My Dad is my coach, says young swimming sensation Dillon

Angu Rajendran

Good rules of parenting from time immemorial say that the 'Best teacher for any child is a parent' Manoj Abeysinghe believes in this very strongly as he trains his family of swimmers, Andrew (17 years), Mathew (14 years), Dillon (12 years) and Kyle (10).

Twelve-year-old Dillon Abeysinghe who recently created a sensation at the short course Junior Nationals by breaking four records and securing five individual golds and two relay golds by anchoring his relay team of Sherran Rajapakse, Ramith Samayamanthri and Gowthaman Thayaparan is coached six days of the week by his dad at the NCC pool.

"Dillon is not at his peak yet," says coach Manoj. I am just giving him aerobic training. He is still a small boy. He needs to peak when he is a man. Only then he can compete with men." Dillon trains two hours, six days of the week from 5.30 a.m to 7.00 a.m. Then he is of to school at Asian International. After school everyday is a big lunch and a nap, till about four thirty. Homework time is from about 5.30 p.m to 7.30 p.m after which is play time with brothers and cousins and then he has to hit the bed at 8.30 p.m to get the much needed rest before his day begins again at 4.00 a.m.

Dillon is really not going into serious training until he is 14 years old, says dad Manoj. I am just trying to build up his endurance and aerobic power and of course correct any mistakes in his techniques.

"Winning and breaking records now are just motivation for him. He will start doing really big things when his body is ready for it, physically. I will not push a boy into becoming a man. You will then burn him out. I want him to just think that swimming is part of his life now like brushing his teeth," says dad Manoj. Speed and push will come in later.

Young Dillon who has been sucked into the whole swimming cycle as he was taken along for all his brothers (Andrew and Mathews) practices from the age of six years is also an outstanding artist both digital and water paints. And he makes the best grilled cheese sandwiches in the world. His whole family vouches for that.

He does not think about swimming as something he likes to do or not. He is simply naturally talented as his brothers. His favourite is the back stroke, though he trains equally hard to develop the technique and style of all four strokes.

The coach/father who has recently brought three of his four boys back from the US to Sri Lanka says that the conditions for swimming in Sri Lanka are magnificent when compared to most other countries. Mostly the weather is fabulous allowing swimmers to train throughout the year in the same kind of pool. The only drawback he says are the re-scheduling or postponements of meets.

When swimmers train for a meet, they follow a particularly rigid program/schedule close to a meet so that they will give of their peak performance at the meet itself but when a meet is postponed by the authorities for whatever reason then the training becomes difficult and upsets young swimmers who are stretched beyond their goals.

Dillon is oblivious to all his fantastic achievements. Age group champion under 14 at the International Schools Swimming meet last month and Junior National champion this month and Dillon is probably the youngest swimmer who will take part in the Senior Nationals to be swum in April.

He just takes it all in his stride. As his father has told him "you can do whatever you want in life" Swimming is life's best lesson. It teaches you pain, endurance, time management, healthy living and giving of your best. Dad Manoj has told his sons, "if you want to be a garbage collector then be the best garbage collector that you can be" Dillon is the quietest of the four boys but dad makes sure that he and the others have as much fun as possible and Sundays are family fun days when Dad is longer coach but takes the family out to have fun in the sun.