Queenstown Swimming Club kids have just come up for air after a successful 2010 – but they’ll soon be back in the deep end.
Several promising young swimmers have had little chance for indulgence during the school holidays as their training schedules get ramped up for the Canterbury and Otago Champs this month.
Head coach Frank Wylie is boosting his protégés’ regime from eight lots of two-hour sessions a week to 10, to ensure they achieve personal bests or bring home medals.
“Then there’ll be another short prep phase before the national meets over February, March and April – the junior
champs, division 2 and the national age group champs,” Wylie says.
There’ll also be an important competition for “emerging swimmers”, the South Island Country and Town meet, in late February.
Nineteen of the club’s swimmers have qualified for upcoming national meets.
“This would probably be the best overall number we have ever had and that reflects a lot of credit on assistant coach Carol Corcoran, who is doing an awesome job coaching the junior swimmers.”
Last year was full of highlights for veteran coach Wylie.
The club performed strongly at several Otago and Southland meets, including winning all the trophies at the Otago Country Club Champs in December and taking the coveted junior cup off Alexandra swimmers at the Christmas Challenge.
Some of his athletes were also recognised on a South Island and national level – former student McGregor Fea won silver in 100m butterfly at the national age group champs last March and Sophie Gibson, 13, won two gold medals in butterfly at the South Island Champs in October.
Meanwhile, Patrick Harris, 13, Isabella Reid, 14, and Casey Strachan, 13, were selected for the South Island age group development squad.
Wylie isn’t content to bask in last season’s glory either – there’s plenty of work to be done.
“I regard 2010 as more of a development year…but many of our swimmers are capable of taking it to the next step.”
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