Sandys swim journey

 Feeling inspired to try something new and challenge yourself?

Swimming season is gearing up for the summer and we are gettting ready for a great season!

We caught up with our Ambassador Sandy recently  and asked Sandy about her swimming journey and how her training has changed over the years from when she was a teen to becoming a Masters swimmer. 

 


When did you start swimming? 

I first learnt to swim at 4 years old following my brother and sister into the water. I initially wanted to swim purely because my siblings were, however, it fast became one of my favourite activities. 

Learning to swim quickly grew into competitive swimming as a child and teen. I was particularly drawn to middle and distance events favouring the 200m fly, and the 400, 800 and 1500m free. Swimming as a child was so much fun for me but I was also very competitive and always wanted to do my best.

Photochromic mirror gogglesPhotochromic mirror goggles

How do you approach competitions? 

My favourite events from my teen years continued into masters swimming with the middle and distance events still my favourite to swim and focus on, especially for Worlds.

Swimming competitively now is different in that I swim more for fun than worrying about times or where I come, especially in local and state meets. Although, I do take the larger meets, such as the World Championships, very serious. I always train hard and am extremely consistent in training for those meets and with the cost of travelling to another country, I want know I have given it my absolute best.  

Alana Park before a triathlonAlana Park before a triathlon

How has your training changed over the years? 

In my teens I would train 11 sessions per week which consisted of pool swimming, weight training and a lot of running!  However, compared to my teen years, I now only do 4-5 sessions of 1.5 hours in the pool, while also including some stretching, and resistance band work.

My favourite sets to do are made up of 200s and 400s free and include my favourite products which are paddles and pull buoy. 

As I age it is getting so much harder to recover and also, we have learnt that the training we did in the old days was not beneficial overall. It is so important to train smarter and to not overload your body. 

What are your swim goals?

I have goals to compete at both World Aquatics Masters coming up, Japan in 2023 and Doha in 2024. Attending will depend on where I am with training and also it can be very expensive so that always plays a part too.

As an adult, you have work and family commitments that can throw plans out the window so fingers crossed I will be able to make both!

 

 

Alana Park before completing a triathlon Alana Park before completing a triathlon

You can find Sandy on Instagram @swim_sandy_swim

Happy swimming!