Category: News

Kenny To visit to Team Abbotsleigh, January 15^th 2014

Summary – by Leanne Speechley

Part 1 – His Journey!

• Everyone should race IM
• He was not instantaneously amazing – had to work really hard – especially due to his 171cm height
• Made a lot of great friends through swimming as a youngster which made him want to come to the pool more often
• Focused mainly on swimming from the age of 12
• From age 6 to 11 was very bad at swimming
• To overcome his fears of racing bigger and stronger swimmers he focused on himself and on being the best swimmer he could be.
• He made sure he trained harder and smarter than everyone else
• 14 years – 7-8 sessions per week, 16yrs added gym and now does 9 sessions plus gym.
• Found the transition from open to age tough. From racing 18 year olds to Michael Phelps and Ryan Locte
• His favourite Australian swimmer is Ian Thorpe (the boss) – a lot of respect for him for what he did at such a young age and was chuffed to break his IM record at 16.
• Making his first Australian team was like nothing he could have imagined. “I hoped and dreamed and now it’s a reality.  It’s really special”
• However it has not always been smooth sailing…….There has been a lot of disappointments along the way
• “Missing Olympics in 2012 (after being the favourite leading into trials) made it clear to me I needed to be able handle disappointment and use the experience to move forward and not harp on them.”
• You need to always look forward, to the next day. Always have goals – don’t harp on failure or success.
• His current goal is to make the Commonwealth Games Team and swim well at trials.

 

Part 2 – Main Topic he wished to discuss

A quote by Robert Kiyosaki:

• “The size of your success is measured by the strength of your desire, the size of your dream and how you handle disappointment along the way”

1. You must have a strong burning desire. A passion for swimming.
2. The size of your dream should help motivate you. Help bring out the best in you. Force you to challenge yourself. Inspire you.
3. How you handle disappointment – it’s very important to be prepared. To have coping strategies. Manage injuries.

• Swimming is a big part of our lives so we need to be prepared, focused and enjoy it.

 

Part 3 – Questions

• School vs. swimming – He handled the balance by focussing on time management, worked very hard on school work and swimming. Never made excuses he had exams – just made sure he was organised.
• Realised if he wanted to be successful at swimming he had to put the time and work in.
• You need to make choices day to day. E.g. – “do I go to Macca’s every day during the holidays with my mates or do I go swimming training?
• Swimming is not a part time thing – it is like a job.
• He avoided other sports that would affect his swimming. He did a bit of tennis, basketball and water polo.
• SC vs. LC – he loves SC. Loves the action pack style of it. Loves all the turns. He would make Olympics short course if he could! He does realise LC is more important due to teams being LC.
• He missed out on little things like a party or a movie here and there but now is travelling the world and has great mates and great people in his life.
• His favourite stroke is Fr. He would love to be a 50M freestyler!

Part 4 – His IM strategy

• Fly –  Let it flow
• Bk – fast rating
• BR – long and legs
• Fr – balanced and build
• All turns – you must focus on the turn a good 10-15 metres out from the wall and commit to the turn. Use the underwater dolphin kick as it’s the fastest way to travel in water. Keep arms strong on wall and don’t collapse and rest on walls.

Kenny finished his visit with swimming and turn demonstrations, coaching and a very gracious thank you. His parting message to the swimmers as they gathered around him hanging off every word was;

“I have enjoyed this visit the most out of any visits. Please don’t just take the information and forget it – please try and practice the things we have discussed and focus on getting better than you are today. Make it happen. Work at it!”

Perfect weather today for:

· Swimming(!), thanks to coaches Chris Austin and Tom;
· yummy BBQ breakfast, thanks to Chris and Leslie Fydler; and
· laser tag and bumper cars, thanks to Helen, Bob, Rita, Maree and Dan for driving the kids (and to Nilu for staying back for clean up after breakfast).

Here are some photos to mark the end of a great week, thanks all. And big thanks to Daven for running and organising all of the dry side of things!

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.

 

 

The clouds may have rolled in but they couldn’t dampen the high spirits at Camp Coffs, where  another full day at the pool, the beach and as part of Team Abb has  left some indelible memories. Just riding to and from training is an experience – with Brandon in the bus it’s a singalong to ACDC  while in the car you must face the cutthroat competition of Leanne’s 5 second brain game. The swimmers added another 10km in two tough sessions – including an 800 metre time trial – and Water Warriors were named. These are the athletes the coaches decide have pushed themselves the hardest in a workout from start to finish, going above and beyond with a high level of effort and skill.  Leanne and Brandon awarded WW status on Day 1 to Matt, Claudia, Hayley, Imy and Dutch, and on Day 2, to Tom and Kaea.

After a long morning of exertion, breakfast is one of the most anticipated meals of the day, and Matt and Bec were again a dynamic duo at the barbecue, cooking eggs to order. Much appreciated by the mums! Birthday girl Tash celebrated turning 13  and was serenaded by teammates singing Happy Birthday 13 different times throughout the day – the final chorus during dinner, with candles on a special apple crumble. Thanks to Nicole Dunlop for her beautiful dessert and balloon decorations.

Switching off at Camp Coffs – no phones or electronic  equipment allowed except for a few minutes before bed – has been surprisingly easy. The phone box is chockers – and we don’t think anyone misses what’s in there..! Top marks go to “the big boys” for independent behaviour – they have been spied washing their Team Abb singlets by hand in the sink and then using a hedge for a clothes line!

Winding down with beach stretching and meditation was exactly the preparation needed for Trivia Night, featuring dress ups by all teams, team song performances, and a competition to do the best sketch of Brandon. Now there’s a challenge..

 

 

Member of the Australian swim team, 2012 World short course champion, 21 time Australian Champion and World Record Holder (50m SC b/k 2008) Bobby Hurley visited Camp Abb today. He had plenty of advice to share with the swimmers about improving their backstroke technique. In 2013 he visited Eindhoven, Berlin, Moscow, Dubai, Doha, Singapore, Tokyo and Beijing. We are delighted that he added Wahroonga to his list in 2014!

And it’s on…. Team Abb has made a splashy start to camp with a huge first day in the pool, carving through two tough sessions for a total of almost 10km. The swimmers are working extremely hard but there are no complaints – “No Complaino” being the camp motto –  and all are loving the opportunity of training outdoors in such a beautiful setting. It’s hot and sunny – perfect weather for showing off the official Team Abb singlets, as well as brand new training caps in the winning design by Tash – but no one is forgetting to slap on the sunscreen before diving in. That’s become something of a team effort on pool deck, and then again on the beach before monster fitness sessions of pushups, lunges, bounds and ball throws. Check out Lachie, below, performing miracles with his 5 kilo medicine ball. With all the water work and dry land exercising, helping at meal times and getting to the next activity on time, Camp Coffs is a demanding place. People are very tired – tonight it was a very compliant lights out at 9 – but happy. Overheard at bedtime : “I wish I could stay here forever…!”

Not even an 8 hour train trip up the NSW coast could sap the energy of 29 lively Gold and Silver squad swimmers, who bounced onto the platform at Coffs Harbour ready for a week in the sun. With Coach Brandon at the wheel of the Abbotsleigh bus, the team headed to Emerald Beach Holiday Park, a beach-side oasis complete with kangaroos and some very fancy cabins. First up was a surf – “the water is so clear and so warm!!” – followed by a pizza dinner and Team Abb meeting number one. Some very inventive team names and flag designs eventuated : The Majestic Scaly Pigs (Captains – Matt and Morgan;  Callum, Claudia, Erin, Tash, Maddy and Laura), The Other Team Unknown (Captains – Eleanor and Shaun; Kaea, Emily, Megzy, Jade and Loz), Commando Butterflies (Captains -Rani and Lachie; Katie, Dutch, Olivia, Katie Mc and Imy), Best Ever Team – YO (Captains – Rebecca and Harry; Hayley, Keely, Winona, Georgia and Tom). Stay tuned for the competition that follows! First training session at Coffs Harbour War Memorial Olympic Pool Monday 7AM.