Swimmers to attend community programs Australia wide
Swimming Australia
Published: Nov 15, 2012 02:52:17 PM Updated: Mar 19, 2013 09:35:44 AM
Following on from a successful EnergyAustralia GO Swim month in October, Olympic and Paralympic swimmers will continue the community drive over the next week with athletes making appearances in West Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and the Northern Territory.
World Champion and Olympic silver medallist James Magnussen will join World Short Course swimmers Travis Mahoney and Sarah Katsoulis in the Victorian town of Warrnambool on Saturday, to lead an hour-long water safety session in conjunction with EnergyAustralia.
On Sunday, Triple Olympic gold medallist Stephanie Rice will head to Launceston for a Junior Excellence clinic with 50 of Tasmania’s most promising young talent. Rice will hold a skills clinic, as well as question and answer sessions with the budding stars, and work with local coaches to further promote the sport of swimming in Tasmania.
Early next week, the first BHP Billiton Aquatic Super Series core community event will take place with Olympic and Paralympic champions Leisel Jones and Matt Cowdrey joining Alice Tait alongside water polo players and coaches to promote aquatic sport in the north of WA.
The trio will head to the Pilbara, Port Headland, Jigalong and Newman over a four day period to host clinics, breakfasts and information sessions, as part of the overall community program for the BHP Billiton Aquatic Super Series.
In keeping with the regional theme, fellow Olympians Libby Trickett, Christian Sprenger and Lara Davenport will travel to Northern Territory on Tuesday for the 10th annual Bush Schools Clinic to be held in Alice Springs.
In conjunction with Swimming Australia’s Indigenous Program run by 1964 Olympian Peter Tonkin, more than 120 kids from a dozen schools will attend the program, with swimming and lifestyle clinics held over the two days as well as opportunities to meet the swimmers for autograph signing and photos.
Triple Olympian and General Manager of Strategic Relations at Swimming Australia Adam Pine says the community visits are an ever increasing aspect of promoting the sport nationally, especially in regional and rural towns.
“Our swimmers do a lot of great work in and around their own clubs and the major cities, but to be able to get out to these smaller communities is just as important,” said Pine.
“James Magnussen started his swimming career in the town of Port Macquarie, Belinda Hocking in Wangaratta and Sarah Katsoulis in Ulladulla on the NSW South Coast. Who knows, these visits over the next week or so may well spur on our next generation of stars?”
For more information on Swimming Australia’s community programs go to www.goswim.org.au and for the BHP Billiton Aquatic Super Series go to www.aquaticsuperseries.com.au
Upcoming Events
