Diving deep with SPW Olympians

Some days you come to school and learn Maths. Other days, you turn up and get the chance to speak one-on-one with a group of Olympic superstars, or, at least, you do if you’re a St Peters student!

KELSEY BRICKNELL | Communications officer

If you missed the Olympics in July (we’re not sure how!), you might not have heard about all the Old Scholars and current St Peters students competing in Japan. From Pita Taufatofua (2000), who represented Tonga in Taekwondo, to our nine St Peters Western (SPW) representatives—Madi Wilson (2011), Abbey Harkin (2016), Eve Thomas (2018), Ariarne Titmus (2018), Mollie O’Callaghan (2021), Mitch Larkin (SPW), Meg Harris (SPW), Elijah Winnington (SPW) and St Peters Swimming Head Coach, Dean Boxall, the College really did have a lot to cheer for! But while we were cheering, we were also mindful of all the questions our Olympians were fielding. Rather than asking them to repeat themselves upon their return, we decided to change things up a bit.

At the start of Term 4, we asked four Years 5 and 6 students to interview a group of our St Peters Swimming Olympians. Chelsea George, Zahra Olowoniyi, Isabella Lau and Luke Aldridge, all budding swimmers themselves, jumped at the chance to talk to their heroes. They spoke to Abbey, Eve, Ariarne, Mollie and Dean, and conducted an incredible interview. So, how did it start? With Isabella asking Ariarne what’s the most important thing to do when you race.

“I think it is to worry about yourself,” Arnie shared. “So, when you’re racing, really stick to your plan…don’t worry about what other people are doing, just worry about yourself.”

Eve continued with similar advice when asked by Luke how she measures success. “

I think, in the pool, you can only compare yourself to yourself,” she said. “So, in terms of success, it’s about bettering yourself. For me, I measure my PBs and that kind of thing, rather than going off someone else’s.”

“My head was pretty calm,” Ariarne said, surprising everyone. “I was actually just enjoying watching the racing on the TV screen in there. But I was also just trying to stay relaxed and not worry too much.”

Ariarne confessed that, before a race, she tries not to think too much, especially about her race. For her, it’s all about conserving energy and keeping her nerves in check. Similarly, for Mollie, pre-race distraction is a big thing.

“I like to talk a lot, especially in Marshalling” Mollie shared with Year 5 student, Chelsea. “Different people have different ways of coping, but leading up to it, I like to distract myself with random things, like talking and fidgeting.”

On the other end of the scale, quite obviously, is the famous energy of Dean Boxall and our students didn’t shy away from asking him all about it either!

“Do you get as excited for other people swimming as you did at the Olympics?” Zahra asked him.

“Absolutely,” Dean said. “Have you seen me at QGSSSA?”

Dean told Zahra to keep an eye out for him when she starts competing at the annual QGSSSA Swimming Championships in Year 7. There, he said, she’ll be able to spot him running up and down the side of the pool for every race.

“We got fourth in a race when we thought we might’ve got eighth,” Dean said, reflecting on his last QGSSSA Championships. “I think I jumped up and down as much as I did when Arnie won her Gold!”

Dean’s level of excitement for his sport is no surprise when you consider the sacrifices he’s made throughout his career. When Chelsea asked what one of the toughest decisions he’s made as a coach has been, he confessed that it was letting go of his family a little bit.

Watch: Upper Primary students interview SPW Olympians/Old Scholars. The students then sought advice on race preparation, with Zahra asking Ariarne what was going through her head in the Marshalling Room before her 400m Freestyle against Katie Ledecky.

Pictured right (back row, L-R): Ariarne Titmus, Dean Boxall, Eve Thomas, Mollie O'Callaghan and Abbey Harkin (front row, L-R): Luke Aldridge, Chelsea George, Isabella Lau and Zahra Olowoniyi.

“I have two boys and I’m not home to take them to Football or to Swimming. Sometimes I’m not home for dinner” he said. “But that’s a decision we made in the pursuit of Olympic glory.” – Glory that, he said, hasn’t come without hard work and overcoming adversity.

“It takes a lot of work [to get to the Olympics],” Dean said. “You have to be a good person and have a really good work ethic. You need to be able to come back every day and be that same person you were when you started. Not changing or being upset when things aren’t going well, and not thinking you’re better than what you are. Coming back and being the same consistent person. Every session, every day.”

And that, his swimmers are. As they spoke to the students, it was clear how much passion they had for their sport, and, similarly, how much they enjoyed sharing that passion with the next generation. When asked about how she perfects her stroke technique by young 200m Breaststroker, Isabella, Abbey was extremely humble.

“I wouldn’t say I’m perfect at it,” the Olympian said, “but I’ve worked alongside Nick, who’s our Biomechanist, and he’s helped me a lot…I think [the secret to perfection is] finding where your strengths are.”

And that’s what she’s working on now. Along with Ariarne, Eve and Mollie, Abbey is already back in the pool training, with new goals in mind. The unanimous opinion is that the Olympics felt like a dream—one they’re extremely grateful that it went ahead after a year of wondering and stop-starts.

“It was very special,” Abbey said. “I used to look at all the Olympians in past years and think, ‘it would be an absolute dream to be on the team’. For me to achieve that, was something really special.”

“It’s a bit of a different feeling, knowing that you’re an Olympian now and you’ve made it,” Mollie added, continuing with a teaser, “but there’s still more to come!”

“I believe everybody here can be faster,” Dean said. “I don’t think they’ve reached their peak, but where that peak is going to be, we don’t know.”

So, keep an eye out for our SPW Olympians. They may have already reached the pinnacle of their sport, but you better believe it’s not the last time we’ll be hearing their names and cheering them on.

For more behind the scenes footage, watch the full interview Chelsea, Zahra, Isabella and Luke conducted by scanning the QR Code (left). Well done students—some great insights there!