Young swimmer making a splash

Being awarded Sportswoman of the Year at 12 may be considered too much, too soon – but for swimmer Amy Micallef it could fast become a reality.

One of the 13 contenders for the title in the 2010 Għażliet Sportivi Nazzjonali, Amy could not believe it when her friend informed her of the nomination after reading it in the newspaper. The 12-year-old normally reads it to check her time trials and that was one of the only instances she had not.

“It’s quite a big deal,” she says calmly as she prepares to plunge into the pool for her daily training.

“I didn’t expect it so early,” she continues, pointing out she does not know how the nominations actually work. “Maybe it has something to do with dedication” – of which she has heaps.

Being recognised in this way means her work is paying off, Amy feels, admitting she would be surprised if she were to win, competing against older athletes in various sports.

“It’s no joke,” she adds, but she has not given it much thought, staying focused on her day-to-day training.

And it is keeping her busy in the run-up to the 40th anniversary of the sports event. Amy trains nine times a week, starting at 6 a.m. before school on three days and going to the national pool every afternoon. Her only day off is Sunday as she trains for two hours on Saturday morning too, starting at 7 a.m.

“Sometimes, with all my school work, I think twice about training, but I almost always end up going. Otherwise, I feel bad!”

But it was not always that way, and although Amy is already lined up to be Sportswoman of the Year, she only started swimming three years ago, really upping her game and intensifying her act last year.

And it was almost by chance that she found herself engrossed in the sport. “I always loved swimming, and when my mother came across an advert for lessons three years ago, she urged me to go. I didn’t even enjoy it in the beginning, as even though I loved swimming, I did it for fun. This was too serious.”

However, that approach did not last long and Amy’s ambitious nature, evident in other areas of her life, including her studies, was soon to take over her swimming too. As she started to see improvements, she got to enjoy it more and more.

Amy just loves to be in the water: “It’s hard to explain. I feel free... I even enjoy it when I am training hard and I am tired. It could get tough but you have to be mentally strong.”

That does not necessarily always come naturally, particularly when it is a hard set and she is under pressure, Amy admits. “If the brain gives up, the whole body does too!”

Amy has competed in national contests and even raced overseas, breaking her own record. She is the fastest swimmer in her age group and is looking forward to competing with 13- and 14-year-olds after December. Her long-term ambition is to join the national team, although she knows she has to improve her stamina first.

But it is early days and the sensible girl is aware that if she were to join now, she would risk burning herself out if she is not up to standard and it would ruin her career.

Her coach Gail Rizzo is a mentor. She holds many records that have not been broken for years but Amy knows she cannot beat those because they were achieved when Ms Rizzo was nine and 10 – and that time is gone now.

Amy’s next record will have to be the 100-metre freestyle, which belongs to a member of the national team and which Amy has not managed to break for split seconds.

The swimmer has set plans for the future and she does not think teenage distractions could possibly lead her off course. She does not plan to have late nights, and the older swimmers, who turn up tired in the morning, are not enviable in her view.

“To be good, you cannot go out,” she states, matter-of-factly.

Swimming is Amy’s life and when she is not in the pool, she is doing homework and studying. That is how her weekends are spent and she has no regrets. “Rarely, when it’s a friend’s birthday, or some special occasion, I go out.”

Although her friends are quite active too, she is often the one who tells them she cannot make an event due to training. But they totally understand her commitment and she cannot say her life is too different from theirs.