The Village

Thai greetings on arrival to the village

Team Co-captains, me and Mitch

Wombat cricket

Me, Sarah and Amy

Alice, Erin, Me, Kyle

it was HOT in Bangkok!!!

Bangkok, Thailand

World University Games 2007

           My last ever world university games (I’m now too old) was everything I could have hoped it would be. 14 swimmers went from Australia, along with 7 support staff, and we had a fantastic time. The villages was great, the food was full of fabulous Thai flavours, the competition facilities were top notch, and we turned in a lot of good times and personal bests.

            Every competition touches my heart and sits in my memory forever, but this trip is certainly a highlight in my swimming career. After a couple of days of settling in to the village we had an all Australian team banquet. As World University Games is an event similar to the Olympics of Commonwealth Games in that it has multiple sports coming together under the banner of their country, the team banquet was an opportunity for us to get to know our Australian teammates from other sports and mingle a bit. It was also the night of the announcement of the Australian World University Games team captains. To my surprise and great joy I was announced Women’s Team captain, with my co-captain basketball player Mitch Brennan announced as men’s. I felt incredibly humbled and was shaking when I went up to receive my gift, and even more overjoyed that I was asked to be the flag-bearer at the Opening Ceremony.

            I’ve never been to an opening ceremony before, I always choose to rest my legs and watch it on the TV. To be honest, it was a very long day, but it was worth it for the exhilarating feeling of leading out the team with Mitch, and waving the Australian flag high over my head. We did a lap of the stadium with endless cheers echoing, and then stood with the other flag-bearers throughout the ceremony, holding the flag high and proud. Although my arms felt fairly numb by the end as they didn’t provide us with a hip-holster for the flag, I felt ten feet tall and was smiling from ear to ear. Regardless, I still had another very important job to do, the one I had travelled all the way to Thailand for… to race. So the moment we were allowed to leave, I sped to the first bus I could get on so I could return to the village and rest up. Being flag-bearer at the Opening Ceremony gave me a whole new set of challenges that I hadn’t expected, and now had to face. Regardless of the lead weight of my arms and legs, I still had a job to do. Thankfully Cory Prout and Chris Garbett, our talented team physio and massage therapists were happy to give me a massage that night to help me recover.

            The morning after the Opening Ceremony was also the first day of the swimming. Although I was still pretty exhausted, I had the 4 x 100 freestyle relay along with Alice, Erin and Alanna. As it’s a team event, we were all depending one each other to give it our all, and so I knew I had to step up. We all swam solid, and finished 11^th. Day 2 was the 100 freestyle. I was feeling a little bit more recovered, though my legs were still heavy. I reminded myself that on the day of racing the only thing that matters is racing. So again, I got myself in a mental state to push through any pain that came on to me, and gave it 100%. Although the grand piano dropped on me from 100 ft above at about 80m, I still pushed on. I didn’t make the final, but I had given it everything I had, and was pleased. Finally I had a couple of days to rest and recover before my 50.

            When the last day of racing rolled around I had had 3 days of resting and cheering, but no racing. I had a bit more spring in my step, and felt more ready to race. I finished the heats in 8^th place going in to the final, and knew I had more in me to give! That day I rested up, visualized my start and finish several times, and mentally prepared to give it more! So that night when I stepped up on the blocks, heard my teammates cheer me on, and got down in to the ready position, I knew I’d give it everything I had… and then some. I touched the wall 6^th place, having improved in both my time and my finishing position, and was thrilled.

            More than anything, that swim symbolized to me that the journey I have been on this year, the challenge I have faced in coaching myself, has been successful. I went the fastest time I have gone in 20 months since Commonwealth Games trials, and even that time was only .2 quicker!  But most importantly I succeeded in my task.

It’s been a tough but rewarding season. I have learned a tremendous amount about swimming, let alone coaching myself!! But also about what drives me, how to push myself through challenging times, and that success isn’t measured in gold medals (though they are wonderful and certainly a goal to strive for) but in overcoming challenges. I have complete faith that I can significantly improve over the next 7 months leading in to Olympic Trials, and I am thoroughly looking forward to the experience involved in getting there, as well as the fun and thrill of racing. I love what I do, and I love the challenges and joys of swimming.

Thank you for all your support and well wishes, and most importantly… your faith in me.