Just over 130 Junior Excellence (JX) and Junior Talent Squad swimmers attended our first JX Clinic of the year on Monday 12 June at MSAC.
On the eve of the Australian Swimming Trials, the young swimmers were lucky to be able to use the same pool that would play host to some of their swimming idols in the coming days, giving them a glimpse of where their swimming could take them.
Our first presenter was Swimming Australia’s General Manager of Performance Pathways, Gary Barclay who spoke to the group on Australian Team Culture, giving them some great insight into what it’s like to be an Australian Dolphin.
Olympian and Olympic Coach Craig Jackson presented to both swimmers and coaches on Dives. It was then time for the swimmers to take to the pool and put the theory into practice. The swimmers were also joined by Australian Dolphins Jordan Merrilees, Josh Beaver, Andrew Lauterstein and Kenrick Monk who helped them to improve their dives and inspired them with their stories.
Our final presentation for the day was led by Penny Simmons, Swimming Australia Broadcast Manager. Penny spoke to the athletes on the importance of the media, how to handle the pressure of the media and even conducted some mock interviews.
A huge thank you to the following Victorian coaches for their involvement:
Andy Warren – Geelong
Anthony Di Petta – Surrey Park
Bridget Lin – Oasis Otters
Caelan Benson – D5 Swimming
Alex Hirschauer – Yarra Plenty Waves
Yu Shing Chow – Yarra Plenty Waves
Dan Gill – Nunawading
Rachel Smart – Nunawading
Jackson Sainty – St Leonards
James Meddings – Ballarat Gold
Jan Victor – Ballarat
John Jordan – Bendigo East
Julie-Anne Roberts – Melbourne Swimming Club
Liam Pope – Melbourne Swimming Club
Kylie Hunter – Seymour
Matthew White – Wodonga City
Kylie Crofts – Wodonga City
Peter Howes - Swimland
