News.Life

<img data-document-id="cms/api/amp/image/AA1BqbQu" data-reference="image" src="https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AA1BqbQu.jpg"/>
<div>
 
 Jasper Barnett spends much her time training underwater in a small public pool in Western Australia's north.
 
 
 At just 13 years old, the 50m butterfly and backstroke specialist from Broome already has a swag of medals and records from local and state meets.
 
 
 She's also a talented surf lifesaver, training for ocean races at Cable Beach, which has postcard views but the added threat of stingers, sharks, and crocodiles.
 
 
 "I prefer the pool because it's more safe," she said.
 
 
 Jasper only competes twice a year, 2,000 kilometres south in Perth, and has to re-adjust to swimming in a pool double the size of the one in her home town.
 
 
 "I aim for two to three breaths in 50 metres. It's a more efficient way to not break your streamline when trying to go the fastest," Jasper said.
 
 
 Over the next month, Jasper will tackle one of her biggest competitive campaigns, with the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships on the Gold Coast quickly followed by the National Swim Championships in Brisbane.
 
 
 Jasper, who competes as an individual rather than in a club, has a month of training prior to the national events with specialist pool and ocean swimming coaches in Perth and Queensland.
 
 
 But it doesn't come cheap.
 
 
 Her family has been fundraising to cover almost $15,000 for flights, hotels, food, coaching fees, and equipment.
 
 
 "Even when we go to Perth for the state championships we're still looking at $10,000, and it's always been that way unfortunately," her father Brent Barnett said.
 
 
 "For Jasper, it's always been three weeks off school and specialised training in the 50-metre pool.
 
 <blockquote>
 
 "Most competitors at the nationals will get to compete from their own postcode."
 
 </blockquote>
 <h4>
 'Disadvantaged' from the get-go
 </h4>
 
 It's a scenario echoed across regional Australia, where families and clubs frequently fundraise for athletes to get to the city.
 
 
 The AFL is one of the few sports to have structured and well-funded support programs for country athletes.
 
 
 Broome Little Athletics Centre (BLAC) has almost 200 members and was named Best Remote Organisation in Australia by its peak body in 2023.
 
 
 "Young talent in the Kimberley and other regional areas are already disadvantaged compared to metro athletes due to not having the facilities to train," club president Kelly Ford said.
 
 <blockquote>
 
 "We have no athletics track here … they're practising on grass, often with no lines … at the hottest time of the year."
 
 </blockquote>
 
 Ms Ford estimated families were paying almost $3,000 for their child to compete at various state meets in Perth.
 
 
 She said it was essential to keep youth "engaged in the sports they love".
 
 
 "If we don't enable them to easily travel to competitions I fear they'll lose interest and give up the sport completely," Ms Ford said.
 
 <h4>
 Hardly any support for athletics
 </h4>
 
 One of BLAC's rising stars is track and field athlete Annabella Thompson, who has attended state, national, and international competitions.
 
 
 But Ms Ford said there was "hardly any" financial support for the teenager from government bodies.
 
 
 Applications had to be submitted over six weeks beforehand, which was frequently unfeasible for athletes. Additionally, various requirements typically excluded participants younger than 13 or stopped them from traveling across different states.
 
 
 Ms Ford stated that the young athlete relocated to Perth this year to "pursue her aspirations."
 
 
 Ms Ford stated that BLAC frequently pursued grants, donations, and sponsorships, and she commended small enterprises for their kindness and support.
 
 
 She stated that if our athletes received additional support, we might be able to retain their engagement for a longer period—much more work is needed in this aspect.
 
 
 "Mostly the families of athletes work out a way to be able to pay."
 
</div>

Kimberley athletes feeling tyranny of distance as costs of national competitions mount

Unknown athletes, competitive swimming, contests and competitions, sports, swimming

Jasper Barnett spends much her time training underwater in a small public pool in Western Australia's north. At just 13 years old, the 50m butterfly and backstroke specialist from Broome al…