Casey TigerShark Aleysha Tokai (left) enjoyed a career-best meet at the Victorian Age Short Course Championships on the weekend. Picture: Stewart Chambers.By Marc McGowan
ALEYSHA Tokai is not a new name in Victorian swimming circles.
Tokai, 15, has swum since the age of five, had represented her state three times before she left primary school and has qualified for the last three Australian Age Championships.
But those achievements all came with Bayside Swimming Club.
Tokai has been a fully fledged member of the Casey TigerSharks since February, but the Victorian Age Short Course Championships was the first major event she competed in under her new swimming club’s name.
“I live in Frankston and my other club was just a bit too far away and my parents had to drive too much,” the freestyler and butterflier said.
“Now it’s only half an hour instead of 45 minutes. I came to the TigerSharks because I heard Ben (Hiddlestone) was a really good coach.”
Tokai only trained six times a week at Bayside, but is now in the pool up to nine times a week with Casey.
The Year 9 Bayside Christian College student’s hard work paid off at the weekend’s Victorian Age Short Course Championships, when she won two gold and two silver medals.
“Casey is a really focused club and they’re all motivated to do well,” Tokai said.
“Training is long and hard. You’ll be there in the morning and the afternoon, and then the next morning and then a day off before you do it again.
“But it’s worth it. I’ve dropped seven seconds off my 200m freestyle time since I’ve started with the TigerSharks.”
Tokai finished sixth and seventh respectively in the 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly at April’s Australian Age Championships to earn a place in the Victorian Target 2012 Silver Squad.
Those results, together with her weekend performance, have given her the confidence to set her sights on qualifying for the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2012 Olympic Games.
“It would be incredible to think that after 10 years of swimming that it might pay off,” she said.
“I love everything about it – the lifestyle, being healthy, and having something to focus on the whole time.
“I look forward to racing and getting the results because, after training so hard, you deserve it.”
Hiddlestone has been very impressed with Tokai in the seven months she has been at the club.
“Aleysha’s quickly become one of the centrepieces of our club in terms of performance, quality of training and attendance levels,” Hiddlestone said.
“She loved the opportunity to start fresh at a new club, and to her credit she picked up the work ethic very quickly at the TigerSharks and has taken that and gone on with it.”
Hiddlestone said he pointed to her as an example for other swimmers and urged them to follow her time management with many sessions and school.
“I loved seeing her do so well after she did so much more hard work than everyone else through winter.”
