Uncertain Beginnings
It was at a Team Phoenix High Performance Training Camp in Cape Town, on Sunday 16 January 2022, that Ayrton Sweeney, at whose pool facility we were holding the camp, popped in to check everything was going okay at the pool. Laura jokingly asked him to come and try some synchro just for fun. Thinking he would last only a few minutes Vicky and Laura were surprised when he was catching on faster than usual to a few of the basic moves and after just 90 minutes of practice - they produced this.
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Dave saw the video which was posted on the Team Phoenix whatsapp group and, impressed, sent Ayrton a message on Instagram and at the same time sent a message to Laura:
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With a bit of match making completed, Vicky, Laura and Ayrton sat down at a local coffee shop and started discussing what it would take to actually put together a Mixed Duet.
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As the Nationals Program does not include a Mixed Duet, we needed to get it added to the program as soon as possible and we also needed to make sure that it could qualify and be selected for World Champs. Dave immediately contacted the Chair of the Technical Committee and the Chair of the Selection Committee and the SA Artistic FINA rep to request that the Mixed Duet was included in the program and to determine if it could be selected for World Champs. Even though we had no routine yet and did not know if WC was even realistic, we wanted to make sure that it could be a possibility - which would give added motivation to the athletes. About a month later it was confirmed that the Mixed Duet was on the program and could be selected for World Champs.
SA Nationals was only 10 weeks away. As challenges go - this was pretty big. We needed to teach a male swimmer synchro from scratch, choreograph a new routine for a mixed duet - never done before in SA, then coach it to a level which was acceptable for competition. And just to make it a bit more interesting the coach and athletes were on different sides of the country. This was deja vu for Laura from 2020!! But this time we really only had 10 weeks. From a coaching aspect, we were pairing an Olympic athlete with a complete novice - we are not sure this has ever been attempted anywhere and it would require exceptional skill to manage and deliver an acceptable outcome.
Team Phoenix never backs down from a challenge and with Laura and Ayrton warming to the idea over the next week or so the Mixed was on! We are not sure that Ayrton realised quite was he was getting himself into, but as a SA 400IM & 200M Breaststroke speed swimmer he was no stranger to tough assignments. This may just be his toughest yet!
Learning from the past Nationals: 10 weeks Ayrton: 0 weeks
With the benefit of a hugely challenging Olympic task successfully completed 6 months earlier, Vicky and Team Phoenix were able to draw on the lessons learned, to structure the training regime and set comprehensive training schedules for Ayrton to follow. Laura and Tanya (assistant coach in Cape Town) would be in charge of making sure Ayrton was keeping up with stretching and water work with Vicky on video feedback and zoom keeping an eye on progress. Enormous credit must go to Tanya and Laura who spent many hours in the pool teaching Ayrton basic sculling and body control and hours and hours of stretching over the next few weeks. Men are generally NOT flexible. Tanya was almost always on the deck, drilling Vicky's schedules or taking video and pictures to document progress.
Both Ayrton and Laura work full time and do not always have free time at the same times - so training together was tough and at odd hours of the day - often squeezed in between their clients and business meetings. Compared to speed swimming, Artistic Swimming requires easily double the amount of training time and a very different way of preparing for competitions, so this was a big adjustment for Ayrton to adapt to these new demands. It was also an adjustment for the team (Vicky, Tanya & Laura) to go from coaching and swimming with two female athletes to coaching and swimming with a male and a female athlete who think differently and have completely different body structures. Techniques that generally work with all female athletes don't always work the same with a male athlete.
Tough but Fun Nationals: 8 weeks Ayrton: 2 weeks
But while it was hard work, both athletes had hours of fun (a key ingredient in any training) - Laura admits they both spent lots of time laughing as Ayrton attempted to master the moves, to the extent she said her abs hurt from all the laughing. The positive chemistry between both athletes was a huge benefit to being able to progress quickly, it helped the duet to be able to connect and train and be on the same page. They spent weeks together doing both land and water work to fast track Ayrton's learning.
Early days training the basics
Lau's laugh - unmistakable!
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Initial Choreography
The initial challenge with trying to choreograph a routine was that Ayrton was still learning the basics of synchro and there were very few moves that he had learnt in his first few days of training. We were not sure how much Ayrton would be able to do and, more importantly, be able to execute well. Laura spent time finding the right music to set the theme for the routine, which was going to be fun and upbeat and easy to count, rather than the standard "Romeo and Juliet" type themes. Laura loves lifts and being the flyer, and that was something Ayrton was really good at from day 1, so they started working on arm sequences and practicing lift options.
Lift Practice
Clarissa joined Tanya at the poolside when she could, to add creative input as bits and pieces started to come together. Vicky meanwhile was busy in Joburg putting the whole routine together conceptually and sequencing the arm and leg pieces that would give the routine the right feel. Laura says: "Vicky always has a really good strategy when it comes to routines, making sure the athletes know what the judges are looking for (making us read the judges manual) and then focusing on your strengths to lift the routine while we work on our weaknesses so that we can add those in when the time is right." The first training camp was around the corner and would be decisive in helping Ayrton get to grips with the challenges. We didn't count on another challenge though...
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