Following WA's incredible success at the 2022 Australian Age Championships, four WA coaches were invited to attend Swimming Australia's National Flippers Coach Workshop from April 19-22 in Adelaide! The objective of these series of workshops was to hone focus on nutrition, skill acquisition and race pacing in training. It also included invaluable advice on Olympic coaching experiences, coaching intelligence, coach reflection and the differences between club and high-performance coaching.
Not only was this workshop a great learning curve for our coaches, but the skills and knowledge acquired will transcend into our talented WA athletes. The four coaches involved included Deb Jones from St Hildas, Harry Clark from Breakers Swim Club, Brooke Kemp from Rockingham, Rob Palfery from UWA West Coast and Swimming Australia State Technical Director for WA/SA, Mel Tantrum. All four praised the initiatives and takeaways from the workshops below and had some time to reflect on the amazing performances of their swimmers at the 2022 Australian Age Championships.
Deb Jones - “The National Flippers Worksop is an incredible opportunity to learn from the greatest minds in Australian swimming. The coaches are open to sharing experiences and their extensive swimming knowledge. It is a space for coaches from all over Australia to network. I have been able to reflect on results at Australian Age and identify ways to improve for next year. Within the St Hilda’s team, we had an amazing team culture and placed a strong emphasis on relays. When Talia, Charlotte, Neeve and Inez won the 15-16 Girls 4x50m Medley relay, I was enormously happy and proud for our team. On an individual level, seeing Inez Miller achieve a Junior Pan Pacs qualifying time in the 400m Freestyle, was a fantastic reward for her effort and commitment throughout the year”.
Harry Clark - “I am loving being immersed in an environment with like-minded coaches who are motivated to grow. There is such a positive energy around helping each other and gaining exposure to another layer of coaching knowledge. I am taking this opportunity to develop as a coach and have learned to seize all opportunities given to me. At the Australian Age Championships, Lucas Fackerell and Iona Anderson were standout performers for me, with three medals each and a Junior Pan Pacs qualifying time for Iona. I am also proud of the team cohesion we created at Breakers”.
Brooke Kemp - “This week is giving me the opportunity to learn from the best, to rub shoulders with the best coaches in the country, and to network with the new generation of coaches coming through. You can feel the buzz in the room, and I want to be a part of it. This is next level coaching and it is about being exposed to the next level and staying ahead of the competition. I am grateful for the opportunity to be amongst the best”.
Rob Palfery - “It is great to be recognised amongst the next generation of Australian coaches. It’s a good opportunity to learn from the Swimming Australia Coach Leadership Team and to see the vision for 2032 and what will be an extraordinary 10-year journey to the Brisbane Olympics. It was also great to see Slyvia Czajko handle the pressure of the Australian Age Championships earlier this week and win gold medals in the Girls 14 years 50m and 100m freestyle. It is inspiring to see large numbers of WA athletes punching above our weight in finals and winning medals”.
Mel Tantrum - "The series of workshops and opportunities for these coaches will catapult their learning and confidence ahead of Paris 2024 and LA 2028. They are amongst the best of the emerging Australian coaching talent pool and have opportunities to develop their club programs and athletes to the highest level. It is an exciting time to be part of the National Flippers program with Junior Pan Pacs and the Australia A team to be selected this year. I look forward to working with Deb, Harry, Brooke and Rob and assisting their development over the next few years".
