Swimmers navigate against the 'elements'

When it comes to overcoming adversity in the shape of arduous, almost prohibitive, training schedules few sports disciplines can be compared to swimming. The testing time is competition and that, too, can present stumbling blocks to the athletes.

Such a predicament was in evidence on Saturday when a number of swimmers were engaged in the third age-group meeting at Tal-Qroqq, the last in the winter cycle. Among them was GSSE medallist Angela Galea, who is back for a short break from England where she is currently on a dancing scholarship.

This time it was the cool December weather which may have pushed to the limit some of the swimmers' disposition to go on the starting blocks and thus keep up their appointment with the last chance of beating the deadline for an age-group record, or at least improve their personal best time. However, the enthusiasm and competitive spirit of the swimmers were commendable.

Oleg Kreker, the Russian coach in charge of the 'A' squad, was cautiously optimistic that there would be desirable results in the months ahead.

"The swimmers so far have been clocking times close to their personal bests and in some cases not far away from national or age-group records, and this is a good sign in view of the second and third cycles of the season," Kreker remarked.

"The age-group record of 2:20.07 in the 200m 'fly by Neil Agius was the highest point of the afternoon, but there were also good performances from Roberta and Lara Callus and Davina Mangion. Matthew Pace has shown a vast improvement," he said.

Gail Rizzo, too, was satisfied with the work done so far.

"The swimmers have done pretty well in this first cycle. Besides the established faces in the 'A' squad, we are now turning our eyes on Francesca Paolella, Tamsyn Scior-tino, Adrian Buttigieg, Paul Herrera, Kim Sacco and Dorisa Gaggi among others. They are coming on nicely.

"In the younger group, Talisa Pace is a very good prospect, topping the 'A' age-group figures in all strokes. Kim Attard, Rowena Pace, Gianella Gauci, Melinda Sue Micallef, Maxine Scerri and Larissa Falzon, in the older age-groups, are also showing promise," Rizzo added.

Promising talent

The talent in the male section is obviously spearheaded by Kyle Scerri who is performing consistently to his standards.

The younger faces are Daniel Galea, Gabriel Pace, Edward Caruana Dingli and Andrea Agius, while the female fledglings are Rebecca Dalli, Nicola Muscat and Roxanne Agius.

The next step, however, should be an incursion in the domain of Gail Rizzo, John J. Tabone, Christian Gialanze, Stephanie Schranz, Christine Cachia and some other former swimmers who still hold age-group and national records, most of which have been standing for far too long now.

Realistically, unless there is a brisk turnover of names in these records, we can say that the sport has remained static. It is a pity that in spite of the efforts put in by the Swimming Board, under the chairmanship of Michael Gialanze, the stark truth is that this sport tends to suffer from hiccups as far as constant attention from the authorities is concerned. This mostly in financial and technical terms.

The unhealthy financial situation was referred to by ASA president Robert Ebejer during the association's annual general meeting last week. The lack of funds could be also self-inflicted since there is little to suggest that the ASA can embark on a viable marketing strategy to boost its coffers.

The complex and amenities for this sport are not lacking, even if the proviso is that optimal use should be made of such facilities. That requires funds. So does the need for exposure of our athletes to foreign competition in build-up phases.

It is a known fact that swimmers have long been forking out most of the expenses when they have to compete in 'preparation' meetings abroad. Those in the national squad are also partly contributing towards the remuneration of the coaches, who in the words of the ASA president "are doing a good job."

This certainly shows goodwill on the part of the swimmers and their families, with financial constraints being put behind their backs in order to enhance the standard of the sport.

No doubt, the Malta Olympic Committee and the government are also playing their part through technical and financial assistance. However, the question one asks is whether the preparatory backing is constant or just limited to the immediate period leading up to international events where our athletes are involved.

Come the next GSSE and technical and financial needs for a further push in swimming, and any other sport for that matter, might be sounded as the event draws near. Is this working by fits and starts conducive to sound planning, one may ask?

It is exposure to such 'elements' that is rocking the swimmers' boat. Stable, long-term planning is a pre-requisite for a better future in this and any other sport.