It is an unwelcome myth that swimmers beyond the age of 20 are `over the hill', so says Harbour Club swim coach Stephen Castree.

Speaking in direct reference to questions posed to Olympic swimmer Stephen Fahy, regarding rumours of an impending retirement, Castree proclaimed the 22-year-old to have much left in the `tank'.

"The articles on Stephen in Sydney made reference to him being old for swimming, because swimming is a sport where people are thought to peak at, kind of 18, 19, 20, but in the last, maybe decade, the focus has been more on older swimmers,'' said Castree, following a morning training camp session at BASA Pool.

"If you look at Sydney, the finals of Stephen's events they (competitors) were all mostly 26 and 27, so really you're looking at a guy that's coming into his peak, and in three or four years is at his peak. He should be viewed as moving through a progression to get to his maximum performance.

"So, for the guys that are 14, 15, the one thing that they've got to understand is that the peak is 26 to 30.

To back up the theory Castree pointed to the higher profile track athletes, using Linford Christie as an example as one who peaked at the age of 35, while the United States had a 35-year-old female swimmer that medalled in Sydney.

Castree noted how modern training methods and an influx of cash have made it feasible for swimmers to continue competing beyond the carefree teenage years.

"It's becoming a bit more mental, and also people are recognising that if you can commit to the sport there's a little bit more money there and people can now treat it as a profession,'' explained the coach. "The athletes that are right at the top .... your Michael Klims of Australia and Ian Thorpes are making millions of dollars a year out of promotional things, while Gary Hall Jr., in the States is doing very well.

"These guys can make money, can make a living out of it, and when that's the case people go on longer, like you see in athletics.

"So, there's no need to leave the sport at 17 and get another career. You can do it 'til you're 27, 28, and then you can see there's life after swimming.'' Yet, even beyond the money aspect, Castree feels that participation in sports, particularly the dedication to training and improvement, can place one in good stead for life in the `real world'.

The discipline required for one to reach optimal performance in the pool, on the track, soccer pitch, or wherever, lends itself to positive habits at home and in the workplace.

And it is this that he preaches to all his charges.

"I think there's a significant amount you can get out of sport in general, any sport,'' he said. "Not everybody's going to make it to the Olympic Games, not everybody can make the Summer Games.

"But everybody can turn up, everybody can commit, and you can learn how to dedicate yourself to something, learn how to motivate yourself, learn how to get your mind around the sport, and then those skills you can take out into the workplace and everywhere else.

"If you go and work a job, you're committed, turn up on time, leave on time, are first in and last out, always work to maximum best, no-one's ever going to put you down for that. And that's one thing the guys take away from here.

"What we're trying to work on is, `Sure we'd like to have people go to the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and set high goals, but it's just as much of an achievement for the swimmer who hasn't got as much talent to do their best time every meet.'' Stephen Castree: `best to come from Fahy'.