The Warrnambool Swimming Club (WSC) member is scheduled to feature in a 200-metre freestyle heat with the five-time Olympic gold medallist and winner of 11 world titles.

While the 2012 Victorian Open Championships event will provide the teenager with an unrivalled thrill, WSC head coach Jayson Lamb believed that racing against the champion would not faze the unflappable Jones.

“You just do it as your own race and treat it like normal,” Lamb said.

“You can’t control what anyone else does.”

Thorpe’s seed time in the 200m freestyle as he continues his comeback is one minute and 51.51 seconds, while Jones’ seed time is 1:55.15.

The 16-year-old is coming off a stellar period, taking out the opening round of the Shipwreck Coast Swim Series in Port Fairy on January 2 and collecting the age champion title at the state championships last month.

He is also heading to the Olympic trials in Adelaide in March.

Jones is one of seven WSC members competing in the Victorian Open Championships, with Brittney Berger, Melody Keath, Kirra Umbers, Daniel Unwin and twin brothers Jack and Michael Paulka also swimming at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre.

“There’s a few trying to get qualifying times for the Olympic trials and some are trying to get national age championship times,” Lamb said. “Some are just going for a hit-out.

“It’s going to be good experience because it’s a quality field, being an Olympic year. There are a lot of swimmers from overseas.”

Lamb said the WSC group has been completing between six and eight training sessions in the pool a week.

The coach was pleased that there were open WSC members such as Keath and the Paulkas to complement the club’s young guns.

“We’ve probably got half-a-dozen open swimmers at the club, which we haven’t really had before,” he said.

The Victorian Open Championships start tomorrow and finish Sunday.