Above: Tiger Sharks head coach Ben Hiddlestone has embraced Mauritian swimmer Diane Etiennette since the 19-year-old has joined the club.By Marc McGowan
THE Casey Tiger Sharks have enjoyed a distinctly international flavour in the pool over recent months.
Mauritian teenager Diane Etiennette, 19, has been training with the club and living in Narre Warren in preparation for the Indian Ocean Island Games in Antananarivo, Madagascar, in August.
Etiennette, who started the sport as a seven-year-old, made her debut in the competition as a 15-year-old in the 2003 showcase, which was held in her home country, and emerged with bronze medals in the 100 and 200-metre backstroke.
“It was the best experience I’ve had,” she said.
“It’s a big, big event for us. I was the youngest in the team, so it was like, ‘woah’.
“Mauritius is not the best of all the countries there. When you come out third, you’re like, ‘God, I did it’.
“This time I’ll be hoping to come first or second.”
Etiennette’s lofty ambitions have been given a massive boost by being able to train under Tiger Sharks head coach Ben Hiddlestone.
“Diane’s good. She flows through the water – it’s probably a Mauritian thing,” the coach said.
“She needs a lot more work, so I’m hoping the next three months will do that for her. At the moment, it’s just about making her faster.”
Etiennette has no intention of making this a short stay and, after heading back to Mauritius on 31 July for the Games, she will be back to live in Australia a month later.
“I love it. Everything here is huge – it’s so nice and friendly,” she said.
“When you live on an island, you can go around it all in one day, but here you couldn’t even go around Melbourne in a day!”
The statuesque swimmer also plans on extending her burgeoning relationship with the Casey club.
“I had a friend who used to swim here and I am living only five minutes from her in Narre Warren,” Etiennette said.
“I heard about them being a good club, too. The training is a lot harder than Mauritius. I used to do 5km in Mauritius and here we do 7km and all the dry land sessions, which I’m not used to.
“Since I’ve been here, it’s been a fun time. Ben’s really nice, too, and I’m looking forward to being with them for a long time.”
Etiennette will be undertaking an accounting degree at Deakin University from next year and hopes to represent the university in swimming in the future.
Even if she is unable to achieve her goals, there is little doubt she will approach them with sass and enthusiasm, if Hiddlestone is any gauge.
“Diane’s got a bit of that French attitude and tells me to go jump in a lake every now and then,” he laughed.
“She loves being here and my attendance for guys has shot up – it’s doubled!
“She does the Polynesian ‘kiss, kiss’ when they leave and you see all the boys line up before they go home.
“She just has that relaxed island nature and instantly gets on with everyone.”
Before taking aim at the Indian Ocean Island Games, Etiennette will compete in the Melbourne Vicentre Short Course meet on 30 June, which will serve as a qualifier for the Victorian Open Short Course championships on 28 and 29 July.
