A Team Ipswich swimmer will be joined by her coach on a Team GB talent-finding mission in Belgium, next month.

Ipswich Star: Team Ipswich head coach Dave Champion has been selected to be lead coach for the GB team that head out to Antwerp in January for the Speedo Antwerp Cup. He will be joined by Team Ipswich member Rebecca Sherwin, 14, who will be the youngest member of the team.Team Ipswich head coach Dave Champion has been selected to be lead coach for the GB team that head out to Antwerp in January for the Speedo Antwerp Cup. He will be joined by Team Ipswich member Rebecca Sherwin, 14, who will be the youngest member of the team.

Felixstowe Academy pupil Rebecca Sherwin, 14, has been selected for the British Swimming Podium Potential group that will have the chance to impress at the Speedo Antwerp Cup.

It will be Rebecca’s first trip abroad on swimming duty but she will be made to feel right at home as her Team Ipswich coach, Dave Champion, who helped develop the talents of former Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Karen Pickering, has been chosen as lead coach.

“Rebecca has been selected for his her performances over the summer and has been picked as part of the British Swimming Podium Potential Group,” said Champion.

“That is the first layer of being on an international team, and she will be part of the squad that race in Antwerp next month.

“I was formerly head coach off the back of Karen’s (Pickering) success, and after a change of regime, it’s gone full circle.

“My role will be to try and give the swimmers the experience they need to allow such camps as these to be enjoyable, rather than being the most stressful thing in the world.

Champion continued: “As well as developing their performance, it is important that they are comfortable being away from home.

“Rebecca has never been away with a team before and it will give her the chance to experience the lifestyle and the travelling that a swimmer has to do.”

The youngster has been selected for three events, the 50, 100 and 200m backstroke, and Champion sees parallels between his role with his current protégé and Ipswich hero Pickering, whom he first started training as a 15-year-old in 1988.

“Rebecca is really good at everything and she has been picked for the 50, 100 and 200m back,” continued Champion. “She is a tall girl, skilful, and has got it all.

“It’s pretty similar to Karen. She was quick, and a good talent and now it is all about getting the best out of Rebecca’s talent.

“When they are that young, it is about pointing them in the right direction.”

British swimming is on something of a high at the moment with former Team Ipswich star, Chris Walker-Hebborn, one of the leading lights right now.

“It seems to be going well and everyone was excited about the Commonwealth Games, but everything will be judged on our performance in Rio (2016 Olympics),” admitted Champion.