While current Swimming Australia leadership is talking about implementing elite international team pre-selection procedures as a possible change in direction after the nation under-performed in Rio, a past Australian voice is calling for a coaching overhaul as a solution.
At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, the Australian team carried with it a current World Record Holder and the fastest 100m freestyle ever in a textile suit in Cate Campbell and Cameron McEvoy, yet both were medal-less in their individual events at the end of the meet. Emily Seebohm, Mitch Larkin and Bronte Campbell were all double World Champions in 2015, yet brought home just one individual silver medal among them. Pegged to win anywhere from 8 to 11 gold medals in Rio, the Australian pool contingency swam away with just 3.
In response, Bill Sweetenham, who coached at the Australian Institution of Sport (AIS) in the 1980s and 1990s before becoming National Youth Coach for Swimming Australia in 1995, is calling for Aussie Head Coach Jacco Verhaeren and High Performance Manager Wayne Lomas to step down and for fresh leadership to take over.
Speaking with The Daily Telegraph, Sweetenham said, “The problem lies within the leadership of Swimming Australia. John Bertrand, [Swimming Australia CEO] Mark Anderson [Swimming Australia High Performance Director] are honourable people, given that, they should do the honourable thing, they should stand down and hand the reins over to a new generation.”
Relating the running of a national swimming organization to an everyday business, Sweetenham says, “This is normal practice in any corporation or business, especially if you expose to the world, how wonderful things are going, you set high expectations that put the athletes under pressure.
“Every athlete that went to the Olympics felt they had to achieve a minimum of eight gold medals — and probably an expectation of 10.”
“Who wants to perform in that environment?, Sweetenham asks rhetorically. “This time it is not the athletes. This is not an athlete issue. It is a leadership issue.”
While Verhaeren chalked up the relative poor performances of Cameron McEvoy and Cate Campbell to a case of nerves and stage fright, Sweetenham has no qualms pointing the finger at coaches.
“This is not an athlete problem, it’s a leadership problem,” Sweetenham said. “To fix it? Before a review — John Bertrand must do the honourable thing and walk away.”
“Mark Anderson should do the honourable thing and walk away. Wayne Lomas, perhaps, age group swimming somewhere. And Jacco? He should be appointed the sprint coach for Australian swimming.
In Sweetenham’s opinion, “Michael Bohl should be appointed the head coach.” Bohl is the current Head Coach of St. Peters Western, the home club of seven 2016 Olympians including Mitch Larkin, Madeline Groves and Emma McKeon.
When evaluating the green and gold’s lackluster performances, Sweetenham also explains what he calls ‘a preparation problem.’ “These athletes are some of the most experienced athletes in the world. Cam McEvoy, it’s his second Olympics, he’s been to a world championship. Emily Seebohm and the Campbell sisters are very seasoned athletes.”
“Allowing swimmers to break records a month out from the Olympics? The managers saying what a perfect preparation? You put yourself under pressure. Cate Campbell is one of the most perfect swimmers we’ve ever seen but she was misled with advice.”
“The psychologists and the media managers got it wrong. They provided bad advice.
“The athletes did not get it wrong.”
“Some of our athletes were happy, socialising, and the inexperienced media people were saying; ‘look how relaxed they are, look how happy they are’ … and they didn’t win any bloody thing.”
i had to google who this joker is. he sounds a bit old school. i think us aussies are quite proud of our team, despite the media hype before, AOC predictions as well, and you know 3 medals is awesome population wise. says a lot about swimming australia though when they say too many qualifiers for nationals, and the USA are gloating about the number of qualifiers. that has to change immediately. we need a bigger pool to pick from.
I, for one, think they should just swim faster.
Lots of talk about the Australians.. but is it me or the French underperformed too? I waiting on Agnel to do something… Stravius.. Gilot.. Bousquet… lacourt… relays.. :O
Bertram, Anderson & the rest of the board have all seen these videos taken by SAL Sport Scientist Danielle Formosa in 2014, 3 weeks apart. Patterson was coached by Platinum Coach Jan Cameron. Theres some explaining to be done from the top down.
Freestyle
Lakeisha Patterson Australian Swimming Championships March 2014 competing as S7 100 freestyle
Watch this video on Vimeo:
https://vimeo.com/178847255
Lakeisha Patterson Brazil S8 Classification April 2014 100 freestyle
Watch this video on Vimeo:
https://vimeo.com/178847070
Backstroke
Lakeisha Paterson S7 Classification Australian a swimming Championships March 2014 100 backstroke
https://vimeo.com/178850740
Lakeisha Paterson S8 Classification Brazil Open April 2014 100 backstroke
https://vimeo.com/178851467
Lakeisha Paterson S8 Classification Brazil Open April 2014 50 backstroke
https://vimeo.com/178852026
John Barnes
I am greatly concerned that you have video footage of a child under the age of 18 years in which you have obtained without consent from either the person depicted within the footage or the author and owner of the footage who holds all rights to the content. Further more you have distributed the footage beyond its intended purposes and motives contrary to the original purpose of producing the footage. I would think that SWIMSWAM should look closely as to whether this type of posts violate their own code of conduct.
I’m all for fairness and transparency but I draw the line at continued and sustained vilification of a minor. Please use the appropriate channels to express any… Read more »
Global Para Fan
1 All children under the age of 18 are children
2 Why would you know what the intended purposes and motives were and that by posting, my intentions were contrary to the original purpose of producing the video?
Perhaps the intention was to point out IM but the person responsible for the video couldn’t come forward? Just a thought.
3 What makes you think that I did not have permission to post these videos that are freely being shared among those gravely concerned about the integrity of para sport?
4 The ‘child’ is clearly cheating and worse is fully supported by Australian Swimming Senior staff. I think that is a far greater concern than… Read more »
post on a thread about the integrity of para sport then. but having known lucky for a long long time, i doubt there is any cheating deliberately on her part – she has good days and bad days. my daughter was delighted to swim a gift race with her. there seems to be a switch to athletes with less disability and more ability in some classifications. lots of coaches standing around pools with rules books in there hands these days in all swimming.
Just wait for the fall out from the Paralympics, it all sits under the same umbrella …. fertiliser is going to be hitting that fan head on. That’s some rug they have for sweeping stuff under. I’ve dug up and posted some very interesting video of Lakeisha Patterson from 2014 … ticking time bomb
Sweetenham has it about 75% right.
Sailor Boy Bertrand should be handed a loaded revolver and asked to step into the next room. In fact the entire SAL board & CEO have to go. Lomas … not certain, allow that one to come out during the inevitable post mortems.
He is completely on the money re preparation …. but who does this come back upon ? It shouldn’t be Verhaeren; he is not responsible for the preparation/tapers of individual swimmers but rather the individual coaches themselves. Team management & support staff certainly should be reviewed but let that come out during the post mortems
Where he is very wrong is assuming that the next generation of administrators and more importantly… Read more »
Good old Bill telling it how it really is.
Truth hurts
Aussie swimming overrated, still living in the Thorpe and hacket era, America responded with a truly golden generation led by phelps, Aussie response, a bunch of bottlers on the big stage.
Credit to Horton to getting the job done on day1, if the 400 was on day6 he might of missed final with the Aussie culture of underperforming.
HIs reaction is stupid…they swam bad so fire everyone.
This guy just like to blow a bunch of hot air…