Lawes of Swimming

Swimming Victoria
Published: Aug 9, 2012 01:42:55 PM Updated: Sep 2, 2012 03:52:49 PM

24 of Victoria’s top junior athletes recently participated in the first of three Junior Talent Workshops on August 4 at Haileybury College.   

The focus of the Junior Talent Workshops is to develop athletes so they can qualify for the Australian Age Championships and build towards becoming a finalist at this event.  Each of the workshops’ focuses on different skills or strokes and allows athletes to enhance their skills before returning to their home program.

Waterlions Head Coach Wayne Lawes facilitated the workshop and used his knowledge as a past Australian Coach to help workshop participants.       

Lawes began with a critique of the London Olympics which gave athletes an opportunity to reflect on their own personal goals and what they might want to achieve in the next four years.

“These athletes are the future of our sport and it's up to them to work hard, learn and become students of the sport.  It's their opportunity to watch what’s happening at the Olympics and to learn not only from our Australian athletes but from the Worlds’ best.”

Lawes then focused on starts, turns and finishes and went into the finer details of these skills which could make all the difference in achieving personal bests at the upcoming Victorian Age Short Course Championships. 

Another key aspect of the Junior Talent Workshops is the opportunity for coach development. Matt King (Melbourne Vicentre), Julie Janz (Casey Tigersharks), Cassie Pentony (Mansfield), James Lin (Oasis Otters) and Eleanor Smith (Lilydale) all attended the first workshop and Swimming Victoria invites all home coaches and those who received Swimming Victoria Female Coaching Grants  to attend the remaining Junior Talent Workshops. 

Athletes came from a variety of Victorian clubs including: MLC Aquatic, Oasis Otters, Casey Tigersharks, Melbourne Vicentre, Surrey Park, Wyndham City, Firbank Aquastars, Nunawading, Haileybury Waterlions, Mornington Peninsula Flyers, Echuca, Maribyrnong and Traralgon.   

After the success of the first Junior Talent Workshop with Wayne Lawes, participants will now look forward to working with Nunawading Head Coach Rohan Taylor at the second workshop on August 26.