Propulsion at Swimming SA short course states

On Wednesday 9th of August 2023 at around 8:10pm, after a 40-minute delay, 16 Propulsion swimmers and coaches departed Melbourne Tullamarine Airport for the South Australian State Short Course Championships. Upon arrival at the airport, we were all keen to see if we met Marcus’ luggage limitation of 15kg. Despite some heavy looking suitcases, I think we were all under.

When we arrived late in Adelaide, we waited 15-20 minutes for Marcus and Seb to get our minibus. Once on board we headed for West Beach Parks Resort. By the time we were allocated cabins, we had a group of 15 swimmers, 2 coaches (Marcus and Seb), our super supportive mentors Josh (who also swam) and Domi, alongside an outstanding chef, Angelo, from Giglia Football Academy. When Marcus called (texted) lights out at 11:00pm, I’m pretty sure everyone was ready for bed.

Thursday morning, we were lucky to get a sleep in. After waking at 8:00am, we had breakfast. Then we had a team briefing, followed by a talk by chef Angelo around nutrition. I am sure we all learnt something new. I learnt that I need to drink the same amount of water as sports drinks or use the powder in 600ml of water. Fun followed as we headed to the supermarket to get supplies for the next 4 days. Despite us now being experts on nutrition, plenty of snacks (some which I am sure would not meet our nutrition needs) made their way into our trolleys.

Luckily, Angelo prepared incredible meals to fuel us for the whole camp. We had fully prepared lunch and dinner every day (see photos). Some of my personal favourites were Ramen which had noodles, chicken, beans and celery, and the chicken with potato salad.

Night one finally arrived. Those racing headed to the South Australian Aquatic and Leisure Centre (SAALC) at 3:30pm and those not racing had headed to the Adelaide Aquatic Centre for video analysis and technique work at 1:30pm. At the SAALC, we got our accreditation – which included a photo submitted when we entered the competition - Josh won best picture. After locating marshalling, we chose an area that would be our team space for the meet. The racing started and I think we were relieved to get the first ones out of the way – super efforts to kick it off. The last bus left for the resort at about 9:10 pm. Those on that bus had tea and went to bed. Some of us were already back at the resort, chilling.

Friday to Sunday saw us come and go in groups so we could rest and recover (and eat the best meals ever) when we were not competing. Each day of the competition had a day session followed about 2 hours later by a night session. In between these sessions, we went back to the resort where Angelo had whipped up a healthy meal for lunch.

Saturday night was particularly interesting and unique. Because we were running ahead of schedule, the officials decided to stop the meet and play the penalty shootout for the Matilda’s game on the big screens. Those racing that night got to watch the Matilda’s win. It was an incredible atmosphere.

After the final night of competition, the rooms needed to be cleaned. As I was staying in Adelaide for 2 extra nights, I left at 10:30pm and forgot to help out (Sorry Charlie and Jack). I wish we had an extra couple of days to relax, explore and do some day trips together – but the competition schedule didn’t leave a lot of time for us to do anything else.

Over the 4 days, I had heaps of fun being with the team. There were many great swims, PBs and some finalists. Everyone had a great time (I think), and I can’t wait for the next camp.

Story by Zac M.