BATHURST City Amateur Swim Club’s juniors and parents will hope to take a lot away from the words of renowned Australian coach Dick Caine this Saturday.
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Caine has almost half a century of coaching experience under his belt and has provided guidance to over 17 world and Olympic champions.
Among the list of athletes he’s assisted are triathlete Greg Welch, distance swimming champion Suzie Maroney, former Wallabies captain Phil Kearns and world champion boxer Jeff Fenech.
Caine started to make a name for himself after he acquired the lease for the Carss Park swimming pool in 1965.
BCASC coach Steve Howell was thrilled to see the Caine’s visit confirmed.
“A couple of our members are related to Dick and they thought it would be great for him to come here,” he said.
“He was down at one of the state events we attended, and I went over to introduce myself and talked about the possibility of him coming out to Bathurst. He was more than happy to oblige.
“It’s going to be a fantastic opportunity because he’s one of the best coaches Australia has seen, and that’s not just in swimming. He’s made a name for himself across other sports too.”
Caine’s achievements have been recognised by former Australian prime minister John Howard, several civic councils and a number of board of directors.
Most importantly, his coaching has assisted thousands of people who are now parents, with a second generation of people learning how to swim or stay fit.
Howell said Caine’s talk will be a big benefit for the club.
“I’m very keen to get words from as many different coaches as I can to our kids all the time, because the way I say something might not necessarily stick in their minds,” he said.
“When someone different tells them something they might think ‘Oh, I understand that now’.
“We’re hoping to get 40 to 50 kids there, with around 10 in a lane. There will be plenty of opportunities for them to do different drills and activities with him.”
It’s not just the juniors who will benefit.
The BCASC coaching team are hoping to get some input from Caine about how to improve their own teaching methods.
“No doubt I’ll be up there beforehand asking him plenty of questions,” Howell said.
A recent appreciation dinner for Caine and his wife, Jenny, showed just how much his coaching and guidance has meant to many people.
Their impact in the St George community has been felt beyond the pool.
One notable example was when Caine helped raise $1.7 million to buy a new radiology machine for the city’s hospital.
Caine’s session starts from 1.30pm on Saturday.