electronic NEWS 30 September 2011 - version 25

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE OFFICER In this issue we have a summary from Fiona Wright on the 2011 Australian Age State Teams Short Course Championships, a review of the 2011 Gatorade NT Open Water Championships, a reminder that our AGM is looming, an update on the Leah Cullen Relay, news of Tahnee Afuhaamango’s results at the 1st National Down Syndrome Championships and more. It’s been a busy month and October is shaping up as being much the same, for those not on the way to Broome, enjoy the weekend off and maybe taking in a different sport or two! CONTENTS

2011 Australian Age State Teams Short Course Championships

2011 Gatorade NT Open Water Championships

SNTI Annual General Meeting

Leah Cullen Relay

1st National Down Syndrome Swimming Championships

School Sport Cluster Carnival Dates

Swimming Australia GO CLUB PB

NT Government - Free Mentor Training

ascta Conferences

2011-2012 Calendar of Events

Sponsor Acknowledgements

2011 STATE TEAMS AGE SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS On Friday 16th September Team Manager, Fiona Wright took a small team of Northern Territory swimmers to the State Teams Short Course Championships in Canberra and her report is quoted here. Our team consisted of Ben Fuller and Ben Cooper from Alice Springs and Kiah Hazel and Kaitlyn Lee from Darwin. Once again the team stayed at the Australian Institute of Sport residences and had all meals at the AIS Dining Hall, which is a great experience in itself. All swimmers also attended a very entertaining workshop / seminar prior to the meet that dealt with “Illegal drugs in sport” (recreational drugs that is), as opposed to the “Drugs in Sport” (performance enhancing) that some of them have attended before. Our small team was a little intimidated not just by the very high level of competition, but also the sheer size of the other teams. Most states had up to their maximum of 40 swimmers so the four Territory swimmers weren’t really in a position to give a challenge in delivering a Territory “War Cry” or “chants” like the other states, and there is no doubt that the teams with larger numbers motivate each other more. Both Ben Fuller and Ben Cooper had a great result swimming seven and six personal best’s respectively from their 9 events each. Having access to the new 25m pool in Alice over the winter no doubt helped their cause. Kaitlyn had just the one personal best (200m free) from her 7 events and Kiah swam four personal bests from her busy program of 10 events. Poor Kiah was exhausted after her final event.

2011 STATE TEAMS AGE SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIPS Queensland won the overall highest team score and even though the Territory came last on total points, we didn’t come last relative to the number of swimmers we had. The kids can all be proud of their efforts. I was certainly proud of their performances in the pool and the way they behaved the entire trip. It was a pleasure to take them away. I’m sure they all had a good time and it was definitely a great learning experience for those that hadn’t been before, but it could have be so much better and a lot more fun with a bigger team.

The NT Team for the 2011 State Teams Age Short Course Championships looking sharp.

L-R; Ben Cooper (Alice Springs), Kaitlyn Lee (Darwin), Kiah Hazel (Casuarina Storm) and Ben Fuller (Alice Springs)

2011 GATORADE NT OPEN WATER CHAMPIONSHIPS On Saturday 24th September a mass of Open Water swimmers converged on the picturesque Lake Bennett to compete in the 2011 Gatorade NT Open Water Championships Dual Gold medallist from the Commonwealth Youth Games, Robert Gerlach won the overall male 1.2 kilometre event in an excellent time of 15 minutes 37.61 seconds ahead of Ayrton Innes (16:15.34) and Joshua Dickman in third (16:58.83). This was a great result for Palmerston & Rural Swimming Club with the return of their high performing export Robert Gerlach completing something of a one, two, three for the Club. The female 1.2 kilometre event was won by Jemma Britton of Darwin Swimming Club coming home in 17 minutes 6.09 seconds with Casuarina Storm’s Stevie Nibbs taking second place in a time of 17 minutes 33.12 seconds and beating Paris McCabe also of Casuarina Storm finishing strongly in 17 minutes 49.5 seconds.

2011 GATORADE NT OPEN WATER CHAMPIONSHIPS The five kilometre event saw Jarrod Sallis of Darwin Swimming Club coming home first in a time of 1 hour 11 minutes and 19.47 seconds in his last race before moving interstate to boarding school. Lara Whitehouse was the first female to hit the Gatorade Gate in a time of 1 hour 13 minutes 52.68 seconds. The Championships were very well attended and a great workforce including the fantastic Life Saving Team provided by Tony Snelling and the troops at Surf Lifesaving NT ensured the event ran safely and to schedule. Awards were also made across a range of age groupings:

1.2k Male Female

10-12 years Jesse Staples (Casuarina) Donald McNamara (Darwin) Chris Milikins (Darwin)

Paris McCabe (Casuarina) Jayde Freeman (Darwin) Rochelle Basset (Casuarina)

13-16 years Robert Gerlach Ayrton Innes (Palmerston & Rural) Joshua Dickman (Palmerston & Rural)

Jemma Britton (Darwin) Stevie Nibbs (Casuarina) Tahni Gordon (Darwin)

17-20 years Michael Collins (Palmerston & Rural)

5.0k Male Female

12-16 years Jarrod Sallis (Darwin) Ben Cooper (Alice Springs)

Lara Whitehouse (Nightcliff) Zoe Nibbs (Casuarina) Amy Messenger (Casuarina)

17-20 years Timothy Few (Darwin) Tobias Barnes (Darwin)

21+ Tim Green (Nightcliff) Skip Hall (Darwin SLSC)

Hayley Dasman (Darwin Triathlon Club) Ryoko Jones (Darwin Triathlon Club)

In the lead up to the 2011 Gatorade NT Open Water Championships a three race series was held at the Darwin Waterfront Lagoon on Saturday 4th June, Saturday 2nd July and Saturday 13th August. Overall Points Winners for the Gatorade Open Water Series 2011 were:

1.2k Male Female

10-12 years Dean Ryan Paris McCabe

13-16 years Joshua Dickman Emma Koch / Savannah Rossingh

17-20 years Timothy Few Megan Gallagher

21+ Chad Anderson Moira Wigley

3.0k Male Female

12-16 years Jarrod Sallis Lara Whitehouse

21+ Skip Hall Ryoko Jones

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The 2011 Annual General Meeting of Swimming Northern Territory Incorporated will be held on Saturday 15th October 2011 at 10:30am. The venue is the YMCA Conference Room on Henry Scott Recreation Centre (adjacent to the Pool); Lot 2525 Stuart Highway, Katherine NT 0850. All clubs are reminded that affiliation and insurance fees must be paid prior to the meeting.

LEAH CULLEN RELAY In 2009 the aquatic and sporting communities in Darwin suffered a great loss with the passing of one of its most active and passionate members, Swimming Northern Territory’s Executive Officer, Leah Cullen. In memory of Leah’s passion and service we are proud to continue with the inter‐aquatic sport challenge inaugurated in July 2009. The Leah Cullen 10km Relay Challenge is aimed at promoting awareness and cooperation between Swimming NT and the wider community. This year we have extended the challenge to Northern Territory corporate bodies with the inclusion of the “Corporate 5km” event. The winning team in each event will receive $300 in prize money plus a perpetual trophy. 1. Palmerston & Rural Swimming Club 10k 2. Swim Dynamics 1 5k 3. Swim Dynamics 2 5k 4. Swim Dynamics 3 5k 5. Swim Dynamics 4 5k 6. Mojo Magic 10k 7. Merit Partners 5k 8. Darwin Swimming Club 10k 9. Casuarina Storm 10k 10. Royal Life Saving NT 5k

Leah Cullen, fondly remembered by all in the swimming community

1ST NATIONAL DOWN SYNDROME SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011 The inaugural National Down Syndrome Swimming Championships were held at Noosa Aquatic Centre, Noosa, Queensland last weekend on the 24th and 25th September. All States and Territories, with the exception of South Australia, were represented and a contingent of New Zealand swimmers made up the 57 swimmers competing. The National Championships was developed to raise a greater awareness of competitive pathways available for swimmers with Down Syndrome. These Championships hopefully will encourage new swimmers to train at club level then maybe impress selectors for World Championships. The National Championships was at two competition levels, The Championships and the Novice Challenge. Tahnee Afuhaamango, the only Territory Championships representative, competed in 4 events, the 50m Freestyle, 50m Butterfly, 100m Freestyle and 100m Individual Medley. Tahnee convincingly won gold at all four events in just outside her world record times. This was an amazing achievement considering she has been unable to train for the last six weeks due to Mycoplasma Pneumonia and had limited preparation leading into the Championships. Her other events originally entered, the 200m Freestyle and 200m Individual Medley, had to be withdrawn on the advice of her doctors and the Institute of Sport. This decision was due to the fact that her endurance capacity had been affected due to her illness. Medals were presented by DSDUSO Ambassador, Jessicah Schipper, Nick Darcy and Hayden Kenny, the Patron. Olympic hopefuls Chris Wright and Melanie Schlanger also visited the Championships signing autographs and encouraging competitors. Tahnee’s Coach, Peter Brasher, was amazed at her gutsy performance which would have required sheer determination and her ability to focus mentally on each event. The Championships, which was a component of the Australian selection process for the World Championships In Loana, Italy in November 2012, saw some swimmers break their own world records. Australian team selection will be determined shortly by the swimmers times in carnivals and events competed during the 2011 swimming season. Tahnee hopes to achieve Australian selection in those 4 events competed at the Nationals plus the 200m Individual Medley and 200m Freestyle. The next National Championships will be held in 2013 in Perth, Western Australia, and the number of competitors are expected to rise considerably after this very successful event.

CITY CLUSTER & NORTHERN CLUSTER CARNIVAL DATES City Cluster in conjunction with Swimming Northern Territory, Nightcliff and Darwin Swimming Clubs have scheduled the City Cluster Swimming Carnival at Casuarina Pool on Thursday 27 October with gates opening from 5.00pm for a 5.30 start. The events are expected to finish by 8.00pm with the pool vacated by 8.30pm. Northern Suburbs Cluster in conjunction with Swimming Northern Territory and the Casuarina Storm Swimming Club have scheduled the Northern Suburbs Cluster Swimming Carnival for Thursday 3 November with gates opening from 5.00pm for a 5.30 start. The events are expected to finish by 8.00pm with the pool vacated by 8.30pm.

INCLUSION CHECKLIST CLUB LIST 2009 – 2011 A recent review of Swimming Australia’s GO CLUB PB Inclusion Checklist will ensure swimming clubs across the country are providing the highest quality inclusive sporting environment for their members. The Inclusion Checklist was introduced in 2009 to allow individual swimming clubs as well as Swimming Australia, to assist in developing improved inclusion of people with disabilities. In 2009, 203 clubs took part in the checklist and as of last month some 360 swimming clubs across Australia were now reviewing their inclusion strategies. Head coach for Trinity Swim Club in Lismore Ken Malcolm said the Inclusion Checklist is a must for all clubs. “I think it’s paramount that all clubs participate in a review like this so we can keep up to date with other successful clubs, learn from each other, and put strategies in place to improve the sport across the board,” said Malcolm. Out of the 360 clubs that took part, there were 444 swimmers, 64 volunteers, 14 coaches, seven officials and two staff with a disability. One of the major findings of the review revealed that clubs that already had an inclusion strategy in place were more likely to attract participation from people with a disability and that an inclusive club community for all members allows individual’s with a disability to have the same opportunities, enthusiasm and ease in pursuing a sporting career as an able-bodied person. Swimming Australia’s General Manager of Community Sport Adam Pine said the organisation is committed to providing an inclusive community. “This review allows us to work towards creating opportunities for people of all abilities to participate at all levels in the sport,” said Pine. “From the outstanding performances at the recent Para Pan Pacific Championships, to the upcoming Multi-Class Age event in Canberra next week, Swimming Australia is 100 precent committed to promoting inclusion to as many clubs as possible.” Participating in the checklist provided a starting point for clubs to introduce and establish an inclusive strategy, or to bring attention to areas within the club community that may need improving or may not have been addressed or considered. Trinity Lismore has used the review to ensure they are providing first-rate services to their members. “This season we will give our athletes more access to experts on disability swimming so as to keep their interest in the sport at a high level,” said Malcolm. The latest review recommended improvements in the following areas; communication between disability organisations and swimming clubs, increasing the number of people with a disability in non-swimming roles and providing clubs with the tools to better inform members, coaches and officials of inclusion and disability considerations and participation Since 2009, Swimming Australia has used the information gathered by the Inclusion Checklist to introduce a number of initiatives to hep clubs create a more inclusive community. This latest review allows Swimming Australia and its clubs to strive for further improvement in inclusive practice. Well done to the Northern Territory Clubs that have qualified for Swimming Australia’s GO CLUB PB Inclusion:

Alice Springs Swimming Club

Darwin Swimming Club

Katherine Amateur Swimming Club

Nightcliff Swimming Club

Palmerston & Rural Swimming Club

Free Mentor Training Program Offered An Australian Sports Commission two-evening workshop, designed to develop and enhance the skills of coaches working in the sport and recreation industry, is being held in Darwin on Tuesday, 25 October and Wednesday, 26 October 2011. Times are 6.00pm – 9.30pm each evening at Sports Medicine Conference Room, Ground Floor, Sports House, Waratah Crescent, Fannie Bay. The workshop is free with tea, coffee and biscuits provided. Mentor Training will cover:

Mentoring in action in your chosen sport

Setting up the mentoring relationship and getting to know your mentor

Communication, managing and resolving conflict skills for mentors

Network opportunities with sporting clubs and opportunity to share ideas Bookings are essential - for further information or to place a booking, contact Warren Foote, Sport Development Coordinator on 8982 2328 or email warren.foote@nt.gov.au

asctaCONFERENCES 2011 - 2012 Follow the links for more Conference details: asctaVIC Conference 2011 Melbourne 8th and 9th October SwimWEST Conference 2011 Perth 15th and 16th of October

asctaCONVENTION 2012 Gold Coast 24th April to 1st May 2012

Action from the Open Water Clinic held on Sunday 18th September at the Darwin Waterfront Lagoon Thank you to Lead Coach, Adrienne Willing and Club Coaches, Clare Labowitch and Amanda Bagley

2011-2012 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Date Time Meet Venue

Sat 8 Oct Leah Cullen Relay Casuarina

Sat-Sun 8-9 Oct Kimberley Short Course Championships Broome

Sat 15 Oct TBC (am) JX Junior Development Clinic Katherine

Sat 15 Oct TBC (am) SNTI Annual General Meeting Katherine

Sat-Sun 15-16 Oct Katherine Birthday Carnival Katherine

Sat 29 Oct 4 for 5pm Power in the Water Series Meet 2 Casuarina

Sat 5 Nov 7 for 7.30am Daz-L Distance Meet 1 Casuarina

Sat-Sun 12-13 Nov Top End Storm Invitational Casuarina

Sat-Sun 25-27 Nov Alice Springs Invitational Alice Springs

Sat 3 Dec 4.30 for 5pm McDonald's 9 and Under Meet 2 Parap Pool

Sat-Sun 10-11 Dec NT Long Course Qualifying Meet Casuarina

Sat-Fri 10-16 Dec Queensland Championships Brisbane

Sat 17 Dec 7 for 7.30am Daz-L Distance Meet 2 Casuarina

Sat-Sun 7-8 Jan NSW 10/under-12 Championships SOPAC

Fri-Sun 13-15 Jan SA Country Championships Port Pirie

Fri-Wed 20-25 Jan SA Championships Adelaide

Sat 11 Feb 7 for7.30am Daz-L Distance Meet 3 Casuarina

Sat 18 Feb 4.30 for 5pm McDonalds 9 and Under Meet 3 Nightcliff

Sat-Sun 18-19 Feb 2012 Australian Open and Age Open Water Championships TBC

Sat 25 Feb 4 for 5pm Power in theWater Series Meet 3 Casuarina

Thur-Sun 8-11 March check session times 2012 Vorgee NT Open and Age Championships Casuarina

Sat 10 March TBC 2012 McDonald's 9 and Under Championships Casuarina

Sat-Sun 17-24 March 2012 Australian Open Swimming Championships TBC

Sat 31 March 4 for 5pm Power in the Water Series Meet 4 Casuarina

Mon-Sat 9-14 April 2012 Australian Age Championships TBC

Sat 21 April 4 for 5pm Darwin Invitational (incorporating Top End Sprints) Casuarina

SWIMMING NORTHERN TERRITORY SPONSORS