Wednesday 12 January 2011

Australian Unity Great Australia Day Swim 2012

The third annual Australian Unity Great Australia Day Swim will be held on the 26th of January 2012 at Middle Brighton Pier. The event will be held in conjunction with the Brighton Life Saving Club who will supervise all water safety and Swim Australia, which is the National body for ‘Learn to Swim Campaigns’ in Australia.

On the day there will be a 1.4km and 5km swim, the 300m Australian Unity Junior Dash and the Michael Klim Milk Celebrity Relay. The swim is expected to attract well over 1000 participants with a large number of spectators viewing the family festivities that take place.

All proceeds from the Australian Unity Great Australia Day Swim will be used by Brighton Rotary to support charities and community organizations providing support to disadvantaged children and youths. Brighton Rotary will donate money raised on the day to charities such as Les Twentyman’s 20th Man Fund and BayCISS a local Bayside Charity who provide support to disadvantaged children. To date more than $100,000 has been raised to support families cover the cost of basic living and educational expenses.

Australian Unity group managing director Rohan Mead said, Australian Unity has a long-standing history supporting Australian swimmers and Australia Day.

“Australian Unity has celebrated Australia Day since 1888 when one of our founding companies began a campaign for a national holiday,” says Mr Mead. “The Australian Unity Great Australia Day Swim combines our Australia Day heritage with our interest in supporting the wellbeing of the community through fun and active events.

“As an organization we also take an active interest in promoting safety around water through our Australian Unity Learn to Swim program in association with Swim Australia,” says Mr Mead.

The Australian Unity Great Australia Day Swim feature is the Michael Klim Milk Celebrity Relay, which in 2011 included celebrity swimmers Liesel Jones, Nicole Livingstone Matt Target, Shane Crawford, Sophie Eddington, Tammy VanWisse and Daniel Kowalski.

The Australian Unity Junior Dash sponsored by Paul Sadler Swimland (PSS) and supported by Swim Australia is for nine, ten and eleven year old children to swim in. The event will be conducted in small groups and be limited to a total of 200 entries.

Paul Sadler, owner of Paul Sadler Swimland (PSS) and water safety advocate, said PSS strongly believes that it is important to offer children variety in a fun and motivating environment when teaching swimming and water survival skills. Paul has been teaching children how to swim and survive in deep water since 1972, and continues his teaching in the pool today.

The day is themed as a ‘Family Festival’ to celebrate our National Holiday on Australia day. There will be BBQ’s, ice cream and fruit for the swimmers who will also receive a race pack containing a T-Shirt, swim cap, raffle ticket and a cap. A live band will be included into the mix to entertain the spectators and a jumping castle for the children.
Channel Nine personality Rhys Uhlich will be hosting the event.

Australian Olympic swimmers Michael Klim and Sophie Edington, Paul Sadler from Paul Sadler Swimland and Marathon Swimmer Tammy Van Wisse are available for media interview to discuss the importance of ocean swimming safety.

All Media Enquiries: Shereen Kiddle milkk@milkk.com.au 0413 875 776

Wednesday 12 January 2011

Milk Celebrity Relay

 

The third annual Australian Unity Great Australia Day Swim will be held on the 26th of January 2012 at Middle Brighton Pier. The event will be held in conjunction with the Brighton Life Saving Club who will supervise all water safety and Swim Australia, which is the National body for ‘Learn to Swim Campaigns’ in Australia.

On the day there will be a 1.4km and 5km swim, the 300m Australian Unity Junior Dash and the Michael Klim Milk Celebrity Relay. The swim is expected to attract well over 1000 participants with a large number of spectators viewing the family festivities that take place.

The Australian Unity Great Australia Day Swim feature is the Michael Klim Milk Celebrity Relay. The relay was inspired by the amazing swimming career of Olympic swimming legend Michael Klim (OAM) and his dream to create a world first event.

Combining Michael’s love of keeping fit through swimming with raising funds for Australian charity organizations, the event has become an annual relay style event with a difference staged on the beach alongside the Middle Brighton Pier.

Michael and fellow Olympians and other celebrities will join relay teams competing over a 4X 400 metre course for the Michael Klim Trophy and team prize presented by Michael.
In 2011 the Milk Celebrity relay included celebrity swimmers Liesel Jones, Nicole Livingstone, Matt Target, Shane Crawford, Sophie Edington, Tammy VanWisse and Daniel Kowalski.
Teams will be provided with a team race kit and swim cap. Indivdual entries will not be accepted.
So …get together and enter a Team!!

To enter a team contact: Shereen milkk@milkk.com.au 0413 875 776

Michael Klim talks about Ocean Swimming Safety:
What tips do you have in training for the Great Australia Day Swim? When it comes to swimming make sure you are comfortable swimming in the pool as well as the ocean. Ocean swimming can be a lot harder than in the pool due to the current. It is also important to practice wading out to sea – it looks simple but technique is important.

I would suggest when preparing for an event such as this make sure that you are comfortable in covering double the length of the nominated swim. When in training, I would try to increase the intensity as you get closer to the event.

What do you normally do before a swim on event day? Make sure you have a healthy breaky (cereal, fruit, yoghurt, toast etc) but nothing heavy i.e bacon and eggs. Also try and eat some sort of carbs the night before. Sounds basic but it really does help. It also helps to arrive early so as you are not rushed and make sure you have all your equipment on hand i.e goggles.

What do you do to warm up before an event? Make sure you warm up properly. Do some stretching and maybe a jog or a quick bike ride to get the heart rate up a bit before the actual event. If you can swim before hand it’s always good to loosen up this way.
What do you do after an event? I find that it’s really important to replace the electrolytes that I’ve lost with a powerade or Gatorade. I normally also eat bananas to replace the energy I’ve expelled. This way I don’t find myself feeling flat at the end of the day.

Michael’s Top 5 Tips for Ocean Swimming:

• Practice freestyle before the Great Australia Day Swim – it is the best stroke for open water swimming.
• Choose goggles and swimwear that are you are comfortable swimming in. Make sure your goggles fit your face well so they don’t leak.
• Make sure you stretch before your swim to warm up your arms and legs
• Be sure to look after your swimming gear. Rinse everything with fresh water after use. This will make sure it lasts a long time!
• On the day its great to use a high quality block out so as not to get burnt – I myself love to use my own Milk by Michael Klim Dry Touch Sunscreen SPF 30+ (www.milkskincare.com).
• Most importantly, remember to have FUN!

All Media Enquiries: Shereen Kiddle milkk@milkk.com.au 0413 875 776