F-Team Year in Review
As we wind down this crazy year, we thought we'd share some fun and interesting info about our awesome Funkita F-Teamers from 2021! We can't wait to see what adventures they get up to and successes they achieve in 2022...
Holly Barratt
Highlight of the year – Meeting my new ISL team, the Aqua Centurions. They are such a great team of really inspiring and passionate people, and also so much fun to be around. I am also hoping that SC Worlds at the end of the month will be my racing highlight of the year!
Biggest challenge of the year – To keep focused through all of the racing I have done. So far I have done 26 days of racing over three months, plus training, across 8 different cities, and all of the racing and moving around can be tiring and distracting so being able to stay focused and fresh for every race is a good challenge.
Best meal you had– In Doha I went to dinner with a friend and we ordered sooo much food, amazing dips, salads, koftas, and endless flatbread and tea, plus traditional Qatari desserts. It was the first time I’d been anywhere in West Asia so it was great to experience the food locally.
Amazing person you met– I think there are too many to name! The best part about racing internationally is the people you meet, but it was really special to be part of the Aqua Centurions team for Federica Pellegrini’s last swims. She is the only swimmer to have won eight medals in a row in the same event (200 meters freestyle) at the World Champs. And at the Tokyo Olympics she became the first female swimmer to qualify for five consecutive Olympic finals in the same event. She was also an amazing team captain for us.
What word sums up your year - Unforgettable.
What’s your big goal for 2022 – More PBs and more international racing!
Laura Stephens
Highlight of the year – Competing at the Tokyo Olympic games and graduating from University.
Biggest challenge of the year – Completing my dissertation and qualifying for the Olympics at the same time!
Best meal you had– Too hard to choose, but I guess every time I have had a spaghetti Bolognese (a lot).
Amazing person you met– The Toronto Titans team! Such an amazing group of people to train and race with during the ISL season.
What word sums up your year - Resilience
What’s your big goal for 2022 – To qualify for the world champs, European champs and commonwealth games, and I am hoping to achieve my first senior international individual medal.
Mikhaela de Oliveira
Highlight of the year - Christmas holidays finally being here !!
Biggest challenge of the year - Most races having been cancelled
Best meal you had - Prawn and parma ham stuffed chicken with cheese sauce and chips
Amazing person you met - No new famous people this year due to covid, hopefully restrictions are lifted next year though
What word sums up your year - Busy
What’s your big goal for 2022 - To qualify for junior worlds
Ellen Walshe
Highlight of the year - Getting selected for 2020 Olympic Games and getting a puppy
Biggest challenge of the year - Training on my own durning covid peak
Best meal you had - Any homemade meals
Amazing person you met - all athletes at the games 2021.
What word sums up your year - Excitement
What’s your big goal for 2022 - getting to represent my family ,friends and country in 2022
Crystal Edwards
Highlight of the year - Completing year 12
Biggest challenge of the year - Balancing study with training
Best meal you had - My nan’s apple pie
Amazing person you met - I met some of the Funkita team (Lauren and Tania in WA)
What word sums up your year - Jam-packed
What’s your big goal for 2022 - To establish myself outside of school and get to know more people through uni and travel!
Natasha Bowyer
Highlight of the year - Being able to go diving!
Biggest challenge of the year - Recovering from TBI (Traumatic brain injury)
Best meal you had - My first Burger Burger meal after lockdown
Amazing person you met - My twin
What word sums up your year - Hussle
What’s your big goal for 2022 - Face a ITU World Cup!
Abby Schoorl
Highlight of the year - Winning bronze in the Women’s Open 50m Butterfly at Nationals. Also watching my teammates compete at the Olympics!
Biggest Challenge of the year - Balancing training, studying and working.
Best meal I had - Homemade lasagne, zucchini & beetroot salad, & chocolate covered strawberries with my team mates.
Amazing person I met - Too many to name just one!
What word sums up my year - Perseverance
What’s my big goal for 2022 - Continue to improve!
Lucy Dring
Highlight of the Year - Making 2 A finals at Olympic Trials and becoming part of the F-Team!!
Biggest Challenge you have had - Juggling first year of uni with swimming.
Best meal you have had - Too many to choose from but if I had to pick one, it would probably have to be classic spaghetti and garlic bread.
Amazing person you have met - Hoping to meet some cool people in the coming years!
What word sums up your year - Exciting!!
What’s your big goal for 2022 - To see how far I can take my swimming and to find a new Netflix show I can binge watch!
Yasmin Rieger
Highlight of the year - Finally going back to the US and seeing all my friends again.
Biggest challenge of the year - staying motivated and focused with all the current uncertanties
Best meal you had - Homemade paella by my dad
Amazing person you met - all the new girls at my team
What word sums up your year - Consistency
What’s your big goal for 2022 - Graduating from college
Jacinta Carroll
Highlight of the year – Breaking the waterski jump world record becoming the first female to jump over 200ft
Biggest challenge of the year -Trying to raise enough money to leave Australia during lockdown to defend my world championship title
Best meal you had– 12HR SMOKED PULLED PORK TACOS (HOME MADE)
Amazing person you met– The crew at Action Horizons
What word sums up your year - Epic
What’s your big goal for 2022 – Passing my second masters before my wedding!
Iona Anderson
Highlight of the year - Making the B final at Olympic Trials for the 200 backstroke
Biggest challenge of the year - Trying to travel to Trials and Nationals because of WA borders
Best meal you had - Chocolate Obuns in Adelaide
Amazing person you’ve met - Rhiannon Clarke, who I talked to at an awards night.
What word sums up your year - Eventful
What’s your big goal for 2022 - Race at Age Nationals in April
Amber Downham
Highlight of the year - Getting out of lockdown and deciding to move to a different school for sixth form.
Biggest challenge of the year - Not being able to train at the beginning of the year and then returning afterwards.
Best meal you had - A barbecue in summer with my friends which was so good and I really enjoyed.
Amazing person you’ve met- I’ve met lots of new people this year at school and through swimming.
What word sums up your year - Unexpected - as so much happened that I never would have imagined.
What’s your big goal for 2022 - I want to improve on all of my times after the setback Covid brought.
Hanne De Vet
Highlight of the year - Swimming with a turtle
Biggest challenge of the year - Finishing a 50 sushi plate with 2 persons
Best meal you had - Daily miso soup in quarantine hotel before racing
Amazing person you met - A few amazing people who are working hard during training chasing dreams and have a laugh after at the coffee dates :)
What word sums up your year - Karma
What’s your big goal for 2022 - Enjoy every step of the process
Stefanie McCarthy
Highlight of the year - Finishing year 12 and moving on to the next chapter in my life.
Biggest challenge of the year - Combining study for final exams and swimming.
Best meal you had - I am currently loving poke bowls.
Amazing person you met - I don’t have one specific person, but I have met so many amazing people throughout the year.
What word sums up your year - Determination
What’s your big goal for 2022 - To continue improving in all aspects of life.
Emily Ford
Highlight of the year - Spending a week in Devon (in summer) with my parents and both of my sisters – we hadn’t all been together since before September 2021.
Biggest challenge of the year - Getting back my fitness in the pool and then dealing with a shoulder injury for months after and coming back from that.
Best meal you had - Mum’s Sunday roast when I went home for the weekend after being at University for a couple of months.
Amazing person you met -There hasn’t been one particular amazing person I have met, but getting closer to those around me and supporting each other.
What word sums up your year - Adaptability
What’s your big goal for 2022 - Move my pb’s on while being injury free.
Katja Dedekind
Highlight of the year – Racing at my second Paralympics
Biggest challenge of the year – deciding not to study while concentrating on the Games – I’m back in Feb though!!
Best meal you had– One of the poke bowls in the village in the Aus team building – still have dreams about it to this day.
Amazing person you met– Pretty much everyone along the way, not just Australians but the people volunteering in Tokyo
What word sums up your year - Busy
What’s your big goal for 2022 – Keep doing what I'm doing and having fun while doing it.
Emily White
Highlight of the year - Finally finishing year 12 and getting the results I needed to get into the course I wanted to do at Uni.
Biggest challenge of the year - Going into sudden lockdowns throughout the year.
Best meal you had - Early Christmas lunch with my friends.
Amazing person you met - I met some amazing people in the group I trained with in Perth at the beginning of the year!
What word sums up your year - Evolving
What’s your big goal for 2022 - Travel more than I did in 2020 and 2021 and meet lots of new people at different competitions.
Matilda Smith
Highlight of the year - Competing in places all over the country again!
Biggest challenge of the year - Needing to take some time off of swimming.
Best meal you had - My Birthday cake !
Amazing person you met - All of my amazing friends :)
What word sums up your year - Exciting
What’s your big goal for 2022 - Staying on top of my schoolwork and swimming.
Chloe Golding
Highlight of year - I went on holiday and had an amazing week in the sunshine!
Biggest challenge of year - Getting over my results that I wasn’t happy with in the water.
Best meal you had - Tapas at my favourite restaurant, Bar San Juan
Amazing person you met - my friend's girlfriend, Gill. Love spending time with her!
What word sums up your year - Rollercoaster
What's your big goal for 2022 - Get back to being more myself again in the water
Carolyn Hayes
Highlight of year - The Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games for me. And the Funkita deliveries that brightened up my training regime of course!
Biggest challenge of year - Training through lockdown. Overnight I lost my training group and training facilities. This was hard as I had my goals set firmly on qualifying for the Olympics and suddenly I had no pool to train in! Luckily Sport Ireland managed to secure access for Elite athletes and the government gave us certificates to be able to get past the Garda/police checkpoints as the country had a 2km travel limit. I had to train on my own for the next 18months, away from family and friends. That was hard.
Best meal you had - First homemade roast dinner when I was able to travel home to my parents. Roast chicken and all the trimmings.
Amazing person you met - I met Shane Lowry (Golfer) and Rory McIlroy in the Olympic village as well as some athletic and swimming superstars.
What word sums up your year - Resilience
What's your big goal for 2022 - Keeping the fun in sport and balancing my international commitments with my medicine.