Strathallan realised they had a star

Director of sport at Strathallan School Audrey Sime realised early doors that he possessed real talent in the water.

Now Perth swimmer Scott McLay is preparing for a summer of sport which includes the European Junior Championships and the Commonwealth Youth Games.

The next couple of months will entail somewhat of a nomadic lifestyle with travel plans taking him from Netanya to Nassau.

Those destinations, in Israel and the Bahamas respectively, will throw up a changed setting from the Strathallan pool where hours of training have taken place.

But the Perthshire school has played its part in allowing the 17-year-old to make his mark on the national and world stage.

“When Scott joined the school we could clearly see that he was a talented swimmer,” Sime told the Perthshire Advertiser.

“He did, in fact, join the school so that he could balance his academic and sporting (swimming) life.

“I have been really impressed with the professionalism that Scott has approached his training and it has been great for us at the school to be part of that journey.

“It was obvious when he came to us that he had the ability and the mind-set to go far in swimming.

“We have supported Scott to help him balance the swim/study aspects of his life.

“We have managed to fit in his strength and conditioning during the school day and the programme has allowed him to get this balance right in order to continue to develop.

“Elaine Johnston, our swim coach, has developed an excellent programme here at Strathallan and we are delighted with all she does.

“Her own experiences in top level swimming has been a huge benefit to our swimmers as they strive to be the best they can be.

“She works well with the club coaches, in Scott’s case, with the Perth City Coach and this has been hugely important for Scott over the years.”

McLay’s time at the school has come to an end but his rise up the swimming ladder has helped mould him into a role model.

“There is absolutely no doubt that Scott is an excellent role model for our younger pupils,” Sime added.

“That is not only the other members of the swim team but in the wider school.

“His achievements have been celebrated at our weekly assemblies and I have already asked him to come back in the next academic year to talk to our younger pupils.

“I think it is essential that younger pupils have a role model to look up to and Scott is definitely in this category.”

Strathallan can boast an impressive CV for nurturing swim stars of the future with Olympic medallist Duncan Scott a former pupil.

Sime believes McLay has the ability to follow in his footsteps.

She explained to the PA: “It is great to see Scott following in the steps of Duncan Scott and, it would be very exciting to see them competing on a national level at the same competition.

“I am absolutely sure that this is a possibility. We very much focus on development at Strathallan and how we can help pupils be the best they can be.”