It has been a demanding last couple of weeks for the swimmers of the Ocean Shores Aquatics squad as they prepared for the final battle rounds of school swimming, according to coach Adrian Filipic.
The squad has a record number of 21 individual state berths this season.
‘There are several more in relays and all will get the opportunity to swim at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre representing their school as a part of the Far North Coast Swim Team over the next few weeks,’ he said.
‘The training for this sport can be mundane and repetitious not to mention the hours you have to put in to achieve at a high level.
‘We try to mix it up, work together, set challenges, focus on technique and just try to keep improving with minimal hours in the pool to maintain a balance with schoolwork and lifestyle,’ he said.
Along the way many of the swimmers have broken records and become school, district or zone champions.
Standout achievements were Meg Porter (15 years) and Tom Cheek (13 years) obtaining Regional Age Championships along with Sashi Wills (15 years) as Regional Age runner-up.
Other state-level competitors in the squad include: Zara Morris, Raife McKenzie, Mollie Cheek, Charlotte Archibald, Luke Wearne, Miloš Safraneck, Evie Porter, Jake Giltrap-Good, Tiggi Groves, Skye Pockley, Jack Safranek, Montannah Archibald, Front Row, Roka Stewart, Archer McCallum, Billy Thomson, Maddi Olis, Mali Stewart and Phoebe Pockley.