Horsham Sharks swimmers are making the most of new technology as they prepare for upcoming state championships.

Head coach Mark Urquhart said eight swimmers attended Victorian Country Short Course Championships in Ballarat at the weekend, competing in 37 individual events. 

Deacon Briggs placed seventh in the 18 and over 50-metre breaststroke and Tom Urquhart seventh in the boys 14-15 year- old 200-metre freestyle. 

“Now we have six swimmers, Deacon Briggs, Jacob Matushcka, Sienna Walsgott, Jack Lanyon, Edward Jones and Tom Urquhart, heading to Victoria State Championships in Melbourne this weekend,” he said. 

“They will race within their age groups. The following weekend we have three swimmers in open age group, with competitors swimming against all ages, so that’s pretty awesome.”

As the club prepares for upcoming competitions, members are making the most of new waterproof headsets at training.

Horsham Sharks assistant coach Kayleen Urquhart said the club received a grant from Horsham Rural City Council for the equipment.

“The kids wear the headsets in the water and as coaches, we give them feedback while they swim,” she said. “It’s awesome because we can give them immediate feedback and they can act on that straight away. We can have different coaches on different channels with different groups of swimmers – it’s amazing.”

Mark Urquhart said the headsets were a game changer.

“You can see results immediately as they think about what you’ve asked them to do,” he said.

“The other beauty is you might be talking to one swimmer, but everybody else you have on that channel is also listening and thinking about that particular stroke correction.”

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