SEEING results in his students is the best part of Tyson Perrin’s job as head swimming coach at Wingham Pool.
Tyson has always been in and around the pool. He started squad training himself in primary school in year five and competitively swam through his high school years. He started training every day as part of the nationally sponsored Flying Fish squad at Manning Aquatic Leisure Centre.
This took up most of his time through high school before he backed off to complete his HSC. His best result was fifth place at the State finals. A knee injury stopped him from training and along with university study, competitive swimming was put to one side.
“I always found swimming relaxing and took my mind off things. It was a great escape,” Tyson said.
Tyson found a way to continue his passion for swimming by teaching the swimming squads at Wingham pool.
He described getting his coaching licence as a very time consuming process, requiring him to secure an assistant coach role for a season to receive a green ticket licence. He boosted his experience to bronze level at Wingham Pool taking on adults, junior and senior squads. He also completed his Austswim accreditation and taught lessons while in Armidale.
One of Tyson’s most rewarding, but challenging times in the water was teaching an Indian man to swim while in Armidale. The man had moved to Australia and had never swum before in his life.
“I had to teach him from scratch with water familiarisation and making him realise he could float,” he said. “It was very rewarding when he was finally confident in the water.”
The role of squad teacher involves a little more than walking up and down the pool’s side. Tyson creates his own squad program from the start to the end of the season.
“It all depends on what your squad wants to get of it,” Tyson explained.
“If they are competing in carnivals then they start with endurance training to boost fitness, moving on through the program to speed and technique.
“Adjusting programs to suit everyone can be hard.”
Tyson is the only coach in the area in a sport he says is declining in the Manning Valley.
“It’s a shame not as many people are swimming, it’s such a great sport to be involved in,” he said.
Swimming is a great sport for any age offering a range of health benefits, he said.
“Fitness wise it is great for the body’s cardiovascular system and is less strenuous on the body’s joints and muscles.
Tyson’s swimming achievements helped him gain a sports scholarship at the University of New England where he studied for his Bachelor of Nursing.
He is waiting to graduate from his nursing degree and is working at the Mayo hospital. He says his role as swim coach is similar to nursing.
“The communication skills we use are similar and my knowledge of the human body helps,” Tyson said.
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