Last weekend, Swimming Metro North East (SMNE) proudly sent its inaugural Age Touring Team to Canberra to compete at the ACT Championships, providing 19 talented swimmers with an exciting new opportunity to develop, compete and represent their Area as a team.
The team consisted of 19 swimmers (aged 15-18 years), two coaches and one team manager, with swimmers selected based on their outstanding performances at the NSW Age Championships held in April.
The SMNE Touring Team program has been developed to provide talented swimmers with valuable development opportunities beyond the pool. For many of the swimmers, the weekend was about much more than racing. It was an opportunity to experience what it means to be part of a representative team, train and compete alongside their peers, build new friendships and develop the skills and confidence needed as they work towards their long-term goals.
With a focus on improvement, growth and development, the team embraced the opportunity to race against strong competition at the ACT Championships while supporting and encouraging one another throughout the weekend.
As proud representatives of SMNE, swimmers received an SMNE team cap, T-shirt and hoodie, and were encouraged to spend time together wherever possible, participate in team activities and create the strong team environment that is at the heart of the Touring Team program.
The weekend was a fantastic opportunity for swimmers to step outside their usual competition environment and experience the benefits of travelling and competing as part of a representative team.
A Weekend of Growth and Connection
The feedback from swimmers following the inaugural tour was overwhelmingly positive, with words such as “fun”, “memorable”, “fantastic”, “helpful”, “exciting”, “awesome”, “bonding”, “encouraging”, “growth”, “improvement”, “beneficial” and “enjoyable” used to describe their experience.
Importantly, swimmers also recommended that SMNE continue to provide touring opportunities like this in the future.
The inaugural Age Touring Team is another step in SMNE’s commitment to creating meaningful pathways and experiences for its swimmers. By providing opportunities to compete, travel, connect and learn as part of a representative team, SMNE hopes these experiences will contribute to the development of the future national medallists of Metro North East.
A huge congratulations to all 19 swimmers, along with coaches and our team manager, for making the inaugural SMNE Age Touring Team such a memorable success.
This is just the beginning!
