Some athletes will do almost anything and go anywhere to pursue their sporting goals.
For Ben Armbruster, that meant uprooting his life and moving to the Sunshine Coast at the start of the year.
The USC Spartans swimmer’s dream is to represent the nation at the Olympics and after countless races and efforts over the years, his dream is taking shape.
At the national swimming championships on the Gold Coast last month, he commanded attention by breaking the magic 23-second mark in the 50m freestyle and going under 52 seconds for the 100m.
His backstroke and butterfly efforts were similarly stellar, and his personal best of 24.26 seconds for 50m butterfly demonstrated the 18-year-old is continuing to improve in all strokes.
He said he hated training but the adrenalin of competing kept him going. It also had a calming effect and gave him time to ponder.
“It can be therapeutic at times if you’re just swimming easily,” he says.
“It gives you a lot of time to think. When you’re competing you’re worried about staying ahead and the race is all I’m thinking about. I run through everything I need to do, to do the best I possibly can.”
His best is what he’s given and he’s been rewarded: his races are fast and they’re getting faster.
He will be watched closely at the Olympic team selection trials in Adelaide next month, because for Armbruster, the best is yet to come.
He said butterfly was his favourite stroke and he aimed to keep his successful rhythm going.
“(Butterfly) is easier in training. Freestyle and backstroke are harder,” he says. “If you get a good rhythm flowing you just hold it and it’s easier.”
His childhood swimming successes were followed closely by Stanthorpe media outlets and a proud public eye.
“I started swimming when I was four,” he said.
“My swim teacher noticed I was good in the water and told my parents.”
But this year brought a new chapter, with Armbruster moving to the Sunshine Coast to begin studying a Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science at USC, and training with USC’s Spartans swimming team.
Armbruster dreams of becoming a physical education teacher one day, following in the footsteps of his mother who teaches at Broadwater State School near Stanthorpe.
But for now, his main focus is swimming and coach Chris Mooney is keeping him motivated to succeed.
“I train 10 sessions a week,” he said. “I’ve chosen my classes to fit around training.”
During high school, Armbruster was training a similar amount of time each week and even missed classes to travel to different Australian cities to race against some of the country’s best.
The Spartans swim squad provides role models who drive his water-borne motivation, with Armbruster citing Jake Packard as inspiring.
Packard’s most notable achievement was a record-breaker at the 2018 Commonwealth Games as part of the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay team.
Packard also brought home medals for his performance in the 2018 Pan Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo and the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Such glittering prizes have caught Armbruster’s eye.
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Armbruster also said he was a visual learner and often tried to simulate others’ techniques to improve himself.
The Spartans swim team is considered professional, but it still leaves room for friendly competition.
Armbruster said his main competition was Brisbane swimmer Ethan Banks, but it was a “friendly rivalry” and the two were good friends outside of competition.
Armbruster keeps a bit of balance in his busy life by playing guitar, which he picked up from his dad.
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Water polo and basketball were sports he played socially but has since stopped to focus on his swimming goals.
Since moving to the Coast he has found beauty in both the beach and the country where he lives in Yandina.
The beach has become one of his go-to spots in his spare time.
But the many swimming and gym sessions each week remain the focus until the July Olympic trials as the teenager steps closer to living his dream.
This profile is part of a series on sportsmen and women in the USC High Performance Student Athlete program. The writer is a USC journalism student.
