The big news in swimming this week was sparked by the dwindling numbers of professional swimming coaches. On the back of a string of high profile retirements, the number of elite coaches in Brisbane has dropped from 13 to nine. Scott Volkers, the coach responsible for the swimming legends like Susie O’Neill and current head coach at the Queensland Academy of sport believes it all boils down to the leasing of public pools to large leisure companies. The poor funding and lack of resources available to coaches is resulting in fewer new faces emerging and aging coaches are either retiring or being snapped up by international programs. Previously, councils would lease pools to coaches who would earn revenue from swimming lessons, gate takings and the kiosk while devoting large amounts of time to the less-profitable art of coaching. Now companies like leisure operator Belgravia, which runs 11 aquatic centres in Queensland’s south east, are taking up the rights to pools. Volkers says high-performance coaching, which reaps rewards on an international scale but does little for the bottom line of pool operators, is often the first activity tobe pared back. As a result, professional swimming could become a sport of yester year, because without the high quality coaches, there will be no swimmers.

Actor Steve McFadden has credited swimming as his secret weapon in his war against weight. Steve, 50, will don a wetsuit to take part in the British Gas Great North Swim on Sunday, September 13. The challenge will see him making waves in Lake Windermere, Britain’s largest natural lake, with depths of up to 220ft. He is doing all this to raise money charity.

Erin McNaught takes the catwalk during the Miss Universe 2006 Preliminary Competition in Los Angeles

On a more social note, Erin McNaught isn’t letting her recent break-up with Braith Anasta cramp her style. Last weekend she was spotted with yet another sportsman – Eamon Sullivan. Confidential spies said the good looking pair were dominating the dance floor at Kings Cross nightclub Kit and Kaboodle on Friday night.

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The NSW State Open Championships has created a great platform for athletes
preparing for the World Championship trials next month with 21 All Comers, 6 Open and
11 NSW State Records broken at the weekend.

Eamon Sullivan

Big names such as Nick D’Arcy, Stephanie Rice, Geoff Huegill, Eamon Sullivan and Libby
Trickett returned to the pool once again to make a splash and grab their last chance at
qualifying for the Telstra Australian Swimming Championships but also battle it out for
the massive amount money on offer with the State Championship Series.

Swimming Australia in conjunction with Swimming NSW, QLD VIC and ASCTA also
launched the new 2008 – 2009 State Championship Series where a total of $40,000
was awarded to athletes based on their performances at the NSW, QLD and VIC Open
Championships.

The NSW State Open Championships was the final event in the Series where swimmers
had to compete in at least 2 Open Meets to be eligible to qualify for the prize money
offered at the conclusion of the weekend.

Development and Events Manager, Mark Heathcote, gave nothing but praise for the
athletes and their results in the State Championship Series;

“This newly established Series has created a great opportunity for not only our NSW
athletes but also athletes from other States to race in a strong, purposeful and highly
competitive environment”

Last year, the NSW Open Championships was treated to a World Record with Eamon
Sullivan in the 50m Freestyle, but Mr Heathcote said he was still impressed with the
number of records broken over the weekend;

“On an annual basis the All Comers records will be under threat because these records
can be broken at any time. And when all the big guns come to SOPAC for an event like
this we expect a high turn over of record breaking performances”

“With the attraction of this series to the likes of Olympic and Paralympic athletes, it only
amplified the elite level of swimming we wanted to bring to NSW as seen at Nationals
or even the World Championships”

“The important thing is that the coaches are also being rewarded for all of their hard
work, especially over the course of the Series. A substantial amount of prize money was
also allocated to the coaches of athletes who had either the highest rank for that event
over the course of the Series or the best performance of the Series”, Mr Heathcote said.

RESULTS:
RECORDS BROKEN:

BLK1 Article: SWIM NSW

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Born June 17, 1988 in Brisbane, Australia, Stephanie Rice’s dream of becoming an Olympic swimmer was peaked when she attended the 2000 Olympics in Sydney at the young age of 10. As she watched the swimmers gliding across the water, she knew that one day she’d be down there with millions watching her.

In the 2006 Commonwealth Games, Rice claimed what would the first of many gold medals for her when she sailed past the other swimmers in the 200m and 400m. Rice then went on to success at the 2007 Trials where she broke the record for the 200m and the 400m. Rice states she was even amazed at how well she did. This only fueled her desire to succeed at the Olympics.

Her dream came to pass this year in China at the 2008 Olympics. There Rice broke the world record in the 400m IM and took the gold with a time of 4:29.45. This is amazing considering the 400m IM requires strength and speed in all four strokes and an enormous amount of endurance. Rice seemed to glide effortlessly into the winning spot. Rice went on to claim her second gold medal in the 200m IM and once again broke another world record. Rice wasn’t finished. In her third Gold win she tied Australia’s record for most gold wins in a single event when she achieved success in the 4×200m freestyle relay by breaking yet another world record. For Rice, this was a dream come true and an impressive one since at Melbourne’s 2007 World Championships, Rice took the bronze in the 200m and 400m.

Rice has now been dubbed the female Michael Phelps. Her ex-boyfriend Eamon Sullivan, who finished second in the 100 freestyle, was quoted as saying, “Anyone that can win three golds is amazing.” Amazing is what she truly is. One thing is for sure, we haven’t seen the last from this amazing swimmer.

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Last months Telstra Grand Prix was the last competition for the Australian swim team before heading off to 2008 Beijing Olympics.  With only a few weeks away to the Olympics, swimmers were being very cautious to break any records with world record champions like Stephanie Rice, Leisel Jones and Eamon Sullivan suffering minor injuries during the first day of the event.

But its wasn’t all just a rehearsal for the Olympics with South Australian Hayden Stoeckel coming within 0.10 of a second from fellow Australian Ashley Delaney’s Australian 100m backstroke record beating his own personal best of 53.78.

Other strong swims during the two day event included Meagan Nay (2:09.06) and Belinda Hocking (2.09.21) battle in the 200m backstrock, Jessicah Schipper (58.92) in the 100m butterfly, Grant Hackett (3:46.91 in the 400m freestyle and Allica Coutts (2:12.68 in the 200m individual medley.

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