WARRNAMBOOL Swimming Club teenagers Lainey Miller and Blake Turner will have full schedules at the state long-course championships.
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The pair have each qualified for nine events at the six-day Victorian Age Championships in Melbourne, which start on Tuesday.
Lainey, 14, will compete in the 200-metre individual medley, 200m backstroke, 100m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke, 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly, 50m freestyle and 100m backstroke.
Blake, 13, has qualified for the 200m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 100m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 100m backstroke, 200m individual medley, 50m freestyle and two 14 and under boys’ relay teams — the 200m medley and 200m freestyle.
Lainey, who travels from Terang six times a week for training, said while she preferred short-course swimming, she was excited about the state long-course meet.
“I’m very nervous,” she said.
“The challenge will be the 200m butterfly because it will only be the second time I’ve done it and the one I am most looking forward to is the 200m IM.”
“I’ve been training heaps leading up to it.”
The Terang College student said she was always trying to improve her technique.
“My freestyle is not that good,” she said.
“I am trying to stretch out more, get my kick a bit faster and dives a bit better.”
Blake is eyeing national times in the 50m and 100m freestyle events.
The Warrnambool College student is half a second off in both events.
He said he had gradually improved his swimming over the past 12 months after moving across to the club from B2R.
“It’s mainly my arms because they were in the wrong position how I used to swim, so (coach) Jayson (Lamb) has got them in the right position now,” he said. “They were too wide and they pulled the water. It’s made me go a lot faster.”
Warrnambool Swimming Club will send 18 swimmers to the Victorian Age Championships.
Along with Miller and Turner, Jamin Baulch (eight events) and Isaac Jones (seven) also have jam-packed schedules.
Adam Barnes, Brittney Berger, Thomas Buckley, Sean Darcy, Meg Flaherty, Fraser Harrison, Hannah Justin, Rhys Kent, Tayte Lang, William McPhee, Lars Ralph, Ben Raymond, Grace Tanner and Georgina Vallence are Warrnambool’s other entrants.
justine.mc@fairfaxmedia.com.au