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Speaker 1: Now swimmers from across Australia are set to converge on

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Speaker 1: the Northern Territory with Darwin hosting the Australian Wide Country Championships.

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Speaker 2: Now it's all kicking off this Saturday and runs for

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Speaker 2: a couple of days.

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Speaker 1: Now joining me on the line to tell us more

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Speaker 1: about it is swimming into CEO Rob West.

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Speaker 3: Good morning to you, Rob, Good morning Katie. How are

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Speaker 3: you yeah?

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Speaker 1: Really well, great to have you on the show and

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Speaker 1: great to hear that the National Country Swimming Championships are

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Speaker 1: happening in Darwin.

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Speaker 3: Yes, we are very excited. It's going to be an

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Speaker 3: action packed four days. We have a number of swimming

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Speaker 3: swimmers coming from all over Australia, so it will be

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Speaker 3: a great event for Darwin.

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Speaker 1: Is this the first time that we've ever had the

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Speaker 1: National Country Swimming Championships here in the territory.

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Speaker 3: It's actually the inaugural Country Swimming Championships awesome, never been

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Speaker 3: held anywhere in Australia, so that one where we've actually

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Speaker 3: got the inaormural event. Yest Oh, that's.

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Speaker 1: Wonderful news and wonderful for the North and Territory, but

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Speaker 1: also for the sport of swimming and people that live

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Speaker 1: more regionally throughout Australia. Rob, any idea how many swimmers

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Speaker 1: we're going to have taking part.

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Speaker 3: So we've got about three hundred and seventy nominations across

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Speaker 3: the event, across the four days, and as I said before,

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Speaker 3: they come from all over Australia, so we're really excited.

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Speaker 2: How far away are we talking, rob.

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Speaker 3: Every state in Australia is represented. They are all regional

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Speaker 3: and country clubs. So it's an opportunity for swimmers who

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Speaker 3: don't normally get that excitement in the bigger events. So

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Speaker 3: I've actually all decided to come to Darward for holiday

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Speaker 3: and experience a national event here in Darwa.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, how wonderful.

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Speaker 1: And also throughout you know, through the school holidays which

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Speaker 1: is a good thing for us, and through that shoulder

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Speaker 1: season as well when it comes to tourism, and then

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Speaker 1: to have three hundred and seventy nominations, it's a good

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Speaker 1: thing all round.

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Speaker 3: It's excellent and we are very excited. As I said,

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Speaker 3: there's been a lot of planning and a lot of

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Speaker 3: organization that's gone into the background. We've had a lot

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Speaker 3: of support from CDO and Council, the YMCA, the Northern

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Speaker 3: Territory Government. They've all come on board to help us

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Speaker 3: host this event as an innormal event and hopefully we

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Speaker 3: will see it back in Darwen in the near future.

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Speaker 1: Now, Rob, I understand that the event's going to be

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Speaker 1: held as well in conjunction with the Junior State Age Challenge,

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Speaker 1: and it'll see obviously, like you've mentioned, some of the

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Speaker 1: best swimmers from regional Australia competing at the perhaps swimming pool,

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Speaker 1: and I'm assuming that the fact that it's also being

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Speaker 1: held with the Junior with the Junior State Age Challenge

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Speaker 1: means that the younger kids of the territory are able

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Speaker 1: to compete as well.

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Speaker 3: Oh look, yes, Katie, that's an event we actually added

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Speaker 3: into running conjunction with this one to give the kids

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Speaker 3: from nine years to eleven years the opportunity of swimming

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Speaker 3: at such a big event because the Country Championships is

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Speaker 3: only open for those twelve years and over. Yeah, we

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Speaker 3: open it up a Junior State Age Challenge for those

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Speaker 3: younger swimmers and we're going to swim those events in

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Speaker 3: amongst the actual championship so that I'll give them the

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Speaker 3: opportunity to feel the excitement and the vibe that will

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Speaker 3: be happening.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, how important do you reckon it is? As well?

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Speaker 1: When you talk about growing a sport like swimming to

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Speaker 1: include those younger children, well.

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Speaker 3: As you probably hear many times over, they are our

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Speaker 3: future and those younger kids are the ones we need

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Speaker 3: to promote, the encourage to enjoy the sport, and to

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Speaker 3: give them an opportunity like this to be part of

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Speaker 3: a national event will only help us encourage them to

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Speaker 3: continue on with it.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Hey, the championships are going to be over four days,

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Speaker 1: I believe you said, Rob, and a couple of sessions

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Speaker 1: each day.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, that's correct, Pattie, most every day, sorry, every day.

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Speaker 3: The gates will open at seven, competition is starting around

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Speaker 3: the eight to thirty mark. It will run till probably

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Speaker 3: just after lunchtone then we give everybody a bit of

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Speaker 3: reprieve from the heat, and we come back at about

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Speaker 3: five o'clock to the finals.

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Speaker 1: It sounds like it's going to be awesome. Are you

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Speaker 1: expecting some records to fall?

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Speaker 3: Like?

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Speaker 2: How good is the competition going to be?

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Speaker 3: Rob? Well, I think I think there might be a

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Speaker 3: few nervous records holds, because, as I said, it's the

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Speaker 3: level of talent that's coming from around Australia will certainly

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Speaker 3: challenge some of the long standing records in the territory,

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Speaker 3: but hopefully we've got a few of our own strong

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Speaker 3: territory swimmers that will be able to hold a few

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Speaker 3: of those records as well.

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Speaker 1: You know, I guess when you talk sport right around

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Speaker 1: the territory, we know that you know, the Territorians love

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Speaker 1: all of their sports. It doesn't matter whether you're talking

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Speaker 1: about team sport or individual. But swimming in the territory

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Speaker 1: does seem to be going from strength to strength at

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Speaker 1: the moment. I know that we've got lots of young

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Speaker 1: people that are competing at that national level and then

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Speaker 1: to have a carnival like this one happening in Darwin,

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Speaker 1: it really demonstrates how strong the sport is, doesn't that?

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Speaker 3: Yes? Absolutely, and it it's something that you know, we

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Speaker 3: are swimming normal territory and all the clubs within the

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Speaker 3: territory really trying to promote where we're trying to promote

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Speaker 3: that broke conticipation at the junior level, which hopefully will

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Speaker 3: encourage our numbers right through the sport through their entire

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Speaker 3: age groups.

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Speaker 2: Now, mate, can anyone come along and watch.

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Speaker 3: Absolutely, we've got great stands scening board in just for

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Speaker 3: the event and entry is free and yeah, we'd love

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Speaker 3: to have many members of the Darlin' community come along

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Speaker 3: and check out some of the best talent we've got

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Speaker 3: the offer in Australia own Darwin Stars.

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Speaker 2: Yeah.

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Speaker 1: Well, my two little ones are going to be swimming.

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Speaker 1: I know lots of other kids that are going to

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Speaker 1: be taking part and I just think it's a wonderful

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Speaker 1: thing to have happening.

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Speaker 2: Right here in the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 1: And then when you talk about the fact that there's

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Speaker 1: been three hundred and seventy nominations, it also goes to

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Speaker 1: show you the way that sport can bring tourism to

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Speaker 1: the territory, which is a wonderful thing for the whole community.

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Speaker 3: Yeah. Absolutely, Katie. It's one thing that the North Surdy

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Speaker 3: government they supported us to help host this event. We've

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Speaker 3: bought tourism, as you said on the shoulder, Yeah, and

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Speaker 3: hopefully that will promote the territory for future tourism opportunities. Well.

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Speaker 1: Rob West, the CEO of NT Swimming, lovely to talk

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Speaker 1: to you this morning. All the best over the weekend.

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Speaker 1: I'm sure you guys are going to be absolutely run

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Speaker 1: off your fees.

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Speaker 3: I would say, well, I would say we will be

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Speaker 3: candy and no doubt we'll see you.

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Speaker 2: There for sure. Good on your Rob, Thanks for your

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Speaker 2: time this morning.

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Speaker 3: No problem. By bye, Katie, see ya