SMNE’s young swimmers were treated to an unforgettable morning of inspiration, learning and skills at our recent Development Clinic and 2026 Aspire Cup.
While Olympian Olivia Wunsch was unfortunately unwell and unable to attend, Olympic silver medallist William Yang stepped in to lead the clinic for our 8–13-year-old swimmers.
With a special connection to SMNE through his time swimming with Knox Pymble, Will shared the mindset, habits and experiences that helped take him all the way to the Olympic stage.
One message stood out: if there’s something you don’t enjoy doing because you’re not very good at it, that’s probably the skill you need to work on most!
Will’s own journey was a powerful example. He didn’t start competitive swimming until he was 13 and was, by his own admission, skinny with very little upper-body strength. It wasn’t until the end of his school years and heading into university that he really committed to his swimming career, and worked on his greatest weakness, eventually becoming known for having one of the strongest upper bodies in the sport.
In the pool, swimmers learned some of Will’s favourite techniques, skills and race-day tips, before getting the chance to wear his World Championship medals and Olympic silver medal, take photos and collect autographs.
Will was also joined by a fantastic group of SMNE Dolphins who generously gave their time to inspire the next generation:
- Euan Liney, recently competing at the Pan Pacific Open Water Championships
- AJ Gillespie, recently competing at the Commonwealth Games
- Lukas Dunn, who recently competed at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships
- Gabe Gorgas, who represented Australia at the World University Games in Berlin last year
Having so many high-level athletes available to interact with our young swimmers made the day an incredibly special experience and provided plenty of inspiration for the aspiring swimmers in attendance.
Aspire Cup Delivers Exciting Racing!
Following the clinic, the action continued with the annual 2026 SMNE Aspire Cup for 13/U swimmers working towards State qualifying times.
It was a fantastic day of racing, with many swimmers achieving State qualifying times, while plenty of ribbons and prizes were up for grabs.
A highlight was the exciting 50m Freestyle Skins event, where the fastest eight male and female swimmers in the 8–11 and 12–13 years age groups battled through a knockout format. The final three in each category took home fantastic prize packs generously donated by Will and his company, New PB.
With swimmers earning points for every race, the battle for the overall Club trophy went right down to the results.
Congratulations to the 2026 Aspire Cup Champions – Warringah!
Fuelled by the Sausage Sizzle!
Of course, no big day of swimming is complete without some hungry swimmers and families to feed! A huge shout-out must go to two incredibly dedicated senior swimmers from Manly, Lexi and Ethan, who spent hours manning the barbecue and sweating it out over a hot grill.
The pair cooked up a storm for hundreds of hungry swimmers, families, coaches and volunteers throughout the day, keeping everyone fuelled and adding to the fantastic atmosphere around the pool. Their willingness to give up their time and pitch in for the younger swimmers was greatly appreciated, and we’re sure plenty of people would agree that the smell of the sausage sizzle was almost as exciting as the racing!
A huge thank you to Will and our SMNE Dolphins, along with Callyn (Manly), Jacob, Aden (Lane Cove) and Beth (Roseville), for sharing their time and expertise and helping to deliver such an inspiring Development Clinic. Special thanks also to Lexi and Ethan (Manly), our coaches, officials, Amelie (Lane Cove), Euan (Knox Pymble), and our volunteers for their contribution to making the day such a memorable experience for our young swimmers.
And finally, a massive shout-out to Luke Bibby, the brains behind many of the fantastic ideas that help make SMNE a leader in innovation and keep us leading the way!