Scott Wilson - Sydney, Australia
Learning to swim and swimming well allows us to have a ‘full life’.
Swimming has shaped the whole me.
“I can recall my very first ‘floating’ experience to this day, but I am unsure if swimming came easily to me. My teachers would say I was a boy who played around too much, didn’t listen enough but kept coming back to the lesson each week – most likely under threat from his parents, but also because his three older sisters were packing their swimming bags, so he should too.
“Learning to swim in the 1960s in New Zealand consisted of visiting the local outdoor council pool and the traditional school pool where swimming lessons were a compulsory part of the school curriculum. The council pool was ok; the school pool was a different story. It was always a challenge to be in the first swimming class of the day before the sun had performed its water-warming magic. The pool’s black floor reflected the sun’s warmth and heated the water, so after-lunch lessons were preferred. I am unsure if the water temperature ever rose above 20 degrees C in the hot months of February and March, but I can definitely recall many times we needed to “break the ice” as we entered the water. School swimming lessons in November and December often had low attendance numbers.
“When we did eventually swim in indoor pools, the smell of the chlorine filled the atmosphere, eyes burning. The hand-me-down goggles from my sisters rarely worked, adding another flavour to the activity.
“At around nine years of age, I recall competing in the local club and interclub races. A midfield place or a certificate for 7th or 8th was my usual prize for giving it a go. I am unsure if these placings spurred me on to do better, or whether my willingness to commence a little ‘training’ helped.
“This period also saw the start of ‘professional’ teaching and coaching in New Zealand. There were numerous clashes of ideology as the era of the amateur swimming club started to decline as the ‘professional coaching’ industry grew; I recall this clash of minds created the occasional confrontation on poolside. As we swam laps there were a few times when the local police would arrive at the pool to help temper the emotions between warring parties as to who had the teaching and coaching ‘rights’ at the pool.”
Competitive Swimming – Otago, New Zealand
“‘Competitive’ swimming became a bigger part of my life, once the family moved to Dunedin (Otago, New Zealand) where I started swimming under the tutelage of Mr Laing (New Zealand Olympic swimming coach Duncan Laing). During my ten years of swimming with Mr Laing, the squad environment was a big part of my life. I moved from a middle of the pack swimmer to a swimmer who worked hard to become a national champion and national team member, predominately as an IM swimmer. The squad was based around mateship, hard work and working together to a common goal. The swim season was shaped around a 20-week cycle where volume was the name of the game, with a four-week race pace phase leading into a simple one-week ‘taper’. The Lydiard training principles (Arthur Lydiard: world renowned athletics coach) was a central part of the coaching philosophies of the Duncan Laing squad.
“My selection into New Zealand teams was first in age groups teams, and onto open teams in the later years of the 1970’s. Apart from his astute coaching credentials and philosophies Mr Laing’s natural charisma and father-type figure produced a squad which was a dominant force in New Zealand swimming for two decades. Dunedin was the leading swim team in New Zealand, producing many national champions, Commonwealth and Olympic athletes, and world leading open water swimmers. A few of them feature in Swim People.”
Best friends are made in the swimming world
“This is also a period in my life when I formed many friends. Although we don’t see each other often now, due to many of us being spread across the world, any time we do bump into each other we enjoy an instant camaraderie. The long time between catching up over a few drinks quickly disappears.”
Across ‘The Ditch’
“Being unsure as to what was ‘next’ after I decided to step away from competitive swimming, I commenced a business and accounting degree at Otago University. In this first year of study, it became obvious that I was very unsure of where this study was taking me, so I reached out to Bill Robertson, who had been my sisters’ swimming coach in New Zealand, for guidance.
“Bill had recently moved from New Zealand to Sydney and onto Canberra, establishing his own swim school and club in a 25m indoor pool of a ‘health spa’. I was invited to join him in late 1980, an opportunity to find out what swim teaching and coaching was all about, with initial thoughts that I would stay for two years and move back to Dunedin.
“What I learnt in Canberra caught my attention, and I quickly found out this was something I enjoyed, I was fairly good at, but more importantly it grabbed my interest to learn more. I became extremely interested in swim teaching, swim coaching and then later in my time at the Deakin Health Spa and Burley Griffin Swim Club (BG), the business side of swim schools. The 12-13 years spent in Canberra cemented my interest in swimming and people. The sport attracts people from many parts of the community. Like my own swimming ‘career’, swim coaching in the 80’s for Bill and myself was based around swimmers working hard and ‘peaking’ for 2-3 main meets each year.
“The coaching scene went through a significant change in the 1980-1990s. We were starting to understand the periodisation, energy systems and individual athletes’ makeup. Australia had been recognised as one of the world leaders in our sport through the 1960-1970s, but other countries were fast catching up. It was time to reflect and refocus.”
Number one in Australia
“In the 1980s Canberra was not known to be a ‘swimming’ hub. Canberra was considered a ‘country’ town. Sydney was where it all happened. Gradually with hard work and a single-minded focus, Burley Griffin became a leading club in Australian swimming. We were awarded the number one club at the Australian Championship in the mid ’80s. Challenging the big clubs of Sydney was a target Bill and I embraced as we gradually developed a team of swimmers who started to believe that swimming in Canberra all year round was a great thing to do.
“Bill, recognised as Australian swim coach of the year on three occasions, gave me the road map to chase my own position in the coaching ranks, which saw me become New South Wales swim coach of the year in 1989. I coached numerous state squads and teams, and a coach at Australian squad camps.
“During this time, many Burley Griffin swimmers were selected for Australian Swim teams, from age-group to the Olympics. At NSW State level, BG swimmers were part and parcel of many teams.”
And back ‘home’ again
“Once I became a father of two, the draw to return to New Zealand (10+ years after the initial plan) became strong and the interest to change focus from coaching to swim school owner took over.
“On returning to New Zealand in mid-1993, I recommissioned an old pool at the Boys and Girls Institute (BGI) in the capital city, Wellington. The BGI, very similar to a YMCA set up, had been a Wellington icon for the previous 50 years before falling on hard times. The opportunity to set up my own swim school took me back to my city of birth. TSW Aquatics (later to be renamed TSW Swim School) was established based on the Deakin Health Spa model. The plan was to stay away from competitive swimming, but the demand from the graduating swim school students and parents became too strong and we established a club to introduce the young swimmers to the competitive sport approximately five years after starting the swim school.
“The ‘Australian’ way of operating a swim school was well accepted in Wellington, where gradually over the first few years we built the program from the initial zero customers to be recognised as one of New Zealand’s leading swim schools. TSW Swim School was a big success before the old building that housed the pool was sold to a property developer. The swim school closed on 2007 and the pool was demolished soon after.
“Using this as a signal to change career focus, after 27 years working in swimming, I took a two year break before I found the urge to return to ‘swimming’. ‘Follow your passion and you won’t work a day in your life.’ Never a truer saying.”
Another trans-Tasman move
“After two years of working in local swim schools as a consultant for both city council and private enterprises, I once again moved across the Tasman to be involved with multi facility swim school businesses as Head of Operations, first in Brisbane, and then onto Sydney.
“From the time I stopped my competitive swimming career, swimming for health and pleasure did not appeal. During this period, running (including numerous trail events and two off-road marathons) and triathlons filled my needs and competitive bucket.
“On my return to Australia in 2011 I started swimming for fitness once more (physical and mental) and have made swimming part of my routine ever since. The climate of Queensland compared to New Zealand was a contributing factor. Swimming outdoors all year round in Brisbane, and now in Sydney, is something different for the Kiwi boy who had experienced New Zealand and Canberra winters.
Swimming now . . . I am 60+
“Living in Freshwater (Sydney. Northern Beaches) overlooking the Freshwater Beach allows me to swim in the bay – a 400m length from point to point. The 50m ocean pool carved into the rocks is the preferred option when the surf conditions say ‘not today’. I have resisted the need to wear a wetsuit which has restricted my swims from May till September, except at the local 50m council pool - Manly ABC.
When in the pool I often revert to a few favourite sets
“Freestyle is my go-to stroke, although when I swim with others, I am open to the all strokes, plus some stroke drills that they choose. Breaststroke kick is usually substituted with freestyle kick as the knees and ankles struggle these days. A 50m butterfly is done occasionally for a laugh or a ‘I wonder if I still can’ moment.”
How far do I swim each session? My usual response is ‘enough’ - any distance is a good distance. But I seldom swim more than 3000m.
I usually start with a non-stop 800m or 1000m – a simple way to get the session started – often in the last 500m I stroke count each 50, aiming to have less than 38 strokes
500m sets (often as 250.100.150) I base my session around this set, including the occasional ‘form stroke’
A stronger effort set I enjoy is:
50m ‘firm’ - 100m 'strong build - 50m 'hard' - I usually go 3 times through the set (occasionally 4 times) to be my main set of the day
I have always enjoyed ‘ladder sets’ and they are often a significant part of my session when in the pool
“I enjoy tracking my swimming for personal feedback and pure pleasure and have taken to wear a Garmin for my swims – both pool and open water.”
Suggested places to swim – places I enjoy
“When in Sydney, visit the northern beaches and grab a swim along its many beaches:
Manly – join in with the Bold & Beautiful group. Daily swims at 7am 365 days a year from Manly slsc end of the beach.
Freshwater Beach or its Ocean pool
South Curl Curl Ocean pool – if you decide to swim from the beach, be aware of the significant rips and turbulence that is common on the south end of Curl Curl
North Curl Ocean pool – a unique pool well worth visiting
Collaroy Beach – again, there is a pool at the south end
Newport Beach – with a pool option if you prefer – this beach has been one of my favourites recently
Numerous other options up to and including Palm Beach
“If you are in this area over summer, look out for the Ocean swim events which run most weekends from mid-November to late March, there is an event for everyone, from 1000m and up. I enjoy participating in the ‘mates’ wave’.”
“The Sunshine Coast (Queensland) offers similar options – the coastline has many beaches that make ocean swimming a real pleasure and the bonus that the water temp is terrific year-round.
“Noosa main beach and the bays around the Noosa national park are highly recommended.
“The Noosa Aquatic Centre is a fantastic pool to swim your laps.
“If you are visiting Brisbane and you are looking for a swim, my three favourites;
Sandgate Aquatic Centre – unheated outdoor 50m - more of a ‘summer pool’ – well worth the trip to Sandgate
Centenary Pool (Spring Hill) – heated outdoor 50m. Great pool to swim but is often busy, so if possible swim at off-peak times
I recall diving in on a July 1st on my first year living in Brisbane, and thinking how different that was from my years in New Zealand and Canberra when July 1st often meant day temperatures of under 10 degrees and outdoor pools being closed since March
Chandler Aquatic Centre (1982 Commonwealth Games pool) is another pool I enjoy from time to time, my preference being the outdoor 13 lane 50m pool (built in 2012). Apart from events and squad training, these pools are often empty.”
