Scotch College

Swim team meets expectations in ‘09

Words: Jacob Clark - Captain of Swimming Photography: Mr Stephen Kong

The 2009 swimming season began midway through Term 4 last year, with pre-season sessions held to regain the fitness lost over the winter months. With the appointment of new head coach Ryan Nolan, a competitive swimmer on the fringe of the Australian team, the boys had the resources available to put in a strong and competitive performance throughout the summer season.

After a brief spell over the new year period, the team embarked on an intensive pre-season training camp in Mildura. The challenging yet highly rewarding camp was run to ensure our team would commence the APS season in optimum condition, as well as attempt to maintain our competitive performance in the sport over the last decade.

Held over five days, camp involved the boys in a total of eight training sessions as well as two dry-land gym sessions, at times in temperatures of up to 43 degrees. Those with more delicate complexions certainly felt the heat. The trip was a success as it not only prepared the boys physically, but ensured the younger and older boys bonded together to help achieve our team goals.

Our first meet of 2009 was held at Xavier, and our team size had swelled due to the incumbent members over summer finally deciding to attend training and compete. However, the team gelled quickly, recording a comprehensive victory over both Xavier and Brighton. This was followed by a narrow defeat to the traditional powerhouse in Haileybury, and both wins and losses to Caulfield and Melbourne Grammar leading up to the APS finals.

The finals night saw a crowd of 3,000 gather at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre for the culmination of the summer’s competition. All boys swam exceptionally on the night and nearly every swim recorded was a personal best. Scotch performed to expectations, gaining fourth place overall. It should be noted however, that the distance between Scotch and the premiers, St. Kevin’s, was the same as between Scotch and fifth place, positioning us well for the years to come.

Special mentions go to Charlie Forbes and Matt Perrott for winning their respective events, as well as to Jack Hurley and Jacob Clark for winning individual APS titles as well as setting multiple school records. Dougal Hurley’s swim was the highlight of the night. He came a close second in the under 17 200m freestyle, but destroyed the existing APS record by over a second.

Many thanks to Teacher-In-Charge Dr Jackowski for organising and managing the team, as well as to head coach Ryan Nolan and junior coach Matt Wallace-Smith for their valuable assistance in coaching the team. The team is also grateful for the support and encouragement of staff including Mr Holding, Mr McMahon, Mr Reichl, Mr Pacey, Ms Atchison and Ms Crynes. I wish the boys the best of luck and look forward to a strong and enjoyable season for the Scotch swimming and diving team in 2010. GS