Swimmers vow to wow

By Marc McGowan
A GROUP of Narre Warren-based swimmers have made a pact that 2010 will be their breakthrough year.
Paul Sadler Swimland Narre Warren head coach Dirk Keesman is confident his swimmers are about to make their mark on the national scene after six years in his program.
The evidence was on show at this month’s Australian Capital Territory Short Course Championships.
Fourteen of the club’s most promising prospects competed at the event, with their 16-strong medal haul good for seventh spot out of the 28 participating clubs.
Thirteen-year-olds Zoe Robertson (one gold, two silver and one bronze) and Alex Williams (two silver), 14-year-old David Burgess (two silver and one bronze) and 16-year-olds Brooke Griffin (three silver) and Emily Meyerink (two silver and two bronze) were the star performers.
Burgess and Griffin qualified for next year’s Australian Age Championships, with the latter also clocking a qualifier for the 2010 Australian Short Course Championships.
“We were very, very happy. It was a really good performance from the kids,” Keesman said.
“We started with those kids from around 10 years old and now they’re 15 and 16 and coming into maturity age.
“Next week we start a whole new structure as far as our training times. There are nine sessions a week available with two land-based training sessions as well.
“We previously worked on around six to seven sessions, so we’re definitely picking up.”
Burgess finished 17th in Australia in the 200m breaststroke at this year’s Australian Age Championships and Keesman believes the extra sessions will help the club achieve even better results.
Keesman identified backstrokers Jordyn Jackson, 15, Luke Edwards, 15, Sam Russo, 13, Evie Lilyhale, 15, and this month’s ACT medallists as the future of the club.