(L-R) – Old swimming friends Bec Wright, Frank Fort and Tricia Hottinger have a surprise reunion at the Pan Pacs on the weekend.
As far as competitive swimmers go, Cairns’ Bec Wright sure took her sweet time diving into the sport.
And this week, as she competes in no less than nine pool and ocean events at the 2022 Pan Pacific Masters Games, she’ll be swimming with a very special spirit on her shoulders.
“My mum Judy was diagnosed with cancer 11 months ago and she passed away last Saturday,” Bec said.
“I was tossing up whether to race or not this week, but she said she wanted me to swim.
“We spent her last five days in hospital together and she loved what I’ve managed to achieve in the water over the past few years.
“When we were at the State Masters Championships in Cairns earlier this year, every time I got a medal, I put it around her neck and she was so proud,” the Bunna-Barras Swimming Club member said.
Indeed, those championships were a great success for someone hardly born a mermaid.
“I got 12 personal bests because they were my first 12 races ever,” she laughed.
“I came away with seven medals and one of them was gold, because I was the only one in the race.”
As 47-year-old Bec told ABC Gold Coast Radio this week, her interest in swimming only came when her young sons Alex and Daniel took part in a Laurie Lawrence Do the Five challenge a few years ago at Bundaberg.
“One day I’d like to meet Laurie Lawrence to thank him for the path he set us on because swimming was never easy for me,” she said.
“When I was at school I did backstroke, but I kept going across the lane ropes and I crossed over two one day, and when I got to the bus everyone was already dressed and in their seats.
“I swore I’d never swim again to the point that I’d fake periods when we had swimming events at school.
“But six years ago, I had a bad car accident where I broke my neck and tore my meniscus on both legs, and I had to have therapy to walk again.
“I quickly got jack of that, and I ended up trying to swim 25 metres, which I managed to achieve after a few tries,” she said.
Unbeknownst to Bec’ it was the rekindling of a latent sporting passion.
“A couple of years ago I swam an 800m for the 45-49 age group, just to see if I could do it, and I ranked second in the state,” Bec said.
“And just last week I swam three kilometres in an event on the Great Barrier Reef.
“It was my first ever competitive ocean swim; I just wanted to show [my mum] I could do the three kilometres.
“I was impressed that I could do it for her; she knew I could do it, but I had to show myself.
“She’d always say, ‘it’s all good’ and, you know, life really is,” she said.
And as for jumping out of the pool into the ocean for the final event of the Games, the ocean swim at Mermaid Beach on Sunday, Bec has one comfort to look forward to.
“We don’t have a lot of surf up in Cairns, so that will be different, and it will be nice not to look out for crocodiles in the ocean swim down here.
“That said, I can never get the song Never Smile at a Crocodile out of my head when I’m swimming out there,” she laughed.
Bec will take part this week alongside Bunna-Barras club president and great support Sandra Rodgers – a former Miami Masters swimmer – who is also back competing on the Gold Coast this week after five years away.
For both it’s a homecoming of sorts.
Years ago, as a very young child, my Nanna would take me to the Southport Baths where the Aquatic Centre is now, so it’s like my Masters journey has brought me full circle,” Bec said.
“And it is all good.”
Bec with her mum Judy.
