David Hayward
I have just come back from competing in the World Masters Swimming Championships in Perth. They were very successful!
When I was a youngster I used to spend my life in the pool swimming up and down that black line and competing for Australia. When I stopped competitive swimming I continued to swim on a very casual basis to keep up a modicum of fitness and help with chest clearance. About 18 months ago I bumped into an old swim coach who was heavily involved in Masters swimming. He invited me along to a training session and I’ve been hooked ever since.
For those of you who don’t know, Masters Swimming is an organisation which people over twenty years of age can join for “Fitness, fun and friendship” - as the slogan goes. You can also join to compete. The carnivals for NSW clubs are held all over the state. That being said, I don’t make it to all the carnivals since some are too far away to travel to without staying overnight, or staying over for a couple of nights! Every two years the World Championships are held. The Championships are like a mini Olympics with over five thousand competitors. Some of the times are absolutely staggering given the age of the competitors. A 40 year old male swam the 100 meter breaststroke as fast as Liesel Jones. Many of the times witnessed were simply sensational.
I had been preparing for this event for fifteen months. In preparation I would swim six days a week, do two gym sessions a week and try to run two times a week (running is not my forte). I had high hopes of doing personal bests in my two races. The flight over and lousy sleep knocked me around and I was feeling far below my best. With a lot of physio, rest, food and massages I got a bit better each day. CF Western Australia was instrumental in my recovery by organizing a physio table and a physiotherapist for six days before competition. A big thank you to Annika Blank and Fran Hadley from CFWA for all of their hard work.
The highlight of the Championships for me was my 50m breaststroke where I placed 11th in the world. I did a personal best, equaled the State record and am now the equal current fastest in Australia for my age group. I am more than happy with these statistics. I am still improving as I get closer to my old times. I have my sights set on the world record for my age group which is definitely achievable – with a lot of hard work of course! The next Championships are in Sweden in 2010. I would love to go and the training and planning has started already.
Masters is great because people of all ages and abilities can join. Whether you’re 20 or 95, the slowest swimmer in the world or just retired from open competition you’re more than welcome! There are unique rules that make Masters extra special. My wife’s favourite rule is that you can stop swimming in the middle of a race and have a little rest in the middle of the pool or at the end. She thinks this special rule will definitely come in handy if she ever plucks up the courage to swim the 100m butterfly!
Swimming is a huge reason why we I am so well at the grand old age of 43. I cannot praise it highly enough.
