IT was a massive upheaval for top swimmer Robyn Matthews when the City of Edinburgh programme was disbanded at the end of August – but the Capital youngster's reaction to the unwanted disruption confirms her determination to become one of Britain's best.
For the past four months, the 17-year-old has been based at one of the new GB Intensive Training Centres in Swansea, and she is already relishing the new challenge that she hopes will bring the rewards of a Commonwealth Games debut in India in 2010 a
nd then the "big one",the London 2012 Olympics.
"It really was a jump into the deep end when City of Edinburgh ended and I had to find somewhere new," said the teenager. "It was a very stressful few weeks.
"But I feel I'm settling in well in Swansea. There are eight of us in the squad and most of them are around my age, which is really nice. My new coach is Bud McAllister – he's great – and I've just moved into a flat, so everything is beginning to fall into place."
Robyn will get a chance to gel even more with her new training chums – City of Edinburgh colleague Megan Gilchrist has also joined the group – over the coming weeks. On Boxing Day, she flew to California for a month of training that will culminate in a major meet in Long Beach at the end of January. Having benefited from working with Frenchman Fred Vergnoux when she was the baby of the Edinburgh squad, Robyn admits that the McAllister method is "a huge difference" from the one she followed at the Royal Commonwealth Pool.
"I would say we do more quality work," she said. "I'm in the pool for about 25 hours a week and spend four to five hours in the gym. It's also good being part of the Intensive Training Centre because we get a lot of extra support and it's a very good environment."
While the trip to California means she will miss the Scottish short-course Championships in Glasgow in January, Robyn is hopeful that she will make the Scotland team for the Celtic Tri-Nations event in Swansea in February. The big target for all the leading British swimmers in 2009 – Olympic superstar Becky Adlington included – will be the world championships in Rome in August, and Robyn hopes to be a contender for Team GB.
The first qualification opportunity comes at the British Championships in Sheffield in March, while the Scottish Championships in Glasgow in June will be a final chance to snatch a place in the team. "Having moved to a new place and now working with a new coach, I know it might take a wee while to adjust, so I'm not going to be too upset if I don't make the GB Team for Rome," said the Capital star. "But the 2010 Commonwealth games in India is a definite target and then the main goal is to make the 2012 Olympics."
Having concentrated on middle distance freestyle and the medley during her time under Vergnoux, Robyn has now gone back to her roots and added breaststroke to her repertoire.
The former British age-group champion showed it could be the stroke for her when she swam a personal best and claimed a silver medal in the 100m breaststroke at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune in India in October.
As for the City of Edinburgh programme that sent Kirsty Balfour, Gregor Tait and Kris Gilchrist to the Olympic Games in Beijing, Robyn admits it is "a real shame" that it has broken up.
At present, City of Edinburgh Swimming is termed "suspended". But with the Commonwealth Pool set to be closed for major refurbishment, there is little likelihood of anything being in place in time to prepare swimmers for the next Olympics.
The full article contains 646 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
