AAS: Freedom to succeed

Sun, 05/25/2008 12:01 PM  |  Discover

The Aquatics Academy of Sekayu hopes to make great waves in professional aquatics. Here, a coach and two student athletes comment on their experience at the academy.

Yohanes Indradjaya, Swimming coach

"Developing professional swimmers is not easy. The first year is training in the basics of swimming strokes. It's like learning to walk, which allows one to run fast with increased strength and agility only after the feet have been trained to step firmly.

"In my experience, after graduating from the swimming coach training school at Germany's Leipzig University, an aspiring swimmer will only succeed after training for 8-9 years.

"Even though our target still involves the basics, some of our swimmers have already performed well. In the international swimming championship this month in Sekayu, we were the overall champions. In several youth division and senior interclub swimming tournaments, we also ranked at the top.

"With the focused attention shown by the Muba administration, we are certainly motivated to make further achievements."

G.H. Brata, Swimmer

"Since I joined the AAS, I've already made headway. I've joined several interclub tournaments and pre-PON trials.

"At the AAS, training is directed and discipline is monitored. Though we have strict coaches, there's a warm atmosphere. We've even trained with the water polo players just for a change.

"We do receive more training in the basics and in developing specialized strokes.

"I was recruited to the AAS when I passed a regional selection. Everything is free here. Before I joined the AAS, I had to pay my own school fees. But in Muba, our board, meals, allowances and schooling are all provided.

"We have no other responsibilities except to train with high discipline and a goal of becoming achievers."

Melly Sasprika, Swimmer

The girl from Kayuara, Sekayu, had never imagined she would join the swimming division at the AAS.

Admittedly, no public swimming pools were available, let alone such a school, prior to its establishment. The former champion of the Muba primary school sports & arts festival could only practice her talent in the Musi river, which is used daily by the Sekayu community.

Now she is happy to belong to the AAS. As a native of Sekayu, Melly feels encouraged to succeed through the academy, where the professional facilities and coaches have motivated her to train harder.

She placed third last year in a youth division swimming tournament in Surakarta, Central Java, and she is on the South Sumatra's swimming team for the upcoming PON XVII in East Kalimantan.

"We at the AAS are only obliged to give our best performance without thinking about other things, as they have been taken care of by the Muba administration," said Melly.

-- Khairul Saleh

Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.