There’s something in the water at Geelong Swimming Club, which won three times at the recent Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation Awards.
Luke Voogt speaks to multiclass coach Sadat-Jon Hussain about the club’s winning culture and meets four of its swimming stars.
Sadat-Jon Hussain was “not surprised” when Geelong Swimming Club and star swimmer Phoebe Mitchell won top prizes at the recent Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation Awards.
“The club, in many ways, stands for the same things that the awards stand for,” the multiclass coach said.
He and a small group of club members, including Phoebe, gathered at his Leopold home for the live-streamed awards and jumped out of their seats in jubilation when they won Team of the Year.
After a nervous wait, Phoebe also won Female Sportsperson of the Year.
“She was absolutely a worthy winner,” Sadat said.
“She was in tears, it was gorgeous.
“She thanked the club and fellow team members, previous coaches and everybody who has given her the opportunity to get where she is, including her parents.
“To coach a swimmer like Phoebe has been a dream. She comes with such a high level of self-standard.”
But Sadat admits he was surprised earlier in the night when he won Coach of the Year.
“I was stunned that I was awarded for simply doing what I love,” he said.
The 50-year-old father-of-two has been the club’s multiclass coach for 10 years, and had another decade teaching toddlers to swim before that, while working a total of 27 years in the disability industry.
He has a simple coaching philosophy:
“Everyone’s included, everyone’s equal and everyone gets a go. Make exceptions where they’re needed and look for solutions.”
Depending on each individual swimmer’s needs, he can break down instructions into smaller and simpler steps, or tailor training programs to better suit their mental or physical abilities.
“I’m very fortunate, because I have Phoebe as a world champion, and plenty of other swimmers that have represented the club on a national level.
“They’re super-talented, great team members, humorous and very dedicated.
“I think a lot of our club members look up to them for their commitment.”
Club president Glenn Benson agrees.
“Our swimming club is not here for the multiclass kids – our multiclass kids are in the club for everyone else,” Glenn said.
“Everyone says they bring such enthusiasm to our club, that we need them. These kids are champions of the spirit.”
For information or enrolments: geelongswimmingclub.com.au.
Phoebe Mitchell
Age: 29
Suburb: Bellbrae
Best strokes: Breaststroke and backstroke
Phoebe Mitchell’s recognition as Female Sportsperson of the Year at the Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation Awards is just the latest in a huge list of accolades.
Phoebe began swimming at age 12 at interschool competitions.
Although initially a slow swimmer, her coach Fiona Skinner noticed her excellent technique.
Thanks to her love of swimming, Phoebe soon developed strength and speed, and began to show promise in the pool.
Her mum Libby, knowing that people with Down syndrome tend to have reduced muscle tone and difficulty gaining muscle, was more than happy to encourage her passion.
“Phoebe quite simply adores being in the water, pool or sea,” Libby said.
Her dedication and early morning training sessions paid off when she earned a spot on the Australian team in 2008, at age 17, competing in Portugal and breaking her first two Down syndrome records.
She was female champion at the biennial World Down Syndrome Swimming Championships in 2010, 2012 and 2014 and runner-up in 2016 and 2018.
Phoebe has broken world records 75 times and has won several Geelong and Surf Coast community awards.
She carried the Queen’s Baton for the 2018 Commonwealth Games and continues to blaze a trail for aspiring young swimmers.
Dylan and James Logan
Ages: 18, 14
Suburb: Highton
Best strokes: Butterfly and freestyle, backstroke
Brothers Dylan and James Logan both loved being in the pool from an early age growing up in South Africa with sensorineural hearing loss from birth.
They began competing at ages 10 and nine respectively, before their family moved to Highton in 2016, and soon became valued members of Geelong Swimming Club.
Dylan has qualified for an incredible 17 events in the 2021 Brazil Deaflympics and has already broken 12 Australian S15 (deaf) records.
After earning several dozen state and local accolades, Dylan hopes to use his talent to help others too.
He has completed a lifesaving course and other courses in teaching children to swim.
James has followed in his older brother’s wake, participating in multiclass events in the 2019 National Age Championships and qualifying for next year’s open event.
“I love swimming, as it’s fun and I enjoy training with my teammates,” James said.
Lachlan Dosser
Age: 16
Suburb: Williamstown
Best stoke: Backstroke
Lachlan Dosser’s love of swimming began, ironically, with a near-drowning at age four in a pool in Brisbane.
“I had this dream to become a swimmer and it wasn’t an easy process because I had a fear of water from that incident,” he explained.
“I thought it would be a pretty fun thing to do, but without the drowning.”
After missing out on competing in a swimming carnival in grade 3, he trained religiously for 12 months at his local pool to compete the next year.
The determined youngster improved rapidly, making the multiclass Victorian championships that year before joining Geelong Swimming Club.
Lachlan swims without the use of one arm, due to cerebral palsy and left-side hemiplegia, and has placed seventh in two national championships for his division.
Now the pool is “a safe space” where “nothing going on in the world” can affect him.
“You’re in this world of your own where the only thing that’s going to affect how you swim is how hard you try,” he said.
He has also become a “self-appointed leader” in the pool among the multiclass kids, helping coaches communicate with them.
“We’re all like this one big family in multiclass group,” he said.
“I’m one of the few that doesn’t have some sort of intellectual disability, so I’ve stepped up and taken the role of looking after my pool family quite seriously.”
