LOCAL swimmer Sophie Vergone impressed at her first national swimming championships in Sydney, recently making two finals.
In the process the 13-year-old also got to meet her idols from Channel 10’s Bondi Rescue.
Her coach James Hornby challenged her at the start of the season that if she achieved five national qualifying times he would find a way for her to be able to meet some of the Bondi Rescue lifeguards. Sophie went two better, producing seven national times, putting the heat on her coach to come through on his promise.
Luckily for Hornby one of the girls Sophie swims with and is a good friend of Chloe Green.
Chloe just happens to be the daughter of professional boxer Danny Green.
Knowing that Green was involved with the media, Hornby asked him if he knew of anyone involved with Bondi Rescue. Within an hour Green had not only arranged for Sophie to meet some of the lifeguards but also a jet-ski ride across Bondi with one of the lifeguards.
It just happened that one of his good friends was head lifeguard and a former world pro-surfer Rod “Kerr Box” Kerr.
Sophie didn’t know what was more exciting, swimming at a national championship or meeting Bondi Rescue lifeguards Kerr Box and Anthony Glick.
“I would say it was even,” she said. “My coach told me he wasn’t able to arrange anything. [When we headed to Bondi] I was just hoping to meet them, I didn’t know they would take me out on the jet-ski.”
Sophie’s mum Tash said it was the first time she had seen her daughter speechless and thanked Hornby for organising the meeting.
“She really didn’t know what to say; it’s the first time I have seen her stuck for words,” she said.
“I don’t know how many swim coaches would go out of their way the way he did.”
Even though Sophie was nervous meeting the television celebrities, she said it didn’t compare to the nerves she felt at her national competition.
“It’s a bit different than the meet at home,” she said. “I was really nervous but just tried to calm myself before the race.”
At the championship the young swimmer qualified for two finals, the 200-metre individual medley (IM) and the 400m IM.
She finished ninth in Australia in the 200IM and 10th in Australia for the 400IM with a 3.97 second personal best. “I was really happy,” she said.
Sophie improved her 100m freestyle ranking by four places and is now ranked 15th in the country. She also came from 31st to 18th in the 100m breaststroke.
The Mandurah local finished the championships with five personnel best times.
