Family and friends celebrate with Abbey Webb on her selection to the Australian Swim Team. Photo: Tim Gavel.
Abbey Webb walked into the Kingston Hotel for what she thought was going to be a quiet family lunch. Instead, she found herself in the midst of a surprise celebration.
Family and friends were there to celebrate Abbey’s selection to the Australian Swimming Team for the upcoming World titles in Singapore, effectively fulfilling a lifelong dream.
It’s a dream that looked to be on shaky ground after the disappointment of missing out on the Paris Olympic team last year.
At 24, she was questioning whether she wanted to continue.
“I took a couple of months off after the Olympic trials,” said Abbey.
“I decided to continue pursuing my dream of becoming a Dolphin. I felt very determined to make it happen and put everything into making the team.”
In her corner Abbey has one of most credentialed coaches in world swimming, Shannon Rollason.
Shannon harnessed Abbey’s determination as she pushed herself to the limit with nine pool and two gym sessions a week.
It’s paid off.
Abbey smashed her personal best to make the Dolphins team for the first time with selection in the four-by-100 and four-by-200 metres freestyle relay squads.
“It means everything to me to get a Dolphin’s team number. It’s the highlight of my swimming life,” says Abbey.
Her number, 877, ensures she will be forever a Dolphin which is a rarity in itself in Canberra swimming.
Her selection and the celebration lunch has also provided an opportunity to reflect on the support she has received along the way.
The proverb “it takes a village” is never more apt than in the support provided to a young swimmer with promise and determination.
As Abbey scans the room, she can readily see those who played a part in supporting her attaining this high point in her swimming career.
“I have such a good support network with the swimming community, my family, coaches and friends and many of them are here today,” she said.
There have been plenty of early mornings and weekends poolside, along with thousands of kilometres on the road for her mum and dad, Caroline and Rob.
It’s been quite a journey from the early days at the Lorrae Black Swim School at the Queanbeyan pool.
And as I speak to Abbey’s family about that time in her swimming life there is evident appreciation of the role played by Lorrae’s swim school in those formative years.
As I asked Rob about the sacrifices made by Abbey and the family to get to this point his voice becomes shaky; “I shed a tear or two when she made the team as I thought about Abbey’s dedication and resilience to fulfil her dream. There were plenty of sacrifices missing out on parties and sleepovers but her selection makes it all worthwhile.”
Rob and Caroline have lived and breathed swimming as key members of Abbey’s support network. They will be there in Singapore later this month as she makes her Dolphins debut.
There will be plenty of people there in spirit as well, as the Canberra swimming community watches on with collective pride as one of their own debuts on the world stage.
