Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Masters NT swimming coach Jac Stirrat says there’s been solid support for a new swimming program in Darwin called Lounge to Laps

Transcript

Masters NT swimming coach Jac Stirrat says there’s been solid support for a new swimming program in Darwin called Lounge to Laps · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: It is always great to hear about different community groups
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: doing wonderful things around the territory. I think everyone knows
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: I've got a soft spot as well when it comes
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: to sport. And I was told a bit earlier in
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: the week about this great program called Lounge to Lapse
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: and joining me in the studio to tell me a
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: little bit more about it is Jack Stirrit. Good morning
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: to you, Jack, Good morning Katie.
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: It's lovely to have you in the studio.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: Now tell me a little bit more about this program,
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Lounge to Lapse.
• 0:27
  Speaker 3: Okay, Well, it's part of the Darwin City of Darwin's
• 0:31
  Speaker 3: Healthy Darwin program and Darwin Stingers applied for a grant
• 0:36
  Speaker 3: and they've been successful in the past and this time
• 0:40
  Speaker 3: we decided that rather than running in the mornings, we
• 0:43
  Speaker 3: would try for an evening program.
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: It's based on Master Swimming.
• 0:47
  Speaker 3: WA's couch to two k program and when I've been
• 0:51
  Speaker 3: coaching in the evenings, I've noticed a lot of public
• 0:53
  Speaker 3: lap swimmers and that you'd just like to go.
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: Can I give you a tip?
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  Speaker 3: So it was really well advertis by Darwin City Council
• 1:02
  Speaker 3: and we allocated sixteen places.
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: And I could have filled another group. We've had that
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: much response. Wonderful.
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: And so what it basically means is that if people
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: are maybe keen to get into the pool, do some
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: laps or get into a little bit more training maybe
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: than what they do when they're just on their own,
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: or maybe they're sitting at home and thinking, I love
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: to get back to the wall.
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: Hopefully it's all of those.
• 1:26
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's really looking at those that are over eighteen,
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  Speaker 3: because that's cod of focusing on masters really for our purposes,
• 1:33
  Speaker 3: and those that can do at least a lap of
• 1:35
  Speaker 3: the pool, we're looking to do stroke correction, build up
• 1:39
  Speaker 3: some endurance for those that can already swim, and build
• 1:44
  Speaker 3: confidence too for those that are just starting out. So
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  Speaker 3: there's quite a range of swimmers across the board in
• 1:49
  Speaker 3: those sixteen to seventeen groups of people.
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: I regin that's a wonderful program, wonderful thing to be doing.
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: And so it's filled up really fast, enormously. You got
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: people of all ages taking them.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, probably from their twenties through to their sixties.
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  Speaker 2: So great, yeah, really good.
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: And so the program is currently running and then is
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: there another intake in February this next year.
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: Yes, we're halfway through the four week program.
• 2:15
  Speaker 3: So we're asked swimmers to commit to four Wednesday evenings
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: and yeah, in the intent was to run it again
• 2:21
  Speaker 3: next February. So with the popularity that we've had from
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: this program, I don't think we'll have any trouble.
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: It sounds like it's been a busy one. Yeah, and Jack,
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  Speaker 1: I know that that the Darwin Stingers are a fantastic
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: semen club as well. For anybody out there listening right
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: now who doesn't know much about the Darwin Stingers, tell
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: them a little bit about you guys.
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  Speaker 3: We only need to be over eighteen and preferably be
• 2:46
  Speaker 3: able to swim, even if it's only a small short distance.
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  Speaker 3: There's groups that are squads that cater for those that
• 2:53
  Speaker 3: can only just swim right through to those training for
• 2:57
  Speaker 3: competition events.
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: So really catering for everything.
• 3:00
  Speaker 3: There's about thirteen sessions a week that really pick up anybody,
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  Speaker 3: and we're hopefully that when these people have got confidence.
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  Speaker 2: They'd like to stay on and join a group and
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  Speaker 2: do some more.
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I reckon it's Look, I'm a big advocate for sport,
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  Speaker 1: but I absolutely love swimming and I always think that
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: swimming is something you can do right from when you're
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: a little one right to when you are much much older.
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: And I know that you've actually currently got one of
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: your swimmers, one of your Darwin Stingers, Maggie Roberts. She
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: is off at the Pan Pacific Games, at the Gold Coast.
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: Years, at the Masters Games. There is I think there's
• 3:35
  Speaker 3: something like six thousand people. They're enormously popular. She's our
• 3:39
  Speaker 3: sole representative this time, and she's in the eighty five
• 3:42
  Speaker 3: to eighty nine year age.
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: Group, so she should do really well.
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  Speaker 3: She's very competitive in that age group.
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  Speaker 1: What an absolute legend? Is she one of the older
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  Speaker 1: swimmers that you've got or what age group have you
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  Speaker 1: got that?
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  Speaker 2: Take us some in twenty to twenty five for age group.
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  Speaker 3: And right up to we've actually got one swimmer in
• 4:00
  Speaker 3: the ninety to ninety four age group.
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  Speaker 2: How phenomenal. It is pretty good.
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  Speaker 1: What a great way to keep people moving and keep
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: people active. And Jack, I understand as well that you
• 4:10
  Speaker 1: were recently awarded life membership with Swimming NT.
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: Yes, yes I was.
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  Speaker 3: It was very unexpected and although I haven't done quite
• 4:19
  Speaker 3: as much in recent years, it does go back to
• 4:21
  Speaker 3: like come starting back in the nineteen early eighties, on you. Ay, Yeah,
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  Speaker 3: with my parents who are both Life members and international officials,
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  Speaker 3: and I guess they've just kind of passed on that
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  Speaker 3: well after being dragged in there.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah for that.
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  Speaker 3: So some people don't remember some of the work that
• 4:38
  Speaker 3: I've done, but yeah, it does go back a long way.
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: Jack On, the daughter of a swimming coach back in Queensland,
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  Speaker 1: so I know what it's like being dragged to swimming
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  Speaker 1: carnivals and dragged to swimming training as well, and all
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: sorts of things when you're a kid. Hey, good on you.
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  Speaker 1: I think what the Darwin Stingers is fantastic. I see
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  Speaker 1: you guys at quite a few of the different carnivals
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  Speaker 1: that my kids are competing. I've seen you on the
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  Speaker 1: pool and I just think it's really wonderful to see,
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: you know, to see some of our seniors out there
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  Speaker 1: competing part of it all, and what a wonderful way.
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: To encourage other people to do it too. Yeah, yeah,
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: it's been good Jack, Good on you.
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: Lovely to speak to you this morning, and thank you
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: so much for coming in and telling us a little
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: bit more about well not only about the Lounge to
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: Lapse program, but a bit more about the Darwin Stingers.
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: If there is anybody out there listening this morning going
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: there thinking, oh I used to you know, I'd.
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: Be not a bad swimmer.
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  Speaker 1: I'd love to take part in swimming and I can swim,
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: you know, I can swim pretty competently. But I'd like
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: to join the club. Where can they go to, Well,
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: there's probably two places.
• 5:36
  Speaker 3: They can go to the Masters Swimming Northern Territory Facebook
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  Speaker 3: page and find out a lot of information locally, or
• 5:42
  Speaker 3: they can go to Masterswimming Australia dot org and look
• 5:46
  Speaker 3: for the Northern Territory section there for the branch.
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: Wonderful stuff. Jack Stirrett, it is lovely to speak to
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  Speaker 1: you this morning. Thanks so much for coming in and
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: having a chat with me.
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: Thank you, Katie, thank you,