Bevan Smith - My Story

When COVID-19 started in Australia and everything started shutting down, the news that National Age in Perth, as well as CHS and potentially All Schools had been cancelled was devastating. I had worked towards these competitions for basically twelve months, then all of a sudden it was gone. But I was not the only one in that situation.

SO WHAT NEXT?

I still wanted to keep swimming, but with both our pools – the Manning Aquatic Leisure Centre and Forster Aquatic where I trained – closed until further notice, I came up with a plan. Mum and her friend made up some bungie cords that we tied to the fence around the pool at my house. This kept us stationary in a ten metre pool so that we could keep swimming as if it were a distance. Sometimes it was a competition to see if we could make it to the other end of the pool before the bungie snapped us back again. To build strength in my legs I would skip, ride my mountain bike 22 kilometres most days, as well as dryland training.

As small groups were allowed to gather again, I started to swim with a small group of Taree Torpedoes friends at Forster in the lake, as the ocean pools were still closed. We swam every day and then made it home in time to do our schoolwork online. Swimming against or with the current was a new challenge and became our competitor instead of other swimmers. It was a real change of scenery. Instead of following a black line, we were following stingrays, fish and other marine life – quite exhilarating really! We swam in the lake until the beginning of June because when school started back it was hard to swim in the lake and make it back to school in time.

My mates and I ended up challenging each other for runs through social media. We would track our results and compare them to see who went the furthest and fastest. Having a close knit group of Taree Torpedoes friends who were willing to do things together kept us going through this time.  Once we were allowed back together again, some long bike rides started to take place, starting at Old Bar and riding along the bush tracks. We started at 30 kilometres and ended up doing 70 kilometres in one go. The only thing we had to contend with was Charlie’s bike and his chain braking. The first time we managed to hit it back together with rocks. The next time we were not so lucky and had to call our parents.

By this time the mornings and afternoons were getting darker and the bait fish were running. Mum was concerned with us swimming in the lake, because if there were bait fish, there was going to be something else chasing them.

By now our council had reopened the ocean pools at Blackhead and Forster, and we started swimming back there. On weekdays, we mostly swam at Blackhead because it was closer to school for us. Now the water temperature is averaging 14 degrees and the outside temperature has been as low as six degrees. But we still manage to swim for an hour at a time, hopping out of the pool with numb toes and fingers, but at least it still keeps the muscle memory in place and the arms and legs moving (it certainly wakes you up in the morning and refreshes you later in the afternoon).

My biggest challenge, with backstroke being my favourite stroke, was staying in a straight line. With no lane ropes, it is impossible to swim in a straight line.

With the prospect of our aquatic centres opening again soon, we are aiming to keep swimming in the ocean pools until we can get back into training for the summer season. I’m looking forward to seeing how we can improve and what we can achieve next season.

While COVID-19 has been a challenge to us all, sometimes a challenge like this makes you think outside the box to keep being able to do the things you like or want to keep doing. And at the end of the day, I think it will make us stronger and more determined to achieve our goals.