Britain’s World Championship swimmers have arrived on the Gold Coast in Australia for a two-week preparation camp that will see the athletes achieving their physical and mental peak by the time the competition gets underway in Melbourne.
The squad of 36 pool-based and three open water swimmers have converged at the Southport School on the Gold Coast where they will spend the next two weeks swimming outdoor in a number of 50m pools in and around the school.
Head Coach Ian Turner is delighted to finally get the team together and is excited about taking what he sees as a talented and dedicated team to the World Championships later this month.
“We now have the entire World Championship team in place at Southport where they will spend the next two weeks acclimatising and finishing off preparations for Melbourne.
“I’m looking forward to working with the team and I know they’ll put their absolute all into making sure they’re at their best for what will be a fast meet at the World Championships.
“We’ve given the squad a long period of time to acclimatise to the contrast in the weather as well as to get the travel out of their system. Although the World Championships are indoors the temperature will be above 30 Celsius so it’s important to get used to that.”
Britain is continuing to use the Southport School – the venue for British Swimming’s Offshore Centre and preparation camp ahead of last year’s Commonwealth Games – and continues to develop a strong relationship with the boys’ school that has already proved so successful.
“We’re using our traditional venue at The Southport School,” said Turner. “We have a close relationship which is mutually beneficial which has seen the implementation of our very own offshore centre where our young male swimmers train and school.
“As a team we’re following the same methods we used ahead of the Commonweath Games last year which proved so successful for us. We’ll also use facilities at Runaway Bay and St Hilda’s school which are all within a short distance from Southport.
“It’s much healthier for the guys to be training outdoors and it’s a good experience for the athletes. They’re able to use 50m pools with short course options as well.”
Some of the British squad have enjoyed the facilities and unseasonably high temperatures on the Gold Coast for seven days already after extending preparations to compensate for a need for a longer recovery time.
“To compensate for the 10 hour time difference the athletes need a full two weeks to adjust physically and mentally,” said Turner.
“A third of the team have already been here for a week as they feel they needed longer to acclimatise but now everyone has come together there’s a real buzz about the team.”
“There’s a great feel to the group and everyone is fit, healthy and looking forward to putting the finishing touches to their long preparations and then taking on the world in Melbourne later in the month.”
Derby-born Ross Davenport (Loughborough University) is very familiar with the Southport School training base after spending long training camps at the venue over the past few years.
“Preparing here on the Gold Coast holds so many benefits for me,” said Davenport. “Loughborough is a perfect base for performing in Britain and Southport is perfect for competing in Australia.
“It’s fantastic training at Southport. We’re outdoors in a 12-lane, 50m pool and the sun is shining which gives a real feel-good factor and reduces the risk of people getting ill which can often be the case throughout the cold winters back in Britain.
“The facility and access we have to it allows us much more room which provides us with a focus on skills and techniques rather than trying to avoid each other.
“Coming out early also enables us to experience our entire three-week taper, where we reduce our workloads ahead of a major competition, instead of splitting it with long-haul travel. It’s good to see it through in one block.”
Turner will be supported by eight further coaches as well as an off-site coaching team, sports scientists, nutritionists and physiotherapists to ensure that athletes’ needs are catered for to allow their total focus on preparing for the meet.
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The 12th FINA World Championships will take place in Melbourne, Australia from 17th March until 1st April 2007.
Synchro takes place from 17th to 24th March
Open Water takes place from 18th to 25th March.
Diving takes place from 19th to 26th March.
Swimming takes place from 25th March to 1st April.
For further details contact Dave Richards, British Swimming Media Manager, on 01509 632237, 0778 992 6136 or email dave.richards@swimming.org
British Swimming is the National Governing Body for Swimming, Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo and Open Water in Great Britain. It is responsible internationally for the high performance representation of the sport. The members of British Swimming are the three Home Countries national governing bodies of England (Amateur Swimming Association), Scotland (Scottish Amateur Swimming Association) and Wales. (Welsh Amateur Swimming Association) British Swimming seeks to enable its athletes to achieve gold medal success at the Olympics, Paralympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games.
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