Top efforts are needed to get through

The Subway Wanganui Swim team who will compete in the Victoria State Age Group Championships. Manager Neil Forlong, Eleishah Hodson, Jazmin Phillips, Stefan Hannan, Jaimee Schimanski, manager Carla O'Keeffe, coach Jane Lowe. Front row: Sophie Couper, Elena Forlong, Shannon Schimanski, Laura O'Keeffe, Samantha Miller, Jacob Smith. Photo/Rae Cliffe

They will have around seven hours of driving, flying and waiting time before they hit the water but the Subway Wanganui Swim Team are confident they can make a splash at the Victoria State Age Group Championships in Melbourne tomorrow.

Departing Wanganui yesterday in the Transit-provided free van for their drive to Wellington Airport, the team of two boys and eight girls have been under an eight-month rigorous training schedule from coach Jane Lowe to quality and compete across the Tasman.

As well as the best from Victoria, the Wanganui team will be competing against other swimmers classified as "visitors" from New Zealand teams and the other Australian states.

Only two "visitors" are allowed to contest each division final which means a top effort will be needed to get through amongst the competition.

Four of the Wanganui swimmers are seeded in the top 10 in their events including the youngest 13-year-old Shannon Schimanski along with Jacob Smith and Laura O'Keeffe, both 15, and Sophie Couper, 16.

Schimanski was a bronze medallist in the 50m breaststroke at the New Zealand Short Course Champs in October, but as that discipline is not an Olympic event it is not part of the Victoria programme.

O'Keeffe and Smith were members of the Lower North Zone team for the inaugural zonal competition in October, while O'Keeffe is also in the Swimming New Zealand Talent ID programme based on her Fina points for events.

The other team members are Elena Forlong, 14, Eleishah Hodson, 16, and Stefan Hannan, Samantha Miller, Jaimee Schimanski, and Jazmin Phillips, all 15. Also going is coach Lowe and team managers Neil Forlong and Carla O'Keeffe.

They were all involved in a variety of fund-raisers.

They will return on December 20 and have a two-week break for the holidays before building back up for the next four months of competition.