Nine emerging open swimmers will represent Queensland in Saturday’s Swimming Western Australia (SWA) Ocean Series race at Coogee Beach, south of Fremantle, over 7.5km and the Olympic 10km distance.
The team, made up of six females and three males will use the trip to hone their skills and their confidence as they prepare for next year’s Australian Open Water Championships, in Busselton, WA, in January.
The team is:
10km
Female
Sienna Deurloo (Toowoomba Grammar) 18; Coach: Jason Cooper
Daisy Quinn (Sunshine Coast Grammar) 16; Coach: Luke Stafford
Ella Reynolds (Noosa): 16; Coach: Kareena Clark
Male
Samuel Thorpe (St Peters Western) 17; Coach: Mick Lewandowski
Callum Boyle (St Peters Western) 18; Coach: Mick Lewandowski
Nolan Carrel (Noosa) 18; Coach: John Rodgers
7.5km
Female
Cerys Davis (Sunshine Coast Grammar) 15; Coach Luke Stafford
Amelie Smith (Rocky City) 15; Coach; Shane Kingston and;
Rylee Smith (Redcliffe Leagues) 15; Coach Wanda Drew
The developmental team is under the guidance of experienced Sunshine Coast Grammar Head Coach Luke Stafford who knows only too well what this kind of opportunity affords this group of aspiring teenagers.
“This is a real good opportunity for a developing squad – a group that has been identified as the next crew to go through and hopefully take the next step to make some Australian teams,” said Stafford, before the team left today for WA.
“A really good chance for them to get more racing in an open water calendar where there are not too many chances for them but thanks to Swimming Queensland for giving them this opportunity which is really wonderful.
“Queensland has a very rich history with its open water swimmers going back to pre-Olympic international competitions – it has always been a strong competition in Queensland in open water.
“We are seeing a lot more traditional pool swimmers that do those middle to long distance events having a crack at the open water…realising that it is something they are actually quite good at and they enjoy and they are pursing it as a legitimate pathway to the Australian team and hopefully the Olympics.”
And Stafford has a coaching staff that includes Noosa’s Tokyo 10km open water Kareena Lee and the highly respected Toowoomba coach, former Australian pool representative Jason Cooper.
Lee, now coaching alongside her own coach and mentor, legendary master coach John Rodgers (JR) in the Noosa program, is coaching under her married name of Kareena Clark.
But as Kareena Lee of course she became the first Australian to win an Olympic marathon swimming medal – taking silver in the women’s 10km in Tokyo – the fourth time open water had been contested on the Olympic program following its debut in Beijing, before London and Rio.
“Kareena has been able to make that transition from swimmer to coach pretty seamlessly,” said Stafford.
“JR has been a great mentor to her for a number of years and now, the fact that she is there helping him out coaching is great for JR and great for the swimmers to see someone who more than likely they have looked up to and now playing a hand in their own development.
“The fact that JR has been around a long time is amazing – he has coached a lot of generations with (international) success in the pool and more recently in the last 15 years or so in the open water and everywhere he goes he’s producing very talented swimmers that are going on and achieving – it is great to have JR around and he is always up for a chat and a story which is great….
“It’s going to be so good having Kareena there on this team – she has earned her right to be on the team (with Ella Reynolds) but she is also going to be an awesome resource to tap into and help mentor these swimmers with her vast experiences and also very recent too.
“So she is going to be able to provide so much in just the way she would prepare and I’m sure we’ll tap into that when we are away and to make sure they learn as much as they can from her and her experiences…
“Most of these swimmers have actually seen her swim; she is their generation, and she has come straight into coaching and to have her right there at our fingertips is going to be really valuable.
“Most would also have idolised her in some way too…so it will be a really good opportunity for them to see that she is human just like everybody else and that maybe they can achievement something close to or even more than what she has.”
Stafford knows there are so many variables in open water swimming from weather to water, salt or fresh and currents where race conditions come into it.
“Depending on who is in the race can really change things up too,” says Stafford.
“And they don’t race all that often so to give them the chance to feel some conditions that will be really different to what they are used to is going to be advantageous for their progression and their development.
“We are looking forward to that and with the conditions in open water you never know what it’s going to be like and that’s exciting.
“With Open Water Nationals in Busselton next year this trip will give them an understanding of travel with a five-six-hour flight and the water will be a little bit colder over in the west than what it is in Queensland.
“So, it’s a really super relevant opportunity for these guys to prepare for Nationals next year which for some of them will be Trials for the World Junior Championships…. making sure we are giving them the most chance in the closest conditions possible to what they will experience in January…”
SWA OPEN WATER SERIES
Where: Coogee Beach, WA
Start Times: The 7.5km Event will start at 7:55am (WA time) and the 10km race at 8am (WA time).
