Swimmers set super challenge for Starlight
Horsham swimmers Jacob Matuschka, 17, and Leyton Hay, 8, have joined the Starlight Super Swim – a national challenge to raise money for the Starlight Foundation.
Matuschka, a competitive swimmer, set a target to swim 150-kilometres during February and a $1000 money-raising goal. He has already raised $1053. Leyton has raised $550 with his 2000-metre swim challenge – $250 more than the goal he set for himself.
Matuschka said his 150km target meant an average swim distance of ‘at least’ 35km a week – a target he was completing while he prepared for the Victoria Open Long Course Championships in Melbourne last weekend.
His target has made him one of Starlight Super Swim’s highest individual target setters.
He said now the championships were finished, he had a chance to ‘smash out’ the rest of the kilometres without interruption. “It is great to have already reached the $1000 target already,” he said.
“To reach the 150km this month means I have had to up my normal swim schedule by more than 10km a week. But it feels great and it’s an awesome opportunity to raise some money for Starlight Foundation.”
Matuschka said he swam ‘close’ to his personal best times at the championship at the weekend and it was a ‘great’ experience for him to compete against international-level competition.
People can donate to both swim campaigns via superswim.org.au/ leyton-hay and superswim.org.au/ jacob-matuschka
Horsham-born performer Alex Rathgeber is also participating in the fundraiser, starting his campaign at Horsham pool where he once swam as a member of the city’s swim squad.