Representing the club at this one were the following swimmers:-
Ruraidh, Lewis, Kara, Tim, Hamish, Emma , and Natalia and this turned out to be a very special day indeed. To say they all swam well would be a massive understatement as each individual swimmer deserves a report so I will start in the order of names above.
Ruaridh
50 Breastroke – 56.50.- 50 Backstroke 47.92. -50 freestyle 40.59
At last we are seeing some amazing swims from him and nobody deserves this more than this swimmer who works his socks off in training. The determination shown by him meant he could cope with the long course pool . I am so proud of him for sticking in as it can be tough in training at times but it is now reflected in his competitions. Amazing transformation and he is evolving at each and every competition.
Lewis 50 Breastroke-49.35 -50 Backstroke 45.82-50Free -37.91. Lewis has missed a bit of training however his swims were outstanding and he more than held his own in his heats. What impressed me the mostwas his stamina so the aerobic base training is making a huge difference. There are a few alterations required on his strokes but other than that a fantastic days work so congratulations to him.
Kara 50 Breastroke 50.44- 50 Backstroke -.80 50 Free 39.69 -100 Free 1.30.85 – 100 Backstroke- 1.38.20. When you do your very best in coaching swimmers what you want to happen is for those who stick in to improve. This young lady over the last few months has trained solid and now copes with her swims either over 50 metres or 100 metres in length. I think I am right in saying that she had personal bests on all her swims which is some achievement and one to be so proud of. Well done Kara and I think there are more cracking swims to come.
Tim 50 Freestyle 31.71 – 100 Freestyle- 1.11.87 – 100 Backstroke -1.24.78 I don’t know quite what to say here other than I am gobsmacked on his swims especially his 100 Freestyle taking 7 seconds off his time . His 50 free also was very quick. Tim is a silent assassin in the pool always produces outstanding swims and comes out with a huge smile on his face. Again pleased as punch for him and he also trains his socks off.
Hamish 100 Free- 1.25.47-50 Freestyle-38.71- Hamish swam brilliant and I didn’t realize that he wanted to come to the RCP on Thursday just to see what it was like which shows what dedication is when you enjoy your sport. Hamish has come a long way and is starting to see his times tumble down and head in the right direction. He always has a smile on his face however inwardly he has an in built desire to improve and swim faster. Great days swimming at RCP so well done Hamish .
Emma 50 Back-41.69- 50 Freestyle-34.82-100 Freestyle- 1.18.49 -100 Backstroke-1.33.26. Emma is always hard on herself and to be honest she doesn’t need to be as she is posting great times for her swims. It was a very long day however she gives it everything in her swims. When we return after summer break I am going to look at the second half of her swims to keep her length of stroke . A very valuable member of the team and an inspiration to all her teammates. She will break her freestyle times by a mile I have no doubt whatsoever and that is due to a great attitude in training. Emma had a great day and her times were excellent.
Natalia 50 Freestyle-30.02- 100 Freestyle-1.05.58-50 Back -34.89 -100 fly – 1.22.76 -100 Backstroke 1.15.75- What can you say about this young lady she never ceases to amaze with her times and talent. Of all the swims Natalia wanted to break her long course time for 100 free and posted a remarkable 1.05 which converts down to 1.04.20. and the joy on her face was there for all to see. She posted astonishing times on her freestyle and backstroke however her shoulder was a problem on her butterfly. Susan will when she gets time verify what club records she has broken however I am aware there are several which have tumbled. To be honest there are some I thought would stand the test of time but they have gone which shows what dedication can produce. There is still work to be done on her starts but will cover that off when we all return after summer break. Natalia trains extremely hard and is never satisfied if things don’t go according to plan but that is a good mentality to have for sure.
Emma , Hamish, Tim and Natalia represented the club in both the 4×50 freestyle and 4x 50 medley relays with everyone posting tremendous split times.
We always see to perform well at this event and this time around was no exception just as well the aerobic base training has kicked in as all swimmers know how difficult long course events are. So have a great holiday and we will see you back in early August for some more thrills and spills. Finally I don’t know how many times over the tannoy scorpions were mentioned with high praise so we are getting a great reputation which is down to the hard work you are putting in so proud of you all. A huge thanks to Susan for once again running this gala so smoothly as it could not have been easy given the number of entries.
Colin Galbraith Head Coach Scorpion Swim Team