Laurie Lawrence

Stuff the Silver, we are Going for Gold

Tailored Media

Laurie prepares for Check-Your-Pool-Gate-Month

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December is National Check-Your-Pool-Gate Month.

“12 Aussie children under the age of four lost their lives because of swimming pool drownings in 2018/19*, with hundreds more involved in non-fatal drowning incidents,” said Laurie.

“Kids gaining access to pools because of faulty gates is something that should not be happening. These drownings are preventable. Pool owners need to check their fences, gates, latches and hinges regularly, as a gate that is not self-closing and self-latching provides instant and often undetected access for toddlers to the pool area,” Laurie said.

“All it takes is a few minutes to check that your pool fences and gates, including latches and hinges, are in good working order. This simple routine at the start of summer could save the life of a child,” Laurie continued.

In the lead up to Check-Your-Pool-Gate Month, D&D Technologies have put together a bit of insight into who Laurie is, where his career started, his Olympic milestones, and his passion for water safety.

To read the full article by D&D Technologies, click here.

*National Drowning Report 2019 by Royal Life Saving Australia.

Stanley – Steve Holland

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In this episode, Laurie tells the story of Steve Holland; OAM, Commonwealth Games Champion & Olympic Medalist. With Laurie as his coach, 15-year-old Steve broke the world record for 800m and 1500m freestyle – both in the same race.

From a “shy, skinny, nervous kid” to world record holder and champion, this is Steve’s story as told by Laurie Lawrence.

Book reference: Lawrence of Australia, Chapter 18 “Stanley – Steve Holland”

International Industry Partnerships Announced

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World Wide Swim School is excited to announce partnerships with industry associations in New Zealand and the USA. This expands on our current Australian partnerships with ASCTA, AUSTSWIM, and Australian Swim School Association.

We are excited to be partnering with NZSCTA and USSSA to provide their members the benefits of the World Wide Swim School training modules, videos and resources developed by Laurie Lawrence.

Laurie Lawrence said ‘we value working with industry associations and creating these partnerships to support the ongoing development of swim teachers and swim schools in teaching swimming and water safety skills’.

Laurie went on to say ‘even as a successful young coach my dad ‘Stumpy’ Lawrence emphasized the importance of continual improvement. With this in mind I contacted US Coach Don Gabril and headed to Long Beach California to pick up kickboards for him, but more importantly, study his coaching methods! These days with the internet we don’t have to leave home to upskill ourselves. Worldwideswimschool.com is there for swim schools, teachers and young coaches around the world to enjoy and improve’.

Susan Carter, General Manager said ‘This is the first time we have partnered with these two international associations and we are excited to work with NZSCTA and USSSA to ensure their members have access to ongoing professional development to upskill and build consistency of teaching across the swim school team’.

For more information, go to worldwideswimschool.com/our-partners

Doing What the Opposition Won’t – Duncan Armstrong

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In this episode, Laurie tells us the story of Duncan Armstrong, Commonwealth Games and Olympic Champion, and Order of Australia Recipient. Duncan, coached by Laurie Lawrence, won Olympic gold at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.

Laurie takes us back to Duncan’s teens where his swimming career started at A.C.I. Lawrence Swimming Club. He recounts Duncan’s relentless pursuit of Olympic gold.

Book reference: Lawrence of Australia, Chapter 13 “Doing What the Opposition Won’t – Duncan Armstrong”

World Wide Swim School growth leads to team expansion

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Due to immense growth of World Wide Swim School business operations, the company is announcing the appointment of a General Manager and new Sales Executive.

Susan Carter will be moving into the position of General Manager to continue to grow and develop World Wide Swim School. 

Susan commenced with World Wide Swim School in 2018 as Manager of Business Engagement and Quality Improvement, and has overseen a widespread increase in product consumption for the company.  

As General Manager Susan will guide the strategic direction of World Wide Swim School, working with industry associations and partners to further increase the reach of the teacher training platform into both Australian and International markets.

Michael McKenzie will be joining the team as Sales Executive for Swim Schools. Michael has had a long career in swimming, culminating in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, with Laurie as coach. Since retiring from swimming Michael has operated swim schools and had extensive experience in Sales in the swimming industry.

Director of World Wide Swim School, Laurie Lawrence, said “our expansion will ensure that we can provide more swimming staff with access to our quality training platform to ensure teachers are well trained”. 

“With Susan at the helm, we are excited about the massive growth we have ahead for us and the change we will begin to see in the swimming industry, Laurie said.

CEO, Ben Pedrazzini said, “we have achieved great market acceptance, but for continual expansion we require the full attention of quality staff, Susan and Michael are great additions to our team that assist us in driving the World Wide Swim School platform to new heights. In the coming weeks and months, we have some very exciting news to share with our members and the swimming industry as we continue to add value to our products and services.”

For more information, visit worldwideswimschool.com

Learn2Swim Week Launch

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I urge all parents to take advantage of free lessons for kids under the age of five as part of the Learn2Swim awareness campaign.

Learn2Swim Week 2019 will be held during the Spring school holidays from September 30th – October 7th.

Parents can visit www.learn2swimweek.com and register for FREE lessons.

Remember Kids Alive Do The Five!  And a big thank you to all the participating swim schools and Learn2Swim Week’s amazing partner, Poolwerx.

Laurie Lawrence and Melanie Wright pose with kids, (left to right) Charlotte Brown, Isabelle Brown and Madison Wright at Aqua Logan, Tuesday, August 20, 2019. (Pic Jono Searle/Thrive PR.)

A True Champion – Debbie Flintoff-King

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Debbie Flintoff-King is a Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games athlete, Order of Australia Recipient and Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductee.  In her career, Debbie won gold at the 1988 Seoul Olympics plus a total of seven medals over three Commonwealth Games appearances.

In this episode, Laurie takes us back to 1990 when Debbie was preparing for the Auckland Commonwealth Games, striving to realise her dream of winning three consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medals.

Book reference: Lawrence of Australia, Chapter 12 “A True Champion – Debbie Flintoff-King”