By Gavin Staindl
Below right: Under-11 and under-12 swim champions, from left, Arnon Lodder, Jake Templar and Matt Shaw. 41085
Picture: Kim Cartmell
THE Casey TigerSharks posted the best result in the club’s 35-year history at the Victorian Age Championships (Long Course) despite “90 per cent of the team” succumbing to illness.
Flu-like symptoms ravaged the TigerSharks squad in the two weeks before last week’s meet at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre, leaving only two swimmers unaffected.
Despite this setback, the 20-member squad managed to defeat long-time rivals Haileybury and finish third overall on 854 points.
The debilitating illness continued throughout the five-day meet crippling many of the TigerSharks, including promising 16-year-old swimmer Josh Beaver who was “throwing up a lung” according to coach Ben Hiddlestone.
Beaver won gold and silver in both 16-year-old backstroke events but just as importantly, wiped two seconds off his personal best.
Hiddlestone praised the TigerSharks members for their “courage and bravery”, including 16-year-old Aleysha Tokai and 17-year-old Craig Watson.
Tokai and Watson both did their team proud by scoring over 100 points each and being awarded age champions.
To Tokai, the personal rewards are satisfying but it is the team spirit that gets her blood pumping.
“I am proud to say I am one of the best swimmers in Victoria … but it is a really good feeling when you see all the orange banners in the stand and everyone cheering whenever anyone makes a final,” Tokai said.
The TigerSharks, who are “full-time athletes as well as full-time students” according to Hiddlestone, train up to 23 hours a week over eight to 10 sessions all year round.
But to Tokai, who was also put out by the illness, the training is all worth it.
“If you are lucky you get a week’s break from training after the championships but I have been selected for the youth nationals so I will be training … but it is worth not having a break,” the determined Tokai said.
As for her schooling, Tokai admits that she gets it done. Just.
“I fall asleep in a lot of my classes,” Tokai said with a laugh.
The combined result will look to be improved on when the rest of the TigerSharks attack the Victorian Open Championships and the Victorian Disabled Championships to build on the score already set by the juniors.
Meanwhile, the TigerSharks’ 12-and-under team has finished in the top 10 at the Victorian Under-12 Championships for the first time ever. The overall sixth place was set up by all 16 swimmers who represented Casey.
Special mention goes to Arnon Lodder who won a gold and a silver, Matt Shaw who won a gold and a bronze, Jake Templar who won a silver and bronze and Bridget Bicsak who won two bronze medals.
