A group of Cayman Islands Swim School students watched in awe as star swimmers Shaune and Brett Fraser showed off their winning strokes at the Lion’s Pool last week.
The brothers’ surprise visit to the Lion’s Aquatic Centre on Friday, 7 May, was arranged by the swim school “to motivate and inspire Cayman’s next generation of award-winning swimmers,” said Coach Dominic Ross.
Shaune and Brett told their audience that they both started their swim careers in the Lion’s Pool - proof that when you set your sights high, anything is possible. They also shared other secrets to success: focus, come to practice everyday, and pay attention to your stroke!
The young swimmers then got to probe the Frasers on what they ate, how much they ate, how long they train and if they thought Cayman will produce more Olympic swimmers.
Brett currently competes for the University of Florida (UF) on the amateur National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) circuit. He represented the Cayman Islands in his first Olympics in 2008 at the Beijing Summer Games. He swam the 100m and 200m backstroke events.
Until recently Shaune also swam for UF. However, he will become Cayman’s latest elite athlete this summer when he graduates from university. Under this agreement, he will receive financial support enabling him to focus on training and competing.
Shaune competed in two Olympics – Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008. He currently holds the NCAA record for the 200m fly, and the Florida state records for the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle, and 200m fly - all set this year.
Both have their sights firmly set on the 2012 London Olympics.
The Cayman Islands Swim School:
• The Cayman Islands Swim School is one of the Ministry of Sports’ most successful sport development initiatives.
• Annually the programme coaches teach some 400 children to swim.
• The coaching staff also develops Cayman’s next generation of competitive swimmers, teaching the specialized racing techniques to about 200 young swimmers every year.
