We reported last week how the speedy Australian sisters of Cate and Bronte Campbell, along with Coach Simon Cusack, are making the move from their Chandler home in Brisbane to their new training site at the New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) in Sydney.
Cusack will help spearhead the NSWIS’ strategy to develop pathways and increase the number of elite swimmers across New South Wales. Both the Pymble Ladies’ College and Knox Grammar School will see their facilities involved in the collaboration.
NSWIS CEO Kevin Thompson said of the partnership,“We have identified that an academic connection for our young Olympians of the future is critical to our holistic strategy of increasing the number of elite swimmers in NSW.
“We are extremely fortunate to have two of the leading schools in the state supporting the initiative and allowing us to utilise their world-class facilities. This connection will provide a fantastic opportunity to further develop pathways into elite swimming programs in NSW.
“Our existing coaches and athletes will now benefit from the invaluable experience and international expertise of Cusack and his team.”
Swimming NSW’s CEO Mark Heathcote said, “The new high-performance hub will deliver a highly competitive training environment, leveraging off an international standard of performance coaches.
“It is a further step forward in providing first-choice high-performance programs for swimmers in NSW.”
Swimming Australia’s Chief Strategist Alex Baumann commented, “NSW leads the way in swimming participation numbers. We’ve identified the need to increase the state’s overall progression rates of young talent into elite programs and the new hub will certainly help deliver this objective.
“If NSW are performing well, the whole nation will benefit on a competitive level, thus we look forward to the implementation of the Northern Metro Hub.” Quotes courtesy of NSWIS.
Of note, however, is the fact that 19-year-old training partner of the Campbells, Shayna Jack, will not be making the move with the sisters. Instead, the relay world record holder will remain Brisbane.
“I was given the opportunity to go too, but I decided not,” Jack, 19, told The Australian.“I’m young and I’ve got the opportunity to explore what works and doesn’t work for me. Simon is a great coach and Cate and Bronte have been great to train with but I had to look at the fact that Sydney was not the best environment for me personally. I don’t have much down there. I would have only been going for my coach and my swimming career.
“Bronte messaged me today and said she would always be there for me as a mentor. I just knew I had made the right decision. I’ve never lived out of home yet, so moving to Sydney would be a very big ask.”
The Australian also reports that Jack will be trying out 2 of Australia’s most notable programs in Griffith University run by Michael Bohl, as well as St. Peters Western, led by Dean Boxall.
Pretty sure it’s actually Jack Shayna. That’s what the pan pacs announcer was saying.
You mean Shyna Jack?
^a
Worst commentator every that guy nearly smashed my tv due to his incompetent commentary
No problems with C and B CAMPBELL training in Sydney with their coach and think the squad they are setting up will work well..
However, as far as taking advantage and indeed leveraging the large number of children in Sydney’s West and South-West , SAL ,SNSW and NSWIS need to strengthen the Swimming clubs in the region, and help the “learn to swim” operations in the region transition the kids from competent swimmers to swim club competitors
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As the local councils take over the learn to swim operations, and insist that they are only there to teach survival lessons, the kids don’t continue to the able swimmer stage, and thus the swimming clubs no longer get the… Read more »
Whilst there is some truth in what you are saying; you are ignoring the core issue impacting AUS (not just NSW) swimming’s grass roots. That of economics. The expense of supporting a “serious” competitive swimmer, especially when moving into teens, is such that the sport is increasingly pricing itself beyond the range of most AUS lower and middle income families. Thus AUS swimming is now drawing from an ever contracting available talent pool with the overwhelming majority of elite (or potential elite) performers now coming from affluent/private school backgrounds. Much as I may wish this otherwise, I cannot see this being reversed
Spot on…I grew up in Western Sydney, and there were a number of world class council swimming complexes around me, Cabramatta/ Liverpool/ Parramatta that cost next to nothing to go to and classes for kids were free or subsidised. I learnt swimming and diving to a state level at 2 of them.
All gone now, replaced by expensive private facilities.
Yes , I get this after going through (go to wo for 12 years) , but the “Talent” comes from all areas so just getting competitors to the stage where they “may or may not” be picked up on scholarship requires attention in the massive pool of potential ….That being the West and South-West……BTW …I am not from one of those areas ,,,just an observer who hates to see the sport slowly crumble by not covering all bases(stumps in this case)
Nice of Bronte to reach out to Shayna, figured it would not be Cate Campbell who would do so, undoubtedly too busy thinking of herself. Not sure how her teammates have put up with it.
I suppose the same way that we have to put up with you and your negative trolling comments around here .. nice of you to make a big comment about cate when the article is clearly about Shayna Jack deciding what’s best for herself
Oh my god just because Cate has a opinion got over it Brisbane. I am sure her team mates in the relay would not swap her anchor swims for anyone .