Swim dot Rocks

Jodie Hawkins from Swimming Australia tells us about the upcoming Festival of Swimming in Sydney 19-27 August 2022. For further information visit swimming.org.au and for the special 20% discount for SwimCon visit swim.rocks/swimcon. The post SDR073: Festival of Swimming primer with Jodie Hawkins appeared first on Mensard.

Josh Karp from Swimming NSW and William Ferguson from Wylas Timing describe their new partnership and the opportunity it presents for Swim Clubs. For further details visit: http://snsw.wylas-timing.com The post SDR072: Swim Clubs will benefit from the new partnership between Wylas Timing and Swimming NSW appeared first on Mensard.

It is the last episode of the year!! Join Lach as he wraps up the year by counting down the top 5 most downloaded episodes of 2020. The post SDR071: Swim.Rocks 2020 countdown appeared first on Mensard.

Part 2 of the Swim.Rocks YAP takeover sees hosting duties thrown over to Georgia Field. Georgia chats to Kayla Bentley about how the YAP started up and what some of their highlights have been over the years. We then talk to a Swim.Rocks regular, Isaak Wilson, about how the YAP has driven youth involvement in […] The post SDR070: Youth Advisory Panel takeover! – part 2 appeared first on Mensard.

The podcast is being taken over by Swimming New South Wales Youth Advisory Panel (YAP). Join host, Kayla Bentley, as she explains what the YAP is about and why they were established. Kayla speaks to Janice Barry, Bianca Walton and Jayden Redfern about the Lane Ropes to Leadership Camps, why they joined the YAP and […] The post SDR069: Youth Advisory Panel takeover! – part 1 appeared first on Mensard.

This week we travel to south-east Asia to discover what swimming is like in Malaysia. Lach talks to Mr Wong Tong Poh, the Vice President of Malaysia Swimming Teachers’ Association (MSTA). They discus participation rates in aquatic sports, what does the future of swimming look like, and some of the highlights of Malaysia s national aquatic […] The post SDR068: Swimming in Malaysia with Mr Wong Tong Poh appeared first on Mensard.

The Australian Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame recently announced 37 inaugural honourees and today we are talking to 3 of those honourees. We are talking to former guest of the show Graeme Carroll, who coached the likes of Shelley Taylor-Smith and Bronwen Whitehead, and also Gary and Suzy Toner from the great Team Toner. These […] The post SDR067: Australian Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame Honourees Graeme Carroll, Gary Toner and Suzy Toner appeared first on Mensard.

On our third instalment of our mental health series, we turn towards the everyday person who participates in harsh events to raise money for mental health. Michael Williams is a former surf life saving athlete, and wasn t too bad in the pool either, is running 80km for mental health. Michael and Lach sit down to […] The post SDR066: Running 80km for mental health with Michael Williams appeared first on Mensard.

Head Above Water is a 24 hour swimathon which is partnered with the Gotch4Life organisation. It raises funds for mental health awareness and education and it is held in Sydney’s Northern Beaches every year in March. Today we are talking to Andrew Ward from the Head Above Water team. Andrew and I talk about their […] The post SDR065: Mental Fitness with Andrew Ward from Head Above Water appeared first on Mensard.

Performance psychologist Chelsea Carpenter talks to Lach in this episode. Chelsea is a former swimmer from the Nunawading Swim Club in Victoria and she is also one of Australia s top psychologists for swimming as well as many other sports. Chelsea and Lach talk about the simple signs and symptoms of mental health illnesses, how we […] The post SDR064: Mental health and teenagers with Chelsea Carpenter appeared first on Mensard.

Our third and final instalment of our club community series we are talking to Sean Davis and Ariel Darley from Warringah Aquatic Swim Club on the Sydney s Northern Beaches. The coaches and committee at Warringah have created a fantastic environment where all the kids know each other by name, even if they are 10-15 years […] The post SDR063: Create a club community (part 3) with Sean Davis and Ariel Darley appeared first on Mensard.

Imagine having the challenge of turning a swim club into a community with members from 5 different swim centres. Debby Tatolli, Head Coach of Kincumber Pacific Dolphins Swim Club, is an incredible woman who manages to do exactly that. Debby and Lach talk about what strategies herself and the committee use to engage and encourage […] The post SDR062: Create a club community (part 2) with Debby Tatolli appeared first on Mensard.

We now turn our attention towards club committee members and how they can create that family-like-feel of a swim club. Lach sits down with his friends Jo and Dave Potter, life members of Mingara Aquatic Swim Club on NSW’s Central Coast. They discuss the importance of a strong, supportive committee, how to welcome new members […] The post SDR061: Create a club community (part 1) with Jo and Dave Potter appeared first on Mensard.

This final episode of our Young Officials series features Toby Williams, President of the Manly Warringah Football Referees Association. On the football/soccer pitch, you see an abundance of young people donning the referee’s strip, so Toby and Lach chat about what swimming can learn from soccer, including mentoring, payment and pathways. The post SDR060: Attracting young officials to swimming (part 4) with Toby Williams appeared first on Mensard.

This episode is Part 3 of our Young Officials series. Lach speaks to Lucy Graham, 19 years old and from the Jervis Bay area, which is a part of the SESA region in NSW. She is about to go into her 5th year of being a technical official and has plenty of experience under her […] The post SDR059: Attracting young officials to swimming (part 3) with Lucy Graham appeared first on Mensard.

Part 2 of this series sees Lach move back into the swimming world and sits down with Isaak Wilson, a young technical official from the Wollongong region of NSW and is a part of Swimming NSW’s Youth Advisory Panel. He is one of the most experienced young technical officials on deck and is a big […] The post SDR058: Attracting young officials to swimming (part 2) with Isaak Wilson appeared first on Mensard.

One of the biggest issues we have at swim meets is not having enough technical officials. As we get older and busier, we look to our youth to rise up and help run swim meets. In this podcast we are talking to a former swimmer and young Netball umpire, Lauren Bird, about why Netball has […] The post SDR057: Attracting young officials to swimming (part 1) with Lauren Bird appeared first on Mensard.

Our athletes deal with constant pressure from themselves, coaches, parents and other athletes. All of these factors can cause an athlete to spiral into a deep state of depression and anxiety. Since 1985 The Black Dog Institute has been at the forefront of mental health research. On this episode Lach chats with NRL Legend Wayne […] The post SDR056: Motivation and dealing with mental illness with Wayne Wigham from the Black Dog Institute appeared first on Mensard.

On the eve of the start of the 2020 Swim League season, it was halted by a global pandemic. Now it is back in a new modified version, with 10 Gala Days across overy corner of New South Wales. Lach sits down with Adam Beisler for an exclusive interview about the upcoming Swim League season. The post SDR055: Swim League is back! An exclusive update on the 2020 season with Adam Beisler appeared first on Mensard.

Annie Crawford AM, is Founder of The Can Too Foundation. Can Too combines fitness, health and wellbeing to raise funds and awareness of cancer prevention and research. Their participants range from advanced athletes to the plain old Jane or John and one of the biggest challenges they face is getting someone to step out of […] The post SDR054: Motivation and stepping out of the comfort zone with Annie Crawford of the Can Too Foundation appeared first on Mensard.

Australian Dolphin Tommy Fraser Holmes took some enforced time off in 2017. He talks to Lach about how he got back into the water and training. In this wide ranging interview they discuss tactics for managing physical and mental issues, motivation swings, support networks and more. The post SDR053: Motivation and coming back after a lengthy break with Thomas Fraser-Holmes appeared first on Mensard.

We continue our discussion about self marshalling by welcoming 2 representatives from New Zealand. Lach chats to Technical Official Greg Forsyth, from Wellington, and Swimmer William Campbell, from Wharenui Swim Club in Christchurch. He learns how it is implemented in NZ, and issues surrounding the system. The post SDR052: Self Marshalling in New Zealand with Greg Forsyth and William Campbell appeared first on Mensard.

Self marshalling has long been seen as something that happens overseas. We decided to find out more about it to understand whether it might be an opportunity for swimming in Australia. Lach was delighted to interview Jay Thomas of USA Swimming to learn how it works there. Mark Heathcote of Swimming NSW, joined the conversation. The post SDR051: Self Marshalling in the USA with Jay Thomas appeared first on Mensard.

To celebrate our 50th episode we follow Kylie Minogue’s lead and ‘step back in time’ to relive some of our best moments from the past 49 episodes. The post SDR050: Swim.Rocks turns 50! appeared first on Mensard.

Coach Robby Cox launched the ‘Off the Blocks’ podcast several years ago featuring exciting and informative conversations with swimmers. Lach and Robby caught up to compare notes. The post SDR049: Swim.Rocks meets Off The Blocks Podcast with Robby Cox appeared first on Mensard.

The Australian Swimming Coaches & Teachers Association (ASCTA) with Swim Australia are the peak body for swimming Coaches, Teachers and Swim Schools in Australia. We talk to CEO Brendon Ward about the organisation and his own history in the water. For further information go to http://ascta.com The post SDR048: Introducing ASCTA with CEO Brendon Ward appeared first on Mensard.

With the light shining at the end of the tunnel swimmers are daring to look forward to returning to the water. Leigh Russell, CEO of Swimming Australia, joins us to discuss: What going on within Swimming Australia? How are we going to restart our sport? What does the future of the sport look like? Join […] The post SDR047: Preparing our return to the water with Leigh Russell CEO Swimming Australia appeared first on Mensard.

The post SDR046: Mothers Day Special with Michelle Vane-Tempest appeared first on Mensard.

Coaches, parents and swimmers are assisted on their journey through competitive swimming by Gold Class Swimming. Created by Leigh Nugent, Rohan Taylor and Gary Barclay, Lach caught up with Rohan to learn more. Gold Class Swimming Website. The post SDR045: Gold Class Swimming with Rohan Taylor appeared first on Mensard.

Ben and Lach announce the launch of the new Swim.Rocks digital community for swimming people who stay dry. Join free of charge here: http://community.swim.rocks The post SDR044: We’re launching!! appeared first on Mensard.

One of Australia’s most respected coaches, Graeme Carroll, joins us to tackle one of the biggest issues affecting swimming – keeping young adults in the sport. We talked about Graeme’s career, experiences of coaching young adults, and strategies to help coaches and parents deal with swimmers who are 18-25 years of age. The post SDR043: How do we keep young adults in swimming? With Graeme Carroll appeared first on Mensard.

Exciting news – Swim.Rocks is expanding! In this episode we introduce our new team member Coach and former swimmer Lachlan Vane-Tempest. The post SDR042: Lach joins the team appeared first on Mensard.

FINIS LaneVision is the world’s first artificial intelligence powered performance tracker to help swimmers improve their technique. Launched on 23rd March in San Francisco by Aspiricx, swimmer, coach and software engineer Benjamin Hunt joined us to discuss this major innovation. Further information: Aspiricx website Apple App store Google Play Aspiricx Instagram Aspiricx Facebook Aspiricx YouTube […] The post SDR041: Introducing FINIS LaneVision with Benjamin Hunt of Aspiricx appeared first on Mensard.

“Keep Swimming” is Swimming Australia CEO Leigh Russell’s advice to the sport in the face of the Corona virus today Wednesday 18th March 2020. In this extensive interview Leigh discusses sources of advice, possible event scenarios for the future, and what she is looking forward to. Further information: Swimming Australia website The post SDR040: Keep Swimming with Leigh Russell appeared first on Mensard.

Lachlan Vane-Tempest host of “Lunch with Lach” talks to us about his love of swimming in and out of the water. Checkout ‘Lunch with Lach’ on Youtube here. The post SDR039: Lunch with Lach has Brunch with Ben appeared first on Mensard.

A very short but crucial episode this week. Further information at: http://swim.rocks/busy The post SDR038: Do you want to help solve the biggest problem in swimming today? appeared first on Mensard.

“Extremely short, round and middle aged” is how our guest Sally Goble describes herself. “I don’t look anything like Michael Phelps”. We learn that London based Sally discovered swimming in her 30s and celebrated her 50th birthday by swimming in 50 pools in 50 days – one mile in each. She’s swum the English Channel […] The post SDR037: Swimming when you’re nothing like Michael Phelps with Sally Goble appeared first on Mensard.

Research shows that swimming is the most popular participation sport in Australia, but what is it for? This week your host, Ben Ramsden, discusses his observations of swimming over the past few months. Please let us know your feedback via email (ben@swim.rocks) or Facebook. What does swimming mean to you? The post SDR036: What is swimming for? appeared first on Mensard.

Most competitive swimming programs contain a dry land element. We talk to Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist Michael Reynolds about the role his profession plays in supporting athletes achieve their full potential. Our conversation covered: The difference between Physiotherapists, Chiropractors and Therapeutic Massage specialists Typical issues that swimmers encounter that may benefit from Physiotheraphy Is it […] The post SDR035: The role of Physiotherapy in Swimming with Michael Reynolds APA appeared first on Mensard.

Bronte and Cate Campbell’s Mum Jenny joins us to discuss the reality of nurturing a family of 5 kids. In this special Swim.Rocks first birthday episode we cover everything from personal identity to chocolate, and wet swimming cosies to reframing success. The post SDR034: The realities of swimming in a large family with Jenny Campbell appeared first on Mensard.

Swim Central is replacing Club Lane and My Lane as the main digital interface with swimming. SNSW Operations Manager Josh Karp joins us to explain its benefits and what we need to know and do. The post SDR033: Introducing Swim Central with Josh Karp appeared first on Mensard.

Leigh Russell joined Swimming Australia as CEO in April 2018. We talk to her about her background, initial impressions of swimming, and her thoughts about the future. Links to Leigh’s books written with Bianca Chatfield (on Amazon): Game On – by Bianca Chatfield and Leigh Russell Every Girl Needs a plan – by Bianca Chatfield […] The post SDR032: Achieving high performance via thousands of one percenters with Leigh Russell appeared first on Mensard.

Former swimmer Toby Williams talks to us about his committee work and officiating in 3 sports – Swimming, Bowling and Soccer. We also learn what it’s like to work for senior members of parliament, including Bronwyn Bishop! Link to tips to pass swimming Referee exam notes The post SDR031: Mixing Swimming, Bowling, Soccer and Politics with Toby Williams appeared first on Mensard.

As swim club Recorder William Ferguson found running club night frustratingly difficult. Recognising the power of mobile phones he designed and built a timing system using them. Wylas Timing was born. We talk to William about the system capabilities. Learn more from: wylas-timing.com The post SDR030: How to use mobile phones to run your club night with William Ferguson of Wylas Timing appeared first on Mensard.

Manly Swimming Club are now into their 113th season. They recently found themselves in a challenging position with their local council, but found a way through and are now experiencing a new lease of life. We talk to their President, Matt Paterson, about their history, and lessons for other clubs. The post SDR029: Overcoming hurdles and accelerating into their 113th season with Matt Paterson from Manly Swimming Club appeared first on Mensard.

Swimming is clearly not simply a mechanical sport. Mindset and psychology have a huge role to play in performance. In this conversation with Cameron Gledhill we explore various questions including: Why do swimmers often swim faster in relays? Why some raise their game during finals whereas others crumble? How to structure a training season? Cameron’s […] The post SDR028: Use psychology to drive high performance with Cameron Gledhill appeared first on Mensard.

The Swim League is an exciting new format being introduced to swimming in Australia. It’s team based on head to head competition for places, not times. It’s very tactical, designed for audience entertainment, and over in about an hour. We talk to founder, Adam Beisler, about his plans for the forthcoming season. Registrations open on […] The post SDR027: Join the Swim League revolution with Adam Beisler appeared first on Mensard.

International Trampoline Gymnast Lisa Newman-Morris now works for Swimming Australia. We spoke to her about new technology developments underway to support swimming members and administrators. Some examples of new club and region websites from Swimming Australia: Ku-ring-gai Swimming Club Laurieton Swimming Club Metro West Swimming Victoria The post SDR026: Swimming Australia’s plans to make our lives easier appeared first on Mensard.

Coach – Swimmer – Parent relationships are a crucial contributor to athlete performance. We talk to Gold Licensed Coach Amanda Isaac of Abbotsleigh Swim Club about this, her coaching philosophy and more. Relevant links: Mindset, the new psychology of success, by Carol Dweck Abbotsleigh Swimming Club Nunawading Swimming Club The post SDR025: The secret of great Coach – Swimmer – Parent relationships with Amanda Isaac appeared first on Mensard.

Swimmers spend so much of their time in the water under the direction of their coach, yet many parents have a limited understanding of what it’s all about. In a fun ‘Agony Aunt’ style conversation, we put some common parents questions to Abbotsleigh Head Coach Amanda Isaac. The post SDR024: Parent swimming questions answered by Coach Amanda Isaac appeared first on Mensard.

We look overseas to Scotland and New Zealand to hear about initiatives that are enhancing sports clubs in those countries. Sports development consultant, Ian Sandbrook, shares some different yet powerful examples of how to drive your club forward without investing too many hours. Links to additional resources: Ian Sandbrook on LinkedIn (checkout his articles) Sport […] The post SDR023: How to make your swim club exciting, dynamic, fun and successful with Ian Sandbrook. appeared first on Mensard.