A Bergvliet-based swimming club hopes to take 18 young swimmers through their paces at a training camp in Greece in May, as they set their sights on the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Aqua Dolphin Swimming Club together with AquAzzurra Foundation has launched “Project Los Angeles 2028 and everything in between”.
The foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental committed to implementing a water safety programme at schools, and is currently in partnership with Bergvliet Primary and the International School of Cape Town.
Mina Manoussakis, the foundation’s CEO says, Aqua Dolphin swimming club is the vehicle through which AquAzzurra Foundation will make every child a swimming champion. All the funds collected and projects sponsored are channelled through the club to aid children to learn how to swim for free.
“AquAzzurra Foundation sponsors projects and not single individuals. Kids whose parents can afford pay fees. We have however a fair amount who cannot afford and we do not deny training to anyone after a comprehensive application,” Ms Manoussakis said.
The intensive two-week training camp is set to take place from Sunday May 14 to Wednesday May 31. Off the back of it, the swimmers will have the opportunity to compete in the Greek Junior Championships and a selected squad in the Open Water Junior Championships.
Head coach Shrone Austin, who competed in two Olympic games and the African Swimming Championships, is in her fourth season of coaching. She says the training camp will be good exposure especially for their young swimmers.
“One gets very comfortable in this little pond in the Western Cape so to expose them to something different on a European scale is awesome. It’s not an elite team that is going to Greece, it’s about giving opportunities to everyone. Also considering the juniors are the future swimmers of our club, that is why we have not neglected them.”
Ms Austin says the training camp in Greece will be speciality focused.
“We will divide our groups up into our distance and sprinter swimmers and the three coaches will work with the different swimmers. I normally also run a hell week in that time frame,where they cover about 150km in the water in less than 14 days. We’re literally carbon copying what we do here. It is just a little bit more speciality focused on a daily basis whereas at home, we have two sessions that we dedicate to sprint and endurance sets.”
Joy Van Der Westhuizen, a 15-year-old Wynberg Girls’ High pupil, says she enjoys the freedom of the water but has a focus mindset. “Whenever you get into the pool you look forward to getting to work harder because at the end of the day you know what your goal is and every single day you are learning more and achieving more and becoming better to get to that goal point.”
Zara Kleinhans, 17, another Wynberg Girls’ High pupil, has been swimming competitively for four years. “At first I only swam to improve my fitness in water polo and other sports. But I found all the achievements I was able to make in swimming thrilling. The adrenaline is just something I can never get tired of. Greece will open doors and create more opportunities for me.”
Ethan Solomon, 14, a South African College School pupil, who has been swimming since he was 8, says he enjoys the experience of racing. “Going to Greece is an opportunity that not many people get to experience and it is also a chance for people overseas to take note of young South African swimmers.”
To ensure that the cost to parents is kept to a minimum, the swimming club has started a backabuddy campaign to cover visa, accommodation and transportation costs.
