COACHES AnD TEACHERS THAT yOUnG CHILDREn SEEM TO PROGRESS MORE RAPIDLy THAn THEIR PEERS WHO DO nOT UnDERTAkE SWIMMInG LESSOnS. THIS STUDy IS AIMED AT SEEkInG IF THERE IS Any BASIS TO THESE OBSERvATIOnS.

the developmental benefits of swimming in children are not widely documented. Despite this, however, research has been conducted into the developmental affects of general physical activity.

Butcher and eaton (1989) reported a significant positive relationship between fundamental movement skills and participation in vigorous activity in preschool children. further research (Buss, Block & Block, 1980) focusing on the affect of physical activity on children, identified physical activity can potentially cut across traditional personality distinctions. more specifically, it was found that low levels of motor activity in children affected their levels of achievement striving, lessened approach behaviour toward intellectual tasks and lessened compliance towards adults.

additional research providing similar evidence concluded that motor development was assumed to be important to the development of intelligence in children and learning potential was also assumed to vary in accordance with physical fitness level (Clarke, 1958). gruber (1975), on the other hand, noted that fitness-oriented programs led to improved academic performance in children (e.g., ismail, 1967).

Consequently, if the above studies are accurate, it appears that there may be some validity to the general observation that swimming may add to the development of young children. the objective of this research is to therefore document whether early years swimming lessons increased childhood development in the areas of: intelligence; concentration; social, emotional, physical and motor development.

this research is currently being undertaken by a team of researchers from griffith university. the research team is working in partnership with organisations including swim australia and laurie lawrence swim schools. the research is funded by donations from a number of swim schools and national associations, including asCta and associations from the united states of america and new Zealand.

the research has, to date, included the distribution of over 15,000 surveys to participating swim schools. this method of data collection asked parents of children aged 6 months to five years to complete a checklist of the developmental milestones reached by their child. this in turn allowed the researchers to identify if engagement in early years swimming potentially enhanced the physical, social, cognitive and linguistic development of pre-school learners.

the survey also included questions pertaining to specifics of the children including the child’s age, when they started lessons and frequency of lessons. the following table (table 1) provides a breakdown of the specifics of the children involved in the survey process.

EARLy yEARS SWIMMInG RESEARCH REPORT: STAGE OnE FInDInGS: SURvEy DATA

Table 1: Characteristics of Children from the Interview Data Collection

SPECIFICS RESULTS

Average age of child number Percent

0-1 years 89 5%

1-2 years 185 11%

2-3 years 323 20%

3-4 years 494 30%

4-5 years 382 23%

5+ years 181 11%

total 1,654

Frequency of lessons number Percent

once per week for approximately 3 months 290 18%



once per week for approximately 1 year 967 59%

more frequently than above (at least twice a week)

88 5%

further notable general information collected from the surveys not outlined in the table included that 25% of respondents owned a pool at home, 77% of parents also swam, and on a scale of one to five, 50% of parents rated their child as having an ‘average’ swimming ability.

the remainder of the survey explored the developmental milestones of the children. specifically, parents were required to indicate (by circling) whether their child was able to perform a specific developmental task.

there were four developmental categories included on the survey: motor development; cognitive development; social and emotional development; and, language development. the developmental milestones were listed in chronological order from milestones at birth through to the age of five.

the results in this section are based on the 1,654 completed surveys received at the time of analysis. at this stage, the researchers would suggest the outcomes are

only trends in the data. more respondents would allow for stronger claims to be made.

the motor development section of the survey required parents to check off milestone indicators. the indicators ranged from, brings hands within range of eyes (which is one of the first motor development

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milestones in childhood), through to is able to walk backwards with ease and can drink from a cup unassisted (which according to developmental research are milestones reached at approximately 5 years of age) (erikson, 1950).

according to the data from this research, over 15% of children who attend swimming lessons at age 6 months are able to perform tasks beyond their developmental age. specifically, this percentage of respondents indicated that their child was successfully able to perform the motor development milestones typically displayed by children aged 1 to 2 years.

further evidence supporting the accelerated motor development of children as a result of attending swimming lessons is that over 11% of respondents with a child aged between 2 to 3 years of age reported their child as having reached motor development milestones indicated for children within the next year’s category. additionally, 7% of 3 to 4 year old children were reported to have again reached the milestones indicated for children a year older.

the second developmental area, cognitive development, required parents to indicate if their child had reached milestones ranging from explores with hands and mouth (which is identified as a one of the first cognitive milestones), through to understands the concept of time, and knows about things used in the everyday home (which are milestones reached between 4 to 5 years of age).

the results indicated that children who attend swimming lessons are more

cognitively developed than research indicates when the milestones are reached. specifically, 6% of children aged 0 to 1 years, 23% of children aged 1 to 2 years, 15% of children aged between 2 to 3 years, and 5% of children aged 3 to 4 years, were reported to have reached the developmental milestones beyond their reported age.

the third developmental domain explored by this research was the social and emotional development of the child. as indicated earlier, swimming teachers and Coaches have often noted that swimmers engage more socially than other children that do not attend swimming lessons.

the social and emotional milestones included as part of this survey ranged from, becomes more communicative and expressive with face, (which is one of the first social and emotional milestones reached), through to milestones reached by children aged between 4 and 5 years of age, interested in new experiences, and, cooperates with other children.

the results from the data indicated that in each specific age group approximately 10% of children were reported to have reached developmental milestones beyond their reported age.

the final area of development explored as part of the survey data collection was language development.

according to erikson (1950), language development milestones range from initial milestones, begins to babble, and, responds to own name, through to milestones reached between the age of 4 and 5 years, uses future tense, and, recalls part of a story.

these indicators and other milestone indicators were included in this survey to identify whether swimming lessons affect the development of children. the results from the survey data indicated that in three of the age categories, there was evidence that children were reported as having exceeded the milestones as indicated by research at the specific ages.

the data indicated that over 8% of children aged 0 to 1 years, 12% of children aged 1 to 2 years, and 10% of children aged 2 to 3 years, have according to the parents, surpassed the language developmental milestones identified for their specific age and were able to perform the milestones in the age categories above their actual age.

in the coming months the survey will be distributed again with the objective of examining the development of children over an extended period of time. the results from the second data analysis will then be compared to the first set of results to evaluate the effect of early years swimming on child development.

the research team looks forward to sharing the results of this research with you as they come to hand. as with any research project, a larger response rate ensures that any claims made will be more robust and reliable. to this end we hope that swim schools will once again be able to help with the return of completed surveys.

referenCes

Buss, B., Block, J. & Block, J. (1980) Preschool activity level: Personality correlates and developmental implications. Child Development, Vol. 51, no. 2 (Jun., 1980), pp. 401-408.

Butcher, J. & eaton, w. (1989) gross and fine motor proficiency in pre-schoolers: relationships with free play behaviour and activity level. J. hum. mov. stud. 16, pp. 27–36.

Clarke, h. (1958) Physical fitness benefits: a summary of research. education, 78, 460-466.

erikson, e.h. (1950). Childhood and society. new York: norton.

gruber, J. (1975) exercise and mental performance. international Journal of sport Psychology, 6, pp.28-40.

ismail, a. h. (1967) the effect of a well-organized physical education programme on intellectual performance. research in Physical education, 1, pp. 31-38.

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Julia HamHampton Swim School and Ham Brothers Chartered Accountants and Tax Agents

FOR MAny SWIMMInG TEACHERS AnD COACHES, THE EnD OF THE FInAnCIAL yEAR REPRESEnTS A MOUnTAIn OF PAPERWORk, RECEIPTS AnD COnFUSInG TAxATIOn JARGOn ABOUT WHICH MOST PEOPLE (EvEn WHEn FACED WITH THE PROSPECT OF GETTInG A BETTER RETURn) ARE GEnERALLy UnCOMFORTABLE AnD UnEnTHUSIASTIC. OFTEn PEOPLE AvOID LODGInG TAx RETURnS UnTIL THE LAST MInUTE, POTEnTIALLy MISSInG OUT On GAInInG A GREATER REFUnD OR TAx BREAk.

individual swim teachers and Coaches may use the following list as a guide for ensuring they include all relevant income streams in their tax return which, in turn, will ensure they gain the most from their deductions. individual circumstances will differ for each person and, as such, this should not be regarded as an exhaustive list.

in matters of taxation, think principally of income tax and deductions.

income tax is levied on taxable income - this is your total income less allowable deductions. income is normally much easier to determine than deductions, as it refers essentially to a person’s earnings and can usually be ascertained from bank statements and is derived from only a few sources.

Deductions on the other hand can be claimed from many sources, and can be paid by varying methods or even calculated using ato-verified formulae.

The following tax-related items are likely to pertain to swimming Teachers and Coaches:

Salary/wagesevery employee should have received a PaYg payment summary from all of their employment sources throughout the year by July 14th.

Business incomeif you are working as a contractor using an aBn (individually or through any interposed entity like a family trust or Company), you need to consider how the income was derived, as it may be considered Personal services income (Psi).

Psi can become a problem if you are deriving more than 80% of your income from one source or your income is not based on achieving a specific result or outcome. if your income is determined to be Psi, then it will be need to be disclosed in your individual return with deductions being limited to that of an employee.

Bank or ATO interest receivedBank or ato interest needs to be disclosed in your return. it is helpful to know that banks are required to report interest amounts of greater than $20 to the ato and that this information is cross-checked with your return.

Dividends or trust distributions

Just like Bank interest, this information is sent to the ato by the share registries and is cross-checked with your return for inclusion and accuracy.

Deductions a swim Coach or Teacher may be entitled to claim include:

Work-related car expenses

if your job requires you to use your car from your place of business to other places of business or to visit customers (i.e. mobile swim school), then the related expenses are deductible.

although there are four different methods available for claiming work-related motor-vehicle expenses, the most favoured method involves maintaining a log book and keeping all receipts for expenses (e.g. repairs, services, tyres, etc).

You do not need receipts for petrol. Your log book should be kept for a minimum of 12 consecutive weeks and will be generally valid for 5 years, unless there are significant changes in your circumstances. if you do not have a current logbook and have not retained all receipts – your choice of method for claiming these expenses will be limited.

the other methods available for claiming work-related motor-vehicle expenses include a method based on cents per km (up to 5,000 km business use) or, where the amount of travel is greater than 5,000 km, then 12% of motor vehicle cost or 1/3 of vehicle running costs.

You cannot claim deductions for car expenses from home to work even if this travel occurs outside normal business hours, nor can you include expenses incurred in completing minor tasks on the way to work or home.

You can, however, claim deductions for travelling directly from one worksite to the other (i.e. from one pool facility to another) and you should use the method that gives you the greatest deduction.

Work-related travel expenses

these expenses are deductible for work-related conferences and seminars. a travel diary must be kept for interstate or overseas

travel over a defined period. Costs claimable include conference registrations, flights, accommodation, meals, car hire, car parking and internet use.

remember, for example, if you were to attend a conference and were to stay on for an additional period for personal reasons, the work-related travel expenses would be reduced by the private-use component. that is, although the travel costs (airfares etc.) would remain fully deductible because the primary purpose of the trip was to attend the conference, accommodation and other expenses for the additional period would not be claimable.

notably, you cannot claim deductions for the cost of travel to a sporting event you have attended as a spectator or participant where the event is not regarded as having sufficient connection with your income-earning activities.

Uniform and protective clothing expenses

fitness and health industry workers cannot claim for general exercise clothing considered to be part of ‘conventional clothing’ (i.e. tracksuits, shorts, tank tops, running shoes, socks or t-shirts).

if the cost of clothing forms part of a compulsory uniform (i.e. is distinctive via a logo, colour or type), then the cost (including laundering/dry cleaning or repair/alterations) is claimable.

Compulsory clothing can include t-shirts, shoes, socks and jumpers but bear in mind you cannot claim the cost of plain uniforms such as shorts or t-shirts, even if your employer does require you to wear them.

Protective clothing and footwear

Protective clothing and footwear is also claimable. this is obviously very relevant to the swim industry, and includes costs for protecting yourself from the risk of sun exposure in your work environment (i.e. sun-shirts, long-sleeved shirts, covered shoes, sunglasses and sunscreen), where your employment requires you to perform your duties outdoors.

TAx TIME FOR SWIMMInG TEACHERS AnD COACHES

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Self-education expensesself education expenses are claimable only if directly related to your current work. to claim a self-education deduction, you must have met one of the following conditions:

• demonstrated that the course has maintained or improved a skill or specific knowledge required for your then current work

• demonstrated that the course was leading to, or was likely to lead to, increased income from your then current work, or

• demonstrated the existence of other circumstances which established a direct connection between the course and your then current work activities

self-education expenses include, but are not limited to:

• Course fees (including university or tafe)

• textbooks

• stationery

• union fees

• Car expenses or public transport fares

• Deductions for decline in value for depreciating assets used for education, including computers or cars

• repairs to equipment used

items which are not deductible include contributions to helP (previously heCs), costs of purchasing equipment such as a desk or computer (instead, a deduction is claimed through their decline in value over their useful life) or childcare.

Equipment, tools or professional librarythis category of deductions includes stopwatches, sports science equipment, books and DVDs. You can claim an immediate deduction where such equipment is used for your work and where the cost does not exceed $300.

if the item costs more than $300, you can claim a deduction for the decline in value over its effective useful life (deemed by you or set by the ato). remember you cannot claim a deduction if your employer provided these items for your use.

Home officeif you use an office/desk at home to prepare workouts, analyse swimmers’ results or search the internet for industry related information you can claim the work-related part of the decline in value of office furniture or fittings, as well as heating, cooling, lighting and cleaning.

Keep track of the costs or use the fixed rate dictated by the ato.

Subscriptions to associationsYou can claim your subscription costs to associations such as asCta, swim australia or alfa.

Diary/Coach’s logif you use a diary to keep record of your swimmers’ sessions or upcoming meets you can claim an immediate deduction for its cost.

Journals, periodicals and magazineswhere required to fulfil your job function efficiently, the costs of journals, periodicals and magazines etc. is deductible.

Laptops/computersswim teachers and Coaches who use a laptop or computer as part of their employment can claim the work-related proportion of the decline in value of the item over its useful life.

this includes any repair costs, interest incurred on money used to purchase the item, and work-related software.

Internet expensesswim teachers and Coaches who use a computer at home to access the internet for information or your workplace database/email can claim the work-related proportion of their internet access fees.

Mobile phone/home phone expensesif you are able to demonstrate a regular requirement to contact your employer/customers/swimmers away from the workplace, or that you are required to be on-call as part of your employment, then you are entitled to claim the work related portion of phone calls or phone rental charges.

Gifts and donations

gifts and donations are tax deductible. however, it is strongly recommended that you check your receipt to establish deductibility. if your received a benefit for your gift then this may not be considered a donation (e.g. prize home tickets).

Cost of managing tax affairs

if you get an accountant to prepare your tax return or a bookkeeper to process your accounts, the associated costs are deductible. the benefits you receive as a result of having a professional manage your affairs will often outweigh the cost of the same. the costs incurred in travelling to and from your tax agent are also deductible.

Income protection insurance

Deductions for annual premiums paid to your insurance company for income protection can be claimed.

Private health cover

if your income is over a certain level and you do not have the appropriate hospital health cover then you may be liable to pay a medicare levy surcharge (i.e. an additional 1% tax on your taxable income). also, if you have incurred out-of-pocket medical expenses exceeding $1,500 then you can claim an offset (reduction in tax) of 20% of the excess over $1,500.

General tips

it is worth remembering that you need to keep written evidence of any deduction for five years from the date the tax office sends you a notice of assessment for a particular tax return.

with good planning and good advice (be sure to speak with your accountant about any matter you are unsure about, or any matter requiring clarification), completing that tax return does not have to be the onerous task that many of us consider it to be.

nOTE:

Julia ham is a former australian swimming representative, now operating hampton swim school, morningside QlD: www.hamptonswimschool.com.au or (07) 3399 2004.

Julia also has her Bachelor of Business in accounting and finance and recently completed her graduate Diploma of Chartered accountancy. she assists her family’s fourth generation accountancy firm, ham Brothers Pty, alongside her father, mother, brother, husband, uncle and cousin. for further information, please contact Julia on (07) 3395 6000 or [email protected].

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UnDERSTAnDInG RCCasCta’s recognition of Current Competency (rCC) process is a very simple idea that requires a complex action – behind the scenes..

Put simply it is an audit of:

1. a person’s knowledge or ‘Prior learning’

and

2. current skills or ‘Current Competency’.

the first step in this process is the submission of evidence from the person seeking a rCC. the assessor then undertakes an audit of the evidence provided.

ASCTA /SAL TEACHInG AnD COACHInG ACCREDITATIOn PATHWAySthe recent review of the Junior squad and assistant Coach accreditation saw it re-badged as the swim australia™ teacher of Competitive swimming (sat Cs). in addition, all course content was reviewed and updated and the course delivery changed to reflect current best practice. the result has been applauded by employers, presenters and students alike.

additionally, the course price has reduced significantly as a result of the face-to-face component of the course reducing from eight hours theory and four hours practical to seven hours of pool deck practical (i.e. from 12 hours in total to seven hours in total).

the theory is now delivered using self-paced CD-rom home study prior students’ attendance at the course.

the course CD-rom enables a large amount of video content to also be provided along with randomised questions at the end of each unit of study. instant feedback is

provided to incorrect responses so students are able to learn the correct information.

this self-paced process is similar to other swim australia™ teacher courses and is well recognised for the consistency of the theory delivery no matter where a course is conducted or who presents the course.

the swim australia™ teacher of Competitive swimming course is one of three asCta entry level accreditation courses and is the prerequisite to the sal Coaching course pathway leading on to Bronze, silver and gold Coaching courses.

an entry level course is one which does not have any enrolment pre-requisites other than age.

the other two entry level courses offered by asCta are the swim australia™ teacher and the swim australia™ teacher of Babies and toddlers.

these two entry level courses provide access to the extension course teaching pathway of swim australia™ teacher of adolescents and adults; swim australia™ teacher of learners with Disability (due for release in october)

and the yet to be released swim australia™ teacher of the Culturally and linguistically Diverse.

the diagram explains the options and potential pathways for all asCta /sal course participants.

Visit www.swimed.com or alternatively contact the asctaoffiCe on [email protected] or 07 5494 9649 for further information on any asCta /sal courses.

ascta ACCREDITATIOn

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SWIM AUSTRALIA™ TEACHER OF COMPETITIvE SWIMMInG (SAT CS) COURSE RELEASEDthe swim australia™ teacher of Competitive swimming (sat Cs) course was released on 1 July 2010. the feedback to date from course participants has been fantastic!

this course replaces the Junior squad and assistant Coach (JsaC) course. Please note: Coaches who attended a JsaC course and have not yet finished all course requirements will still receive JsaC accreditation.

in the future, when Coaches who currently hold the JsaC re-accredit, they will be issued with the sat Cs accreditation.

for more information about Coach or teacher accreditation courses please refer to the asCta / sal teaching and Coaching accreditation Pathways article in this edition of swimming in australia.

a special offer of free asCta Premium membership is made to any JsaC accredited Coaches who

1. attend a Bronze Coaching course between July 2010 and June 2011

and

2. complete all the course requirements by December 2011.

the Bronze Coaching course calendars can be found under the Coaching menu at www.swimed.com

if you have any queries please contact [email protected] or call asCta on (07) 5494 9649

ASCTAMEMBERSHIPholders of the Junior squad and assistant Coach (JsaC) qualification can now join asCta at any membership level!

JsaC holder’s who pay asCta Premium membership receive a green coloured membership card whilst Basic and generalasCta members receive a white coloured membership card stating their JsaC number and expiry date. each type of card will state the JsaC holder’s JsaC number and the expiry date.

if you have any membership questions please email [email protected] or phone 07 5494 9649.

remember - the only ‘dumb’ questions are those not asked.

SWIM AUSTRALIATM AUSTRALIA TEACHER OF COMPETITIvE SWIMMInG RELEASEDthe first of the revised Junior squad and assistant Coach Courses now known as the swim australiatm teacher of Competitive swimming Courses was conducted by asCta Victoria at their state convention in July.

further trial courses have been conducted in Queensland, new south wales and western australia with overwhelmingly positive feedback.

students undertake the course using a range of ‘blended’ study techniques in order to gain competency to deliver basic swimming squad sessions that develop the swimming technique of novice swimmers.

novice swimmers are generally defined as swimmers who are recent ‘learn-to-swim’ graduates and are in the likes of a ‘mini squad’ (usually about 10 years of age and under) and still acquiring the skills needed to transition into competition.

all course theory is undertaken by self-paced CD-rom-based study. once each unit of study is completed, randomised questions are answered by the student with instant feedback on whether their response is correct.

incorrect responses require the student to re-study and answer again. upon the successful completion of all units of study a ‘theory acknowledgement’ with the student’s name is able to be printed.

the CD-rom also features extensive video from the latest asCta DVD series and footage from Jan King’s recent swim australia lecture tour.

following this, a seven hour pool deck-based ‘Practical induction’ is then attended, which when followed by ‘on-the-job’ training, culminates in a competency assessment.

it is also important to note that whilst the course cost and the face-to-face time has reduced, the content and knowledge gained has been increased through smarter content delivery techniques.

the sat Cs course is the required pre-requisite for entry into the Bronze Coaching course.

those currently holding a Junior squad and assistant Coach accreditation intending to undertake a Bronze Coaching Course should also note the current asCta offer of free asCta Premium membership (valued at $206) if they attend a Bronze Coaching Course between 1 July 2010 and 30 June

this audit is completed to determine firstly, if sufficient, valid, current and authentic evidence is supplied and secondly, whether the evidence provided matches against the theory and practical requirements of a particular accreditation.

this process allows for someone who has:

• an accreditation from overseas or another training organisation in australia; or

• a tertiary degree or Vet competencies; or

• been practising for many years in a capacity similar the accreditation level of skills; or

• out-of-date accreditation but might have continued to teach or coach;

• to undergo an rCC process, gain recognition for the skills and knowledge they can prove they have and gain a determination as to what else is required.

• some examples of rCC determinations are:

• all requirements satisfied. accreditation will be issued.

• some requirements satisfied. this may require the applicant to supply further evidence, complete a home-based assignment/internet research/CD-rom-based study, attend part of a course at a reduced fee or possibly another negotiated action as agreed with the applicant.

• no requirements are satisfied. in this case a course should be undertaken. this scenario is unlikely as the rCC application allows for a self-evaluation process before submitting the application.

How much does RRC cost?Coaching rCCs are $40 to submit and a further $100 when all requirements are satisfied and accreditation is due to be issued. Please note: an asCta Premium membership registration with payment and a recent criminal history or working with children check must also be supplied.

teaching rCCs are $90 for the first application and then $25 for all subsequent rCCs for specialised teaching accreditations. these rCC costs include asCta Base membership, accreditation for four years and the course materials such as CD-rom or text.

note: the first application fees for teaching rCCs are reduced for austswim holders with six months or more to expiry (i.e. $20 for the swim australiatm teacher rCC, or $25 for swim australiatm teacher of Babies and toddlers and $45 for the swim australiatm teacher of adolescents and adults specialised accreditations).

2011 and successfully complete all course requirements by 31 December 2011.

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Julie SpeechleyasctaOFFICE Manager and asctaACCREDITATION Manager

THE MOvE OF THE ASCTA OFFICE FROM MELBOURnE TO qUEEnSLAnD PROvIDES THE OPPORTUnE TIME TO InTRODUCE ASCTA MEMBERS TO THE nEW ASCTAOFFICE TEAM.the asctaoffiCe team comprises:

David speechley – asCta general manager and asctainsuranCe manager

Julie speechley – asctaoffiCe manager and asctaaCCreDitation manager

sue legg – asctashoP manager and asctaoffiCe administrator

Desley Palmer – asctamemBershiP manager and asctaoffiCe administrator.

asCta members are so fortunate to have such a hard-working and passionate group of people in the asCta office. if there are any questions you may have about your asCta membership, insurance, accreditation or anything else; the asctaoffiCe team will be more than happy to help out or to point you in the right direction. Just send them an email or give them a call!

to contact the asctaoffiCe email [email protected] or phone 07 5494 9649.

in addition to assisting asCta members on a daily basis; in future editions of swimming in australia the asctaoffiCe team will be publishing letters to the asctaoffiCe. if you would like a letter published in the next journal please fax, email or post it to the asctaoffiCe marked letters to the asctaoffiCe (ensuring to include your name and contact details).

to date, a number of common questions received by the asctaoffiCe team from asCta members have been:

q. where is swimed? i used to phone swimed and now they answer “asctaoffiCe”.

A. the asCta office in melbourne closed and swimed amalgamated with asCta to become the asctaoffiCe. andrew mcKellar and Kelly scicluna who were based at the asCta office are now undertaking specialised roles within the asCta organisation (namely as asctameDia manager and asctaeVents manager, respectively).

q. Can you please provide me with a ‘username’ and ‘Password’ for the member section of the asCta website? mine does not seem to work.

A. a computer generated username and password is provided upon registration but these are often hard to decipher due to the upper and lower case and

asCta are making changes to the products in our online shop. with this in mind we would like you, our members, to tell us what resources such as books, DVD’s, etc. you would like available to purchase at discount member prices. asCta are also keen to stock new items such as caps, jackets and /or vests. we value your feedback, so please let us know what you would like to be seen in the asctashoP by emailing us at [email protected].

ASCTACARESat recent asCta Conferences asCta has been selling $2 raffle tickets with the lucky winner receiving an asCta bag full of goodies worth over $300!

every cent collected by the raffles is being given to asctaCares; which in-turn donates proceeds to the mcgrath foundation, beyondblue and the Prostrate Cancer foundation of australia.

ASCTA InTERnATIOnALLyasCta Coaches and teachers are having an effect on swimming around the world!

the article on the donations to swaziland is just one example.

following the visit by Coaches and teachers from indonesia in June, the asctaoffiCe also played host to three Coach and teacher visitors from total swimming singapore in august.

these visitors had previously attended the asctaConVention, undertaken various coaching and teaching courses in australia and delivered a number of swim australiatm teacher accreditation courses in singapore.

in this visit the total swimming singapore representatives came to australia to visit the asctaoffiCe and a number of swim schools as part of their continuing efforts to understand embrace australia’s world best coaching and teaching methods.

also in the past couple of months swim australia teacher accreditation courses have been conducted in africa, fiji, thailand and germany with more in planning stages.

also in the past couple of months swim australia teacher accreditation courses have been conducted in africa, fiji, thailand and germany – with more in planning stages. it is indeed an exciting time for asctaaCCreDitation!

further to this, as the only australian swimming body represented on the ifsta, asCta attended the international federation of swim teachers associations meeting at the haig, netherlands in september. a report about this meeting will appear in the next issue of swimming in australia.

THE asctaOFFICE: An InTRODUCTIOnalpha numeric mix. Please contact the asctaoffiCe if you are having problems accessing the asCta website or if you would like a username and password that is easier to remember.

the asCta website is a wonderful resource which provides asCta members with access to an online ‘library’ of journals and articles of relevance to teachers and Coaches as well as discounts in the asctashoP.

in addition to the asCta website, your username and password also provide you with access to asCta’s new website – swimming in australia: www.sia.asn.au. this website provides asCta members with access to asctatV and other relevant content.

if you are not a current asCta member your access to both the asCta and swimming in australia websites will cease until your registration and payment is received.

q. when is my asCta membership due?

A. all asCta teacher and Coach memberships expire annually on 30 June. the exception to this is for asCta members who have recently undertaken courses or gained recognition of Current Competency (rCC) on entry level courses since 1 January 2010 (i.e. swim australia™ teacher, swim australia™ teacher of Babies and toddlers, swim australia™ teacher of Competitive swimming and the Junior squad and assistant Coach).

for teachers holding asCta’s swim australia™ teacher accreditations, it is markedly cheaper to re-accredit as a teacher if you have retained your asCta membership over the four year accreditation period.

for Coaches, asCta membership not only provides you with access to a great deal of professional development but also provides points towards your re-accreditation.

it is never too late to pay your asCta membership. upon receipt of your registration and payment the asctaoffiCe will ensure you continue to receive all the benefits of your asCta membership category (e.g. access to the asCta and swimming in australia websites or copies of the swimming in australia journal (where applicable) etc…).

so please support these worthy causes and visit the asCta stand at the next Conference you attend.

the recent asCta nsw Conference raised $299 whilst the asCta Victoria Convention raised $300 – a testament to the generosity of our members!

Pictured is asCta general manager David speechley with Chelsea Davies, the lucky asCta nsw Conference raffle winner.

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SWIMAHEAD – PROFESSIOnAL DEvELOPMEnTthis year’s swimtour was kicked off with the inaugural swimtassie Conference in hobart held at the old woolstore on 7 and 8 august 2010. the event featured Julie and Deny Zancanaro.

in addition, swim australia’s 8th annual event in Perth – the swimwest Conference was held at the Challenge stadium on 28 and 29 august 2010.

the swimwest Conference hosted a day and a half of presentations for swim school owners, managers, teachers and the like. Jan King presented teaching essential skills for all strokes while ross gage and wa-locals Clint Vawser, lari mcDonald, fiona laden-wearne, Bev Christmass, Jo foxton and Bill Kirby presented sessions on a various topics ranging from the ‘business’ variables of a swim school through to vital teaching issues.

in other important swimaheaD news tony and nancy shaw are new additions to the swimtour circuit this year and will be presenting in Brisbane and Cairns.

vALUABLE SWIMTIPS AvAILABLEsince the last edition of swimming in australia, the following issue of swimtiPs (brought to you by sue mayo) has been released.

ISSUE 37• infant tips

• where’s that kick gone?

• remember to always be at arm’s length at all times

• stroke tips

• to dog paddle or not to dog paddle?

• Developmental tips

• where are you in space?

• BOnUS hey dad!

nEW In THE SWIMSTOREthe first six years of swimtiPs are now available on CD-rom and can be purchased for $60 (which includes postage and handling). that is great value for 36 issues! normally these would cost over $300.

the swimtiPs are a fantastic tool for teachers of swimming and water safety who are looking to continually develop and add to their ‘bag of tricks’. to order this fantastic product contact nicala at [email protected] or 07 3376 0933.

PROMOTIOn FOR GREATER MELBOURnEthe swim australia display at the Pregnancy Babies and Children’s expo in melbourne from the 22 to 24 october 2010 is sure to prove extra popular! in addition to the usual handouts, attendees will also be getting a Kids alive living with water DVD.

if your swim school is in the greater melbourne area, be sure to register your interest in participating with nicala at [email protected]

AUSTRALIAn UnITy BUILDS On PARTnERSHIPwant to be the first of a ‘first’? swim australia is partnering with its major sponsor, australian unity, to pilot a new health insurance policy aimed at parents of young children (i.e. swim school customers). it will also feature incentives to have further swimming lessons at their swim school.

in addition to the targeted nature of the insurance, the concept involves swim schools assisting in the marketing of the insurance opportunity to their customers ... but with no ‘hard sell’ involved.

swim australia will work with australian unity to design appropriate marketing material for the swim school environment. this will involve the likes of ‘posters’ for noticeboards, handouts and news pieces for e-newsletters.

the aim is a win-win-2 x win. swim school customers get a policy targeted to their swimming lesson commitment; australian unity gets new members; and the swim schools get the double win – customers staying longer and a bonus from australia unity for each new member who signs up from the swim school.

for the pilot a swim school is being sought for each of the greater Brisbane, melbourne and sydney areas. to register your interest, simply email ross gage at [email protected]

in other news, australian unity’s learn-to-swim mascot Darcy has again been very popular with swim schools in melbourne, sydney and Brisbane. Darcy is currently completing a ‘tour’ of new south wales. this is another wonderful free service from australian unity for swim schools registered with swim australia.

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australian unity has again committed to the Building healthier swim schools seminar series. for the third year in a row, swim schools registered with swim australia will benefit from these free seminars – thanks to australian unity.

while this issue of swimming in australia is in production, three seminars will have been conducted. these will have featured australia’s Biggest loser host; hayley lewis as mC, Commonwealth games record holder adam Pine as special guest and Poster signer, a specialist presenter, an industry panel for a the Q&a session, networking times and a free lunch!

in more good news, australian unity will be working with swim australia to shoot a new Community service announcement to be broadcast on tV nationally. it will promote learning to swim and water safety skills, while directing parents to swim schools registered with swim australia.

SWIM AUSTRALIA On THE ROADZodiac trucks, as they traverse australia, are now carrying the swim australia brand. Zodiac have been a fine partner of swim australia for several years now are currently in discussions as to how to extend that relationship even further to benefit swim schools.

SWIM SCHOOL REGISTRATIOnthe start of october will also see the start of the 2010-2011 registration period for swim schools. the 2009-2010 registration period saw a record number of 597 swim schools join swim australia from across australia and overseas – all enjoying many member benefits. Benefits for registering include:

• regular publications: swimuPDate, swimfiles, swimBYtes and swimsniPPits

• a minimum of 250 copies of each swimming matters – a great resource for retaining customers

• a listing on the swim australia website (and their own web-page) – no 1 on the internet for searching … with over 10 million hits in the past 12 months!

• exclusive access to the swimliBrarY

• numerous exclusive discounts and free products

• Bonus: 10 Born to swim Posters picturing adam Pine, ashley Callus, Justin norris, hayley lewis and Karni liddell.

also with thanks to our generous sponsors australian unity and Vorgee we are able to provide many swim schools with goodies such as kickboards, non-slip learn-to-swim pool mats and Backstroke flags.

if you would like your swim school to join swim australia in 2010-2011 please contact swim australia or visit the website: www.swimaustralia.org.au

SWIMSAFER PROGRESSES ALOnGthe latest edition to the swimsafer suite of offerings for swim schools wanting to ‘live the water safety message’ is a range of innovative, high quality posters and a Kit for swimsafer weeks.

these products follow on from the highly successful Pool watcher lanyards and swimsafer booklet for parents of young children.

regarding the latter, version two is going into print, with new processes enabling it to be cheaper and with a reduced minimum order quantity required in order to include individual swim school branding.

Darcy visiting mr wobbygong’s swim school in Brisbane

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Michael WoodsSport Inclusion Coordinator Swimming Australia

SWIMMInG COACHES AnD TEACHERS ARE WELL AWARE OF THE IMPORTAnT ROLE THEy PLAy In THE DEvELOPMEnT AnD SUCCESS OF THEIR SWIMMERS. WHAT SOME MAy nOT REALISE IS THAT THEy ARE ALSO In A POSITIOn TO FOSTER An InCLUSIvE CULTURE WITHIn THEIR SqUAD OR SWIMMER GROUP AnD EvEn THE WIDER CLUB AnD SWIM SCHOOL COMMUnITy.Being inclusive does not necessarily mean having to learn an entirely new skill set. this is because good Coaches and teachers are by their nature inclusive. they understand all swimmers are different and are willing to make modifications in order to get the best out of each and every swimmer, regardless of disability.

inclusion is more than simply taking on a swimmer with disability into a squad. inclusion in swimming is about providing a range of reasonable options for everyone to participate. of course it is not reasonable to include all people with disability in all activities all of the time. however there are usually ways to include most people. when it comes to providing opportunities in swimming for people with disability Coaches and teachers should focus on finding practical ways for everyone to participate at a level of their choice.

SO, WHAT CAn A COACH OR TEACHER DO?• always be open and accepting of any

swimmer who approaches you

• Put the swimmer before the disability e.g. simone is a swimmer with cerebral palsy

• some swimmers with disability may experience disadvantage when it comes to participating. like all swimmers they will have varying abilities. ask the swimmer what they are able to do and focus on maximising their abilities

• Consider what factors may disadvantage your swimmers with disability (such as the environment, equipment or coaching/teaching style) and look at how these may be modified to make your coaching or teaching more inclusive

• get to know your swimmers, it is not necessary to be an expert on specific disabilities but you do need to know your swimmer

• Be proactive, build awareness and educate your squad or group and other Coaches or teachers about being inclusive. share your ideas and experience with others

• seek advice and best practice examples of inclusion from other Coaches and teachers, your state association, or a sports ConneCt network contact

• always aim to include everyone in your squad or group activities. never exclude anyone from participating because of negative attitudes or stereotypes

• when necessary, be prepared to make modifications to rules, equipment or anything else to ensure the participation of all people with disability. You may need to seek advice from your state association or state sports ConneCt network contact

• recognise that people with disability have many skills to offer. ask the swimmer what they can do and build from there

effective instruction of swimming skills and techniques are just as important for swimmers with disability. People with disability do not generally need to be treated differently to anyone else who participates in swimming.

a Coach or teacher is in a great position to ensure that an inclusive approach is taken, to do this the tree principal can be applied.

the tree principal can be used as a guide to modifying activities and sessions so that they can be inclusive of not only people with disability but people of all abilities. each letter in tree represents an aspect that can be modified.

TEACHInG OR COACHInG STyLEwhat can i modify about the way i am teaching/coaching?

think about how your methods can make the most of the abilities within your group.

RULES AnD REGULATIOnSwhat can i modify in the rules or regulations to allow a swimmer to participate?

rules and regulations can be modified to ensure someone can participate.

EqUIPMEnTwhat can i modify about the equipment used in the session?

Changing or including equipment in a session may allow a swimmer to make the most of their abilities.

EnvIROnMEnTSwhat can i modify about the environment to ensure no one is left out?

think about where your swimmers are positioned in the pool or how easy it is to move around the pool deck.

when modifying any activity, consider these points:

• Keep the integrity of the activity intact

• Keep the activity challenging, do not make it too easy

• involve the participants in determining if and how to modify

• Develop an understanding of fitness and work towards reducing the modifications over time, as skill and understanding improve

• most importantly: only modify if and when you need to.

Creating an inclusive training or learning environment is not hard. often it is negative attitudes and fear of the unknown that prevent participation more so than any physical barriers.

By being willing to make modifications and focus on the swimmers’ abilities you can be an inclusive Coach or teacher. additionally, your actions and attitudes will reflect on your squads and others in turn leading to a positive and inclusive culture.

Being inclusive is simply best practice: make it part of what you do.

nOTEswimming australia has produced an inclusion tips fact sheet series which is available from www.swimming.org.au.

included in the series are tips for Coaches, swimmers, administrators and officials. thanks goes to the australian sports Commission and the sports ConneCt network for the content of this article and assistance in the development of the swimming australia inclusion tips series.

InCLUSIOn IS BEST PRACTICE

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Beth RiderSwimming Australia

THE AUSTRALIAn PARALyMPIC SWIM TEAM RETURnED FROM THEIR MOST SUCCESSFUL MEET SInCE THE SyDnEy 2000 PARALyMPIC GAMES. THE TEAM WOn AT LEAST OnE GOLD MEDAL On EACH nIGHT OF COMPETITIOn OF THE IPC SWIMMInG WORLD CHAMPIOnSHIPS In EInDHOvEn, THE nETHERLAnDS the undeniable highlight of the meet was the men’s team achieving a goal that was set by teammates past – to win the relay double.

the men took out the 4 x 100m freestyle relay on night two of competition, setting the standard early for the performances to come. then the boys backed it up on the final night at the pool winning gold in the 4 x 100m medley relay. winning the relay double was a goal set ten years ago by past swimmers.

the relay double was not the only high point of the meet. on top of winning 13 gold medals, the team broke four world records, as well as twenty-five area records.

DAy OnE – 15 AUGUST 2010 Paralympic gold medallist Peter leek won australia’s first gold for the meet, in the men’s 200m individual medley (sm8). leek led from the beginning of the race, extending the gap between him and his competitors as the race went on.

the 22-year-old ais-based athlete flew home in the 50m freestlye to win by 10m, in a time of 2:21.84.

earlier in the evening, leek had won australia’s first medal of the meet, winning silver in the men’s 100m Backstroke (s8). leek swam hard to achieve a time of 1:05.56.

Paralympic champion and crowd favourite matthew Cowdrey collected his first medal of the meet winning silver in the men’s 100m Butterfly (s9), touching the wall in a time of 1:00.35.

DAy TWO – 16 AUGUST 2010 the australian 4 x 100m freestyle relay team (34 points) had the crowd on their feet as they powered down the pool to win gold and break the world record in the men’s 4 x 100m freestyle relay (34 points).

matthew levy (s7) led the team out, followed by Peter leek (s8). after winning gold earlier in the session, Paralympic champion matthew Cowdrey (s9) dove in and gave the team a strong lead. in his first race of the meet andrew Pasterfield (s10) then came home strongly to bring the team to victory in a time of 3:48.72.

to win a relay gold was a career ambition for head Coach, Brendan Keogh. “i have waited ten years to win a 4 x 100m freestyle relay at world Championships or the Paralympics. we have still got the medley relay on the final day, and we would really like to win the double” said Keogh that night.

matthew Cowdrey’s night was topped off by the gold medal he comfortably won in the 200m individual medley (s9). Cowdrey went into the race as number one, and he proved why he was worthy of that title by touching the wall two body lengths ahead of his competitors, finishing in 2:42.13.

it was a one-two for australia in the men’s 100m Breaststroke (sB7) with Paralympic medallist Blake Cochrane winning gold with a time of 1:24.44, while new south welshman matt levy was right on his tail, winning silver with a time of 1:25.82.

BEST MEDAL HAUL FOR AUSTRALIAnS SInCE SyDnEy PARALyMPIC GAMES

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Queenslander Cochrane was happy with the result, given he felt so heavy in the water “i felt a bit heavy over the first 50m, but i felt better coming home. i am really happy with my overall result – a gold medal at the world Championships. it shows me what i need to focus on heading into the Commonwealth games.”

ais-based swimmer ellie Cole flew home in the women’s 200m individual medley (sm9) to win a bronze medal. Cole’s freestyle brought her home strong to clinch the bronze by 0.34 of a second.

DAy THREE – 17 AUGUST 2010world record holder matthew Cowdrey collected his third gold medal for the meet in the men’s 100m freestyle (s9) by hitting the wall in a time of 55.60.

Cowdrey, who had won two golds the previous night, said the swim was tough. “tonight’s race definitely hurt a little bit more than i had expected. i took it nice and easy in the heat this morning and i am very pleased with the result.”

nineteen-year-old Kayla Clarke won silver in the first women’s s14 race at an iPC event since the ban on athletes with intellectual disabilities was put in place following the

sydney 2000 Paralympics. Clarke’s time of 1:11.13 in the 100m Backstroke was enough to beat her previous personal best.

far-north coast resident, Jacqueline freney, won her first medal of the meet, taking silver in the women’s 400m freestyle (s8) in a time of 5:11.39.

DAy FOUR – 18 AUGUST 2010Queenslander Brenden hall won his first gold medal of the meet in the men’s 400m freestyle (s9). hall went out strong from the start, and kept his lead for the entire race. in the final 50m, he accelerated, powering home one-and-a-half body lengths ahead of the pack, taking gold in a time of 4:18.20.

hall, currently ranked number one in the world, felt the win was bitter-sweet, saying “i am happy with my swim. it is a good time, but i still have in the back of my head that i could have gone a little bit faster. But gold at the world Championships is what i was hoping for, so i am really pleased i achieved that goal.”

hall enjoyed the added bonus of being presented his gold medal by the swimming pool’s namesake, Pieter van den hoogenband.

Peter leek continued to prove he is one of australia’s best swimmers, winning his third gold medal for the meet. his time of 26.75 in the 50m freestyle (s8), was enough to keep his competitors at bay, allowing him to touch the wall in first place.

Canberran richard eliason won silver in the men’s 100m Breaststroke (s14). a determined eliason swam hard in the final few metres to snatch the silver medal.

ais-based ellie Cole won her second bronze of the meet, taking third place in the women’s 400m freestyle (s9). Cole went into the event, which was a straight final, ranked number three in the world, and was pleased to hold onto her position.

the straight final did not affect Cole, who said “without having the heat in the morning, i rested today, and concentrated on my own race.”

sydney’s north shore resident matt levy won his bronze in the men’s 200m individual medley (sm7). levy led the Butterfly leg, but was overtaken in the Backstroke. he used his strong freestyle stroke to catch up, flying in to touch the wall in third place with a time of 2:42.28.

DAy FIvE – 19 AUGUST 2010 Peter Leek’s medal haul continued as he broke his own world record, winning gold

in the men’s 100M Butterfly (S8), hitting the wall in 1:00.45.

Leek was pleased with his achievement, saying “I was really happy with that swim. My turn was not fantastic, but the rest of it went to plan. I could only see the lane next to me, so I swam my own race, and I went as hard as I could.”

Leek’s training partner, 21-year-old Matthew Cowdrey continued his own medal haul taking his fourth gold medal in the men’s 50M Freestyle (S9). The race came down to the wire, but Cowdrey managed to keep his competitors at bay, touching in a time of 25.53.

Cowdrey was happy with the win “I am really pleased to win, but I would have liked to go just a tiny bit quicker to get the world record.”

Moments later, Andrew Pasterfield flew down the pool in lane four to win silver medal in the men’s 50M Freestyle (S10). The race was tight, but Pasterfield managed to push right to the end, touching in 24.27.

“qualifying in first place, and being in lane four, I knew they would be after me. I felt strong in the water, and am really pleased with the result,” said Pasterfield.

Twenty-three year-old Matthew Levy won his fourth medal for this meet, by taking silver in the men’s 100M Freestyle (S7). The race was incredibly close, with Levy missing gold by only 0.09 of a second.

Levy was pleased with the time, saying “I finally got under 1:02.00, which is a great achievement and so is winning silver at the World Championships.”

Paralympic silver and bronze medallist, Marayke Jonkers won bronze in the women’s 50M Breaststroke SB3. queensland-based Jonkers came home in 1:09.62.

DAy SIx – 20 AUGUST 2010on the final night of competition at the iPC swimming world Championships, the men’s team took out the 4 x 100m medley relay bringing the australian team’s gold medal count to 12, making the meet the most successful for the team since the sydney 2000 Paralympic games. head Coach Brendan Keogh was extremely happy with the double.

“this is the first time we have won the freestyle and medley relay double, which we have been trying to get for a very long time. i am extremely proud of our team. this is our best gold medal haul since sydney 2000,” said Keogh on the night.

the relay was not the only highlight of the night. matthew Cowdrey and Peter leek both broke world records, taking home gold medals.

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Cowdrey obliterated the world record in the men’s 100m Backstroke (s9) after his turn on the 50m pushed him into a lead that he extended over the last 25m. his time of 1:01.85 smashed the previous world record of 1:03.32.

Cowdrey said the final night of competition was the pinnacle of this event for him, “i did my best swimming of the meet tonight. to be able to go out on the last night of the meet and win the 4 x 100m medley as well as break a world record is just amazing.”

not to be outdone, Cowdrey’s training partner, Peter leek broke another world record, winning gold in the men’s 100m freestyle (s8). leek powered down the pool for the entire race, touching the wall in 57.62.

the record was a real achievement for leek who said “… getting under 58 seconds was a massive goal for me. this is the best swimming i have done since Beijing, so i am really happy with what i have achieved here.”

leek took home six gold medals and one silver from five individual, and two relay races at the event – a monumental feat!

in the women’s 100m freestyle (s8) Jacqueline freney stayed right with the gold medal winner, usa’s Jessica long, to win silver with a time of 1:09.08.

Coached by her father, michael freney, she said “i would have liked gold, but i am happy with what i have achieved. i am taking away a lot of learning from this event.”

another medal of the night was awarded to sydney-sider sean russo, who took out silver in the men’s 100m Backstroke (s13). russo went out hard from the beginning and pushed the whole race, to come home with a personal best time of 1:02.52.

nineteen-year-old tyro Daniel fox fought for his silver in the men’s 200m freestyle (s14). in the extremely tight race, fox used the last five metres to accelerate and win silver in 2:03.61.

in her first race at an iPC event, 17-year-old Kara leo drove hard for the entire women’s 200m freestyle (s14) taking home a well-earned silver medal, touching the wall in 2:16.55.

leo was overwhelmed with the placing. “i am so happy with the silver medal. i went out hard, and stuck to my race plan. i am so happy that it all went to plan, and paid off.”

matthew levy from sydney also added to his medal collection after winning bronze in the men’s 50m Butterfly (s7). levy’s medal came down to a fingernail touch at the end, taking third in 32.36.

DAy SEvEn – 21 AUGUST 2010Queensland’s Brendan hall won the gold medal at the 5Km open water swim, wrapping up australia’s medal haul at the 2010 iPC swimming world Championships.

with the entire australian swim team cheering him on from the side of the artificial lake near the small town of eerswater, hall was the first swimmer to touch the finish in the class of s1 to s10.

hall’s win with a time of 1:01:13.14 entitled him to the title of men’s open water (s1 to s10) world Champion.

“i came to the world Championships to win two gold medals, and i managed to achieve my goal,” said hall.

“i am really pleased with what i have achieved at this event. winning the men’s 400m freestyle (s9) was a tough race and it felt great to win that, and winning this gold medal today feels just as good.”

hall’s gold concluded the 2010 iPC swimming world Championships for the australia swim team.

hall’s gold concluded the 2010 iPC swimming world Championships for the australia swim team, and saw australia finish sixth on the medal tally.

team members: Michael Anderson, Michael Auprince, Blake Cochrane, Matthew Cowdrey, Jay Dohnt, Patrick Donachie, Richard Eliason, Daniel Fox, Brenden Hall, Peter Leek, Matthew Levy, Andrew Pasterfield, Grant Patterson, Sean Russo, Jeremy Tidy, kayla Clarke, Ellie Cole, Jacqueline Freney, nerice Holland, Tanya Huebner, Marayke Jonkers, kara Leo, Esther Overton, Teigan van Roosmalen and Annabelle Williams.

head Coach: Brenden keogh

Coaches: Graeme Carroll, Ben Davies, Michael Freney, Steve Hadler, Drew McGregor, Chris Phillips

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David Speechley,ASCTA General Manager

SEvEnTy-EIGHT yEAR-OLD SILvER LICEnCE COACH, DOROTHy CROUCH OF MAITLAnD, WAS HOnOURED RECEnTLy By BEInG GRAnTED ‘FREEMAn OF THE CITy’ FOR HER SERvICE TO THE COMMUnITy.since the age of 11, Dorothy has been a member of the maitland City swimming Club and has been the club’s leading Coach for decades.

after refusing to go out on the night of the award, Dorothy was ‘tricked’ into attending a City Council meeting by the swimming Club’s President with the ruse of being required to discuss upcoming increases to pool entry charges.

Continuing to arise at 5.00am five to six mornings a week to coach and despite having two knee replacements, Dorothy does not think of herself as ‘anything special’. she simply loves giving back to the community.

in a full page feature on her recent recognition, the maitland mercury quoted Dorothy as saying, “i like that the kids know they can turn to me if they ever need to talk, and they do. i really love the kids. if i didn’t enjoy what i do then i wouldn’t be doing it.”

the editorial in the same paper espoused her achievements across a range of other community associations as well as noting her life membership of the maitland City swimming Club and her involvement in the special olympics.

Dorothy has previously been recognised for her efforts in the swimming community with an order of australia, a sport medal and a rostrum Club Communicators award.

Dorothy said her real passion was helping children and watching them succeed. in her time with the club, she has coached swimmers to regional and state finals as well as national competitions.

with such a wealth of knowledge over such a long time, it was interesting to note Dorothy’s thoughts on how things have changed in swimming coaching.

how did you start coaching?

i was about 18 years of age and there was no one to coach the swimmers. i was quite a good swimmer myself so started to coach. in those days Coaches did not share ideas and techniques like today.

when did you first accredit?

i started coaching well before accreditation was available (around 1980 –ed). it is so long ago now but i got my level 2 (silver Coaching accreditation) sometime before 1991 when accreditation became a necessity.

what has changed most for you over the years?

it has gotten a lot more expensive to swim with training fees, pool admissions and the costs to travel. it is harder now for swimmers to succeed due to the hours needed for training. swimming is also competing with other sports more than ever for the attention of children. Children also seem to join the swimming club for the social aspect. i think if a club is to succeed today it needs to offer a range of social activities.

what about changes in coaching?

asCta has increasingly provided more help and information. the mentoring from top Coaches is a change from the days of old when everything was secret and not shared.

Dorothy is to be commended on her efforts in a regional community and the enduring legacy her efforts have produced both in terms of the band of Coaches she has inspired as well as the children she has moulded into swimmers over the years.

Dorothy Crouch

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THE AUSTRALIAn WATER SAFETy COUnCIL (AWSC), OF WHICH ASCTA IS A MEMBER, COnDUCTED THEIR BI-AnnUAL AUSTRALIAn WATER SAFETy COnFEREnCE MID-MAy In SyDnEy.asCta members were well represented with asCta Ceo ross gage; asCta general manager David speechley; asctaoffiCe manager Julie speechley and the swimsafer team of sira thomas, tracey ayrton, Cameron speechley and Dave Du Bois all attending and assisting with the asCta display.

in addition, a contingent of asCta members was in attendance with many delivering presentations to conference attendees.

the primary focus of the conference was on the recent increase in the australian drowning toll and what specific ages, ethnic groups, activities and trends could be identified as requiring additional efforts by awsC members.

the increase of approximately 20% in the annual drowning toll took the toll from a recent low of 250 to over 300 deaths last year. activities like rock fishing and consuming alcohol near water were identified as risk factors. additionally, an increasing percentage of older australians reflected in an increase in the drowning toll in older age brackets. there was also a rise in would-be rescuers getting into difficulty and drowning.

the message to continually be reinforced is ‘care needs to be taken’. water is a source of enjoyment but can cause tragedy.

Particular areas needing attention included:

Adults

risky behaviours such as boating in adverse weather, rock fishing, lack of a lifejacket, complacency around the water and impaired judgement due to alcohol consumption are major factors for the drowning toll within this group.

asCta has recently released the swim australia teacher of adolescents and adults course which promotes the specialist skills and knowledge that teachers require for these learners.

Infants and pre-schoolers

for younger children, supervision and physical barriers to the water are preventative measures whilst swimming ability and CPr ability contribute to better outcomes when accidents happen.

the swimsafer team have developed, published and distributed over 200,000 swimsafer books promoting safer behaviours by children and adults around the water. swimsafer have also produced a ‘pool watcher’ lanyard. Presentations have also been made in australia and new Zealand by swimsafer team members promoting activities as well as educational and public awareness campaigns that swimming and water safety teachers can promote.

Culturally and linguistically diverse communities

asCta is currently developing the specialist swim australia teacher of the Culturally and linguistically Diverse course (due for release late next year).

asCta has also embedded in all its courses swimming and water safety actions, activities and knowledge reflecting the current patterns, trends and swimming industry philosophy.

as all asCta educational resources are frequently reviewed, the latest information from the australian water safety Council will be embedded into all of asCta’s courses.

AUSTRALIAn WATER SAFETy COnFEREnCE

asCta member Julia ham at the awsC convention

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Wendy Ross

WHEn ASkED TO BE THE PROJECT MAnAGER FOR THE SWIM AUSTRALIA™ TEACHER OF LEARnERS WITH DISABILITy COURSE, I WAS HOnOURED TO BE PART OF A RESOURCE THAT WOULD GIvE LEARn-TO-SWIM TEACHERS knOWLEDGE AnD UnDERSTAnDInG THAT MAy ASSIST THEM In THEIR JOURnEy TO TEACH Any PERSOn WITH DISABILITy TO SWIM.when i first started developing this resource, i had to put on my ‘learn-to-swim teacher hat’ and therefore each unit goes through the stages of learn-to-swim as well as specific units to assist teachers in the learn-to-swim process.

the swim australia™ teacher Course is a pre-requisite to the swim australia™ teacher of learners with Disability Course and offers vital teaching information and a perfect platform leading into this newly developed course focusing on enhancing the ability and the capabilities of learners with disability.

i am very proud of this resource and excited with future updates to ensure this it is world class for all learn-to-swim teachers, carers, disability organisations and any person who would like information on teaching learners with disability to swim.

the swim australia™ teacher of learners with Disability Course has nine units:

1. swimming for people with disabilities

2. Disability specific information

3. implications and capabilities

4. Communication techniques

5. Biomechanics

6. water introduction for learners with disability

7. swimming strokes

8. Programming

9. Biographies and references

the course is packed with loads of vital information – well over 280 pages for learn-to-swim teachers and includes resources.

here are just a couple of extracts of the course which is due for release in october 2010. the course will be on DVD and will include photos and video footage taken directly from lessons of learners with disability.

UnIT OnE PREvIEW: SWIMMInG FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIESover the past decade there has been a strong movement toward ensuring human rights and equal access for people with disabilities in all aspects of society, including sport. increasingly, the emphasis has been on redressing the disadvantages that people with disabilities face in accessing, for example, education, housing and employment opportunities. sport is no different in this respect.

the sport industry has been part of this movement over the past decade and, in many ways, has been leading the way. the basis of this movement has been a recognition and understanding that the disadvantages that people with disabilities face in sport are largely imposed by sport and are, most often, not a result of an individuals’ impairment. the fact that someone uses a wheelchair does not mean they cannot play football, for example.

it is sport that needs to adapt and not the individual. in this respect it is more important to know about how to coach and teach inclusively than it is to understand, in detail, about different impairments.

this ‘social model’ approach to sport has been very positive for people with disabilities. this creates more and more opportunities as sports plan for, and implement, inclusive practices across all levels. swimming has been part of this movement for some time and this resource is an example of how swimming continues to evolve into one of our most inclusive sports.

swimming has always played a vital role in our community, whether it is for the health conscious, for social interaction, participating in a leisure activity, attending competitions or just plain having fun in a water-based environment.

the importance of swimming in our society continues to grow and this can be seen when people come into contact with each other in a variety of water-based environments. men, women, children, adults, whether with a disability or not, can be on a common level in the water.

swimming and playing in the water makes it possible for learners with disability to achieve various levels of achievement and goals.

this can be recognised in the learner by:

• theenjoymentofbeingwithotherpeople and making social contacts

• learningaboutone’scapabilities in the water

• thefreedomofbeingabletomove in water

• opportunitiestodevelopindependence

• learningaskillforlife

• developingcreativenewformsofmovement and pathways in the water

SWIM AUSTRALIA™ TEACHER OF LEARnERS WITH DISABILITy COURSE REvIEW

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water offers the opportunity for learners to learn new motor skills – furthered by the fact that children who are enrolled in swimming lessons often have either no or little previous water experience.

the swim australiatm teacher of learners with Disability course will assist participants in helping people with disabilities enjoy the benefits of swimming as a lifelong activity.

UnIT TWO PREvIEW: COMMUnICATIOn TECHnIqUESCommunication plays a vital part in the teaching process and provides the ability to interact and effectively relate with the learner in such a way that mutual understanding is attained. when you communicate you exchange information which can be both verbal and non-verbal.

Communication involves ‘people skills’ and it may, at times, be difficult to communicate with learners in a noisy aquatic environment. to assist with this process the teacher must therefore use strategies such as facial expression, eye contact, physical contact and prompts to build rapport and trust between the teacher and the learner.

a variety of communication approaches and techniques may be required by teachers to produce swimming outcomes when teaching a learner with disability to swim.

this could include the establishment of a routine in the lesson, verbal instruction, tactile communication, visual aids, demonstrations, ‘verbal cueing’, gestural communication, physical assistance communication triggers and consistency.

the communication process often involves gaining the attention of the learner. this is the first step to ensure that the learner has their full attention directed to the teacher and is not being distracted by something else in the environment.

for example, to gain a learner’s attention it could be a simple verbal cue or it may be necessary to establish a set water entry routine, or to stand in a certain area at the start of each lesson for some learners. with other learners it may be necessary to physically turn the learner’s body or head to ensure there is eye contact or that the learner is facing you.

the ability of a teacher to effectively relate to learners with disability, parents, guardians, and carers will be beneficial to the learner’s swimming outcomes.

UnIT SEvEn PREvIEW: SWIMMInG STROkESall learners vary in strength, physical ability, body stature, balance and learning ability, but the principles of teaching swimming are the same for all learners. work out what works best for individual learners and always allow practice time for swimming skills to be achieved. allowing this time will provide learners with the potential for maximum stroke ability to be developed.

when teaching swimming strokes to learners with disability, always teach correct stroke practices and modify and adjust only when required. Demonstrate each stroke in its entirety, at the correct speed and then use breakdown drills to assist the teaching/learning process. a good strategy is to walk through the stroke with the learner and then add stroke breakdown drills. start by teaching strokes very simplified then gradually increase to advanced techniques.

what stroke should be taught first to a learner with disability? this will depend on the individual learner’s water capabilities, function ability, water safety, information understanding and the general aquatic environment.

for more information stay tuned for the release of the swim australia™ teacher of learners with Disability Course in october 2010.

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lars


CALEnDAR 2010October3 - 14 2010 Commonwealth games new Delhi, india9 swim australia™ teacher Course Kincumber, nsw10 swim australia™ teacher Course Carina, QlD10 swim australia™ teacher Course toowoomba, QlD16 swim australia™ teacher Course ashmore, QlD16 - 17 swimming ViC ows Championships hazelwood, ViC17 swim australia™ teacher of Competitive swimming Course Chandler, QlD17 swim australia™ teacher Course wilson, QlD17 swim australia™ teacher Course Charters towers, QlD17 swim australia™ teacher of Competitive swimming Course Chandler, QlD17 swim australia™ teacher Course oakey, QlD18 swim australia™ teacher of Competitive swimming Course Kingaroy, QlD23 swimming nsw lC mC Championships soPaC, nsw23 swim australia™ teacher Course Cairns, QlD23 2010 QlD ows Championships Kawana waters, QlD24 swim australia™ teacher Course holsworthy, nsw24 swim australia™ teacher Baby & toddler Course goondiwindi, QlD

november5 swim australia™ teacher of Competitive swimming Course forestville, sa6 swim australia™ teacher of Competitive swimming Course longreach, QlD6 - 7 2010 swimming ViC lC Distance Championships msaC, ViC7 swim australia™ teacher of Competitive swimming Course Burwood, nsw11 & 21 swim australia™ teacher Course Craigeburn, ViC14 swim australia™ teacher Course Carina, QlD21 swim australia™ teacher Course aspley, QlD22 telstra swimmer of the Year melbourne, ViC27 swimming sa ows Championships Brighton Beach, sa28 swim australia™ teacher Baby & toddler Course warners Bay, nsw

December5 swim australia™ teacher of Competitive swimming Course Chandler, QlD5 swim australia™ teacher of Competitive swimming Course strathalbyn, sa11 - 17 2010 QlD lC Championships Chandler, QlD12 Junior squad & assistant Coach Course melbourne, ViC12 swim australia™ teacher Course strathalbyn, sa12 swim australia™ teacher Course Carina, QlD15 - 19 2010 fina world sC Championships Dubai, uae17 - 22 swimming ViC lC age Championships msaC, ViC18 – 19 nsw age and open ows Championships sirC, nsw18 - 21 swimming wa lC age Championships Challenge stadium, wa19 swim australia™ teacher of Competitive swimming Course Burwood, nsw19 swim australia™ teacher Baby & toddler Course strathalbyn, sa19 swim australia™ teacher Baby & toddler Course longreach, QlD19 swimming tas ows Championships tBa, tas

January 20118 - 9 2011 nsw state age (10 & under - 12 Years) Championships soPaC, nsw8 - 9 swimming wa Country Championships Challenge stadium, wa11 - 16 2011 nsw state age (13-18 years) Championships soPaC, nsw13 2011 swimming sa Country Championships Broken hill, nsw14 - 16 swimming ViC open & mC Championships msaC, ViC21 - 23 swimming wa lC Championships Challenge stadium, wa22 - 23 swimming tas open & u11 Championships hobart, tas28 - 30 swimming ViC Country lC Championships geelong, ViC

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lars


Documents

Delights - SportsTG · swimming, by the time you read this the Pan Pacific Championships will have been ‘swum and won’. australia’s opposition, lead by the usa, will have provided