Just one competition to report on this week - the annual Neath and Nexus Valley Open Meet which was held at the Neath Leisure Centre on Saturday.
Tenby Dolphins was once again well represented despite the continuing round of autumn ailments that have affected many children across the county. Bad luck to those of you who were ill on the day and unable to travel, but there are lots of other galas coming up where you will have the opportunity to shine.
Our swimmers who were able to go along were: Harry Cooke, Bethan Davie, Carys Davies, Lydia Dilks, Hazel Fox, Sam Lewis, Talia Merriman, Ben Rees, Kiera Slack, Niamh Slack, Mile Thompstone, Stephen Ward, Lauren Watkins and Ashleigh Willars.
Thus far this autumn our team members have produced some top quality swims at the galas they have attended, and this time around we are very pleased to say the trend continued. Despite the majority of the team taking part in several competitions over the past few weeks, many of them still managed to produce more personal best times, and collectively they won loads of medals once again.
Being an open meet, the swimmers were there to represent their own interests as well as the team, and in a similar way to the recent Pembrokeshire Championships, the gala was split into two different levels. Level 1 for the more experienced swimmers and Level 4 for the little guys. This is an increasingly popular format which gives swimmers of different abilities the chance to taste success.
The swimmers who won gold medals on the day were as follows: Bethan Davie, gold 14-15yrs 200m breaststroke; Miles Thompstone, gold 10yrs 50m breaststroke; Talia Merriman, gold 10yrs 50m butterfly, 50m freestyle, 50m backstroke and 100m IM and Ashleigh Willars, gold 9yrs 50m butterfly and 100m IM. Congratulations to all of you. There was some really strong competition in many of the races.
There were loads of other medal successes, which we cannot detail, so all in all, it was a good day for the club. Very well done to all of you!
There were two notable individual success stories as well as the medal winning and personal best time setting performances we are used to. We are delighted to report that Talia Merriman had an excellent day and won the trophy for the Best Overall Junior Girl. Excellent swimming Talia. Also, whilst battling some of her older training partners from Swansea, Bethan Davie set another National Qualifying Time in the 200m IM. Nice one Beth.
It was a long hard day for those who entered events throughout the three sessions, with most swimmers setting off at 6.30 am and not returning home for 14 hours, or so. That alone takes real dedication and commitment, so well done all of you, and mums and dads, give yourselves a big pat on the back too! We hope you all enjoyed the day.
Forthcoming Events
November 20-22: British Gas Welsh Schools and Swim Wales Winter Nationals. WNP, Swansea. Closed.
November 27-29: Welsh Capital Open Meet. At Cardiff Int. Pool. Closed.
December 5-6: West Wales Sub-Regional Meet, Penlan. This is a target meet for our Junior Squad swimmers. Closed.
TBA, December: Club Championships. Keep checking the notice board for details.
Club News
One correction to make to our previous report. Due a clerical error on your reporter's behalf, we wrongly accredited one of our up-and-coming young swimmers with a Pembrokeshire championship record. Sorry Lewys, you just missed out this time, but if you keep on improving at your current rate, we are sure that there will be loads more opportunities to rewrite the record books in the future.
The annual Club Championships will be coming up in December. This gala is for all our club swimmers. Please note that we will take a very dim view indeed of anyone who does not attend this competition without a very good reason. We appreciate that there may be clashing school activities or holidays planned, but all other swimmers must be there. It is likely to be spread over several club sessions, so even if you miss one part, make sure you make every effort to be there for the next!
You may not have heard that there are new regulations coming into force at the beginning of 2010 regarding the swimming kit competitive swimmers are allowed to wear in competition. Please check with the club shop or club officials before you commit to buy any new gear for Christmas. Also, be careful because many of the bargains currently being offered by the online swimwear stores may not be quite as good as they seem!
S.D.