Kane Follows - Auckland, New Zealand

Name: Kane Follows                          Age: 24

 Lives in Auckland (New Zealand)               

Occupation: Secondary School Teacher student, Auckland University of Technology (AUT)  - once I finish swimming I want to travel to different countries and teach English.

 Connect with Kane: IG    

 Kane, share with us an overview of your swimming

I generally swim train nine sessions a week with the North Shore Swim Club, under the coaching of Andrew McMillian based at the AUT Millennium facility in Auckland. 

Most swim sessions are 2 hours in length, with an average distance of five to six kilometers per session.

Depending on the phase of the season, we increase to 7000m+ or as low as 3000m in a session.

 A simple session for a 6km session is structured as:

• Warm Up (1000m) followed by a secondary set (500-1000m).

• Main set of 2000m – 3000m

• Finishing with a secondary warm down set of 1000m to 1500m.

 In addition, I hit the gym three times each week, have two dryland sessions pre-swimming plus I include a yoga session each Sunday morning.

The focus of all of these out-of-pool sessions is to improve my strength and flexibility. Swimming isn’t only about what I do in the pool, it is about getting the most out of my body. The gym, dryland and yoga ensure my strength and flexibility is there to support swimming fast. 

Do you have a favourite set Kane?

The best part of the season, in my opinion, and my favourite sets are the race pace ones. Getting up and training as fast as you want to race.

The race pace phase of the season will commence approximately 12-weeks before my major meet. This provides enough time to transition into this high-quality work.

The first few weeks I will have 1-2 race pace sets per week, but by the time we are 2-3 weeks out from the meet we are performing race pace every day.

My favourite race pace set is:   

3x50 race pace on 50

50 easy on 1:30

100 race pace on 1:30

100 easy on 2:00

50 race pace on 45

50 maximum effort

I will swim this type of set each fortnight during the race pace phase of the season. Initially it will be 3-4 rounds of the set.

By the end of the 12-weeks phase I will do the set just once, with my race swim-suit on.

What do you love about being an elite competitive swimmer Kane?

I think every swimmer will say they have a ‘love-hate’ relationship swimming. But no matter how much you hate it you always find yourself showing up the next morning for training because deep down you love it.

I am a competitive person and at any point, whether it’s training or racing, I am always competing to be the best. That’s why I swim, I am always aiming to be the best.

What are your current goals Kane?

I am a goal focused athlete, whether they are daily or weekly goals, but the main goals I am working towards are to compete at the pinnacle swimming meets – the World Championships, World University Games, Commonwealth Games (2022) and the Olympics. Paris 2024 is within my grasp.

I am always trying to improve every aspect of racing. The main points for me to reach Paris are:

1.     Improving my strength, ensuring I am holding water and not slipping on any strokes especially when I get tired.

2.    Improving my speed - I feel I have the aerobic base to swim fast, it is just learning how to combine my aerobic base with easy speed during the race.

What’s the best place you’ve swum?

Felice Scandone Pool in Naples, Italy. I raced here on my first New Zealand team at the World University Games (2019)

Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center, University of Texas where I raced the 2019 NCAA Championships. The NCAA meet is the biggest swim meet on the USA college calendar, and in my opinion one of the fastest swim meets in the world.

 If a visitor came to New Zealand, where would you suggest they swim?

1.     AUT Millennium, the best swim facility in Auckland – my home away from home where my training is based.

2.  The Rotorua Aquatic Centre – 50m outdoor pool. I love swimming outdoors and, any opportunity, I do! And I have many great memories from training camps at this facility.

If you are lucky enough to find yourself in Hawaii, any ocean swim is amazing over there. But specifically swimming at Kaimana Beach. Every time I have been for an ocean swim there, I have seen a turtle. It is amazing.

What are your proudest swimming achievements / moments Kane.

There are two which stand out:

First, being a NCAA All-American (2019) for the 200 backstroke which was the first All-American for the University of Hawaii in 20 years.

Second, representing New Zealand at the 2019 World University Games (Naples, Italy) which was my first international New Zealand team selection. I swam the 50m and 200m backstroke events, making the semi-final in the 200m, placing 12th overall.

Your life.

It has given me so many different opportunities and I have met so many people through my swimming ventures. I lived in Hawaii for four years, swimming with the university of Hawaii team, and travelled the world because of it. I now have lifelong friends from across the world and this is something I wouldn’t have if it was not for swimming.

Do you have a couple of key stroke technique points you often reference when swimming?

1.     Engage your core, people underestimate how much core is needed in swimming.

2.    In backstroke keep your head back, it is the easiest way to keep your hips and legs up while swimming.

Tell us a little about your early years of swimming.

I grew up in a swimming family. My parents were both national champions in their time. Dad too represented New Zealand. My sister was a terrific swimmer when she was competing, making national age group finals, so the standard of swimming in our family has always been very high.

I cannot recall a lot of my very early years of swimming, but I remember being in and around the pools, and being in the ocean with mum and dad from a very young age.

Initially I did not have ambitions to follow my parent’s sport but we were involved in a terrific swim club, Mt Eden, with a great club coach, Glenn Hamblyn. With so many friends involved, swimming simply grew on me. Since then, I never wanted to stop.

I always remember having fun. Being able to swim with your best mates is always such a good time. We always looked forward to coming to training more to just hang out rather than swim.

I believe you swim your fastest when you are having fun and enjoying being with your teammates.

Tell us a fun fact, or two, about yourself?

I lived in Hawaii for 4 years studying Business Management and Marketing. and swimming for the University of Hawaii.

The opportunity of being able to concentrate on swimming and have your studies scheduled around your swimming program makes you feel like a professional athlete, which I embraced.

Kane – what are your current PBs for your main events

200m backstroke: 1:58.86

100m backstroke:    54.74