By Craig Lord<\/p>\n
LONDON, December 1. THIS morning a bus will pull up outside Loughborough University to drop off a group of the most talented 13 to 16-year-old girls to be fished out of British waters. They will spend the next two days being measured and monitored to find out how their bodies have responded to a pioneering month of altitude training in Mexico and a weekend of racing at the US Open in Texas at their senior international debut. <\/p>\n
In eight years\u2019 time, at least one of them, groomed for the moment by the most knowledgeable coaches and sports scientists, may shed tears as the Union Flag is hoisted in her honour on the highest pole at, votes willing, a London Olympic Games. It is, minus the little blue pills, much as East Germany planned it for its own success 30 years ago. <\/p>\n
Mention of a medals factory long since shamed is far less likely to rattle Bill Sweetenham, the Great Britain performance director who ran the Mexico camp, than the suggestion of fairytale endings. \u201cIt is the last thing on our minds,\u201d he said. \u201cThey are talented young people who need nurturing and guiding, but there are no guarantees on a long and complex journey from 12 to a mature athlete of twentysomething.\u201d <\/p>\n
Systematic plotting of that journey is a cornerstone of the director\u2019s Smart Track programme, a talent-spotting strategy designed to deliver lasting success. As Sweetenham put it: \u201cSomewhere in Britain there is an Ian Thorpe who may not even know he can swim. We have to find him \u2014 and then look after him.\u201d <\/p>\n
To that end, the first comprehensive East German-style assessment of young swimmers in Britain is well under way. Of 1,200 swimmers selected earlier in the year, 160 11 to 14-year-olds (plus bemused parents, being consulted to assess their offsprings\u2019 likely growth, and coaches) and 60 15 to 16-year-olds were screened and scrutinised at Loughborough in October. About 100 who showed the most suitable anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, feel for water and ability to learn were deemed \u201cspecial\u201d. More selections are planned for 2005. \u201cWe intend to keep shaking the tree,\u201d Sweetenham said, to find \u201cthe right raw materials\u201d such as those in the Mexico squad. <\/p>\n
Among them was Elizabeth Simmonds, who ranks among the world\u2019s top 30 as the fastest 13-year-old in the 200 metres backstroke. Her talent was spotted long before the Loughborough exercise but she returns to the talent pool at the university every Friday for assessment. <\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s a great talent and she\u2019s being well looked after,\u201d Sweetenham said, \u201cbut she\u2019s young and it would be unwise to start making predictions.\u201d Graham Bassi, her coach at Lincoln, describes her as \u201cself-sufficient, very organised, disciplined and highly intelligent\u201d, which Sweetenham sees as \u201cessential ingredients to a healthy personal development that all great athletes need\u201d. <\/p>\n
They also need great parents. The information pack handed out at Loughborough emphasises their role as \u201cmum and dad, not hobby coach\u201d. \u201cDoes a child have a 150-mile round trip to training everyday? A recipe for early retirement for swimmer and knackered parents,\u201d Sweetenham said. \u201cAnd is the small-club coach the right man for the job? If so, how can we help? We have to identify strengths and skills early on, hone them over long periods of time in a partnership with educated coaches and educated parents in the best possible training environment.\u201d <\/p>\n
To identify aquatic thoroughbreds, four coaches, including Sweetenham and Don Talbot, the former head of Australian Swimming, assessed swimmers without knowing their names or where they came from. \u201cIt was numbers only, no bias,\u201d Chelsea Warr, the talent identification officer brought in by Sweetenham from his native Australia, said. \u201cIf a child is independently selected for certain qualities by all four assessors, we know there must be something special there.\u201d <\/p>\n
With a nod to the success of the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida, Sweetenham said: \u201cThey are given an old wooden racket, told to bounce a ball to a certain height until told to stop, then Nick retreats to his office with binoculars and watches to see who keeps going, who doesn\u2019t give in, who shows tenacity, persistence, determination, effort. That\u2019s attitude. Talent is one thing, but it\u2019s important not to overlook exceptions. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no reason why Britain cannot make the top three swimming nations in the world by 2012 if it follows the right path. Spotting the best raw materials to work with early on is a critical factor.\u201d <\/p>\n
\nTYPICAL SCHOOLDAY FOR SIMMONDS <\/p>\n
4.30am: gets up. <\/p>\n
4.45am: has light breakfast. <\/p>\n
5.00am: mother, Helen, drives her to pool. <\/p>\n
5.45am: training for two hours. <\/p>\n
8am: home for breakfast. <\/p>\n
8:45am: leaves for school. <\/p>\n
4pm: returns from school. <\/p>\n
4.30pm: training for up to two hours. <\/p>\n
7:00pm: home for dinner and homework. <\/p>\n
8.30pm: bed. <\/p>\n
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