Shayna Jack hoped shifting mentors would be a career-changing moment
While many coaching associations with swimmers start a young age, Shayna Jack’s partnership with Dean Boxall was formed late. She hoped the move to leave then coach Simon Cusack would take her out of the shadows of the Campbell sisters — but that all changed in the last few weeks.
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The coach that has vowed to stand by Shayna Jack has only had her in his care for less than a year.
While many coaching associations with swimmers start when they’re young teenagers, Jack’s partnership with mentor Dean Boxall is a late forming one — and only came about by necessity.
Up until midway through last year, Jack was in the same stable as the Campbell sisters Cate and Bronte, and was under the watchful eye of coach, Simon Cusack.
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Jack has spoken of the enormous motivation she would get training with two of Australia’s golden girls, and last year she shared the podium with them at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast when as a team they took out the 4x100 metre relay.
So when Cate Campbell spoke to the world about Jack from the pool deck in Korea, it was with a heavy heart because she had seen her efforts to reach the top echelon of the sport from close range.
However, that association as stablemates all that changed when Cusack accepted a job to revitalise NSW Swimming and moved his operations to Sydney in August last year.
The Campbell sisters followed and Jack was given the same opportunity to relocate to Sydney with them. But she ultimately decided to stay in Brisbane and instead chose to link with Boxall’s growing empire in Queensland.
The girl with the everyday public school upbringing who loved nothing more than her beloved dog ‘Snoopy’ and horse riding in the off-season, didn’t want to leave Brisbane.
For Jack, she felt that her move to train with Boxall would be a turning point in her career.
As much as she thrived training alongside the Campbell sisters, it’s understood she felt the move to Boxall would give her an opportunity to step out of their tremendous shadow.
She had told those around her that the change felt like a new lease of life.
Under Boxall’s guidance at St Peters Western Swim Club — a nice outdoor, 50 metre pool at a co-ed Lutheran private school in Brisbane — Jack had visions of going to the next level.
She has trained alongside Boxall’s other pupils like Ariarne Titmus, Clive Lewis and Jack Cartwright.
But in the past couple of weeks, Jack’s world has collapsed around her.
Boxall has revealed he was called into the room with her pupil just moments after she was told she had tested positive to a banned substance, and says he has never seen a person more distraught.
They may not have worked together long, but he is backing her to the hilt.
Boxall kept her bombshell such a closely guarded secret he didn’t even tell his wife, and before Jack flew home under mysterious circumstances, they went on an 8km walk to try and deal with the emotion of it all.
People within the sport are shocked at Jack’s positive test and have said she is an extremely unlikely candidate to be a deliberate cheater.
But her future in the sport now hangs in the balance.
Originally published as Shayna Jack hoped shifting mentors would be a career-changing moment
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