If the old adage 'practice makes perfect' is anything to go by, it would explain why so many Gloucester Thunderbolts Swim Club members took away titles at the recent Gloucester High School Swim Carnival.
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And if there was any doubt about sporting ability being part of genetics, then all you have to do is check out the stack of siblings on the winning list. There are fair few matching surnames under the champions and runners-up columns from the February 3 competition.
What's even more amazing was how two sets of twins took out the top titles in their age groups.
The 14 years division saw Mackenzie Schafer win champion girl and her brother Zac win champion boy, while in the 15 years division, it was Danieka and Hamish Wakefield.
While they took part in as many races as they could, they each have their favourite.
For Mackenzie, it's butterfly because she likes the challenge, while Zac is all about the 50 metre freestyle because it's short and quick. His sentiment is shared by Hamish, who also likes the short freestyle race, whereas Danieka enjoys freestyle 100 metre and longer.
Like many of the champions, the Schafer and Wakefield families have been a part of Gloucester's swim club since they were able to swim the length of the pool.
Some of them take part in the squads training sessions held from Monday to Wednesday in the afternoons in preparation for the big swim club night each Thursday during the swim season
Thursday evenings are all about members racing against themselves, trying hard to beat their personal best times. It's a bit of social fun for the whole family with swimming events for both the children and the parents.
But when it comes to the school swimming carnival, it's all about racing against others in your age group. To be the champion of your age division, you need to earn the most points. These are allocated by placings for each event (1st place - 4 points, 2nd - 3 points, 3rd - 2 points and 4th -1 point)
GHS teacher and swim carnival organiser, Adam Cameron is pretty impressed with the results from this year's carnival.
"We have 34 swimmers going to zone in Taree on Tuesday (February 16)," Adam said.
He was also impressed by the number of siblings who landed in the top two spots. Joining the two sets of turbo twins in the family affair were Natalie and Brad Rayner, Jacob and Harrison Edwards, and Charles, Bonnie and Ruby Tonks.
Anne Keen
Anne has been a journalist with the ACM (Australia Community Media) since 2016. She primarily works at the Gloucester Advocate but also contributes to the Manning River Times.
Anne has been a journalist with the ACM (Australia Community Media) since 2016. She primarily works at the Gloucester Advocate but also contributes to the Manning River Times.
