As a sportsperson, getting the chance to represent your country is the stuff dreams are made of.
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And for two Nambucca 10-year-olds that dream is already a reality.
Leah Pickvance from St Patrick’s Catholic and Millie Edwards from Macksville Public school have been chosen to swim at the Pacific School Games in Adelaide this December.
The Pacific School Games is a biennial event run by School Sport Australia which provides opportunities for around 4000 school-aged students to participate in 11 different sports at the highest level.
Students aged between 10 and 19 years from at least 15 countries, including every Australian state and territory, will compete from December 3-9.
Despite training in different pools, the girls are already friends and are looking forward to swimming together in their age group’s medley relay.
Leah is a freestyling wonder, swimming 50 metres faster than most adults at 32.13 seconds.
To give some perspective, the female world record for 50m freestyle in 1975 was 27 seconds. And Leah is only 10.
She has been selected to swim in the 50m freestyle race, the 10-year-old freestyle and medley relays and the all-ages freestyle relay.
While Millie is a superstar all-rounder, impressing the judges enough to be selected to swim in eight separate events: the 100m freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly; the 50m backstroke and butterfly; the 200m individual medley; and the backstroke leg of the medley relay.
But if she had to pick a favourite stroke, then backstroke would be it.
During the regional competition Millie smashed records that had been standing since before she was born.
Millie wakes up before the birds every morning in order to get to her training session in Coffs Harbour.
“Mum wakes me up every morning at 4:20am and asks me if I wanna go to training,” Millie said.
“And I always say yes.
“My mum is very excited and very proud of me.”
Millie’s back in the pool every afternoon for another session.
“If I miss an afternoon of training I’ll do sit-ups or some other exercise to keep up my fitness.”
Leah has a similar training schedule, and will be hitting up the Macksville pool five to six times per week once the 50 metre pool reopens in October.
She’ll also make the journey to Port Macquarie twice a week in order to train against other nationals-level swimmers.
Leah even got in a few sessions during her family’s recent trip to Bali.
Macksville Marlins assistant coach and Leah’s mum Renee is incredibly proud of her daughter’s accomplishments.
“When I touched the wall and came second at states, Mum was screaming her head off,” Leah said.
“It was great to see her achieve what she wanted to.” Renee said.
Renee works hard to make sure that Leah is able to balance the strenuous demands of training and fifth grade homework.
But her water-baby only has eyes for the pool, and has been immersed since a three-month old.
“Ever since I was little I loved being in the water,” Leah said.
“My first swimming carnival was when I was three, at Sawtell.”
Both girls are keen to get a personal best and make a final at the Pacific Games.
And Leah is already thinking ahead with hopes for Olympic selection in 2024.
“I really wanna make it in the freestyle, and maybe my backstroke.”
If all that swimming wasn’t enough, once they finish school, both girls are keen to try their hands at being a swimming squad coach.
“Either that or hairdressing,” Leah said.