Author: Rose Fydler

One of the highlights for the team at Camp Coffs was watching a documentary on the late Murray Rose. So it was special for the swimmers of Camp Noosa to meet Murray’s team-mate and friend, Olympic gold medallist John Konrads. John, who now coaches adult swimmers and lives just over the hill from the pool at Sunshine Beach, told the team about breaking world records and competing against (and beating) Murray Rose. John was very generous with his time and enjoyed chatting with the next generation of Aussie stars.

It’s the business end of the week and team points are there to be grabbed – from pool relays, room inspections, to poems about camp life. (Check out the winning words on this page from Team Amigos and Team Bandits. Brilliant creations in just 15 mins.)

Friday night and the managers threw down their oven gloves and tea towels for a dinner with Leanne, Brandon and Raf and the team at Sunshine Beach Surf Club. The swimmers scrubbed up beautifully and were a pleasure to take out on the town!

Another great day on Thursday. Abb swimmers trained twice (including a testing jump in/jump out session that combined pool swimming and dryland sets), with a group surfing lesson off Noosa Beach sandwiched in between. But talk to the swimmers and it was all about the food. Which makes sense when you’re working hard! Nicole and Liz’s Pancake Thursday went down just as well as last year at Camp Coffs, and is now an annual event by demand. 150 tasty pancakes were cooked up on the BBQ and served to hungry swimmers as they rushed in the door for breakfast – including gluten-free, dairy-free and lactose-free varieties. Movie night in HQ followed hamburger dinner – but when the lights went up at the end of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ at 9pm, only a few stayers were left. Sleep is precious at Camp Noosa!

Day 2 and fierce loyalties are being formed, with Camp Noosa divided between the Amigos, Buddhas, Pandas, Kiwis, and T.O.S.I. Don’t worry parents, there will be no tattoos, but team points are always up for grabs – for breaching No Complaino, leaving water bottles or kit bags behind on pool deck, being late, or having your phone alarm go off in the Phone Box so it wakes the managers at 5AM.. (oh yes, this really happened!) With the passionately designed (and explained) Flags hidden, buried or otherwise disguised around the cabin surrounds, it seems no swimmer will rest until the Flag of a rival team has been hunted down. The plotting and searching is intriguing to watch, but to the coaches this rivalry is not just a game. According to Leanne, the teams are the perfect way of creating great leaders in the club. The older swimmers are the captains because they have earned this status and the younger kids look up to them, and this respect filters down.  The rest of each group is sorted by swimming ability but also mixed so that the swimmers are not with all their usual friends but get to know others on a deeper level as well. While this has required some deep thinking by Leanne, Brandon and Raf, it also creates a whole team of kids who support and encourage each other, enjoy each other’s company – and hence, swim faster!

Today every Abb swimmer had the opportunity to meet two of the greats – Olympic bronze medallist Graeme Brewer and his former coach (now business partner) John Rodgers – our hosts at Noosa Aquatic. JR coached Graeme from ages 14-26 and to two Olympics (he also coached Olympic gold medallist Michelle Ford, and Olympians Max Metzker, Bronte Barratt and Leith Brodie) and spoke to the team about having respect for yourself and your coaches and managers, about lifting up your mates when they having a bad day so they will return the favour when you need it most. He also talked about the rewards of hard work, why you should aim to be the swimmer who works the hardest in the group in every session – and how they would love us to come back next year!

And then there was  SingStar – a night of musical craziness which was the brainchild of Zoe and Matt. Not just an icebreaker on steroids but, of course, yet another way to earn team points, especially by singers who could combine a smooth dance step or two.  Special mentions: Geoff for serenading the audience; Harry for bust out moonwalks; Cal for his worm, Sam D for singing; Matt for upside down twerking (yes really); Claudz the queen of choreography; and Rani for her grand finale splits.

Time flew on the final day, especially as Team Abb started with a supreme test in the pool – a tough IM set followed by an underwater sponge kick set. With their lung capacity challenged, swimmers had to find the right balance between conserving oxygen and using speed to succeed, and it was Bec and Imy who dominated. Water Warriors for the session were Bec and Matt for Leanne, and Elly and Maddy for Brandon.

Team shenanigans came down to the wire after hidden flags were found, skits were judged, and war games fought out on the beach, plus a spot of cricket on the sand. Everyone had a bat, a bowl and Howzat Lachie made another of his classic catches. The presentation, which followed a frenzy of packing, cleaning, sweeping (and even in one case (James Knaap) mopping !) for the cabin inspections, TOTU knocked off Pigs by 200 points to win the coveted pelican trophy.

There were plenty of tears as Camp Coffs drew to a close. It has been a fantastic experience thanks to Leanne and Brandon – everyone has had fun, become fitter, developed friendships and been challenged, motivated and educated. Not to mention felt excited to be a part of such a great team!

Plus, lucky Team Abb even has a poet for a Head Coach.

ODE TO THE MANAGERS (by Leanne Speechley)

To clumsy klutz Rose, cheese grater Liz, and “where’s my coffee?” Nicole/You can certainly make anything work – even this rigmarole/The kids always fed, the food always great/And it looks like you have all come out of this great mates!

You clean and sweep, serve, chase keys and chop/You giggle and wash, snore, drive, and even rip up cloth/The pre prep, the train ride, the days and the blogs/Taking pictures of water warriors – “please Lea… in their togs!”

You trade your leisure to go look in a fridge/And be sure that everything is just ridgy didge/Sunscreen and hat and all that protects/The way that you work – well, it all just connects.

We had pancakes, haloumi, nachos and mince/You served us fruit, cereal, chicken and mince/We enjoyed ice cream, crumble, custard and mince/And we’ve eaten sausages, avo, salad and… mince!

The care and the passion you have given Camp Coffs/To just say thank you would simply not be enough/The swimmers, Brandon and I – we all think you rip/So swimmers… join us in giving them 3 loud hip hips!!!

“Small daily improvements over time lead to stunning results.” It’s one of Leanne’s top 20 quotes, and this  week Team Abb has really followed it to the letter. With this afternoon’s workout one of the hardest of the week, focusing on quality not quantity, there were exhausted swimmers in every lane, pink-cheeked and hanging onto the the side of the pool. But Leanne was so thrilled with  their high intensity performances they scored an ice cream from the canteen! Water Warriors were Keely and Katie from session 1, and Rani, Katie Mc, Lachie and Keely yet again from session 2. Trouncing the competition in the most fun way ever to enter the water, Lachie, in a stunning display of ball skills and athleticism, won the Classic Catch. Thanks to Hayley for her help in recording data during the afternoon.

To get them in the zone, Team Abb took a trip back in time to appreciate the legend of Murray Rose, watching a dvd of his inspirational life. They also learned about goal setting, coping strategies, yearly mapping and organisational skills before heading to the beach for Trigger work – using balls to hit trigger points in the body to release them, reduce soreness and increase range of motion.

Other highlights: Brandon missing his shot on the basketball court and having to drop for 30 pushups in front of the entire Emerald Beach Holiday Park population. A rousing singalong of Cindy Lauper songs on the Abbotsleigh bus. And definitely Liz’s haloumi- cooked to perfection on the breakfast barbie by accomplished chef Bec and new apprentices Dutch and Tom. Liz and Nicole just never stop – even in their “leisure time” in between preparing enormous and delicious meals they were busy making bandannas today for Friday’s war games on the beach.

Just one more full day in Camp Coffs. As another of Leanne’s favourite quotes says: “Dream Big. Start small. Act now.”

How lucky that pancakes were on the menu for Wednesday’s breakfast, because Team Abb was in the mood to celebrate a fantastic morning in the pool. Callum, Lachie, Tom, Emily and Jade have been dubbed the 5KM Wonders by Leanne after each posted a National Open Water qualifying time in their 5KM time trial. Also on the honour board with amazing results are Tash and Loz, named Day 4’s Water Warriors for exceptional commitment and effort during morning workout.

Team point tallies are neck and neck – and for the Pigs, TOTU, Butterflies and BetYo, stakes are high. There are penalties for violating Team Abb’s No Complaino rule, leaving gear behind and other no-nos, but many bonus points are also handed out, such as for wins in the dry land leapfrogs, having the guts to stand up and sing a line or two of the national anthem when requested or hitting a hot time in training. The hunt for the three remaining hidden team flags continues.

A rare afternoon off from the pool saw Brandon and the boys teeing off with the kangaroos at Woolgoolga golf course, and Leanne and the girls surfing the waves in a lesson at Emerald Beach. The surfers were naturals, the golfers not so much. Special mention goes to 13th birthday boy, Dutch, who played an entire hole with a putter.

A beautiful treat for Team Abb – and especially the hardworking caterers/cleanup specialists AKA mums –  was dinner at stunning Bonville International Golf Resort. Gorgeous pool, tennis courts, barbie under a marquee while watching Leanne and Brandon race team captains around the gum trees (for points) = everybody happy.