Competition Day
The rain in Durban was relentless but fortunately, we had a relatively clear day on Friday, the day of the competition. Mixed was scheduled for late afternoon so we had a long wait. Ayrton started the day by exploding an egg in the microwave, but fortunately that was the only mishap. Making history is always a little stressful, but we kept the mood light and upbeat. Laura was also swimming Tech Solo in the morning so focus was on her preparation for what was an important event for her. Jadi and Kenzie also had their figures that night - in the rain - which we had prepared for the week before! These two are ones to look out for in the future!
So there was lots to do on the first day.
Tech Solo went well, Laura won comfortably, which helped keep everyone positive.
If there were nerves, Laura and Ayrton didn't show it and we kept them warm and relaxed before the swim. For the swim-through 30 mins before, we kept it light working key transitions in the routine without over doing it.
The swim went very well, the scores were higher than we had hoped for and the first ever Mixed Duet in SA and Africa was a resounding success. The scores qualified the Mixed for selection for World Champs which was added excitement - although we still needed to wait for official selection confirmation.
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Ayrtons Soliloquy
Quick Road to Nationals
Vicky, Laura and Ayrton a few minutes before their swim
In their own words - showing off some good editing skills - for the right reasons!
With Ashley, Laura's sister, who was an inspiration to a 5yr old Laura all those years ago.
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We did it. Relief after a great swim. Ayrton confessed to shedding a tear here.
Top: Good angles!
Bottom: The pool practice paid off - flying high afterwards. Photo credit: Theo Jeptha ANA
Making history. The first ever Mixed Duet in SA and Africa.
While the rain let up at the right times during the competition, on the Monday and Tuesday afterwards, widespread and devastating flooding hit Durban and the Natal coastal areas. Sadly this resulted in a large loss of life and our thoughts were with all those affected as we traveled home.
World Champs
The Mixed Duet had qualified for World Champs by virtue of the score they received of over 60 - in fact very close to the leading competition duet scores. While the competition took place on 8 April it would be a whole month later on 6 May, a mere 5 weeks before World Champs departure, that the Team was finally announced which included the Mixed Duet. We had learnt from the Olympics, when it took a whole 2 months to announce the team, a mere 4 weeks before departure. We knew we had qualified and it was very unlikely that the Mixed would not be selected so we had 2 months to make adjustments. Laura adjusted the music to add a few different rhythms and Vicky changed some of the choreography to add a bit more interest in some pieces as Ayrton was now capable of doing a few more difficult moves.
A training camp was arranged in Johannesburg where all the changes were made and perfected. We did this in a shallow pool and this was hugely effective in helping to fast track the changes. We were training on risk, but we could not leave it until the team was announced - we knew it would then be far too late to make changes.
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Some new choreo
We are still not sure what this was going to be. It did not make it into the routine!
Getting the new choreo matched.
After the Camp, we received this message from Ayrton. Coaches always appreciate that their work is appreciated. Thank you Ayrton!
Hi Team
Just wanted to say thank you for having me this weekend. It was great and has left me confident for worlds.
Vicky, I just want to say how incredible of a coach you are. I don’t think you know it sometimes but as an athlete that has worked with many of the best coaches around the world, you are up there for sure. Your ability to manage different personalities and tackle them differently is hard to come by. I appreciate your approach to me (being new to synchro) and whenever I touch base with you, you make me feel ready for anything and I thank you for that. You are able to unlock the true potential of an athlete and I’m speaking about my experience personally. I love training with you and never hate it. That’s all because of you.
And Dave, thank you for your countless efforts to provide the ideal training environment and making me (and anyone I’m sure) feel welcome. It’s not often that you find someone who is dedicated to the athletes experience. You are that guy and you make things happen out of nothing and that’s a true testament of a player. When I say player, I mean someone who gets things done, no questions but only answers. As me and my boys call it, a plug. Someone you can count on. I appreciate your efforts and they don’t go unnoticed.
Vicky and Dave, thank you for everything so far and I know you will have great success with the track that you are on. Not to say that you haven’t succeeded already but I don’t believe in present success as there is always another level and I’m certain you will keep leveling up.
Thanks guys for an awesome weekend and can’t wait to smash worlds together.
As training for World Champs reaches it's conclusion, we look forward to seeing where this goes in the future.
Final practice swim before departing - thank you to those who came to support
