The infectious enthusiasm of Team Mentor Laurie Lawrence will help Australia during the London Olympic Games. Lawrence, a former Australian rugby union player and Olympic swimming coach, is embarking on his eighth Olympic campaign.

The man known as a “Maker of Champions” will inspire the Aussies with his humour and wealth of experience, bringing Australian athletes together from over 20 Olympic sports. Lawrence has also been known to plot various ‘excursions’ smuggling athletes into venues to cheer on their teammates, and there will be no stopping him in 2012 as he works alongside Athlete Liaison Officers (ALOs) Layne Beachley, John Eales, Kieren Perkins and Steve Waugh who Lawrence describes as the world’s best.

What are you looking forward to this Olympiad?

I am particularly excited because this will be my eighth Olympic Games living in the Village and helping look after the athletes. When you get legends such as Beachley, Perkins, Waugh and Eales, what are you going to say? It is just fantastic! It gives you Goosebumps just thinking about it.

What will the support team bring to the greater Australian Olympic Team?

When you put those sorts of people together they can share their experiences, share their feelings pre-competition, during competition, and post-competition. They can share all of those things because they have all experienced all of those emotions- the elation of winning, the disappointments of losing- that is what brings such a wealth of experience to this Team.
It is probably one of the best Athlete Liaison Officer teams ever assembled for an Olympic Games. I doubt if there is any Team in the world that can match this lot.

Which athletes are you looking forward to watching in London?

For me it is the excitement of seeing the old chargers come through that you know are going to be successful. For example I am looking forward to seeing Anna Meares again- I think she is just a delight not only as an athlete but a delight as a human being.

So you see those old guns that you think are going to get there, and then you get the excitement machines like James Magnussen, and who knows what other kids are going to come through. There are a couple of young kids coming through in the paddling (canoe/kayak) as well- exciting young kids and who knows what they can do. Swimmer Jon Sieben won gold when he was 17- are there any 17-year-olds out there that might step up and do something? There is all that excitement that is around that too.

I think London is going to be a real mix of youth and experience across such a wide range of sports. I mean I love all the sports- I am particularly interested in swimming of course, but I just love the Olympic Games. It is a special, special time.

As told to Taya Conomos
AOC