The swimmers representing the club were Sophie, ,Corrie, Freya ,Hamish ,Lola, Niamh, Stella, Jess and Scott. As per previous articles I will post under each swimmer their results and comments for ease of reference.
SOPHIE 200 free-2.50.54 – 50 Back -42.66 In order to break the 2.50 barrier the race plan was carried out to perfection going through first 100 on 1.22 and bringing her club record down by 4 seconds. This shows she is back on track although to be honest her 50 Back time was a wee bit off her personal best. I actually know what the issue is so easily rectified. I am working on a new stroke for her free so she is getting better every gala and she will smash these times very soon.
CORRIE 200 free-3.12.42 -50 Fly- 42.89 Corrie has been suffering with inflamed tonsils however she managed to battle on through her 200 free a valiant effort. She then produced the swim of the day clocking 42 seconds for her fly and it was an amazing swim both in time and in technique. Heaven only knows what she can produce when recovered from this issue with her tonsils.
FREYA 100 IM -1.37.98 -50 fly-48.72 Freya had two great swims and once I sort out her breast stroke timing she will clobber her times out of sight. Her enthusiasm is fantastic and it helps the team enormously as well as her individual swims she produced fast times in both relays at the end of the meet.
SCOTT- 50 Breast-1.02.46 50 Free – 45.23 The difference in Scott since he started in the club is enormous and is showing through his swims and he posted a very good time in his free despite fiddling with his goggles. I am impressed with him as he gives it everything when he enters the water and is continuously improving so well done indeed to him .
JESS 50 Back – 45.39- 50 Breast-54.72 Jess has also come on leaps and bounds in her swimming and her backstroke time was excellent. She has enormous power however at the moment she has no glide in her breastroke which would have smashed the time posted. I have no doubt whatsoever she will post personal bests for a long time to come and she alwaysgets stuck in when training is tough.
NIAMH 50 Back-55.97 50 Free-47.89 This young lady was on for winning her heat on back until she got mixed up in her turn which is a pity because the swim itself was brilliant. She continues to improve and once these small issues are ironed out these times will be beaten of that there is no doubt.
HAMISH. 200 Free – 3.05.68 -50 Back 45.67 Hamish continues to knock his personal bests out of site with some very fast swims, He is a joy to coach always smiling and very keen to take on board any issues with his strokes in order to improve. A very strong swimmer and also the competitive attitude will bode well for the future of that there is no doubt.
STELLA 50 Breast- 53.16- 50 Fly 53.18 Stella was first overall in her heat for the breastroke and produced a great time in her fly. She will benefit so much once her breathing pattern is sorted on her fly which just needs a minor adjustment . Stella is definitely a swimmer who will excel as she stretches a bit however she produces some excellent swims at these galas and is definitely heading in the right direction.
LOLA. 100IM 1.50.80-50 Breast -52.14 Lola as usual produced a great swim in the breastroke and just needs a faster turnover to bring her IM time down further, She is not a million miles away from breaking through on all her swims and always has a smile on her face. She competes well putting maxi effort every time she enters the water so well done Lola.
Split times in 4 x50 free relay Corrie 39.52 Jess 40.21-FREYA 38.67 Sophie 35.67
Split times 4×50 mixed relay Hamish 36.9 Lola 44.69-Scott 47.66-FREYA 38.62
All things considered this morning session was a big success however there are a few aspects that need to be worked upon in training. The first of these is our turns because we are a match for anyone between the flags but our turns are costing us valuable seconds on each length. The second aspect is stamina which I will be looking at over the next few weeks so that we can hold the second half of our 100 and 200 swims. There is a fine balance to be had on stroke technique and lactic sets ie flat out speed sets however it is time to concentrate on the stamina sets in training. This ain’t going to be easy in training but armed with this weapon this is an essential part of a swimmers arsenal to achieve the next level up in the journey to posting very fast times. So it’s a matter of listening carefully to the swim sets and carrying them out to the best of your ability as I can assure you the rewards which come from those who trains hard are immense. I think that is all apart from saying that two records have gone Hamish taking the 50 back record and Sophie lowering her own 200 free record so well done to both and to everyone who represented the team at this gala including the parents as usual bagging the front part of gallery.
Colin Galbraith Headcoach Scorpion Swin Team