China Beckons For Talented 2012 Group

[Taxiandbank]

From http://www.britishswimming.org/vsite/vcontent/content/transnews/0,10869,5026-142440-19728-28293-214399-9137-5014-layout73-159656-news-item,00.html
Abstracted by me.

CHINA BECKONS FOR TALENTED 2012 GROUP

A group of five highly regarded athletes will travel to China on Monday 5th December to compete against the might of a nation a long way down the road in preparing its own Olympics in 2008.

Jordan Tomlinson (Lincoln Vulcans), Jessica Dickons (Stockton ASC), Jemma Lowe (Stockton ASC), Lizzie Simmonds (Lincoln Vulcans) and Ellen Gandy (Beckenham).

Guiding the girls in Shanghai will be British Swimming National Performance Director Bill Sweetenham

The athletes will be supported by their home programme coaches.

We’ll have a doctor on the team to educate the swimmers on health issues while Tim Kerrison and Jodi Cossor will guide them in exercise physiology and biomechanics respectively.

So that is 5 athletes, 4 coaches and 3 staff.
Is this the right balance? Is it economical? I doubt whether the limited TASS funding is paying for all of the party.
I don't question the intent of the trip but do question the balance of 7 staff to 5 athletes, it would have made better economic sense to take at least a few more athletes. (Boys?)

[ruthcp]

I don't question the intent of the trip but do question the balance of 7 staff to 5 athletes, it would have made better economic sense to take at least a few more athletes. (Boys?)

Now, now T&B, no swearing on the forums!! :p

[Haddock]

Re Swimming mag this month.
Bill Sweetenham says that GB will have the best prepared coaches on the deck at the next Olympics.
So maybe its a training trip for coaches.

Last time it was the best prepared swimmers so next time the best prepared coaches may do better.

[Bazza]

Just some more on this (from Swimnews):

Bill Sweetenham the national performance Director who will head the group believes "It's a great opportunity for the girls to learn how to handle long haul travel and compete internationally". Adding "It will promote self-management skills and they'll need to develop their own strategies in order to perform."

A full support team will travel with the group as Sweetenham explains "We'll have a doctor on the team to educate the swimmers on health issues while Tim Kerrison and Jodi Cossor will guide them in exercise physiology and biomechanics respectively."

This group it is believed will be the basis of the future British women's team and Britain is investing in them as part of the Government funded Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme for 2012. But Sweetenham believes "There is a slight chance that some may come through the set prior to 2012 so any experience of China will be of benefit."


Britain is indeed investing heavily in these 5 girls. I hope they don't turn round and give up in a couple of months, as has been known to happen in the past.

[Martin-Y]

How did the swimmers get on in China, I don't recall seeing anything about it so far

[Katie]

I asked my friend in Hong Kong to try and deceipher the Chinese Swimming site for me, and she said there was no mention of it!

[Linny]

Sports World forum usually posts prompt results and reports for Chinese and other Asian events (some threads are in Chinese but are easily translated with babelfish if you are nosey enough) but information this time has been very thin on the ground with remarks made about the lack of reports and results available for publication. The Chinese short course thread is in English and the daily reports issued related only to Chinese record breaking swimmers.

[littlemonkey]

http://www.britishswimming.org/vsite/vcontent/content/transnews/0,10869,5026-142440-19728-28293-217931-9137-5014-layout73-159656-news-item,00.html

I guess british swimming were reading this thread.

[Bazza]

Very impressive swims from Simmonds and Lowe.

I notice the article says it is a government funded trip also.

[lane4]

Very impressive swims from Simmonds and Lowe.

Extremely impressive from Simmonds in particular. I hope British Swimming will publish all the times from the five girls concerned.

We have to remember that the investment in these five girls is with one aim, and one aim only in mind - Olympic medals, hopefully in Beijing, and certainly by London. If it works we'll all be happy, if it doesn't...?

[Katie]

Had it been mentioned anywhere in the articles before they left that this was a short course meet?

[Martin-Y]

Hi Katie

If you hit the link at the top of the page, at the bottom of the article it refers to SC

[greenfly]

Havn't we had other girls in the past that where very good at their ages but what as happened to them since.They were world class at 14,15 with a lot of promise just the same as these girls but what went wrong.Looking at the past lists from the world class potental who is still around swimming.
Is it wise picking them so young before they have matured properly.