National swim team to make a splash

NATIONAL swimming team, the Australian Dolphins, will head to Bendigo in early December in preparation for a major meet.

The 36-team member Dolphins will base themselves out of the Gurri Wanyarra Wellbeing Centre in Kangaroo Flat between 6 and 10 December before heading to the FINA World Swimming Championships in Melbourne the following Tuesday.

Tamara Sheppard, high performance director at Swimming Australia, said locating the team in Bendigo ahead of the championships was about connecting with local swimmers and fans.

“The opportunity to represent your country on home soil is rare in swimming and we wanted to ensure we took the chance to involve our passionate swimming family in regional Victoria as part of this experience,” she said.

“It’s a quality facility in Bendigo and I’m sure we will be warmly embraced so I know our athletes will appreciate the ability to finalise their preparations in such an environment.

“We appreciate the support of the City of Greater Bendigo in making this camp possible and look forward to engaging with the broader community in December.”

The camp will be on home water for local swimming champ and Commonwealth Games silver medallist Jenna Strauch.

She said she knows what it means for people to have a chance to get close to elite athletes in their chosen sport.

“Growing up I idolised the Dolphins and I know how much it will mean to the kids in Bendigo to see us around town and have the opportunity to watch us train in their pool,” she said.

“It’s fantastic to take this camp out to the regions and ensure we maximise the platform provided by a World Championships in our own backyard to inspire as many of the next generation as we can.”