Moving away from home, starting university and joining a new training regime made it an exciting - if slightly scary - September for top Scottish swimming prospect Daniel Scott.

But October promises even more excitement as the 18-year-old heads to Pune in India as one of a large Scottish team taking part in the Commonwealth Youth Games.

Understandably, neither Daniel nor his new coach, Eileen Adams, are expecting too much amid this period of huge adjustment and upheaval. But India will be another huge experience that is sure to set him up for a bright future.

Daniel, from Glenrothes, has already shown massive promise by competing in the last two European Junior Championships. Now he is a member of the new six-strong Glasgow High Performance squad based at Tollcross Leisure Centre.

Robbie Renwick, who has been moved with Eileen from the City of Aberdeen, is the highest profile of the Glasgow boys having reached the final of the 200m freestyle at the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Daniel’s other new training mates are Ranald Falconer, Scott Houston, Greig Wilkinson and Ben Higson, and all six are mixing sport and education.

Daniel is studying bio-mechanical studies at Glasgow University and he says he is relishing the new way of life, which includes living alongside the Glasgow swimmers in two adjacent flats.

“It is very different, but I’m really enjoying it,” he said. “When I was at Glenrothes I only got the chance to train long course with the odd visit to the pool at Stirling University.

“But now I have the chance to train in a 50m pool every day and I am sure that it is going to make a huge difference to my swimming development.

“It is also great being able to live alongside the other boys. We all get on really well and it is very handy for getting to training, cooking meals and just mixing together.

“I am looking forward to Pune, although it is very early in the new season. I’ll go there and just try to swim my very best.”

Daniel will be competing in the 100m freestyle and 50m butterfly at the Commonwealth Youth Games, and Eileen is wary of putting her new charge under too much pressure.

“It will take time for all six swimmers to get used to so many changes,” she pointed out. “But the long term prospects are very good. The reason I have moved from Aberdeen is because of the need to get regular long-course training. Before the Olympics, I had to take Robbie all over the world to get the right facilities.”

A Glenrothes native, Daniel followed his two older sisters by joining the local swimming club, and it didn’t take him long to gain an appetite for the competitive side of the sport.

“Swimming for Scotland at the last two European Junior Championships have been the highlight to date,” he said. “I reached two semi-finals and both championships provided a really good experience.

“Now I have two big goals. The first is to make the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India – Pune could be the perfect warm-up – and then the 2012 London Olympics is a massive target.”

EB
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