Doing the hard yards

By Marc McGowan
NARRE Warren North swimming coach Wayne Lawes has experienced the highs and lows of his sport during a distinguished 25-year career.
He had coaching stints at four clubs before his biggest appointment at the Haileybury Waterlions in Keysborough, where he has spent the last 11 years.
Lawes, 51, has also been a member of three Australian teams as a coach and was the nation’s female distance coach between 2001 and 2005.
It is his coaching that has put him on the map, but he was an accomplished swimmer in his own right, winning medals at state level, as well as enjoying success in triathlon and surf lifesaving.
“My father (Ivan) had a big impact from a coaching perspective as he was the coach of the Oakleigh YCW football team, which had several (future) AFL players in it,” Lawes said.
“I love being around younger people and watching them reach their peak potential.”
Swimming is about more than just success in the pool for the storied mentor and he claims that some of his proudest moments have come from his pupils’ outside achievements.
“One of my former athletes came back from nationals without a medal, but said to me, ‘You were a tough coach, but what I learnt from you got me through university’,” Lawes said.
“He’s a chiropractor now and those sorts of things are as memorable in my mind as getting a swimmer on to the international stage.”
It says much about his swimming philosophy because he has guided champions such as Linley Frame, Kelly Stubbins and Kristen Wilson to career-best performances as the Waterlions have become one of the strongest clubs in Victoria.
“I think the measure of a coach is not necessarily the most talented athlete performing well, but rather the not so talented athlete turning into a great athlete,” Lawes said.
“It is really easy to get a talented athlete who was always going to be a champion compared to turning one that isn’t into one through self-belief, hard work and commitment.”
He cautions parents of budding stars to be aware that the process of developing a champion is far from an overnight progression.
“Parents have to understand that Olympic champions take 12 years to develop – not two or four years, and they are going to have a lean time at some stage,” Lawes said.
“Today’s world is not about instant gratification. The higher you aim, the greater the sacrifices you have to make.
“As you climb the ladder, you need to increase your commitment and you have to say to the athletes, ‘This is what is required to reach this level; are you prepared to do that?’.”
His tremendous commitment to the sport has resulted in one major sacrifice and only one regret – family.
Lawes has three children, Emily, 18, Jessica, 16, and Tyson 12, and he has been forced to spend many nights away from them as well as his wife, Alice, in following his passion.
“The hardest thing is time away from my family because I travel a fair bit,” he said.
“You’ll always have ups and downs – it doesn’t matter who you are – you are going to have them, but things will turn around if you work hard.”
Lawes is excited about his program’s extension into Berwick at Haileybury College’s Edrington campus and hopes it can be as successful as its Keysborough base.
“We are mimicking the same system we’ve used previously and really developing our whole program there,” he said.
Anyone seeking more information on the new program can contact Lucy Piening on 0402 282 922.