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Kenneth Bower

Western Sprint Academy would like to welcome Kenneth Bower to the team. You can view his full profile here: Kenneth Bower

Western Sprint Academy athletes Steve Neuwert and Matt Lenton with Australian head coach Alan Thompson at the Daejeon Aquatic centre.

Western Sprint Academy captains, Matt Lenton and Steve Neuwert made Academy history over the last 2 weeks by competing in the ‘Skins’ event and two World Cup meets, in Sydney and Daejeon, Korea.

The boys left Perth on November 15^th straight into an Australian Mens Sprint Camp, with the Skins on the 17^th. Both boys swam in the mixed freestyle relay, Matt leading in a season best time of 23.36. Matt was followed in the WAIS team by Lara Caroll, Lauren Winter and Steve brought up the rear in a 22.86. This gave WAIS 3^rd place behind QAS and NSWIS.

Event 9 was the big one, the 50m Freestyle. 16 men from all over the world came to compete in this knockout event. 2 heats of 8 raced off, only 6 to reach the semi-final. Steve and Matt were in the seriously disadvantaged Heat 2, with current world number 1 Ryk Neething, and Olympians Michael Klim and Brett Hawke. They took off like a shot. At half way Steve had the field covered and touched first ahead of Neethling and Lenton.

The Western Sprint boys were through to the semi, knocking out Klim and Hawke on the way through. Steve had qualified first with a 23.14 and Matt 5^th (23.36).  It was a great pleasure to see three WA boys in the 6 man semi with West Coast’s Eamon Sullivan also getting a berth. The semi-final was conducted after a short 2 min break.

Unfortunately, the boys were unable to back-up, it was the 100m swimmers who fought out the final, with Neethling coming out as the eventual winner. In another highlight Matt anchored the WAIS team in the mixed medley relay in a personal best time of 22.21 secs.

November 19^th was the start of the Sydney World Cup event. Steve (ranked 25^th) qualified for the final of the 100m Freestyle with a personal best time of 49.05s, 0.88 secs faster than his previous best and a new WSA record. Matt also swam an excellent PB of 50.66 secs.   The boys then backed up in the 100m IM and 50m Fly respectively.

In the 100m Free final on day 1 Steve kept up the pace for the first 3 laps before missing a turn and finishing in a respectable second best ever time of 49.56.

Day 2 was the 50m Free with neither Matt nor Steve ranked in finals contention, it was a great joy to see them both rise up and claim finals positions. Steve swam 22.45 and Matt,  22.52. This was to be Matt’s first World Cup final. 

Once again the WSA crown was on the line. The final was a ripper with both boys posting a better time than the heats and Steve retaining the crown, finishing in 5^th place with a new WSA record of 22.19secs.

Off to Korea.

From all accounts, Korea is not the world’s number 1 tourist destination and it is not a pleasant introduction to Asia. Seasoned travelers to Asia have remarked that Korea is the toughest World Cup event, due to language problems, living conditions, pollution and food irregularities. Not the ideal way to prepare for the race of your life.

Competition on day 1 was solid, despite the problems and Steve eventually qualified for the final of the 100m Free after a withdrawal. This allowed him to swim into his best ever placing of 6^th in a time of 49.91secs, not a bad effort in the circumstances. Matt qualified 7^th for the 50m Fly final and finished in that position with an improved time of 24.62secs, slightly outside his best of 24.53.

Day 2 saw the big showdown, with the WSA crown once again up on the line (perhaps for the last time for a few months), it was on like Kong.  Both boys qualified for the final, with Steve in 4^th (22.80) and Matt in 6^th (22.84). Bring it on. Obviously tired and drained from the two previous weeks of hard competition, the boys summoned the last of their energy for one final battle. This time Matt regained the crown, which he lost in September with an incredible time (given the circumstances) of 22.50. Matt’s time, in finishing 5^th was only 0.02 secs outside his PB, giving him his highest finish of the series.  Steve finished in 6^th with 22.70 secs.

The final analysis saw the WSA boys finish with 9 finals appearances between them and some extremely valuable competitive experience, leading into the Commonwealth Games Trials in January. The Western Sprint Academy is very proud of the achievements of Matt and Steve, especially in difficult circumstances. Well done lads.

Steve Neuwert, one of the two 

representing WSA in the World Cup

Two Western Sprint Academy members, Steve Neuwert and Matt Lenton have been named in the Australian Team to compete at the World Cup meets in Sydney and Daejon , Korea in November.

For Steve it is his first International competition outside of Australia . He is not new to World Cup competition though, having been very successful in the Melbourne last year. Steve made the final of the 100m Individual Medley in 2004.

Matt however, is no stranger to international competition, having been selected on junior teams to New Zealand and Hawaii in recent years, winning the Junior Pan-Pac 50m Freestyle title in January. He is very excited about the prospect of representing his country at senior level.

Both boys will contest the 50m Freestyle and 100m Freestyle events at both competitions, with Matt also competing in the 50m Butterfly and Steve re-visiting the 100m Individual Medley.

‘It is nice to know that we have one competition in our home country before we head off to Korea ,’ said Steve, ‘so that we can address any errors in the Sydney swims, by the time we get to Korea .’

In another exciting twist to the trip, it is likely that the boys will get a chance to compete in the highly popular “skins” event in Sydney , on November 17^th as well. Matt noted, ‘I have watched the skins on TV for the last 10 years, but I never expected to be a part of it myself.’

The Western Sprint Academy , is very proud of the boys and wishes them well for the coming month.

WSA Captain Matt Lenton

Sprint champion Matthew Lenton has a unique claim in Australian Age swimming; winning the same event (50m Freestyle) at five consecutive National Age Championships and collecting two Australian Age Records in the process.

Standing at 195cm and weighing in at 100kg, Matt is unusual for a swimmer. He shuns the 'skinny but flexible' body type of your typical swimmer in favour of a build infused with power. Citing Arnold Schwarzenegger as his idol, Matt is redesigning the swimmers' body.

Matt's training regime is also unusual, preferring to spend more time in the gym than the pool, much to the chagrin of Coach Dion Mepham.  Matt believes that speed is generated by power and power is a function of muscle structure. So he carefully plans every aspect of his musculature.  Everything from kick-boxing to towing cars is included in his regime.

The result of this unorthodox training came when Matt recently crowned his age group career, with a gold medal at the Junior Pan-Pac swim meet in Hawaii and believes that he can swim much faster in the open ranks. He would like to one-day represent Australia at Commonwealth and Olympic Games and hopes to emulate some of his Olympic idols, such as Brett Hawke and Gary Hall Jr.

Stature is not the only unusual thing about Matt.  A fully qualified personal trainer, a business owner and web designer, he is serious about every facet of performance. When speaking of Matt, Dion Mepham says; 'Matt has become far more professional in his outlook in the past year. I am inspired by his dedication to perfecting the art of 50m Freestyle sprinting. However, it is his quest for achievement in all facets of his life that impresses me most. Matt is a quality human being.'

As co-owner of the Western Sprint Academy, he has taken another step in his love of sprinting. 'I gain motivation from trying to become the best that I can be' says Matt when asked about his desire for speed, 'my training partner, Steve Neuwert pushes me to the limit.'

Matt's musical taste is eclectic, enjoying AC/DC and Britney Spears, his favorite movies are Pumping Iron, Gladiator and the Rocky series. His hates include stupidity, rude people and waking up early. His favorite food is steak and his least favorite is some tropical fruits.

Western Sprint Academy Athletes, Braydon McIntosh, 
Matt Lenton, Steve Neuwert and Aran Bean at the 
State Open/Junior short course championships.

The Western Sprint Academy has produced some outstanding swims at the recent State Open Championships. Braydon McIntosh won Gold in the Men’s 100m butterfly in a fast time of 55.02secs, this was just outside his PB of 54.57secs.  Braydon also shone with a PB 24.96secs in the 50m Butterfly.

The Men’s 4x50m Freestyle team of Braydon(22.63), Matt Lenton(22.89 lead), Steve Neuwert(22.09) and a Aran Bean(24.47), who recently returned from college duties in the US, swam under the State Record in a time of 1.32.10, to unexpectedly take silver in the event.

New associate member, Kerryan Hoff, swam particularly well in the Women’s Open 50m Breaststroke, gaining fourth place, with an enormous PB of nearly ¾ of a second, in 35.28secs. This also qualifies her for National Open Championships and a shot at achieving a Bronze Scholarship.

Steve Neuwert swam a PB in the Men’s Open 50m Freestyle to claim silver in 22.67secs. Steve also gained the mantle of the Western Sprint King, as he edged Matt Lenton into the bronze medal position (22.79secs). Steve also performed well with a Silver medal in the 100m Freestyle (50.36secs), and Bronze medals in the 50m Backstroke (26.99secs), 100m IM (57.23secs), 50m Breaststroke (29.63 secs).

Whilst the Academy was represented by only a few swimmers, the standard was high and the medal tally showed that the early season form is good, leading into nationals.

Western Sprint Academy athlete, Steve Neuwert was recently selected on a Telstra dolphin sprint camp to train on the Gold Coast for a week. Being one of the premier sprinter in Australia, Steve was extremely optimistic about the trip. Prior to the camp's commencement, Steve was involved in the Grand Prix, for a hit out with some of the athletes travelling to the upcoming World Championships in Montreal. Swimming 24.07 for the 50m freestyle and 53.04 for 100m freestyle, Steve was looking forward to some serious training and learning new skills. 

Arriving on the Gold Coast, Steve trained with Australia's best sprint coaches and roughed it out with the best sprinters including a gruelling session with Australian record holder Brett Hawke and Ashley Callus. Training twice a day and including weights and running sessions, Steve regarded the camp as 'extremely motivating' and hopes the new skills he's learnt will help lead him to his first Australian team.

'Its extremely tough training outside your comfort level, and even tougher again trying to keep up with not only the fastest guys in Australia but in the world. Its a great environment to be in and I can only see good things coming from such a camp' said Steve. 

Also present on the camp was WSA head coach Dion Mepham. 'The camp is the beginning of a resurgence in Australian sprint swimming, and I for one am glad that I can be apart of such a great thing. Western Sprint Academy is one of the top training facilities in the country and with the renewed interest in sprinting, the Academy can only go forward'.

Neuwert and the rest of the Academy athletes are now focusing their attention on the upcoming Western Australian state championships in late June and the Australian Open championships in August.

In other news Academy athlete, Matt Lenton, has been nominated for WA youth male swimmer of the year. Lentons nomination follows his recent success at both the Open and Age championships and his selection on the Australian Telstra dolphin squad.

Western Sprint Academy’s powerhouse captain Matt Lenton, last night in Brisbane, won his 5^th straight Australian Age 50m Freestyle Championship. No other swimmer has ever won 5 consecutive Australian Age 50m Freestyle titles and Matt becomes the first Western Australian to complete an Australian Age career undefeated in his main event.

This extraordinary journey began in the championships held in Melbourne in 2001. Ranked 5^th going into the event, Matt qualified in lane five for the final and eventually dominated the competition by nearly a body length in 24.84 seconds. (He also won two Gold medals by coming off his sick bed, to anchor the Guildford Blues club relays). The following year, Matt scored his fourth Gold medal by again dominating his competition to win in 23.83 seconds.  2003 was the year in which Matt broke his first Australian Record in a blistering 23.36 seconds.

Last year, in front of a home crowd, Matt became the first man at these championships to break the elusive 23 second barrier, with another Australian Record of 22.96 seconds, winning the title by a mere 3/100ths of a second from Olympian Eamon Sullivan (after qualifying in lane 8). Last night, Matt capped off a brilliant age group career by holding out a fast finishing Leith Brodie. It was Matt’s 10^th Gold medal, (5 individual, 2 club relay and 3 state relay), he has broken 4 Australian Alltime records, 4 Australian Allcomers records and has cemented himself as one of Western Australia’s all time great age groupers. He has also represented Australia on three youth tours to New Zealand and Hawaii, winning a Gold medal in the Junior Pan Pac Titles last year.

The latest Australian Rankings feature many Western Sprint Academy members. There are 6 WSA Scholarship holders ( Steve Neuwert, Braydon McIntosh, Kim Valas, Ashley Lenton, Matt Lenton and Daniel King) featured in the Australian Rankings and a further 4 WSA Junior Development Swimmers (Kerryan Hoff, Jacinta Whitehouse, Kered Gale and Melissa Taylor) find their way into the list. Junior swimmer Luke Pardini is yet to qualify for the Junior Development Squad, but features many times on the Australian Rankings. In total WSA athletes have recorded 50 swims in this elite company.

Legend:        

The WSA List is as follows:  

Congratulations Athletes!

-Matt Lenton

New Western Sprint Academy 

member Aran Bean

Western Sprint Academy members have been busy in recent times, making their mark on the Western Australian All-time Rankings. WSA Athletes feature strongly in the Top 10 swims by any Western Australian, anywhere in the world ever.

WSA have 14 entries into this list long course and 17 entries short course.

Mentioned is the fantastic results obtained by our athletes

Congratulations Western Sprint Academy athletes.

Further congratulations must also go to new academy athlete Aran Bean. Born in Australia, Aran excelled in breastroke, setting the sprint breastroke standard in Western Australia. Currently training at the University of Texas, Aran ranked top 8 in Australia and has now been awarded with All-Conference-USA honours in five events.

Congratulations Aran!

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Matt Lenton at the recent Telstra Australian Championships

The last days of competition for Western Sprint saw Steve Neuwert race the 50 metre backstroke. Steve swam 27.72 to narrowly miss the final and conclude his championships for another year.

The final session of competition for Western Sprint saw Matt Lenton contest the 50 metre freestyle event. Unfortunately Lenton was unable to capitalise on his great form during the semis recording a 23.11 to place him 6^th overall in the final.

“It was great that I made the final, but was disappointing that I was unable to step it up and compete competitively in the final”.

Steve Neuwert during warm ups

at the Telstra Australian Open

Day 4 of competition saw Western Sprint Academy athletes contest the 100 metre freestyle. Braydon McIntosh went 52.74 and Matt Lenton went 52.56 while the surprise packet of the heats was Steve Neuwert who, in a PB time of 51.51, put him well placed into the semi-final. Steve, in lane 8 and the second final, posted 51.72 to make him the 15^th fastest man in Australia this year.

“It was disappointing not to improve on my time in the heats, but I’ve learned a lot from this meet and hope to improve in the future” said Neuwert.

Day 6 brought relief and disaster.

Day 6 was the 50 meter freestyle and the 100 metre butterfly. McIntosh swam a 24.01 and Lenton swam 23.50 to put him 9^th going into tonight’s semi-final. Neuwert unfortunately was disqualified for starting before the starter’s gun. McIntosh also competed in the 100 metre butterfly recording a PB time 55.84 to place him 14^th leading into tonight’s semi-final.

“Its exciting to make my first semi-final, but I’m hoping a smart race tonight”. Said McIntosh

The finals session of day 6 was a “fantastic result” according to WSA head coach Dion Mepham.

Going in ranked 14^th in the 100 metre butterfly, Braydon McIntosh cemented his spot in the crème of Western Australia’s best with an amazing 55.33 to claim 11^th place.

“It was exciting competing again Australia’s best. I’m extremely happy with my time and am hoping to just keep improving over the next few years” said McIntosh.

Matt Lenton also competed in the final session of day 6 in the 50 metre freestyle. After a poor heat swim by all competitors, the pace certainly picked up with just 0.30 between 2^nd and 8^th qualifier for the final. Luckily Lenton recorded a personal best 22.92 to place 4^th leading into tomorrow nights final.

The Australian opens has finally commenced with Western Sprint Academy athletes in sizzling form. On the opening day of competition Academy swimmers, Kim Valas, Braydon McIntosh and Matt Lenton all contested the 50 metre butterfly event. Valas, competing at his first open event, swam an incredible 26.05, only to discover that he had been disqualified for moving on the blocks.

“It was a bit disappointing being disqualified, but overall I’m pleased with the swim. I also hope still to improve on it next time”.

Braydon McIntosh swam a BP time 25.47 missing the semi final by mere 0.01 of a second to become the 17^th fastest males in Australia this year.

Other Academy athlete Matt Lenton, qualified equal 7^th fastest in the heats in 25.14 to land lane 6 for the semi-final. As luck would have it concluding the semi finals, Lenton was placed 9^th in 24.77, seemingly missing the final. He later discovered that 4^th placed Olympian Matt Welsh, had been disqualified landing Lenton his first finals appearance.

“I sat down with my coach after the race and there are definitely some aspects of my race that need some attention. If I’m to be a serious contender for the World Champs team I will have to rectify these things before the finals".

Lenton will later contest the final in the finals session of Day 2.

Coach Dion Mepham was extremely proud with the way his swimmers had swam and was looking forward to the upcoming days.

“The boys have excelled here on day one. Each swimmer adhered to a strict race plan and managed to be rewarded with personal bests or finals spots. I am looking forward to the trend continuing over the next seven days. Bring it on.”

 Day 2 of competition saw Academy athlete Steve Neuwert swim the 100 metre backstroke. Steve placed 36^th in 1.00.47 missing the elusive 1 minute barrier by mere centimeters.

Also competing on Day 2 was Matt Lenton who put up a brave fight in the final of 50 metre butterfly, coming 7th in an experienced field.

“The race wasn’t swum how I had planned. There were too many mistakes made on my behalf and opportunities that I didn’t fully capitalize on. My coach and I will have to watch the race and identify areas that need dramatic improvement”.

Academy athletes now prepare themselves for the 100-metre freestyle on Day 4 with Braydon McIntosh, Steve and Matt all contesting this world championship event.

The Australian Open Championship continues.

Western Sprint Academy welcomes new sponsors Blackadder Scaffolding. Blackadder is a comprehensive labouring and scaffolding service based in Balcatta offering a diverse range of construction services based on cost-effective packages. Please see our sponsorship and donations page to find out more about Blackadder’s fantastic range of services.

Western Sprint also congratulates Matt Lenton and Steve Neuwert on their selection to the Western Australian state open team. Fellow Academy members Braydon McIntosh and Kim Valas will accompany Matt and Steve as they head for Sydney to compete for their places in this year's Australian team headed to Montreal for the World Championships.

The Academy team leaves for Sydney March 10^th, for the Telstra Australian open championships. Please support your athletes by tuning into channel 9 for coverage of the championships.

22/02/2005

On the 20th of February, WA swimming hosted the Summer Sprints at Challenge Stadium. The event brought out Western Sprint Academy Athletes Steve Neuwert, Braydon McIntosh, Kim Valas and Ashley Lenton. Although 2 weeks out from the upcoming Australian Championships, it was a good hit-out opportunity for Academy athletes. Steve Neuwert placed first in the 50m butterfly narrowly missing the qualifying time for the Australian champs. “Although not the best time, these conditions forced me to race, something I haven’t done for some time. It’s a good opportunity to focus on different aspects of my race and I’m happy with the way I swam” Neuwert said.

Other Academy athletes Braydon McIntosh and Ashley Lenton also medalled on the day. McIntosh took the gold in the 50m Backstroke (28.65) and silver in the 100m Backstroke (1.01.82). Ashley also medalled taking out the 50m Backstroke event (29.81) and picking up silver in his favoured event, the 50m Breastroke (33.91).

“I felt absolutely great, though I might have pushed myself too hard for the gold”. Lenton said. One of the Academy’s more powerful athletes, Lenton was seen to break the blocks removing the entire platform from its frame during a start.

As the Australian Open draws closer, the Western Sprint Academy is preparing itself for its biggest assault on the championships yet. Athletes are in full training now and continue to prepare themselves physically and mentally for the rigors of open competition.

The championships begin on the 12^th and conclude on the 19^th of March. Please check TV listing times to support you athletes.

14/02/2005

Western Sprint Academy athletes and coaching staff will be appearing on Channel 31 on Friday the 25th of February at 7:30 on Moose goes live to help coincide with the Academy's launch later in the year. Athletes including Matt Lenton, Steve Neuwert and Braydon McIntosh will be appearing to discuss swimming and the impact the Academy will have on future swimming trends. Head coach Dion Mepham will also be appearing as member of the panel on 'Moose goes live'. Please tune in and support your Western Sprint Academy athletes.

Lenton Wins gold in Hawaii

10/02/2005

Jnr. Pan Pacific Games

Recently the Junior Pan Pacific games were held on the island of Maui in Hawaii from the 5 – 9 of January. Many countries were involved including Australia, USA, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and Guam. The games were hosted by USA swimming and show cased the best junior swimmers from each nation. Australia sent over its strongest youth team to date with some outstanding swimmers.

Western Sprint Academy’s very own, Matt Lenton, was selected as apart of the Australian team to compete in this event. Matt produced some outstanding results and contributed valuably to the team’s success.

On the second day of competition, the Australian men’s team competed in the 100m freestyle. Matt, not know for his 100-metre capabilities, swim an incredible 51.84 to narrowly miss the final and put himself well into contention for future swims.

But it was the last day where Matt truly shined in his pet event, the 50-metre freestyle.

Although suffering from a virus and a fever, Lenton pulled himself together to be the fastest qualifier in 23.10. The final of the men’s 50-metre freestyle was held in disastrous conditions as the start of the final night of competition was postponed due to lighting and heavy showers. In extreme weather conditions, Matt placed first in 23.16.

Although well off his PB, Matt was pleased with the outcome.

“In conditions like these it’s hard to race, but you just have to adapt, and try to swim your best.”

“I’m happy to come away with the win. It’s great to be apart of such a talented team, being in such productive company motivates me more to improve my performance”.

The next major meet for Matt and fellow WSA members is the upcoming Telstra Australian Open Championships to be held in Sydney from the 12 – 19^th of March.

Western Sprint Stars at Opens

28/01/2005

Western Sprint Academy Members

Steve Neuwert, Braydon McIntosh and Matt Lenton

At the recent sunsmart State Open/Junior Championships, Western Sprint Academy swimmers performed extremely well. WSA members Matt Lenton, Steve Neuwert and Braydon McIntosh all collected medals. On the second night of competition, Lenton and McIntosh contested the 50 meters butterfly. Both finalists in 2003, Lenton set a blistering pace of 24.70 to set a new state open residential record and claim the gold. McIntosh, in a time of  25.83, came a very credible fourth. Also on the second night was the 100metre freestyle event, with 3 WSA members. The academy almost completed a clean sweep placing second, third and fourth. Steve Neuwert placed second in a PB time of 52.12, followed closely for the bronze by McIntosh in 52.96 and Lenton in 53.20.

But it was on the last night of competition that the Western Sprint Academy prevailed again, this time in the 50 meter freestyle. This hotly contested event was eventually won by Matt Lenton in 22.99 followed by Steve Neuwert in 23.43.

A mention must go to new WSA member Kim Valas, who qualified for the Australian open championships in the 50 butterfly. Kim set a huge PB during the sunsmart state age championships, booking himself on a flight to Sydney and earning his spot in the Academy. Congratulations Kim!