Shepparton swimmers off to country championships

By Max Stainkamph

Jan 21, 2021

Twenty-two of Shepparton’s best young swimmers will head to Warragul for the Victorian Country Championships this long weekend off the back of the Victorian State Sprints.

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The championships were originally scheduled for the second half of 2020 in Mildura, but the event was moved back after concerns over borders and travel with Warragul throwing its hand up to host.

Shepparton Swimming Club head coach Michelle Swift said it was the youngest team the club had taken to any carnival due to the effects of COVID-19.

“(It’s) partly due to the ongoing effects of COVID on club meets and membership and our senior swimmers taking on part-time jobs or focusing on school,” Swift said.

“We’re very excited to see some potentially top-five results from our youngest team members individually and in the relays despite the lack of competitions leading up to this meet.”

Swift said training had lasted all of eight weeks before being shut down by Victoria’s second wave of the pandemic and renovations to Aquamoves meant the squad couldn’t get back into the water.

“Our first major meet was Victorian State Sprints last week where we were fortunate enough to have a team of 19 swimmers qualify and race,” Swift said.

“Results for all clubs were very good considering the intermittent training schedules and it was great to be back competing at a high level again.

“Our standout performers were our youngest swimmer Meriam Nelson at age 11 with her first state medal in the 50 fly, coming away with bronze and a ninth placing in the 50 free and our senior, 22-year-old competitor Melissa Sambrooks, finished seventh in the state in the 19-and-over 50 breaststroke.”

She said there were “no expectations” this weekend.

“Along with the other competing clubs we want the kids to feel the excitement at racing again and being able to catch up with friends from other clubs after such a prolonged period of no swimming,” Swift said.

“We’ll enjoy catching up with the other team coaches and seeing how they have managed to weather the past few months as squads.

“Our ultimate goal would be a top-10 finish, but with some of our traditional high performers choosing to miss the individual events this year, that may be a struggle, but we know our young swimmers will be trying as hard as possible to come away with personal bests and performing as a team on the weekend.”

Club president Stuart Shaw said it was a testament to all the coaches who’d been able to get swimmers ready for competition this weekend.