THE CANBERRA DOLPHINS SWIM TO AYWPC

The Canberra Dolphins are going the distance...1200km to be exact - the distance between Canberra and Brisbane.

This year, the Canberra Dolphins took part in a Swim-a-thon to raise money for their trip to Brisbane for the Australian Youth Water Polo Championships.

Water Polo ACT Executive Officer Ryan McDermott said the Swim-a-thon was created as a fundraising option for the teams but also an opportunity for the whole Canberra Dolphins community to get involved.

“A few parents were looking at a fundraising option for one of the teams and we decided to expand that idea to include the whole Canberra Dolphins community,” McDermott said.

“It also got the whole community together working towards a common goal and building connections between the squads,” he said.

The Canberra Dolphins have six teams headed to the AYWPC this year, two more than last.

The swim-a-thon required each of the 60 athletes to swim 20km and as a team that equals the 1200km distance between Canberra and Brisbane.

“This is on top of their regular training, a lot of them swam twice a week which got them closer to their goal and then some of the kids are in swim squads and have swum close to 50kms over the month,” McDermott said.

The Canberra Dolphins haven’t had much practice with teams outside of the ACT because of COVID-19 travel restrictions during the last 12 months.

Before COVID the team trainings were also disrupted by the bushfires and the smoke that affected the Australian capital. These setbacks have only made the Dolphins more determined and excited for AYWPC.

“After it got postponed, it has been in the back of the kids minds that it might not go ahead so they are definitely excited to be heading up in around three weeks for the Championships,” McDermott said.

COVID has only strengthened the Canberra Dolphins community, with their participation base growing.

“Canberra is up 10% in participation coming out of the pandemic which is really exciting. People are looking for organised sport and we have seen people return to the sport as well new players as well,” McDermott said.

The Australian Youth Water Polo Championships kick off in Brisbane on April 7, with the 14&U and 18&U held from 7-11 April and the 12&U and 16&U taking place from 13-17 April 2021.

The 2021 Australian Youth Water Polo Championships is a COVID Safe event in compliance with QLD Health guidelines.

For tickets to the 2021 Australian Youth Water Polo Championships - click here

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