AFTER the three weekends of County Championships, the focus for Tornadoes of South Dorset shifted to the younger swimmers in the club.
A 25m club sprint gala was arranged for those swimmers aged 12 years and under.
For many this was their first taste of competition and as the gala was held under ASA rules with qualified officials, it enabled them to experience competition in a friendly club gala.
The results from this gala would assist the coaching staff in selecting a team for the upcoming Southern Junior League competition.
More than 70 swimmers, 38 boys and 38 girls from both the training squads and teaching groups competed in a great afternoon of racing and achieved some fantastic results.
All four strokes (butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle) were swum over 25m and there were 136 personal best times recorded and 66 first time swims.
Races were close throughout the afternoon and none more so than the final race of the boys’ 25m freestyle.
This was hotly-contested by three 12-year-olds, Josh Rowe, Ollie Mills and Thomas Hinde along with three 11-year-olds, Harry Hutchinson, Lee Penny and Scott Greaney. The first five swimmers were separated by just 0.3 seconds.
The winner was Mills who collected the gold medal in the 12 years with Rowe gaining silver and Hinde bronze.
The 11-year-old age group was claimed by Hutchinson with Greaney collecting silver and Penny the bronze.
Greaney completed a very successful gala by adding gold medals for the backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly to his silver from the freestyle.
Also winning three gold medals were Bethany Firth (10 years) in the butterfly, backstroke and freestyle, and Sam Matthews (nine years) in the backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle.
The medals were awarded to the top three in each age group, ribbons for those finishing in fourth to sixth position and a certificate of achievement for every swimmer who competed and were presented by the club president John Masters.
MEDAL WINNERS
Eight-and-under girls: Kate Faley – backstroke gold, freestyle silver and breaststroke bronze
Hannah Greaney – freestyle gold, backstroke silver
Amalie Hiscocks – backstroke bronze
Niamh White – breaststroke gold
Rebekah Walsh – breaststroke silver and freestyle bronze
Nine years girls:
Charlotte Pattimore – freestyle and backstroke gold and breaststroke and butterfly silver
Jazmine Callaby-Jackson – butterfly and breaststroke gold and backstroke and freestyle bronze
Emily Hanger – backstroke and freestyle silver and breaststroke bronze
10 years girls:
Bethany Firth – butterfly, backstroke and freestyle gold
Molly Frampton – butterfly silver and backstroke and breaststroke bronze
Phoebe Jones – backstroke and breaststroke silver and butterfly bronze
Caprice Locke-White – breaststroke gold and freestyle silver
Lizzy Gant – freestyle bronze
11 years girls:
Phoebe Mills – butterfly gold, backstroke and breaststroke silver and freestyle bronze
Jessica Gale – backstroke gold, butterfly and freestyle silver and breaststroke bronze
Abigail Barnes – butterfly bronze
Tabitha Samouelle – breaststroke and freestyle gold and backstroke bronze
12 years girls:
Chloe Perkins – butterfly gold, breaststroke silver and backstroke and freestyle silver
Amy Jackson – breaststroke gold, butterfly, backstroke and freestyle silver
Freya Stanger – backstroke and freestyle gold, butterfly and breaststroke bronze
Eight-and-under boys:
Joshua Pepper – backstroke gold
Ty Penny – backstroke silver
Louis Callaby-Jackson – backstroke and freestyle bronze
Luca Da Silva – breaststroke and freestyle gold
Harry Collinson – breaststroke silver
Harry Falconer – freestyle silver
Nine years boys:
Aaron Griffin – butterfly gold, backstroke and freestyle silver
Elliot Gover – butterfly silver
Sam Matthews – backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle gold
Jacob Buckland – backstroke bronze
Zack Griffiths – breaststroke silver
Kyle Graham – breaststroke bronze Cian Roy – freestyle bronze
10 years boys:
Lewis Limm – butterfly and freestyle gold and backstroke silver
Luke O’Dowd – butterfly, breaststroke and freestyle silver and backstroke bronze
Jacob Baldwin – backstroke and breaststroke gold and butterfly and freestyle bronze
11 years boys:
Scott Greaney – butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke gold and freestyle silver
Harry Hutchinson – freestyle gold, butterfly and breaststroke silver and backstroke bronze
Reece Dade – butterfly and breaststroke bronze
Lee Penny – backstroke silver and freestyle bronze
12 years boys:
Josh Rowe – butterfly and backstroke gold, breaststroke silver and freestyle bronze
Ollie Mills – breaststroke and freestyle gold, butterfly and backstroke silver
Thomas Hinde – freestyle silver and butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke bronze.
Organiser Alison Holmes was delighted with the afternoon’s event and said: “It was great to see so many swimmers competing and excellent results were attained by all.”
Tornadoes are very grateful to Alison and Leanne Holmes for organising the gala and to the volunteers who worked extremely hard on the day ensuring the smooth running of the event
Anyone wishing to join Tornadoes of South Dorset to either learn to swim, swim competitively, or wishing to access extra training, can contact the club secretary to arrange an assessment via the club’s website tornadoessecretary@btinternet.com
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here