Emma joined Noah Vides, Jay Olenicz, Luke Raggett, Lucy
Kirkham, Izzy Frampton, Naomi Vides and Fran
Hughes to Watford for the English Schools Final on
Friday/Saturday. They were representing Division 12
after being selected from the previous schools gala
at the Quays in September.
Divsion 12 is an amalgamation of 6 counties, Dorset,
Hampshire, Isle of White, Channel Islands, East and
West Sussex.
Noah claimed victory in the 100 BS
(junior), qualifying fastest for the
final and then repeating the performance
with a pb to win gold. His win secures a
place to Dublin next March for the WISE
International Meet. All of our swimmers
achieved finals and many collected
medals in a very competitive
competition.
- Naomi - part of the senior 4x50
Free team winning gold in a new
record and recorded a pb in the 200
IM to come 6th in the final
- Jay - part of the 4x50 intermediate
free team coming 2nd in the final
- Lucy - part of the 4x50 FC
intermediate team - 3rd in final
- Izzy - 100 BF, 3 sec pb to qualify for
the final coming 8th / also asked to
then swim in the final of the junior
medley team coming 6th
- Fran - just back from training camp
from Cyprus came 8th 100 BS final
- Luke - 100 BF - came 11th and 8th in
the 4x50 medley senior team
Sunday then saw the second leg to Club
Champs with swimmers competing in 200
Fly, 100 Breaststroke and 200 Free. PBs
came in thick and fast and provided
great preparation for the County
Championships in February. Well done to
all of our swimmers.
National Arena Swimming League
Round 1 (09/10/10):
two teams were entered, combining the best of Swim Bournemouth, as Bournemouth A and Bournemouth B. Read how they got on
here.
Hants & South Coast League
Round 1 (11/09/10):
a great start
to the new season from the age groupers. read the race report
here.
National Age Group Championships (July 2010):
Day 1
at the British National Age Groups saw Alan Wong,
Luke Stuart and Noah Vides start their National
Campaign. After a taster swim at Ponds Forge the
night before the boys were all raring to go. Alan
led off with the first of his 6 events - 100BC, his
entry time of 1.09.42 was smashed after a very
convincing heat swim of 1.06.26 (a 3sec pb) and
placing him 2nd into the final, 1st to 4th place
only separated by 0.8sec. Luke and Noah were next up
in the 200 BS. For Luke it was his first time at
Nationals and he rose to the occasion recording a
superb swim of 3.02.61 and 2sec pb. Noah followed
with a strong swim, matching his best.
Alan hit the finals in good sprint, pleased with his
heat swim, and quietly confidant he may have a bit left
in the tank. Starting in lane 5 Alan grew in strength as
the race went on, 2nd at the turn Alan found another
gear and raced like we know he can...the result....GOLD
- 1.04.55 - FANTASTIC - smiles all round :)
Well
done to all our swimmers. See
here Alan's
comments on the British Swimming website.
Day 2 saw Alan compete in the 200 Fly and the
100 Free. Nerves a plenty, Alan competed in his first
event of the morning - 200 fly - a solid start and even
with a mouth full of water on the second half of the
race it did not faze Alan, touching in a best time
of 2.28.69 (3 seconds faster than his previous best).
45mins later Alan was back in the pool competing in the
100 free - a very tough race in which he made it
a double by qualifying for both finals ranked 8th in
both.
Alan hit the finals focused on the 200 fly - he did a
tremendous job, dropping a further 3 seconds on his heat
swim to 2.25.27 which placed him 5th. A tough turn
around meant that Alan was back in the water less than
45 minutes later in the 100 free, he dug deep and gave
it his all finishing 9th in 1.01.91
Day 3 and Alan was
back in action in the 200 Back and what an
exciting day it was to be. Entered in a time of
2.23, Alan enjoyed a comfortable heat swim to
put himself into the final in second place and
lowering his pb to 2.21.53. In the final another
superb swim and a further 3 second
improvement saw Alan achieve Silver in a time of
2.18.33 - excellent swimming, well done Alan.
Day 4 after finishing
fourth in his 100 Fly heat, Alan then knocked 2
seconds off his PB to claim his second Gold of
the championships. Luke Stuart was out again
today and PB'd in his 100 Breaststroke heat to
qualify for the final where he finished a very
creditable 8th place whilst improving his time
again.
The Down Syndrome
British Championships were held at Reading on the 24th July.
Ferndown's Judith Cooling came away with Golds in 200
Backstroke, 25 Fly, Mdeley and Freestyle relays and Silver in 50
Backstroke. Excellent preparation for her trip to the World
Championships in Taiwan in October.
SJL Round 3 (26 June 2010)
Poor morale, lack of commitment, threadbare work ethic, skill levels considerably below proven potential and ultimately a humiliating result. That’s the summary of England’s defeat at the hands of Germany in Bloemfontein. Ferndown’s foray to Weston-Super-Mare was altogether a different story!
True to form, the weather was perfect again in anticipation of a long drive and a chlorinated afternoon.
Ferndown joined Poole and Christchurch Seagulls in a procession from Dorset to Hutton Moor as much of the rest of Britain swarmed onto our beautiful beaches.
Ferndown looked strong in the preliminary rounds but so did Poole. Weston-Super-Mare, Swindon Dolphins and its erstwhile stable mates SX3 fielded strong teams too. Bazza’s ‘Gulls have showed their ambitions more clearly of late and so the battle-lines were drawn for a keen contest.
Ferndown took an early lead. Poole in the next lane provided good competition both in the pool and on the stands. With 4 firsts and 4 seconds in the first 10 events
Ferndown swam to the fore and stayed there. W-S-M and Poole fought for second with the Swindon contingent swimming for the next two places. Seagulls swam well but ended a relatively distant 6th in
a strong final.
Before (well those that hadn't got lost
getting there).
Morgan leads off the relay
Charlie
The stats – 40 pb’s, 20 1sts, 15 2nds – serve only to confirm the true grit displayed on the night. It was an awesome performance that left parents hoarse and a coach or two misty-eyed.
Each and every swimmer swam above and beyond but mention goes to the following for their first places:-
Ben , Kelvin, Ethan and Callum in the 9y/o 4x25 Free and the 9y/o 4x25 Medley Jaz, Christy, Petrouchka and Elisabeth in the 12y/o 4x25 Medley Myles, LukeS, Alan and Harvey in the 12y/o 4x25 Medley Ben in the 9y/ 25 Free and 9y/o 25 Fly Alan (fresh from an superb second weekend at Millfield) in the 12y/o 50 Fly and the 12y/o 50 Back Ethan in the 9y/o 25 Breast Matt C (also off the back of a stonking Millfield performance) in 10 y/o 50 Back and 10y/o 50 Free Myles in the 12y/o 50 Free Morgan in the 9y/o 25 Back and 9y/o 25 Fly Christy in the 12y/o 50 Breast Luke S (who improved on his national times at Millfield) in the 12y/o Breast Sam G, Morgan, Claire W and Lucy B in the 10y/o 4x25 Free Henry, Ben, Tom A and Matt C in the 10y/o 4x215 Free Myles, Spencer, Alan and Harvey in the 12y/o 4x25 Free Morgan, Ben, Lucy B, Matt C, Rebecca, Spencer, Christy and Alan in the 8x25 mixed Canon Free
Oh, and in case the FA enquires, we have no interest at all in swapping Emma for Fabio!
[
ASASWR Age Group Champs, Millfield: Apologies from the Press Officer, whose work commitments precluded a full write up on the second weekend of the ASASWR Age Group Champs at Millfield but well done to all. Notable swims were:- Noah swam a 3 second pb on his 100 Breast but was unable to replicate a national qualifying time as he did in the 200 Breast. He was, achingly, just 0.1 seconds outside in the heats and less than 0.5 out in the finals. Rebecca swam a 4 second pb in her 100 Back and has moved up nicely in the rankings. Christy swam strongly throughout and took 4 seconds off her 200 IM time. Lucy Kirkham, too, took 4 seconds off her 200IM time. Jaz took 11 seconds off her 800 Free pb. Paige pb’ed in her 100 Breast.
Even more notable swims came from:- Alan -who’d been off ill leading into the two weekends- won gold in the 200 Back (by 20 metres), in the 200 Free and in the 100 Fly. Truly astounding! Luke Stuart swam to a closely contested silver and a further pb in the 100 Breast. Matt Collins took 8 seconds off his 200 Back to win silver.
Well done to all the age group qualifiers.]
Echo report
here.
26/05/10 Ferndown win
Southern Junior League Round 2 report
here.Daily Echo article here.
Results and Round3 draw
here.
17/05/10 Dorset
Talent ID 15-16th May.
14 Ferndown swimmers joined swimmers from
Bournemouth, Poole and Tornadoes in Bath
for the Dorset Talent ID Camp 09/10.
Swimmers were aged between 11 and 14yrs and
had been identified as showing
potential. Our swimmers had the opportunity
of training with Dorset's top age group
swimmers during 3 x 2hr LC training
sessions, land training and topical
discussions on targets and nutrition. The
camp was headed up by lead coaches Emma
Hirst and Sam Woodward.
Swimmers Selected from Ferndown included....
Rebecca Cummings, Stephanie Hughes, Jazmine
Hepburn, Paige Chasty, Christiana Cole, Lucy
Kirkham, Clodagh Dear, Ellis Mayall, Zoe
Taylor, Luke Stuart, Spencer
Wilks, Myles Horlock,
Alan Wong and Noah Vides
14/05/10 Fran Hughes and Craig Freeman selected
for AASE programme while Chris Campbell graduates this
summer.
The
Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence is a
unique sporting qualification designed to help young
people aged 16 to 18 combine education and sport. It is
aimed at athletes
who have the realistic potential
to achieve excellence in their sport and who are seeking
to perform at the highest level as their main career
goal.
The AASE programme was developed
to ensure top young athletes seeking to perform
at the highest level receive the support and
training they require to succeed in today’s
elite sporting environment. The programme has
also been designed so that if an athlete falls
short of their ultimate goal, they have the
skills, knowledge and qualifications to pursue a
secondary or supplementary career. Notionally,
the AASE takes two years to complete.The AASE
qualification provides flexibility and choice.
The framework contains the Level 3 NVQ, Key
Skills at Level 2, plus 780 Guided Learning
Hours for Technical Certificates from a large
range of academic or vocational qualifications,
including BTEC, AS and A levels, and VRQs.
The AASE helps develop and nurture elite
athletes. The programme gives athletes
more quality coaching hours, better
access to modern, well equipped
facilities and the use of new
technologies. It also provides for
second career development, should an
athlete fall short of their ultimate
sporting goal or choose to follow an
alternative career path.
Aquatic stars
who have completed the AASE
programme include double Olympic
medallist Rebecca Adlington. “My
apprenticeship with the ASA
provided me with high quality
training, whilst giving me the
opportunity to gain
qualifications at the same time.
Winning two gold medals in
Beijing and breaking a world
record was the greatest
achievement of my life and
hopefully we’ll see many of the
graduating and new AASE students
competing for Great Britain over
the next few years.”
AASE selection
policy
here.
AASE Eligibility form
here.
13/05/10.
The Dorset secondary schools championships were held last
weekend at Littledown with Ferndown swimmers to the fore. Echo
article
here.
13/05/10 Bath Long
Course Camp. Ferndown Swimming and Bournemouth
Dolphins ran a joint training camp in Bath over the Bank holiday
weekend for its regional age group swimmers. 31 swimmers
travelled to Bath from Dorset and completed 3 x 2 hour long
course sessions in just over 24 hours, covering 15,000
plus metres. Hopefully with this additional 50 metre pool
training under their wings it will result in a successful trip
to Millfield in June for the South West Regional Age Group
Championships.
A few words from Hayley and Mitch
A weekend training camp in Bath saw Ferndown and
Bournemouth swimmers put in some impressive training in
a long course pool.
With two sessions on the
Saturday the swimmers ended the day on a high after some
fast swimming and swimmers hitting training PBs. Sunday
saw a refreshed group assess their nutritional intake
before one last pool session which saw some tremendous
effort with swimmers setting new long course PBs in
training and on the back of a heavy weekends work.
All swimmers were a
pleasure to work with and displayed commitment and focus
to get to their best before the Regional Age Group
Championships in June. The coaching team could not
commend the swimmers highly enough as they gave every
session their all and set a very high standard to be
matched in the future, which leads both coaches to
believe their will be some good performances next month.
A big thank you to the team staff, coaches Hayley
Morris and Mitch Haines as well as team
managers, Lesley Colins, Katherine Price & Matt
and Jo Hebditch with out whom the trip couldn't
have happened.
12/05/10
Colours Gala. The Adam Knight Colours Gala was held at Canford last Sunday. The successful team were the reds (Ryan,
Abbie, Charlotte H, Harriet, Lydia, Jude, Ben, Jemma, Matthew,
Lucy, Olivia, Hollie, Rebecca and Spencer) on 165 points,
followed by Yellow (136 points), Blue (126 points) and Green(120
points). The committee would like to extend a big thank you to the parents and
youth volunteers who helped to make the gala a success.
06/05/10 Western Youth
Championships at Milfield. - Echo report
here.
Results
here
On Saturday 24 April a combined Ferndown /
Bournemouth team travelled up to Sheffield to
compete in the National Arena Swimming League
Cup Final.
The long journey to Sheffield gave the team
chance to gel together, and if they weren't all
well acquainted on arrival they certainly were
after a little team building in the team hotel.
A relaxed Sunday morning and a little quiz to
distract the nerves saw lots of fun and laughs
before heading to the pool.
The cup final is like no other swimming event
with a wonderful atmosphere from the moment you
arrive in the foyer until the final whistle of
the last race, the noise is truly unbelievable
and I would like to say a big thank you to all
our supporters who travelled up from the South
Coast to cheer us on, thank you.
F.A.B went in seeded eighth, and after two hours
of highly competitive swimming we came out
finishing eighth, a great achievement.
Highlights cam from Tom Mules (Tornadoes)
winning the boys 13 &under 100 FLY, and Jay
Olenciz (Ferndown) coming second in the boys 15
& under 100 BC. Courtney Rowan (Dolphins) picked
up a National Qualifying Time in the 100 FLY
finishing 3rd after leading at half way and Will
Harrison (Dolphins) qualified for the
Commonwealth Trials in August with a 24.22
leading off on the Open Male 6 x 50 FR relay.
Congratulations to everyone involved in the 2010
cup final, as well as all those swimmers who
represented the team in the three regional
rounds before Christmas.
Results
here. Echo
report
here.
This
is the highest level "British" event that a swimmer can
attend with only the best swimmers in the Country
managing to make the qualifying standards. Due to this
only a handful of South West Region clubs have swimmers
at this event including Plymouth, Bath, Tauton Dean and
Bournemouth.
Day 2 - Fiona Hardie was the first up, in the 100 Free
and recorded a time of 1.00.50, placing her 35th
in the country and 9th
in her age at her first senior nationals. Day 3 - Saw
Naomi Vides started her week with the 200 Breaststroke,
recording a seasons best time, placing her 27th
overall and 5th
in her age. Jay Olenic and Lucy Kirkham took to the
water in the afternoon for a light training session
ready for Thursday events. Day 4
- Naomi, Jay and Lucy all had swims at Ponds Forge.
Naomi was first up in the 100 Breast, recording a time
of 1.15.1 and 6th
in her age. Jay was next up in the 100 Back, recording a
lifetime pb of 1.01.97 and second in his age. A great
achievement. Lucy was next in the 50 free, not overawed
by the size of her competitors, she took to the blocks
to record a lifetime pb of 28.61 and an NQT time for the
summer nationals - fantastic.
This
was a fantastic experience for all our swimmers who got
to race in the same sessions as Great Britain Medallists
Rebbecca Adlington, Jo Jackson, Fran Halsall, Liam
Tancock and many more!!! Well done to you all.
27/01/10 Ferndown Max'd Out
Ferndown Otters spent a busy
weekend at three seperate events. One contingent
travelled to Aylesbury for the Maxwell Level 2 Meet,
a second to Millfield for the Exeter Meet and a
group of our younger swimmers attended the Hants &
South Coast Junior Meet. Results
here. Echo
article
here.
Hants
& South Coast Junior Meet:
In a competition which
produced many pb's Elisabeth Hood
was the most senior swimmer at the
Junior Meet and showed the way for our
younger girls. Charlie Fletcher
and Morgan Long swam massive pb's
whilst Annabelle Leigh and
Hollie Shearing also improved their
times. Kelvin Wong and Aaron
Hamer impressed with their racing
and Henry Stanbrook, Oliver
Jessup, Harry Miller and
Callum Grubb all
swam particularly well.
Exeter
Meet:
Two wrongs may not make
a right but one Wong made 4 National
times, won 5 golds and 1 silver at
Millfield. Alan won the 200 Fly,
200 Back, 100 Back , 200 Free and 100
Fly but, no doubt, disappointed Dad with
a mere silver in the 100 Free. Steph
Hughes took bronze in the 200 IM
and silver in the 50 Breast. Her
sister, Fran, won silver in the
50 Breast and 100 Breast but stepped up
to gold in the 200 Breast. Jay
Olenicz won both of his races, the 50
Back and 50 Free. All in all, a large
number of medals for just a quartet of
swimmers. See
herefor full results. Echo
article
here.
Maxwell Meet:
A larger romp of Otters
made their way to Aylesbury for a
weekend at the Aquavale. The stands and
pool deck were far less crowded than
last year which made for
a pleasant, though packed, program of
races.
There were many great
swims and some fantastic pb's - too many
to mention - so in summary the following
were medal winners:
Jeff Holtom made
Ferndown's first contribution to the
medal haul with bronze in the 400 Free.
All his races resulted in PB's and his
200 Free time of 2:04 pleased Emma
almost as much as it pleased Nigel,
earning a silver medal with all those
smiles. He also took third place in the
100 Back and silver in the 100 Free and
200 Back.
Shannon Horton
won Silver in the 200 Breast, bronze in
the 100 Free and another silver in the
100 breast. She followed on with a
bronze in the 50 Free. Shannon showed
her versatility by winning her 100 IM
age group and coming second in the 200
IM.
Naomi Vides won
the first of her seven golds in the 200
Breast with a 2:39.44. Her second was
gold in the 100 Free. she also won golds
for the 50 Fly, 100 Breast, 100 IM, 50
Breast and 200IM. Her two silvers came
in the 50 and 400 Free.
Matt Collins won
his 50 Back and took third in the 100
IM. He won his 50 Free race and took
home silver in the 200 Free. He then won
his 200 Back.
Luke Raggett took
second in his 50 Back race and first in
his 200 Fly. He also won third in his
100 Back and 200 IM. He then went on to
add the 100 Fly to his 200 victory, a
silver in the 200 Back and a bronze in
the 50 Fly.
Ben took bronze
in his 50 Back race, having discarded
his "drag-suit". Still in a racing suit,
he took bronze again in his 200 Back.
Zoe Taylor, not
back to form yet, still managed silver
in the 100 Fly.
Phoebe Notley
took third place in her 100 Fly age
group but won her 100 Free and 50 Free.
She took bronze in the 200 Back and 200
Free.
Fiona Hardie,
just up on the Saturday, won her 100 Fly
age group as well as the 100 Free and
200 Back. She took silver in her 100
Breast.
Grace showed the
Kingsley style in taking bronze in her
100 Free. She took another bronze in the
100 Back.
Lucy Kirkham had
a brilliant weekend of races and opened
her medal account with a silver in the
100 Free. Her next deposit was a gold
for the 50 Fly.Her most impressive swim
was gold in the 50 Free in a time of
28.55 which would have won the next age
group up and come a close second in the
second age group up. To prove her
ability to maintain her incredible
stroke rate over extended periods, she
took third place in her 400 Free and in
the 100 IM. Next for Lucy was a silver
in the 50 Breast.
Clodagh Dear took
silver in her 200 Back.
Noah Vides made a
cleanish breast of it by winning the 50
Breast, taking second in the 200 Breast
and winning the 100 Breast.
Annie Taylor swam
a 30.99 to win her 50 Fly and a 32.28 to
win the 50 Back. She took a silver in
the 100 Back.
Paige Chasty won
silver in the 100 Breast and 50 Breast.
Jaz Hepburn won
bronze in her 50 Free.
Claire Wignall and Rebecca Cummings
deserve special mention for their swims.
A slew of pb's saw both of
them tantalisingly outside of the
medal positions on many occasions.
Thanks to all the
coaches for their guidance and support
over the weekend and to all their
swimmers who made this so worth their
while. See
here
for full results.
03/12/09 Haslemere Open
Christy Cole was the only Ferndown
representative at Haslemere and did herself proud. Christy
won the BAGCAT award and achieved 4 SWQT in breastroke and
backstoke. She achieved 5 golds and 4 silvers. There were 25
visiting clubs and Christy managed to put Ferndown into 15th
place! Well Done :)
03/12/09 Welsh
Capital Open
A fantastic trip
to Cardiff's 50m pool saw pb's rolling in thick and fast
for our swimmers. Grace Kingsley, Hollie Shearing,
Connie Reynolds and Alex Price led the way as the
youngest group of swimmers, all recorded outstanding
best times, and for some of them it was their first
outing in a 50m pool. Elisabeth Hood, Lucy Kirkham,
Ellie Beckworth,Fiona Hardie, Marika Rolt, Anne-Marie Taylor, Mikey
Kingsley, Todd Price, Noah Vides, Chris Wignall and
Ben Fellows all achieved podium finishes with Fiona
also achieving 3 NQT's, a fantastic achievement. The team trip was not just
about the swimming, but the team experience will be
one to be remembered. A team sing song in the
mini-bus's kept the drivers awake and with x-factor
on Saturday night the party began.
Well done to all the
swimmers. Echo press report
here. Results
here
21/10/09 James
Moreno Meet A
good day was had by all on Sunday at the James Moreno Meet.
The
Ferndown Flyer Lucy Kirkham lead from the front with 2 Gold
Medals in the 50 Breast & 50 Free with PB’s in both events and
had the opportunity to race against Olympic Swimmer Katy Sexton
in the Fly. Other Medal winners were Phoebe-May Notley who
achieved a Silver and a Bronze in 100 Fly & 200 Freestyle in
PB’s times and Jaz Hepburn in the 200F/S with a silver medal.
Constance Reynolds was on top form and recorded PB’s in all her
events, even in the 200F/S after miss counting and stopping at
150m {Mark was standing there having kittens}. All the other
Girls swam well and between them all come up with 18PB,s across
the board including Zoe, Chloe, Charlotte, Jaz and Sammy.
The boys were trying to out do each other with a splendid 19PB’s
between the 5 Boys which was excellent. Congratulations Jeff,
Elliot, Myles, Jackson and Spencer.
A great day at the office for the Ferndown team, even with all
the interruptions going on through out the day they all
represented the club well {Electronic Timing packed up and
people collapsing around the pool} all our swimmers were a
credit to the club.
06/10/09 Southern Junior League Final
was held last Sunday at Grays in Essex.
Having made it the southern area final
by wins in the qualifying rounds, a somewhat different
squad – courtesy of the different age criteria – emerged
poolside at Grays in Essex on Sunday. Here they were up
against clubs who boast junior memberships larger than
the entire Ferndown membership!
Despite this, Ferndown acquitted themselves very well
with wins from Alan Wong in 11yrs back and fly (and a
2nd in 12yrs fly) and Christy Cole scored an excellent
win in the 11yrs breaststroke.
The 9yrs boys team which, regardless of having a
substantial new look from the opening rounds, managed
2nd places in both relay events along with Matthew
Collins’ 2nd in the freestyle and Kelvin Wong, in his
first ever event, scoring 2nd in the breaststroke. The
11yrs girls also did exceptionally well to bag 2nd in
the freestyle relay.
At the end of the event Ferndown finished 6th but then
only 8 points behind 5th place Nottingham Leander,
whilst the Leicester Penguins won the event, but
Ferndown came away with invaluable experience from
battling with the ‘big boys’.
05/10/09 Hants & South Coast
League The second round was held last Saturday at Woking where Ferndown
finished third - results
here. With some of the younger
members of the team being rested for the Diddy the following day
some new faces joined the team. Some fantastic swims and notable
best times from Zoe Taylor in 100 fly, Noah Vides 100 IM Ellis
Mayall 100 Back, Spencer Wilks 50 Breast (35 best times from
round one).
Wins from
U14
Clodagh Dear 100 BS
Med Relay, Ellis Mayall,
Clodagh, Zoe Taylor, Lucy Kirkham
Free Relay , Ellis, Danni
Burry, Zoe, Lucy
Mikey Kingsley 100 Free
U13
Paige Chasty 50BS
Med and Free Relay,
Jaz Hepburn, Paige, Steph Hughes, Victoria Joy
U12
Alex Price 50 fly
Christy Cole 50
breast
U11
Spencer Wilks 50
Breast
Free Relay = Spencer
Wilks, Oli Jessup, Henry Stanbrook, Joe Pearce
Cannon – Brooke
Vivian, Spencer Wilks, Jaz Hepburn, Alex Price,
Victoria Joy, Noah Vides, Lucy Kirkham, Mickey
Kingsley
02/10/09 Judith
Cooling has been selected to represent GB at the DSISO World
Championships to be held in Taiwan in 2010 see team list
here
17/08/09 hants & South Coast
League The first round was held last Saturday at Fleet where
Ferndown scored a resounding victory - results
here
13/08/09
Welsh Summer Nationals See
here for the
Echo article on our successful foray across the River Severn.
06/08/09
Youth Group Nationals See
here for the
Echo article.
28/07/09
Age Group Nationals The National Age Group Championships were held in
Sheffield last week and Ferndown's top age group swimmers were
in action. Alan Wong, Noah Vides, Todd Price and Ellie Beckwith
along with Jaz Hepburn of Tornadoes, all met the tough
qualifying standards. A training session on Tuesday helped to
settle the nerves and soak in the atmosphere that comes with
Ponds Forge, ready for the competition to commence on Wednesday.
Alan led the way with his first of 7swims of this championship,
qualifying second fastest in the 100 Back 1.11.21. Noah followed
in the 200 breaststroke equalling his best time. Ellie was up
next in the 200 Back followed by Jaz in the 1500m, taking a
massive 15seconds off her best and getting under the 20minute
barrier for the first time.
The first day of finals saw Alan take a further second off his
best time and to win a silver medal at his first age group
champs - a fantastic start to his week.
Day two saw a a mixture of emotions for the team. Todd had been
ill in the lead up to the event, and after the long trip up to
Sheffield, with the hope that he would be feeling better, it was
not to be. Next year Todd, next year :).
It was a massive day for Alan, with three events in the morning
session. The 200fly was first up and a very nervous Alan took to
the blocks. His aim was to make a final and he did, coming in
7th in a time of 2.38.32. The 100free was his next race, so
after a quick swim down he was ready to sprint. Another best
time followed of 1.04.99 saw him qualify 5th fastest for the
final. Now just the 200IM to go. Alan had to dig deep and search
for every ounce of energy he had left. He did a solid swim, but
just missed out on a final.
After a much needed sleep and refuel Alan prepared himself for
his two finals. The 200fly saw him drop three seconds to secure
a 4th pace and another 4th place come in the 100free - a further
second pb.
Day three saw a change in tactics for Alan, a full English
breakfast!!!! Lots of energy he thought. 200 Back was the event,
with the warm up completed Alan went to the marshaling area
ready for his event, to come wondering back saying he didn't
feel too well. Unwell he was, but not deterred with the 50m walk
to the start, and his race already lined up Alan made the start
with seconds to spare. A very gutsy swim saw him qualify 4th
fastest for the final in a time of 2.35.32. We hoped it was just
nerves that made Alan unwell and not the dreaded bug that was
doing the rounds. Alan gave it his all in the final, but it was
obvious the day had taken its toll. He still recorded a 6th
place. You can't complain at 6th in the country.
Day four and the team were back together. Alan led off with the
heats of the 200free qualifying 7th fastest for his final in
2.19.41. It was then Ellie's turn in the 100back. Ellie got off
to a flying start hitting the turn in 34seconds, to finish in a
time of 1.11.49. Noah was next to the blocks and recorded a pb,
getting stronger and stronger as the race went on. It was
finally back to Alan was his last race the heats of the 100fly.
His favourite event. A strong swim of 1.12.08 saw him qualify
3rd for the final.
The 200free final saw Alan drop a second from his heat swim to
2.18.51 to come 7th. Alan then finished his first National Age
Group Championships with a bronze medal in the 100 Fly, 1.10.75. Results
Alan Wong - 11yrs
2nd 100 Backstroke -1.10.21
3rd 100 Butterfly -1.10.75
4th 100 Free - 1.03.75
4th 200 Butterfly - 2.35.68
6th 200 Backstroke - 2.36.64
7th 200 Free - 2.18.51
14th 200 IM - 2.42.38 Jaz Hepburn - 11yrs
12th 1500 Free - 19.59.87
30/06/09 Otters on
tour to the Loire Valley : Ferndown Swimming were approached
by the local twinning association to represent the town on a
cultural exchange. This is what went on...
Friday evening and ten young swimmers (along
with team manager
Stuart Platts and chaperone
Julia Trehane) arrive tired but excited in
a very hot, sunny Segre to a mountain of French
bread and ham that was devoured in true swimmer
style. After a good nights sleep we walked up to
the local pool to meet the French swimmers who
all seem to be about six feet tall. ( Have we
been stitched up here.)
The gala begins and even though the competition
tower above us we hold our own and impress them
with our speed, technique and turns. To our
surprise the coaches also compete and we beat
them !
After the gala we all played in the pool and on
the flumes for an hour then returned to our
lodgings for cakes followed by a big BBQ with
the Segre team that goes on 'til the early
hours.
Sunday, and we discover that Otters are great in
boats and up trees as we take part in a
fantastic day of kayaking (or is that capsizing)
and tree climbing.
Sunday evening was time for another feast with
the rest of the twinning association and all the
locals. Our swimmers represented the club and
Ferndown beautifully and were complimented by
all.
We can now look forward to the French swimmers
coming to visit us next April. Julia.
20/06/09
Ferndown are the 2009 Southern Junior League Champions! :
Earlier this evening Ferndown emerged victors from the closely
fought final round of the SGL, held at Bristol, by excellent
performances all round with the added bonus of no DQs. Echo
article
here (not a link but a pdf
doc).
Southern Junior League 2009
Position
Club
Gala points
League points
Bonus points
Gala points
League points
Bonus points
Gala points
League points
Total Gala Points
Total League Points
League Position
1
Ferndown
248
6
5
245
6
10
222
12
715
39
1st
2
SX3A
237
5
5
255
6
10
213
10
705
36
2nd
3
Bournmouth Dolphins
242
6
5
245
6
10
184
8
671
35
3rd
4
Yeovil
224
6
5
225
5
10
161
6
610
32
4th
5
Southwold
253
5
5
192
5
10
134
4
579
29
5th
6
Weston-Super-Mare
262
6
5
194
5
10
123
2
579
28
6th
7
Chard
220
6
5
179
4
399
15
8
Keynsham
209
5
5
173
4
382
14
9
Bradford on Avon
189
4
5
196
4
385
13
10
Soundwell
171
5
5
170
3
341
13
11
Bath Dolphins
195
4
5
165
3
360
12
12
SX3B
207
4
5
142
3
349
12
13
West Dorset Warriors
204
5
5
87
1
291
11
14
Bristol North
158
4
5
116
2
274
11
15
Christchurch&New Milton
143
4
5
129
2
272
11
16
Trowbridge
168
3
5
163
2
331
10
17
Bristol Henleaze
133
3
196
6
329
9
18
Weymouth
142
3
5
101
1
243
9
19
Thornbury
143
3
5
64
1
207
9
20
Poole
118
1
232
6
350
7
21
City of Newport
130
2
201
5
331
7
22
Tornadoes of S dorset
139
2
177
4
316
6
23
Frome
103
1
192
5
295
6
24
Bristol Central
129
2
164
4
293
6
25
Warminster
104
2
151
3
255
5
26
Melksham
100
2
118
2
218
4
27
Wells & Shepton Mallet
73
1
87
3
160
4
28
Clayesmore
109
3
0
0
109
3
29
North Dorset Turbos
54
1
89
1
143
2
1st Places
2nd Places
Alan Wong 11yrs 50back,
50fly and 12yrs 50back
Lucy Kirkham 12yrs 50free
Todd Price 12yrs 50free
Alex Price 10yrs 50fly
Lucy Brain 9yrs 25fly
Harriet Higgins 11yrs
50breast
Matthew Collins 9yrs 25 free
and back
Claire Wignall 9yrs 25breast
Grace Kingsley 9yrs 25m back
Harriet Higgins 11yrs 50
back
Elisabeth Hood 11yrs
50free
Todd Price 12yrs 50 fly
Lucy Kirkham 12yrs 50
breast
boys 9yrs Free relay
girls 12yrs med relay and
free relay
boys 12yrs med relay and free
relay
cannon
girls 9yrs free and med relay
boys 9yrs med relay
boys 10yrs free and med
relay
South Western Age
Group Championships June 6-14 : Todd, Alan and Lucy
score gold at Millfield. See
here and
here for the Echo
articles
County
Selection Youth Development Day:
Congratulations to the swimmers below for being selected
for County Selection Youth Development Day on June 20th in Bath.
Zoe Watson, Fran Hughes, Marika Rolt, Anne Marie Taylor, Emma
Baird, Naomi Vides, Cat Close, Dominic McDonald, Craig Freeman,
Alistair Hardy, Chris Campbell , Ben Fellows, Joshua Smith and
Chris Wignall.
Southern Junior LeagueRound 2:
Turns and takeovers were a key element
of Ferndown Otters successful visit to Horfields, Bristol
for the second round of the SGL. Ferndown were up against
some determined opposition from the likes of Bradford upon
Avon and Yeovil but managed to win with 245 points to second
placed Yeovil’s 225.Age group coach Emma Hirst’s intensive
technique programme paid dividends as time and again her
young charges pulled away from their pursuers in the turning
zone and, continuing the precedent set at round 1,
Ferndown excelled in the relays with 12 wins and 3 seconds
from the 17 events.The Otters led from the very first event
through to winning the thrilling canon event that concluded
proceedings. In total 25 wins and 15 seconds were recorded
from the 49 event programme. Multiple winners were
Alan Wong who also swam and won above his age group and
Matthew Collins.
They are now looking forward to the
third and final round when the top scoring teams from all
the leagues will come together for a southern area showdown
on June 20th.
A long Weekend proves successful
for Ferndown swimmers at Millfield.
The Otters National Age and Youth
Champions Naomi Vides and Fran Hughes were again in the
Breastroke Medals. Naomi took silver in the 14/15 50m,
100m, 200m events while Fran was second in both the 2
longer events.
Zoe Watson won 2 silvers 1 Bronze
and a fifth place putting her well up the National
Rankings for 200/400/800/ Freestyle. Craig Freeman took
bronze in the male 200m F/S event and a fourth place in
an unusual event for him the 100m Fly and a sixth place
in the 50m F/S.
Cathy Close was second in the 200m
B/C and fifth in the 100m B/C.
Fiona Hardie was very impressive in
the 50m F/S securing a National Qualifying time and also
busy competing in the 100m F/S, 100m Fly, 200m IM giving
her fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth respectively.
Ben Fellows was in great form in
his B/C events smashing his PB’s along the way. He came
fifth and seventh in the short and longer events.
Not to be outdone Luke Raggett made
the 200m Fly final and came eighth.
Dorset County Champs:
(Block 1 - 7/8 Feb. 2009)
Ferndown had it all to do at the 2009 Dorsets. And they did they ever!
BDSC ended Day 1 ahead on points and with a very successful 2008 behind them and with Joe Poynter and others in superb form, they looked to remain that way. Day 2, however, saw Ferndown take the lead and with a broad band of top 8 swims through the second block, Otters stretched the lead and defended it to finish in Top Club position.
Todd made the greatest points contribution, followed by Chris Campbell who won the most Golds. A total of 68 swimmers made points contributions. This long list is made of of all age groups from youngest all the way up to our seniors.
Club
Points
Ferndown
2330
Bournemouth Dolphins
2299
Christchurch & NM Seagulls
1258
Tornadoes of South Dorset
1156
Poole S.C.
646
West Dorset Warriors
535
Weymouth
113
North Dorset Turbos
78
Wareham and District S.C.
68
Clayesmore
64
Bridport Barracudas
15
Alan got his first NQT on top of all his medals! Well done Wongster! Ellie B got her NQT too and looked to be in very fine form. Zoe W made a clean sweep of her Age Group Freestyle events as well as winning all the finals. Craig swam a 400 Final we'll all remember for a long time. Chris Campbell looked ever so sharp in the 100 Fly heats and took the final in under 57 seconds. Cat and Ellie did us proud in the heats and finals of the 200 Back.
Jeff Holtom was just one of the older boys swimming well and many went under the minute for the first time. Next stop 55!
The coaches were all especially pleased with the broad range of good swims across the whole club. The pb rate was extremely high considering the recent improvements at the Maxwell Meet. Clearly the winter program is bearing fruit and the work ethic and motivation of the swimmers are producing results. Well done to each and every Otter!
See this file for Otters-only results .The full results can be found here.
Lastly, thanks to Jill and Di for all their hard work in running the championships as well as to all the Ferndown volunteers who helped out so diligently.
Maxwell L2 Open Meet: (Jan. 09, Aylesbury)
Some took the M25 and A41, others took the A34 but they all met in Aylesbury. Why? Because it's the end of January and that's just what Otters do at the end of January. Oh, and also to swim in the Maxwell Level 2. Two long, humid days later the weary families returned coastwards encumbered by a total of 62 medals(including speeding-fines) and 134 pb's! It's stats like those that make 12 and a half hours straight, poolside, worthwhile. The weekend was not short of highlights with fantastic swims across the board. - girls, boys, 10 year olds, 17 year olds. Jeff took 21 seconds off his 400 Free, Rebecca Cummings took 19 seconds off her 200 Breast and Mikey Kingsley took 14 seconds off his400 Free. At this rate a Ferndown world record should be achieved by mid-year!
Name
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
Price, Todd
3
3
1
7
Vides, Naomi
3
0
0
3
Higgins, Harriet
3
0
0
3
Vides, Noah
3
0
0
3
Hardie, Fiona
1
3
1
5
Taylor, Anne-Marie
1
2
0
3
Raggett, Luke
1
2
0
3
Wilks, Spencer
1
1
2
4
Rolt, Marika
1
0
2
3
Ledden, Samantha
1
0
0
1
Close, Cathy
1
0
0
1
Kirkham, Lucy
1
0
0
1
Wong, Alan
0
2
1
3
Kingsley, Mikey
0
1
5
6
Holtom, Jeff
0
1
1
2
Cummings, Rebecca
0
1
0
1
Fellows, Emily
0
1
0
1
Price, Alex
0
1
0
1
MacDonald, Dominic
0
0
4
4
Burry, Danielle
0
0
3
3
Smith, Joshua
0
0
2
2
Wignall, Christopher
0
0
1
1
Fellows, Ben
0
0
1
1
Noah swept all three of his breaststroke events and Todd was the winningest Otter; the most exciting race, however, had to be the senior boys 100m Freestyle.
Ben, Chris, Luke and Jeff were all lined up in the same heat. The chase for honours was still open with 25m to go.
Half of the spectators were engrossed in the race, the other half were watching Michelle growing ever more excitable as Chris edged forward to bring the Otters home. All 4 swam pb's and 3 popped under the minute for the first time ever.
Follow this link to the full results and this link to the Otters results. The table adjacent shows our medal winners.
Thanks to Emma and Mark for their motivational coaching and to to the long-suffering officials who earned their parking spots and lunches!
A romp of Otters were amongst the 35 age group swimmers taking part in the Dorset Talent camp at Bath on Fri 2nd Jan. Dad's were able to greet the new year with strong coffee whilst the Mom's were rewarded with a few buff GB swimmers poolside.
The following link leads to a full report . Thanks to Emma for her efforts in this hugely successful day and to Di for all her efforts behind the scenes.
Judith Cooling - 4th Down Syndrome World Champs, Portugal.
Ferndown's very own Judith was one of around 200 athletes from 24 countries taking part in the Championships, which started on November 27 and finished on 4 December in Albufeira. Countries competing included Portugal, US, Australia, Taiwan, Hong-Kong, Brazil Mexico, South Africa and Venezuela.
The British team had a total of 23 athletes. Judith competed in the very first World Championship, which was held in Reading in 2002, and has taken part in every one since then (South Africa 2004, Ireland 2006 and Portugal 2008).
Judith successes were as follows:
- International Gold for the 100m backstroke heat in a time of 1.56.57 minutes which places her 8 th in the world for this event.
-
World Bronze in the 4 x 50 medley relay.
-
World Bronze in the 4 x 100 freestyle relay.
- A
Personal Best in the 50m Backstroke in a time of 54.71 secs.
The next Down Syndrome World Championship is due to be hosted in 2010 in Taiwan and is expected to include even more athletes and participating countries.Judith will be training hard to ensure that her folks have the opportunity to carry her bags to Taiwan this time!
Well done Judith! We all certainly hope your training keeps going well.
Peter Bull and Plymouth Level 1
Richard Morris took off his Chef's hat and put on his team manager's cap to take a very small contingent to Waterlooville for their Level 3 Peter Bull Open Meet. Rich reports that everyone swam well and to their best ability. The Meet results are not available but will be linked to as soon as possible. Many thanks to Rich for taking care of the team and to all the swimmers for their pb's. Rich has promised a full four course meal to all swimmers next time he's in charge.
Emma was in charge, over the same weekend, of the Otters in Millfield at Plymouth's Level 1 Open. Even her bigger team was somewhat eroded by the various colds, flu's and lergies doing the rounds. Full results can be found here. Emma's swimmers of the meet were Higgerty who swam well even though not fully recovered, Steph Hughes who swam well throughout and pb'ed by 10 seconds in the 200 Fly, Alan Wong who swam outstandingly, Lucky K who won her 800 Free and swam good times in all her other races too, and Chris C who swam near his pb in the 100 Fly then pb'ed in the Final to take Silver and qualify for British Champs. Well done to the other swimmers, including Fran and Craig, who medalled or pb'ed.
2008 South West Region Championships:
Roger Guttridge has written a full feature article on these Campionships in the Echo. Chris C, Zoe W, Craig and Fran all finalled and took their place on the podium, as well, to ensure a fair haul of silveware once again. Ben - buoyed by his seventeeth birthday on the Sunday - pb'ed twice.
Fifteen juniors could be seen hanging around the Ferndown car park around 4:30 on Fri. afternoon. Reuben arrived in the hired minibus and they rushed aboard to claim their preferred seats leaving their unwanted and unneeded parents watching forlornly as the entourage headed off to Cardiff. With a comfort break and notwithstanding Shelley's navigation skills, the team arrived at the Premier Inn Cardiff just after 8:30 and headed straight to bed in preparation the weekend's competition.
Saturday morning began with a comprehensive devouring of breakfast and a short trip to the pool. Cardiff International Pool was opened in Feb. 2008 by Duncan Goodhew and is a world class venue. A cohort of parents made their own way up to spectate. Dave Mullins was charged with photographing the weekend and Mark Price (clearly suitably experienced) was charged with ordering the team lunch. The orders arrived with perfect timing and the kids refueled before returning for the afternoon action. With loads of great swims under their belts and a day of fun and chat behind them, the swimmers headed back to the hotel for a good dinner and the warm welcome of their bed.
Day 2 began with another heart breakfast and an early warm up at the pool. The parents passed the time hearing from Steve how poorly Dave's "Roger Moore" approach worked on the locals (of the female persuasion, that is). They were very sympathetic and didn't';t tease him at all. After a brief visit by Helen to Morrisons, the hungry swimmers were topped up leaving a Welsh shortage of bananas, Jaffa cakes and muffins.
As on Day 1, medals flowed freely as did the smiles. The Cardiff sun turned the spectating are into a sauna and the boys used the warm down area - which abutted a lazy rive, slides and tubes - as the fun zone it was designed to be!
Emma was beaming at the 57 pb's as the kids clambered back onto the minibus for the trip back. Emma, Denise, Shell and Reubs did a terrific job of running the team and swimmers and parents alike thank them. Thanks to City of Cardiff for hosting such a successful and inspirational Meet. We look forward to sending a bigger team in 2009.
Full results can be found here; Medals were won by:-
400 IM - Toddster– GOLD
100 Breast - Noah - GOLD
100 Back - VickyA - GOLD
200 Free - Higgerty - GOLD
400 Free - Higgerty - GOLD 200 Back - The Wong - GOLD
200 Breast - Higgerty - GOLD
100 Fly - The Wong - GOLD
100 Fly - Toddster - GOLD
200 Breast - Noah - GOLD
100 Breast - Higgerty - GOLD
100 Breast - Christy - SILVER 200 IM - Vicky A - BRONZE 100 Free - The Wong - GOLD
100 Free - Toddster - SILVER 100 Free - Mikey - BRONZE
200 IM - Toddster - SILVER
400 Free - Toddster - GOLD 100 Back - The Wong - GOLD 100 Back - Mikey - BRONZE 200 Free - The Wong - GOLD
200 Free - Toddster - SILVER
100 Free - Higgerty - SILVER
100 Free - Lucinda - BRONZE
100 Free - Victoria - GOLD
2008 Junior Club Champs:
Club Champs have come to an end after two weeks of junior racing on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. Results will be up on this website soon so check back in a day or so. Emma is very pleased with how her charges have swum. PB's were plentiful and improvements in technique were visible throughout. A strict cohort of Judges under the cruel guidance of Keith and Mich ensured all transgressions resulted in a DQ slip but that, too, is an important part of the learning process and the coaches will work with those swimmers to correct the faults.
It was wonderful to see our youngest swimmers take to the blocks and acquit themselves so well. Ferndown has a reputation as a strong age-group club and it's good, too, to see so many talented new swimmers making their mark.
These results will form a strong base for all 9-and-overs for the Dorset County Champs in February.
Many thanks to Emma, Stu, Keith and MIchelle and to all their helpers who worked so hard to ensure a well run and enjoyable series of events.
2008 National Swim League (Speedo) Round 2:
A steady stream of Otters made their way to Bath for Round 2 of the less than succinctly named National Swimming League - Western. A sense of foreboding matched the dark and menacing skies. Our swimmers were the youngest in their age groups. Many were still fatigued from the 12 long course sessions in Cyprus. Some were unable to swim and yet more were swimming ill or injured. If this was not enough, parking was hard to find and outrageously priced. The trepidation proved real and even though the team swam with determination and courage, only 14 of the 50 events were an improvement over Round 1. At the end of a noisy Gala, the Otters claimed 3rd place behind Millfield and Swindon SX3. The team looked disappointed but their efforts were exemplary! Under the circumstances, our 10 First Places, 10 Second Places and 9 Third Places were remarkable! Well done to all our swimmers and especially to Victoria and Emily who swam in spite of their injuries. Well done to our competitors and thanks to our hosts, Swindon SX3.
The results of this and other Round 2 Galas can be found here.
First Places
G11&U 4x50 Free
Victoria, Higgerty, Vicky A, Christy
G15 4x50 Free
Finona, Naomi, Emma W, Emma B
LO 4x50 Medley
Emily, Naomi, Nic, Zoe W
B11&U 50 Back
Alan
L0 100 Fly
Nic
G11&U 50 Fly
Vicky A
G11&U 50 Breast
Higgerty
LO 100 Breast
Naomi
G15 100 Breast
Naomi
G11&U 4x50 Medley
Victoria, Christy, Vicky A, Higgerty
Second Places
LO 200 IM
Emily
B11&U 50 Fly
Alan
G13 100 Back
Ellie
G15 100 Fly
Finona
LO 100 Back
Cat
B11&U 50 Breast
Daniel
G11&U 50 Free
Vicky A
LO 100 Free
Zoe W
G15 4x50 Medley
Emma W, Naomi, Emma B, Finona
LO 6x50 Free
Nic, Emily, Marika, Annie, Naomi, Zoe W
Cyprus 2008:
An early start on Friday morning was followed by coach transfers sandwiching the flight to Larnaca. Sunny Cypriot skies and a heart warming 26C welcomed the contingent. Due to an overbooking, the group was relocated to a 4 star over the road from last year's "village" accommodation. The food proved excellent. The swimmers descended daily on the desserts section and the ensuing demolition was a spectacle in its own right. The pancake lady at the breakfast buffet certainly earned her wages that week. The girls enjoyed dressing up for the somewhat more formal dinners. An unnamed coach, however, was sent back to his room to retrieve a pair of long trousers (shame though it was to cover up those magnificent and tanned calves!).
The 15 minute walk to the pool allowed yet more time for socializing and was an effective warm up too. Further socializing took place back at the hotel but it didn't take long for most to appreciate the importance of sleep under a 4 hour daily swim regime. The swimming facilities were outstanding save for the sharp lane ropes which did attack a few unsuspecting swimmers. A tummy bug did the rounds and there was some spectacular "technicolour yawning" in evidence throughout the camp and even on the plane home. Luckily recovery was quick and training not badly affected. On Tuesday, the group took the afternoon off to visit the water park and they enjoyed equally Donut and Banana Boat rides on the beach.
Shelley and Mark T had their work cut out as the two chaperones but worked hard and brought back every child that went out. Thanks to them and especially to Shelley who nursed so many through their ailments. Huge, huge thanks to Jane for all her work in organising and to the coaches for a week of high volume fun.
Perhaps the most succinct evidence of the camp's success comes from our youngest participant, Higgerty, who described it as her "7 day sleepover".
2008 James Moreno (The Quays) and Inter Counties at Sheffield:
Time precludes a full write up on James Moreno. However, reports coming in from our our parents on the front line point to parking shortages, intense heat and humidity and some good pb's again. For many it was a very early start after a late return from a victorious foray to Basingstoke the night before. Full results can be found here. Filtered results showing just Otters can be found here. Well done to all the Otters who medalled and pb'ed and to Fai who'se dexterity operating two camcorders simulataneously indicates the origins of young Alan's skill as a butterflyer.
Results for the inter Counties at Sheffieldcan be found here. Well done to the Otters who all helped Dorset achieve promotion to Division 1. A file sent by Jill Beard with photo's and team list can be found here. Note that Div 1 and Div 2 were run simulatneosuly and so the races were short course.
2008 Hants & South Coast Junior Cup - Round 1
Google Maps vs SatNavs; that seemed the topic of debate at the Basingstoke Aquadrome as parents awaited the start of the second and final round of the H&SC Junior Cup. Otters had won their Round 1 Gala but with Haslemere and Bracknell present in this one and Beau Sejour in the mix via postal swims this was to be a greater challenge. Guildford, a strong presence over the last years, was not taking part but Otter's third place last year was our highest finish in a long time so our focus was just on swimming well and making a whole lot of noise!
Club
Points
Ferndown
317
Haslemere
289
Bracknell
267
S'oton
251
Beau Sejour
251
Hart
199
Bluefins
172
The league does not allow National swimmers to swim their strokes and on top of that a few of our team were already on holiday. These are the factors that affect smaller clubs disproportionately so we waited nervously for the Gala to begin. After 10 events Bracknell was in first place, Otters in second with Haslemere, S'oton and Beau Sejour all striking distance. However after just another 5 events, Otters were in first place and in a secular trend throughout the Gala stretched that lead to win emphatically. There were many exciting races but the final mixed Squadron capped it all. Higgerty and Alan established an immediate lead which the next two age groups defended.
Shannon held off some very fast closing senior girls in the penultimate leg to hand off to Sam. Sam hit the nitro button and left the others in his bubble-stream! A fitting finish, indeed, to a great team performance. Sam and Deb were presented with the Junior Cup which last had Ferndown engraved upon it in 1981.
Many parents were almost as proud of the swimmers as Emma!
29 of the 51 swims were pb's and even the one DQ would have been too. With 15 firsts and 16 second places Ferndown is displaying a growing depth at the junior end in spite of its small size. <H&SC Results> <H&SC Gallery>
First Places
GU11 4x25 Free
Harriet Higgins, Jaz Hepburn, Christy Cole, Elisabeth Hood
BU11 4x25 Free
Alan Wong, Jack Hughes, Alex Price, Spencer Wilks
GU12 4x25 Free
Vicky Adams, Christy Cole, Steph Hughes, Victoria Joy
Mikey Kingsley, Luke Horton, Dan Speers, Noah Vides
BU11 100 Med Relay
Alex Price, Spencer Wilks, Alan Wong, Jack Hughes
Well done to the Otters who brought back the Cup after a 27 year absence! Thanks to our coaches, team helpers and officials and also to our hosts, Bluefins, for a well run Gala and a warm welcoming atmosphere.
Well done, too, to all the Otters in the Dorset Inter County Team. Dorset came 2nd of 18 Counties in the Division 2 Gala at Sheffield. This means they will be promoted to Division 1 next year. Full results can be found here. All Otters made good contributions to the team effort but Craig Freeman did very well with some great pb's and races.
James Moreno results and summary will follow soon.
ps: The weight of evidence is in favour of Google Maps for most direct carbon-footprint optimal routes!
2008 Speedo Round 1:
A sense of trepidation preceded the first round of the National Swimming League (renamed from the Speedo League). The coach was leaving 3 1/2 hours before warm-up so clearly the 70 mile trip was not a cause of anxiety. Sunday was forecast to be sunny too so there was still another shot at a belated summer. So what was the worry? Well, in short, most of our strongest age groups from last year were now the youngest in their age band, and the team, on paper, looked weaker than than our very successful team of '07.
With City of Cardiff and Taunton Dean in our draw, our team was obviously going to be tested. Keynsham, too, signaled their strength with some top position finishes in the first 10 events. At that point Ferndown was in second, two points behind Cardiff and 9 points ahead of Taunton, in third. After 18 events, Cardiff was in the lead over Ferndown by 3 points. Taunton, with mostly top 3 places, had closed the gap to Ferndown and was in 3rd by only 4 points. After 26 events, Cardiff had stretched their lead to 5 points and Ferndown had reset their advantage over Taunton to 5 too. The next block of swims saw Cardiff move 9 points ahead but Taunton had now replaced Ferndown as 2nd by 2 points. Ferndown fought back and after 42 events, had regained 2nd spot with Cardiff's lead down to 7 points. Cardiff's team very strong in the Open age, strong in the younger age groups and pretty darn strong in the middle too.
With 1st place out of reach, Ferndown's task was to protect its 8 point lead for 2nd over the last 8 relay events.The penultimate race saw our 6 Open girls line up for the 6x50 Free. The first 5 swam their little socks off to put Zoe W in contention for the last leg. This was all Zoe needed and she did the bizz with authority. In the Men's Open 6 x50 Ferndown was midfield at the halfway stage in a closely spaced race. Dommers followed up a perfect takeover with a stunning 50 to put Otters in the fray for second. Sean maintained and handed over that placing to Craig who put the hammer down to ensure Otters second place to Cardiff's first.
Our 11&Under Girls were extremely consistent. Speersie and Allen excelled in the boys 11&Under. Our 13&Under Boys did valiantly against opposition that literally dwarfed them on the starting blocks and their female counterparts acquitted themselves well too. Young Chappers in his first swim for Otters in the 15&Unders delivered well. With some real depth in our Open sections for a change, our senior swimmers all did fantastically and gave 100% but Nic, Zoe, Dom, Chris C and Craig stood out with some superb swims.
Club
Points
Cardiff
220
Ferndown
211
Taunton
199
Keynsham
169
Barnstable
147
Glamorgan
101
Thanks to our hosts, Keynsham, to Mich and Jane for organizing the coach and to all the team helpers and officials.
A Busy Weekend:
This weekend, the only thing summerish was the Ball and the only thing colourful was the Gala. With these two book-ending a trip to Bath for long course training, no one really had time to worry much about the weather and that's a good thing!
Fri 3rd October was the date for Ferndown's Summerish Ball. A crimson sunset lingered to highlight the beauty of the Bournemouth Pier setting. Expectations were high, as Denise was in charge, and she did not disappoint. The venue was magic, the food was delicious and the entertainment was certainly - if ironically - no drag! There was some talented dancing, especially from Martin who didn't spill a drop!
Thanks to Denise and her helpers for a great night out and to all those who supported with their presence and presents!
The proof of our Coaches' endurance was seen in their timely presence at training on Sat morning after a very late night out! It was observed, though, that they all looked a lot better by the afternoon where Tony, Mark and Emma took a long course session in Bath. Once again it was a great opportunity for juniors and seniors to train alongside in a different setting.
Lest any coach or parent felt they could relax on Sunday evening, it was then time for our Adam Knight Colours Gala. Well attended by not only our 11&unders and their parents but also by other volunteers within the club, it ran well. Simon is going from strength to strength and is proving to be a most talented announcer. Thanks to Emma and all the officials for a great gala.
2008 Littlehampton Dev. Chaser Meet:
'Twas off east to Bognor Regis for Emma and her intrepid few. With only a small contingent entered, Gemma's withdrawal due to an wrist injury meant a 10% diminution in the team size. Nonetheless, many, many medals returned home in the possession of an Otter!
Everyone, even a still poorly Aaron, swam beyond expectations. Standout swims were:-
Clodagh won Gold in the 200 Free. She won Gold in the 200 Breast in a 3 second pb and event-best-time (EBT). A one second pb in the 100 Free earned her Bronze. A half second pb in the 100 Free got her 4th place. Another 4th was earned with a 2 second pb in the 200 Back. A slight pb in the 200 IM was enough to take Silver for young Clodagh. The Toddster swam a 5 second pb in the 100 Back to claim Gold and an EBT. He won Gold in the 200 Back with a 6 second pb and EBT. A 1 second pb was good enough to claim Gold in the 100 Breast. Melissa, in her first outing in an Otter's cap, took 17 seconds off her pb in the 200 Breast to win Bronze. She also won Silver in the 100 Breast. A 5 second pb in the 100 Free resulted in Bronze for Melissa
Lucy K finished just outside the medals in the 200 Breast with a 2 second pb. Lucy carved 10 seconds off her 100 Fly pb to take Bronze. She etched a half second off her 100 Breast pb to finish 5th. Lucy also took 2 second off her pb in the 100 Back. She swam a 2 second pb in the 200 IM to finish just outside the medals. Ellen H pb'ed in her 200 Breast to win Silver. A 2.5 second pb in the 100 Breast placed her 4th. Ellen took Gold in a close fought finish in the 100 Back. She swam a half second pb in the 200 IM to win Silver. Sammi - also new to the club - removed 2 seconds off her 200 Breast which earned her Gold and EBT. A 2.5 second pb in the 100 Breast ensured another Gold and EBT. Sammi then won silver in the 100 Free. She swam to a Silver medal in the 100 Back. Alex P took 1.5 seconds off his 50 Free pb. He improved his 200 Breast pb by 3 seconds.
Little Constance, new to the club and country, took 5 seconds off her 50 Fly pb to win Silver. Constance also pb'ed in her 50 Breast. A 2 second pb in her 50 Free earned consistent Constance a Silver medal. Aaron took Bronze in the 200 IM - not bad as he wasn't fully over his flu!
Emma was extremely pleased by the results. Team spirit was outstanding and the hard work is paying off.
<results>
ps: Thanks to Barry and the Gulls for the pre-Speedo Gala where the Otters took second in a breathtakingly close event. Only two points separated the top three teams. Results from the Div. 12 Essa Secondary Schools Gala are not yet out but, again, many Otters did extremely well.
2008 Hants & South Coast Junior Cup - Round 1:
Satnavs and Google Map printouts helped the flotilla of Under 14 Otters get to Waterlooville on Sat evening for the season's first Gala. With less than a full week back at school and not much swimming under the team's belt no-one wished to predict the outcome. After 10 events, Otters had taken the lead with only first and second places but it was clear that Southampton and Hamble Aquatics were both contenders too.
Otters maintained a consistent performance throughout ; they registered 28 first places and 16 second places to keep and stretch their lead throughout - notwithstanding a very strong showing from Southampton in the top age groups. Despite the summer break, our swimmers impressed with solid race technique and a few very good pb's.
Each and every member of the team swam well but the standout swimmers and swims ( from the top of the spacious spectator area) were:- Sam swam with great determination in all his races and pb'ed in his 100 IM. Dan swam smoothly throughout and got a 2 second pb in his 50 Breast. Jaz Hepburn made her first appearance for Otters and swam up a storm. Welcome, well done, well swum!. Noah took 2 seconds off his 50 Free pb. The 10 year old boys team of Wilks, Wong, Jacobs and Price dominated, as did their female counterparts, Higgins, Rolt, Hood and Hepburn. The 11 year old Girls, Joy, Adams, Cole and Hughes were equally strong in their age-group. Luke H appeared to swim in almost every event but gave his all in each of his events. His exertions in the 50 Free were rewarded with a pb and his 50 Back, which he won, was just a blur of arms and white-water! Aaron took 5 seconds off his 100 Fly pb and his brother, Jordan, swam a brilliant anchor leg to win a closely contested Under 12 Medley Relay. The Toddster was only allowed to swim backstroke and improved his 50 Back pb by 1.5 seconds. Young Spennie, who did so well in the relays, also pb'ed in an exciting 50 Free. Christy swam powerfully throughout, ignoring her injured wrist but must work on a shallower turn! Torpedo Trehane has nailed his backstroke finishes and was no slouch in the Free relay!
Elizabeth H may have been a tad late in arriving but there were no delays in getting to the end of her races! Well done to the entire 8x1 Squadron. The younger swimmers built up a commanding lead which allowed the older ones to hold off the fast finishing Southampton team and to win the final event.
The new team uniform was as crisp as the racing and parents and swimmers alike clearly had a great time. What a fantastic start to the season!
Club
Points
Ferndown
274
S'oton
241
Hamble Aq
192
Havant & W
162
Gosport
129
Summer Round-Up:
Whilst the summer sun blazed down (everywhere except here!) Ferndown swimming finished the year on a high! What follows is a brief summary.
Following on from National Age Groups, our biggest ever contingent of Youth swimmers competed at Sheffield too in the National Youths. Kim, Craig, Zoe W, Cat, Chris C, Fran, Nic, Fiona, Annie, Katie and Marika all qualified. Cat was unfortunately ill but will be back! Both Fran and Kim won their first ever medals at Nationals. More details can be found in the Echo. Otters increasing success at both Age-Group and Youth Nationals reflects our competitiveness across the board.
Reports from the Welsh Summer Meet indicate that a good time was had by all. This was a fun way to end the season and aligns the training goals for the whole club.
Otters wereextremely well represented at the UK School Games with 5 swimmers, Chris, Craig, Kim, Zoe and Fran. This event - as detailed in the Echo - was an awesome experience for all the athletes and a worthy goal for all our younger swimmers to aspire to. Kim has stayed on at Millfield where she is taking up a scholarship offer. We wish her all the best and look forward to her continued success and to her joining us in her school-breaks.
And finally, Naomi, Fran and Zoe W have been selected for Regional Talent ID Program for the next year and Ellie B, Jeff, Roseanna and Craig have been selected for the County Talent ID Program. Well done to you all.
National Age Groups: (Ponds Forge - July 2008)
Late July and and belated summer arrived in time to welcome the UK's best age group swimmers to Sheffield and the magnificent, if somewhat sweaty, Ponds Forge.The more experienced Naomi and Ellie were joined by first time qualifiers Todd and Noah to fly the flag for the Otters. Our swimmers were well trained, calm and collected but some of the first-time parents were certainly nervous!
Day1: Naomi swam first in the 400 IM and finished a few seconds outside her recent pb. Todd was up next in the 200 Fly. He went out like a rocket and slowed a tad to finish a little outside his pb but quick enough to final. Going out even quicker in the final, he tempered the mid-section to bring it back faster in a good pb to finish a creditable 7th in his first ever National final. Ellie was next to the blocks in the 100 Back. An elegant swim saw Ellie finish a half second outside her pb. In a very strong field this was not sufficient to make the finals. Noah took his turn to race his first event in the 100 Breast. He pb'ed by a second to make the finals where he took another half second off to finish seventh.
Day 2: Todd opened up the second day with a 2 second pb in the 400 IM to earn his second final. A courageous swim and another chunk off his pb saw him take 4th place in the final itself. Naomi took first place in the 100 Breast heats. she improved this time to her exact result of last year. Though second to Ireland's phenomenol Sycerika McMahon - seldom outside of podium placing in almost every event - Naomi took Gold as the fastest UK swimmer. Todd's second race of the day was the 200 Free where he finished jut outside his pb but fast enough to make the final. Tired but determined, he raced to a new pb in 6th place and just behind his old rival, Rio Kurihara, from Millfield
Day 3: With a good cooked breakfast under his belt and no thanks to Dad leaving his swim bag at the tram stop the previous night, Todd started the third day for the Otters with a one second pb in the 100 Free. A further shaving off his pb took him to 6th in the final. A frustrating swim in the 200 Breast saw Naomi take 3rd place in the heats in a disappointing time. She took 3 seconds off this time later in the day to take Bronze with Sycerika getting a commemorative medal for the fastest time. Todd brightened the mood again with a place in the finals in the 200 IM. As did Naomi, Todd showed considerable heart to overcome fatigue and finish strongly in 6th place.
Day 4: Todd - yet again - took to the aquatic battlefield first for Otters in the 100 Fly. He stormed the first 50 in close to his long course pb and held on to bring it back 1.3 seconds inside his entry time for third place in the 11 year olds. In the finals, a faster back 50 took another 1.2 seconds off his entry time in yet another pb. Todd's 4th place finish was his closest to medal placing but his consistent racing and qualification for finals in every one of his 6 events earned him a very creditable 4th place in the BAGCats. Ellie then swam the 200 back to finish outside her pb and, disappointingly, without a place in the finals. Notwithstanding her results this week, her talent and effort clearly promise a return to winning ways in the near future. Naomi took her turn on the blocks for Otters final heat in the Age Group event in the 200 IM. She finished in her first pb of the meet and in her best ever IM placing at Nationals. Noah was the last Otter to swim on the last day, in the 200 Breast. Swimming a well paced 150 and then putting the hammer down on the back-stretch, Noah got a 3 second pb and a place in the final.
Well done to Naomi on her Gold and Bronze, to both girls for maximum effort under trying circumstances, to both boys on their 100% finals record in their first Nationals and to Todd for his terrific BAGCats result.
Pier 2 Pier: (July 2008)
Well done to all Otters young and old who swam the 12 or so groynes from Bournemouth Pier to Boscombe Pier. Wilksie redeemed his triathlon performance with a speedy swim to finish around 80th in a field af 1200 but top honours go to Lucy and Jane whose efforts in the master's session over the past year saw them beating Roger Sims in his speedo which was as colourful as it was small!
Dorset Development Meet: (5-6th July 2008 )
Wimbledon final weekend and Littledown's roof proved its worth. With frequent rain delays it was quite possible to watch the races and track the tennis on the sports-bar's large screen tv's. Who'd have Sue Barker when they could rather have Paul and Simon announcing! In a somewhat poignant parallel to the women's final, Tufty felt the same parental anguish experienced by Mr. and Mrs. Williams, as two of her daughters, Sym and Tyarni battled it out, stroke for stroke, in the 100 free; Symi beat her younger sister by mere 100's to maintain the natural order in the Rolt household but will have to look to her laurels in the future!
Coach Emma left the centre on Sunday evening somewhat exhausted but very happy with our swimmers; with a record number of National qualifiers this year - and the bulk of these in the Youth category - our Top Club award at the Development Meet shows the continuity of our swimmers' talent and dedication at all levels within the club.
With over 300 swims by Otters across the weekend, space does not permit a detailed roundup of the results which can be seen in full via the links at the bottom and in the medal table on the right. Swims and swimmers that caught this writer's attention were:- Esme borrowed some of her brother Luke's fighting spirit for all her races; James Stock swam with purpose and intent. Dan Speers made further inroads into his pb's; Elisabeth Hood demolished a slew of pb's to win 4 medals;. Fiona proved for once and for all that Hardies can do the breaststroke; Danni had an awesome 100 Free and swam well the whole weekend; Harvey swam a 27 second pb in the 200 Free in a well paced and smoothly stroked race. Tom Tiller swam the fastest swim of the Meet - as defined by GB Points - to win his 50 Free as well as head Ferndown's medal table.
Swimmer
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
Tiller Thomas
7
2
0
9
Wignall Emma
5
1
1
7
Wignall Christopher
4
4
1
9
Raggett Luke
4
0
1
5
Adams Victoria
4
0
0
4
Smith Joshua
3
4
2
9
Fellows Emily
3
4
0
7
Horton Luke
3
2
2
7
Joy Victoria
3
1
0
4
Burry Danielle
2
4
2
8
Mayall Jacey
2
4
0
6
Horton Shannon
2
3
2
7
Bates Sam
2
3
0
5
Hargreaves Lucy
2
2
4
8
Beckwith Eleanor
2
0
1
3
Dicker Hannah
2
0
1
3
Hardie Fiona
2
0
0
2
Speers Daniel
1
3
1
5
Taylor Zoe
1
2
2
5
Stock James
1
2
2
5
Hood Elisabeth
1
2
1
4
Lee Jordan
1
2
1
4
Bliss Daniel
1
2
0
3
Cure Deborah
1
1
1
3
Vides Noah
1
0
3
4
Kingsley Mikey
1
0
1
2
Sims Joshua
1
0
1
2
Rolt Tyarnni
1
0
1
2
Price Alex
0
4
2
6
Horner Ellen
0
3
2
5
Rolt Niska
0
2
1
3
Hyde Ben
0
1
2
3
Jacobs Thomas
0
1
1
2
Williams Maddie
0
1
1
2
Roberts Charlie
0
1
1
2
Blake Georgina
0
1
0
1
Wilks Elliot
0
0
2
2
Trehane Harvey
0
0
2
2
Horton Esme
0
0
1
1
Lee Aaron
0
0
1
1
Rolt Symmi
0
0
1
1
The skins events were an exciting addition to the Meet. In a seven part race-off, seven of the eight finalists are eliminated in turn till the winner is left. In the Girls 50 Free, Otters in the starting heat were Emma Wignall, Jacey Mayall and Ellen Horner. Jacey endured to win, with Emma taking second. Tom, Chris, James and Josh Smith were all part of the Boys 50 Back. Chris toughed it out to take first over Seagull's Casey Vatcher. The Girls 50 Back saw Emma, Jacey, Lucy H, Zoe and Danni take to the blocks. Emma took another second, this time to BDSC's Ashleigh Hill in first. Chris, Josh Smith, Tom and James took 4 of the 8 places in the Boys 50 Free. Tom took second place to BDSC's Martin Littlefair in first.
Thanks as usual to Jill, Di and their teams of officials and helpers. Thanks too to all the Otter parents who helped over the weekend and especially to Mel who brought a little piece of Centre Court poolside with her little white skirt.
It remains to congratulate Wilksie who rushed back from the Bournemouth Triathlon, completed in challenging conditions, to watch his boys swim. To all those Mums who enjoy giving him a friendly pinch on the rear, please go easy this week as he fell off his bike in the transition area and is a little tender.
Google Maps shows the drive to Gloucester to be about 120 miles and taking approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes. Double this to include the return journey and marvel at the dedication of the Wongs and the Coles Buoyed by their success at Age Groups and undeterred by record level fuel prices, Alan and Christy both entered the Sprints Competition.
Alan ensured that though only two Otters were entered, Ferndown's flag was flown high and proud. He took Gold in the 10 year age group in the 50 Fly, 50 Free, 50 Back and 100 IM. In a show of good sportsmanship he took 4th in the 50 Breast to give others a chance on the podium. Three of these swims - including his improving breaststroke - were pb's which made him the top 10 year old boy.
Christy took 5th place in the 50 Breast, Bronze in the 50 Back, 8th in the 50 Fly, 5th in the 50 Free and 5th in the 100 IM.
Well done Ms. Cole and Mr. Wong!
Southern Junior League Final: (2008)
No worthwhile summary could begin without a hearty congratulation to the Dolphin's team for a well won victory. They took first by a good margin with an impressive display of technical racing. These swimmers are worthy of a place in the next round and we wish them all the best.
Otters may be forgiven for feeling some disappointment with second place but Ferndown's performance was in line with the club's emerging successes of late. 14 of the 16 relays were pb's and 22 of the individual swims were pb's too. Our 11 year old boys were totally dominant and won every relay and individual race in their group. Our 10 year old girls and boys and 11 year old girls were very strong too, rarely finishing outside the top 3. There's still room for improvement on some of the starts, turns and takeovers but there's been huge progress too.
Club
Points
BDSC
245
Ferndown
209
Sx3 A
186
Keynsham
153
Yeovil
144
Seagulls A
98
Both Harvey and Luke nailed their backstroke turns and finishes like seasoned professionals. Coach Emma's standout swimmers for the gala were:- Christy on the 50 Breast, Victoria on the 50 Back, Zoe on the 50 Fly, Toddster on the 50 Fly and Free, Vicky A on the 50 Fly, Noah on the 50 Breast, Higgerty on the 50 Free, Alex on the 25 Fly, Elli on the 50 Back and Luke on all his swims!
Our team spirit was second to none. Otters and the parent cohort opposite were in perfect harmony in the many chants that broke out during the electric gala. Some have even suggested we form a parents and swimmers choir but that's probably due to exercise induced euphoria! So, well done to all the Otters from the coaches and parents - we're proud of your efforts and constant improvement. Well done to all the other teams and thanks for an enormously exciting gala.
As a short postscript, it's worth noting that Mr Mullins Senior was last seen at 11:30pm, by his loyal friends, pondering how to get home from the after-party in central Bournemouth with a wheel clamp on his car. This writer trusts the coaches will forgive Mr Mullins Junior should he be late for morning training this week as he'll likely be cycling in!
Otters in the News: (Jul 2008)
Kim Rowles has settled in well in Swansea. She has so impressed her housemates with her cooking skills that she's been taken off cleaning rota to free up time for the kitchen. Some cynics back home suspect she's set up an account at the local take-out!
Luke and Noah had to rush off from the SJL Final to meet Jordan and their mates on the 11&U Christchurch Football team for end of season presentations. The Ferndown trio helped their club to second place in their league (with some assistance from Jamie Holmes of BDSC) with Jordan being voted Best Player and Luke being voted Most Improved Player.
Western Counties Age Groups Champs: (2008)
Weekend 2:
By the second weekend of the Age Group Champs, most had optimised their travel routes; even Dean was on time (well almost)! Great weather again enveloped Street, making it hot and humid inside but perfect for the session breaks on the lawns outside. Shelley's fur blanket was a great hit amongst the picnicking Otters as a great quantity of food was consumed by swimmers and parents alike.
Emma left Millfield on Sunday evening, tired but happy. Her age groupers swam well over all four days of the Championships. Ferndown ended up with more medals, more pb's and more NQT's than last year, even though so many of last year's Age Groupers have moved up to Youths. Well done to Todd who entered with one short course NQT and left with sufficient long course NQT's to require a remortgage. Well done to Noah too on his first NQT. Well done, in fact, to all the swimmers, none of whom gave anything but their very best:- Allan, Christy, Dan, Danni, Debs, Ellie, Ellen, Ellis, Higgerty, Jeff, Little Lucy, Luke the Younger, Luke the Elder, Naomi, Noah, Roseanna, Shannie, the Toddster, Vicky and Zoe the Younger. <Results> <BAGCats>
Weekend 2 Notable Swims: 400 Free (Girls) - Higgerty kicked the weekend off with a long course pb and Silver. Little Lucy swam a large long course pb and finished one place outside of the medal by 0.07 of a second! Ellie stroked to an elegant long course pb.Naomi was just outside a long course pb but did prove that the kick is indeed optional - so long as one doesn't want to medal! 100 Free (Boys) - Dan Speers swam a huge pb to take 4th in the heats. Alan Wong swam a long course pb to take the last place in the final. Both swam further pb's in the final with Dan finishing in 4th again and Alan improving to 5th. Todd swam a long course pb in the heats to finish just behind Rio Kurihara of Millfield. Todd stepped it up in the finals to take Gold over Rio's Silver. Todd's mate, Peter, from Seagulls took Bronze to make this just one of many east-Dorset dominated medal finishes. Jeff put in a determined effort which led to a long course pb for him and a place in the final. 200 Back (Boys) - Alan opened the post lunch session with a 2.5 second improvement over his short course entry and 4th place. With Emma's advice ringing in his ears and Fai's hopes coursing through his veins, he took another 2 seconds off in the finals to take Bronze. 200 Breast (Girls) - Christy, a proven disrespector of pb's, took 6 seconds off her short course entry time to earn a place in the final where she dispensed with another few seconds to take 6th place. Higgerty's swim was outside her best but enough to put her in 3rd going into the finals. Higgerty had obviously decided over tea that Bronze doesn't suit her and she took to the blocks with an air of resolute determination. The starting gun sounded and Higgerty set off at an elevated stroke rate - keeping on the heels of the two girls who had beaten her by 5 and 7 seconds in the heats. It seemed improbable that she could keep up that work rate but she turned for the last time still in contention. She then proceeded to demonstrate to swimmers and parents alike, the value of sheer stubborn refusal to give in. Millimetre by millimetre, she drew level with the leading two. With clearly nothing more to give by the flags she managed to find something and in a stunning finish to a superb race took Gold by just 3/100's of a second. Naomi was forced to work hard to beat her old rival, Hannah Schulz in both the heats and final where she took Gold. Debs swam a little outside her pb but secured a place in the final where she improved by 2 seconds. 200 IM (Boys) - Dan finished first in the heats and shaved a few milliseconds of this new pb to take Gold in the finals. Noah recorded a long course pb though he did not final. Todd recorded a long course pb and NQT to take second in the heats behind Rio again. With a small improvement in his final, Todd took Silver. 100 Free (Girls) - Little Lucy, in a blur of arms, swam a long course pb to take third in the heats. She slowed up just slightly in the finals missing the medals table by a the merest of smidgeons. Naomi swam a long course pb too and just outside an NQT. She shaved off another fraction in the finals but remained 0.08 outside the NQT!
100 Fly (Boys) - The Toddster again showed the south-west how to dolphin across two lengths of a 50 metre pool. In a further pb, he dominated the finals to take Gold. Luke the Elder swam 2 seconds faster than his short course entry to take 7th place and a spot in the finals.
200 Back (Girls) - Higgerty swam a long course pb which she improved upon slightly in the finals but her breaststroke rivals, Abigail Bowring and Daniella Whiting were able to keep her out of the medals this time. Ellie won her heats in an NQT. She improved slightly to take Gold in the finals.
200 Breast (Boys) - Dan stormed to first in his heats with a long course pb. Not as fast in the finals, he still held off the rest to take Gold. Todd and Noah took 2nd and 3rd in their heats, both in NQT's. Noah repeated his performance to win Silver in the finals and Todd, still tired from the Fly final, finished just outside of the medals. Jack Burton of Dolphins took Bronze in yet another east-Dorset showing.
200 IM (Girls) - Higgerty, slightly wearied by now - swam to third place in the heats but dug deep to take Silver in the finals, sandwiched by the now familiar Abigail and Daniella. Naomi recorded a long course pb and NQT to win the heats but a 2 second improvement was insufficient to hold off Hannah Shultz and Naomi had to settle for Silver.
Thanks to Emma and her helpers as well as to the parent volunteers on warmup and marshalling duties.
Weekend 1 : Regional Age Groups Champs; not Beijing perhaps, but a considerable step up from club galas. A great opportunity for our regional qualifiers to test their mettle and for their parents to enrich yet further the oil companies. Summer sun bathed the first weekend - which facilitated some effective tanning on the lush lawns surrounding Millfield's Grand Designs worthy long course pool. <Results>
Weekend 1 Notable Swims:
Ellie took a second off her short course entry in the 400 IM to finish just 6 seconds out of an NQT. Naomi took Gold in her 400 IM in a pb and NQT.
In the afternoon session, Todd provided a master class in distance fly to win the 200 Fly heats and take Gold in the finals. These two pb's were both NQTs. Luke Ragget, later in the same event, showed similar style to take a massive 6 seconds of his short course pb and secure a place in the final. This time was 4 seconds off an NQT but augers well for next year.
In the 100 Back, Higgerty took 2 seconds of her short course pb to take 3rd in the heats. Another one second improvement in the finals was not quite enough to medal but two pb's in a row aren't bad! Ellie took the opportunity to produce two long course NQTs to take third in the heats and Bronze in the finals of the 100 Back. Zoe T, Ellis, Roseanna and Ellen all achieved long course pb's in this event too.
Dan pb'ed to win the 100 Breast heats. He pb'ed again in the final to win Gold by 6 seconds. Noah pb'ed to take second place in the heats to Jack Burton from Dolphins. Both pb'ed again in an electric final but Noah touched first to take Gold by a whisker.
Higgerty placed 4th in the 200 Free heats but swam 2 seconds faster in the finals to record a pb and claim Bronze. Lucy K pb'ed to take 5th in the heats and finals. Vicky A made the finals but withdrew as she was not feeling well. Naomi pb'ed to take 5th in the heats and shaved another 0.5 second to defend 5th in the final.
Sunday kicked off with the 800 Free and Lucy K pb'ed to take Bronze.
Toddrick was successful in an attempt to convert his short course NQT in the 400 IM. He took Gold in a pb and a full 10 seconds within the NQT!
The afternoon began with the 100 Back and Alan swam a monster pb to place second in the heats. Dan, in the same heats, swam a pb, too, to place third. Alan pb'ed again to take Silver in the finals and Dan took Bronze. Luke H swam a monster pb, too, to final in his age group.
In the 100 Breast both Higgerty and Christy pb'ed to take 3rd and 5th respectively. They both pb'ed again in the finals with Higgerty taking Bronze and Christy two places below. Naomi eased into 1st in the heats and took Gold in the finals.
Dan pb'ed to win the 100 Free heats. Alan swam a huge pb to take 4th. In the finals Dan was pushed all the way by Bristol Central's Tom Shortman. A tense wait ensued to determine the winner and it appears that the two were awarded equal Gold. Dan is currently growing his fingernails longer! Alan fought off the lactic burn to claim 5th. The Toddster swam a significant pb to win his heats. He then swam an intelligent final to hold off Kurihara Rio of Millfield, record a 2 second pb and yet another NQT!
Age Group Coach, Emma, was pleased with her swimmers. Finals placings, pb's, medals and NQT's were distributed across the whole contingent and are good evidence that the swim program is progressing to plan
BDSC Level 3: (May 2008)
Sunday of the Spring Bank Holiday weekend and the poor weather made the decision by a smallish contingent of Otters to spend the day at Littledown seem quite smart. With our swimmers midway through a training cycle pb's should have been as rare as hen's teeth but once again our Juniors confounded the theories with their results! With Otters getting 2nd placed club with such a sparse entries list, Emma expressed her satisfaction with some outstanding improvements.
There was a problem with the published results on the BDSC web site so we've not enumerated the medal winners. In very brief summary, the following swimmers all attained pb's ranging from significant to huge!
Alex Forshaw, Ellis Mayall, Niska Rolt, Spencer Wilks, Alan Wong, Christy Cole, Beth Kingsley, Tyarni Rolt, Gemma Platts, Sam Bates, Alex Price, Daniel Bliss, Steph Hughes and Hannah Dicker. We are trying to find out what Christy Cole had for breakfast since her pb's were truly amazing!
Very short notice, Bank-holiday weekend, half-term and a smorgasbord of open meets all conspired to a sparsely attended long course session at Bath's 50 metre pool. The 15 intrepid swimmers who did the session were rewarded with four lanes, personal attention from Tony, Mark T and Mandy as well as a guest appearance by young Callum Grubb.
The sun reappeared just in time for the drive home and the late sunset may even have afforded a hurried round of golf before dinner.
Rich Hughes watching the training session!
Southern Junior League Round 2:
No coach required for the trip to Littledown. No major disruption to the day either, with a 6 pm start and the weather lousy anyway. A little too easy perhaps? Yes, indeed. A quick look at the teams list dispensed immediately with any sense of complacency. Sx3's A team - last round's run-away victors - was on that list and likely to put an end to our party! Well, never mind. Buoyed by a great performance the week before at the Speed B Final, team morale was high and Otters, young and old, were determined to put up a good fight and ensure if second place was ours that it would be honourable.
After 5 and then 10 events, Ferndown trailed Sx3 by one point. After 15 events Ferndown had nosed ahead by 3 points, stretched to 5 after 20 events. Ferndown increased the lead over the next 5 events but Sx3 pulled back Otters lead to 5 again at the end of Event 30. The next block of 10 individual races saw Otters creep ahead slightly to a 7 point lead leaving the last 9 relay races to decide the Gala. Six 1'sts and three 2'nds in the last nine races culminating in a hard fought win in the final Canon saw Ferndown take victory by 21 points.
The swimmers clearly enjoyed a fun Gala and some very good competition. The atmsophere was jovial throughout, notwithstanding a relatively high DQ count of 12 across all the teams. Well done, too, to Barry and his 'gulls whose score of 158 against two strong teams points to a rapidly improving program.
Team
Points
Dawlish
105
Southwold
132
Bradford on Avon
144
Christchurch Seagulls
158
Swindon x 3 A Team
228
Ferndown
249
Even more encouraging than the points victory over a very solid Sx3, was the progress made by our juniors since last round. With our youngest swimmers gaining in confidence and proficiency seemingly daily, the stopwatch stopped that little bit sooner on every relay and most individual swims. Well done to the team; keep up the hard work in the pool and it's good to see all the smiles!
Thanks to Jill Beard for running the meet with her usual precision. Huge thanks to Michelle and her able team for hosting the Gala. Jane was in total command of the door, Martin and Ken wielded their Excel wizardry with finesse on the results table and Simon displayed hidden skills behind the microphone (perhaps Mandy has been tutoring him). The drinks were perfectly mixed and the sweets minty fresh.
Speedo National B Final:
Where to start? Perhaps with the broken hose - and, obviously, in an inaccessible location - requiring a hour's wait at a services for a replacement coach. No problem, just an opportunity for team building and coffee. With no further incident, the Otters arrive and colonise the hotel just in time for the buffet dinner. Thereafter a staggered migration of the swimmers upstairs for a good night's rest. A quick chaperone pass to sort out room allocations amongst the senior swimmers and the adults settle down to some serious strategising in the lounge. Must have been fairly complex as some were still observed debating into the wee hours!
A bright eyed team descended for breakfast and then boarded the coach for Ponds Forge.
For many of the team - and most of the younger ones - this was the first time at Ponds Forge. The atmosphere was brilliant with all the teams brightly dressed and barking-mad suporters in abundance. The Otters looked dashing in their dark blue polo's - courtesy of Forshaw Developments - and their camoflauge shorts - courtesy of Horizon Honda. Otters may have been in camoflauge but there was no hiding their intent once the Gala began. With some outstanding swims across the age spectrum it was clear Ferndown was once again boxing well above its weight! If swimming is an individual sport, this was not apparent from our lot!. With the older ones encouraging the younger ones and the younger ones rising to the occasion like seasoned professionals Ferndown clawed their way into the top half of the points tables. They intermittently popped in second position but our lack of numbers made it a temporary sojourn.
50 Events after the first starting signal and Ferndown was placed 4th in the points table. Cardiff had surged in the final relays to take first and Ealing were tied in second with Salford. A mere 6 points separated these two from Ferndown!
Ferndown's 9 first places were second only to Ealing's 10 and a good indicator of our future potential. With many of our recent - and talented - joiners ineligible for the final, the prognosis for next year is healthy
Place
Team
Points
1
City of Cardiff
320
2
Ealing SC
297
2
City of Salford SC
297
4
Ferndown SC
291
5
Nottingham Leander SC
264
6
Bournemouth Dolphins SC
261
7
Taunton Deane SC
260
8
Bracknell & Wokingham SC
259
9
City of Derby Swimming Club
255
10
Leatherhead SC
249
The table below list all of our swims. First, seconds and thirds are highlighted. It's clear from a quick perusal of this table just how well our swimmers performed and how well distributed our top places are across the age groups.
Well done to all the team. You all did the club proud in the pool and on the trip! It's not always easy to put a smile on Tony's face but you guys did!
Jane Burry did an exemplary job in organising all the associated logistics of the trip. Thanks to Tony, Emma, Mark T and Mandy for taking the team up. Thanks to Malcolm, the driver, for his cheerful smile in the face of breakdowns, rest breaks and sugar highs. Mel, Michelle, Chris and Alistair all cut fine figures in their pristine whites as Ferndown's 4 judges. A very big thank-you also to Phil Forshaw of Forshaw Developments for sponsoring the team shirts and to Steve Roberts and Horizon Honda for sponsoring the team shorts.
Western County Youth Champs:
May Bank Holiday saw Otter's youths trekking across the bucolic sculpture gardens bridging the gap twixt furthermost car-parks and Millfield's sweeping 50m pool complex. With 24 entrants and a few more qualifyers for the ASASWR Youth Championships the emerging strength of our growing club is readily apparent.
Tony, MarkT and Mandy were rewarded with impressive swims across the board.
Zoe Watson swam a blistering 100 Free to record her first sub-minute long course time of 59.90 which was the fastest in the 14/15 age group. Though she slipped to 7th in the Finals, her heat time would have comfortably won 1st in the Junior Final and 3rd in the Senior final.
Fiona ensured a trip to Sheffield for the Hardie mini-fridge with a National QT in the 50 Free. This is Fiona's first NQT and came shortly after a significant pb in the her 400 Free. Nice one, Finona!
Kim Rowles swam a curtailed program very shortly after recovery from stomach flu and was rewarded for her fortitude with a near pb in the 200 IM to win gold in the fastest time of the Meet. Emily Freeman and Kim took the top two spots in the 200IM heats in the Senior section. Kim also pb'ed in her 100 Free.
Fran Hughes comfortably won the 100 Breast but was unfortunately DQ'ed. She made good in the 200 Breast to win the Junior finals. She also gained an NQT in her 200IM.
Both Craig and Emily Freeman posted good pb's. Ben Fellows took another 4 seconds off his 100 Back. Tom Tiller had a great 800 and Chris Wignall once again gave a master class in supreme effort. Nicole Scott was en-route to a 100 Fly victory when her dreaded migraine struck again. Dom, too, got an NQT in the 50 Free and may have won the 200 Free had it not been for those last pesky 15 metres!
Tony felt greatly encouraged by the squad's performance, especially considering the number of swimmers recovering from flu and currently writing exams. Well done to all.
(Swimmers: Katie Allen, Fiona Hardie, Anne-Marie Taylor, Marika Rolt, Kimberley Rowles, Zoe Watson, Chris Wignall, Joshua Smith, Craig Freeman, Emily Fellows, Ben Fellows, Dominic Macdonald, Hannah Dicker, Francesca Hughes, Alastair Hardie, Nicole Scott, Georgina Blake, Emily Freeman, Cathy Close, Sean Heppell, Ferndown Sc, Emma Baird, Thomas Tiller, Jacey Mayall)
For more details see the results and the Echo article by Roger Guttridge.
All Stars Weekend
Nine Otters made the pilgrimage up to Leeds on the last weekend of April as part of Dorset's County Development Program. The Otters' contingent comprised of Luke R, Georgie, Fiona, Roseanna, Sam B, Ellie B, Lucy K, Todd and Noah. All 9 Otters worked hard over the two days with a full program of technique training on land and in the pool as well as classroom sessions on conditioning, stretching, nutrition and mental approach. The program was delivered under the auspices of Total Swimming by GB Olympic, Commonwealth and International Swimmers James Hickman, Adrian Turner and Alex Scotcher. The Otters - as expected - were great ambassadors for the club and county with Sam Bates being the only swimmer able to swim a full long course length under water and Luke Raggett getting the "Male Swimmer of the Weekend" award.
Luke with Commonwealth Gold Medalist, Alex Scotcher
Thanks to Dorset ASA and Di Gibbs for their support and to the parents who took the group up to Leeds.
Littlehampton Meet
A short trip down the M27 took a fair contingent of Otters to the Littlehampton “Last Chance Qualifier” in Portsmouth. This was the first time Ferndown has supported this meet and the main aim was to give our swimmers another opportunity to gain qualifying times for the South West Region Age Group Champs. Emma expected a few pb’s in the wake of an extremely successful Dorset County Champs but the following list of stand-out swims came as both a pleasant surprise and a reward for the continuing hardwork and dedication in the water and on poolside!
In order of first appearance, the following swimmers produced notable races:-
Dani Burry came 3rd in the 400 IM with a 16 second pb and Western QT. She got a 3.7 second pb in the 200 Back, and a 3 second pb in the 200 IM to finish just one place out of the medals. Daniel Bliss completed the 400 Free in a 36 second pb. Ellis Mayal swam a 2 second pb 100 back to get a Western QT. Obviously inspired, she also got an 11 second pb in the 200IM and a 7 second pb in the 200 Free. Harriet Higgins clearly had a great breakfast. She won 2nd in the 100 Breast. She came 1st in the 200 back in an EBT (Event Best Time), 1st in the 200IM with a 4.5 second pb and EBT, 1st with a 5 second pb and EBT in the 200 Breast, 1st in a 38s pb and EBT in the 400 Free, 2nd with a 4 second pb in the 100 Back, 1st in the 200 Free in an EBT and, with a 3 second pb, 2nd in 100 Free. Not a bad list for a two day meet – well done Higgety! Esther Holtom got a 5 second pb in the 100 Breast, and a 7 second pb in the 200 Breast. Shannon Horton won st with a pb in the 100 Breast and a 3rd in the 50 Free. Harvey (Torpedo) Trehane got a 6.5 second pb in the 100 Back, a 5 second pb in 100 Free and an impressive 11 second pb in the 50 Back. Charlie Roberts won 2nd with a pb in the 100 Back. Ben Hyde swam a 4.5 second pb in 100 back and a 5 second pb in the 200 Free to finish one place out of the medals. Jackson Mullins swam a 4 second pb in the 100 back. Jeff Holtom – not to be outdone by his little sister - pb’ed to finish just out of medals in 100 Back, and won 3rd with a pb in the 100 Free. He then swam a 5 second pb in the 200 Back to take 1st. Both 100 and 200 Backstroke times were new Western Qt's for Jeff. Very well done, Jeff! James Stock delivered a 3 second pb in the 100 back, a 3rd 200 Free and a 1st in a 5 second pb in the 200 Back. Maddie Williams swam a ferocious 50 Free to produce a 7 second pb. Chloe Morris put a smile on Dad’s face with a pb to finish just out of medals in 50 Free, a 6 second pb in the 200 IM, a 3rd with a 10 second pb in the 100 Fly and a 6.5 second pb in the 100 Free. Spencer Wilks’s 3 second pb in the 50 Breast was good enough to take 1st and claim EBT (Event Best Time); his 2.5 second pb in the 200 Free earned him 2nd place. Hollie Shearing swam a 12 second pb in the 200 Back. Paige Chasty got a 5 second pb in the 200 Backand a 3.5 second pb in the 200 IM. Luke Horton took a weekend out of goals to claim 2nd with a 4.5 second pb in the 200 Free, 1st in a pb in the 50 Free, and 1 st with an astonishing 23 s pb in the 200 Fly. Aaron Lee swam a 3 second pb in the 200 Free. Mikey Kingsley swam a 3 second pb in the 200 Free, and a 6 second pb in the100 Free. Thomas Tiller pb’ed to get 1st and EBT in the 200 Free. He also won 1st in a pb and EBT in the 50 Free Esme Horton produced a 24 second pb in the 200 IM and an 8 second pb in the 200 Breast. Victoria Joy produced a 9 second pb in 200IM, A pb in the 50 Free earned her 1st and EBT in the 50 Free. On a roll, she swam a 6.5 second pb in the 100 Back, won 2nd in the 100 Free and pb’ed to get 1st in the 50 Back. Oscar Trehane , inspired by his older brother, swam a 5 second pb in the 50 Back. Hannah Beavis swam a fine 20 second pb in the 200 Breast Deb Cure won 3rd in the 200 Breast Emma Wignall swam a 12 second pb in 400 Free, finishing just out of the medals, She pb’d to get 3rd in the 100 Back Josh Sims won 3rd in a 33 second pb in the 400 IM. Clodagh Dear won 3rd in the 50 Breast. Alan Wong , who joined recently and swam so well in Round 1 of SJL, pb’ed to take 2nd in the 50 Fly. He swam a 6.5 second pb to take 3rd in the 200 Back and a 5 second pb to take 3 rd in the 100 Fly.
Emma was pleased to see more Western QT times and improvements across the board. Well done to the swimmers and thanks to Emma and her helpers.
Sat 19th April 2008. No settling down in front of the fireplace and telly for a cosy afternoon's sport for about 30 young Otters and their dedicated parents; instead, a coach trip through soggy Somerset to Keynsham for Round 1 of the Southern Junior League. Present too, at the 6 team Gala, were Weymouth, Trowbridge, Swindon, Thornbury and hosts, Keynsham. Swindon's Sx3 is now a consolidated team comprising Swindon Dolphin, Tigersharks, Swindon ASC and Wroughton. Both Thornbury and Keynsham have strong junior programs and have beaten our Otters in the past. This was clearly going to be a good test of Emma's burgeoning junior program. Would our increased numbers, increased sessions and Emma's frantic dashing between our 5 training pools yield positive results? This, and whether the chippy would still be open after the Gala, were questions swirling around all our minds.
Clodagh leading the warmup.
Ben and Charlie
As the first few events unfolded, signaled by a rather ferocious starting pistol, first places went to all of the abovementioned competitors. It was clearly going to be a tough Gala! After 10 events Otters were in first, just ahead of Keynsham with Thornbury not too far behind. After 15 events, Otters and Keynsham were nosing ahead of the rest. After 20 events, Otters had a lead of 6 points over the hosts. A block of strong individual swims took this lead to 20 after 40 events. A strong surge by Keynsham in the last 9 events - all relays - combined with a DQ for our boys in the 12&Under 4x1 Relay saw our hosts clawing back some of our lead. Event 49, the team canon saw Otters take an early lead which they built upon to win the final event and the whole Gala by just 12 points.
Otters won the following events...
Boys 9 4x1 Free
Alex Price, Joe Pearce, Thomas Jacobs and Spencer Wilks
Boys 10 4x1 Medley
Harvey Trehane, Danile Bliss, Alan Wong, Myles Horlock
Girls 11 4x1 Free
Victoria Joy, Chloe Morris, Steph Hughes, Lucy Kirkam
Boys 11 4x1 Free
Luke Horton, Ben Hyde, Noah Vides, Todd Price
Boys 12 4x1 Medley
Charlie Roberts, Noah Vides, Mikey Kingsley, Jackson Mullens
Boys 9 25 Free
Spencer Wilks
Girls 10 50 Breast
Christy Cole
Boys 10 50 Breast
Daniel Bliss
Boys 11 50 Back
Luke Horton
Boys 12 50 Fly
Todd Price
Boys 9 25 Breast
Spencer Wilks
Girls 10 50 Back
Harriet Higgins
Boys 10 50 Back
Harvey Trehane
Boys 11 50 Fly
Todd Price
Boys 9 25 Back
Thomas Jacobs
Girls 10 50 Fly
Christy Cole
Boys 10 50 Fly
Alan Wong
Girls 11 50 Free
Lucy Kirkham
Boys 11 50 Free
Todd Price
Boys 9 25 Fly
Alex Price
Girls 10 50 Free
Harriete Higgins
Boys 10 50 Free
Alan Wong
Boys 11 50 Breast
Noah Vides
Boys 9 4x1 Medley
Thomas Jacobs, Spencer Wilks, Alex Price, Joe Pearce
Boys 10 4x1 Free
Myles Horlock, Daniel Bliss, Harvey Trehane, Alan Wong
Girls 11 4x1 Medley
Chloe Morris, Lucy Kirkham, Steph Hughes, Victoria Joy
Well done to the team for a hard fought victory and especially to our 9's and 10's who did so well. Thanks to Keynsham for hosting a friendly and well run Gala and to our poolside volunteers and somewhat fraught coach-chaperones for their help with the team. With some work on our starts, turns and safety-belts, we'll do even better next time!
Jubilation at the final score!
BDSC Level 2 April 08
Well done to all the Otters who took part in the BDSC Level 2 over the weekend. Daniel Speers was in fine form with some large pb's and a massive haul of 7 Golds and 2 Silvers (equaling the Gold tally of the G.B. team and Kirsty Coventry combined!). Roseanna Bramwell-Reeks translated a good block of training into a slew of impressive pb's too. Results can be found on the BDSC website
British Championships
Well done to Nichole, Chris, Kim, Craig, Fran and Naomi who all competed at the British Championships at Sheffield last week. It was a fantastic achievement to qualify for an event of this standing and an opportunity to share pool space with Great Britain's top swimmers competing at the same event for spots on the GB Team for Beijing. There were a few swimmers quicker in the water than our Otters but no-one outperformed them in the Chinese buffet across the road from Ponds Forge. For more details, please read the following article by Roger Guttridge in the Echo
Ferndown Colours Gala write up
30 March 08:
A 5:15 pm start to Ferndown's second Colours Gala allowed swimmers and parents to take advantage of a glorious spring day before settling down for a few hours of chlorinated competing in the humid battleground that is Ferndown Leisure Centre swimming pool. With Emma and most of her assistant coaches observing from the side, the Gala was run by Michelle Wignall and her team of parent volunteers. Any deviation from the normally strict white dress code was more than made up for by some splendid team management, superb time keeping, sweet announcing and surreal refereeing!
A good atmosphere prevailed and the many new youngsters were warmly encouraged in their first competition by a supportive crowd. It was a colourful event, indeed, but the Red, Yellow and Green teams were left with a distinct case of the blues as Mikey and Hannah were called up to receive the team trophy for Team Blue! The Gala ended with Otter's patented warmdown session - certainly more enjoyable than the normal 10 x 200's!
2008 Dorset County Champs Otters on top
Sat 15th March; 9 hours worth of Sprints at Littledown were scheduled to complete the 2008 County Championships. Trepidation was felt on two counts. Firstly, had we done so well in the distance events that it would cost us in the sprints? Secondly, where was the great weather that had thus far accompanied all the other County days?
Club
Points
Ferndown
2514
Bournemouth Dolphins
1983
Tornadoes of South Dorset
1231
Christchurch & NM Seagulls
940
West Dorset Warriors
829
Poole S.C.
732
Weymouth
122
Wareham and District S.C.
118
Clayesmore
83
Gillingham
62
Bridport Barracudas
31
Blandford
9
Not too many swims were required to see that not only had normal service been resumed by the weather-gods, but that - notwithstanding their success in the 400 IM's in February - the Otters' sprinting abilities remain finely honed.
The 9 hours passed in a blur of warmups and 2 length dashes! For many younger Otters it was the first taste of high level competing and they did the club proud. Once again, there are far too many outstanding results to mention so please refer to the Results, Tables and other links for the breakdowns.
In summary, the Ferndown Otters finished in First Place with an aggregate lead of 531 points - equivalent to over 66 first place finishes - and 33 medals ahead of our closest competitors. This is, by any calculus, a spectacular result and a clear indication of the direction the coaching staff and swimmers are taking the club. Todd Price was the "winning-est" Otter with 16 Medals - 12 of which were Gold - and a personal contribution of 123 points to the club's total. Dom MacDonald swam a breathtaking 50m Free to be pipped to second by Dolphin's Will Harrison. Dom's swim, which won the 15/16 Age Group, was also the only NQT (National Qualifying Time) of the whole day.
The following Age Group swimmers ( Boys 9-14, Girls 9-13) made top 8 places in their Bagcats Groups:-
Esme Horton - 8th 9 Years Harriet Higgins - 2nd 10 Years, Paige Chasty - 5th 10 Years, Christy Cole - 8th 10 Years Zoe Taylor - 4th 11 Years, Lucy Kirkham - 5th 11 Years, Victoria Joy - 8th 11 Years Ellie Beckwith - 1st 12 Years, Danni Burry - 5th 12 Years, Clodagh Dear - 8th 12 Years Naomi Vides - 1st 13 Years, Emma Wignall - 4th 13 Years, Deb Cure - 6th 13 Years, Shannon Horton - 8th 13 Years. Spencer Wilks - 3rd 9 Years, Alex Price - 7th 9 Years Dan Speers - 2nd 10 Years, Daniel Bliss - 6th 10 Years Tod Price - 1st 11 Years, Noah Vides - 3rd 11 Years, Luke Horton - 4th 11 Years Sam Bates - 3rd 13 Years, Elliot Wilks - 7th 13 Years Luke Ragget - 2nd 14 Years.
Well done Otters for taking Ferndown Swimming to such a stand-out result! Thanks to the coaching staff for their dedication and thanks, too, to our parent-volunteers and to DCASA's Jill Beard, Di Gibbs and their tireless teams.
Chris Campbell swims W.I.S.E.ly
Ferndown Otter's very own Chris Campbell swam for England against Wales, Ireland and Scotland over the weekend in the W.I.S.E. School's International. Chris took home 3 Golds, 1 Bronze and 2 Dorset county records from the Meet at Crawley. Follow the link to the Echo article by Roger Guttridge.
Judith Cooling has been selected to represent Great Britain at the 4th DSISO (Down Syndrome Int. Swimming Organisation) Championships in Portugal alter this year. Well done Judith! We're proud of your achievements and the hard work you put into your training.
Glorious sun bathed the mid-February weekend. Crisp mornings gave way to warm afternoons and golden evenings. All annoyingly academic for Dorset's swimmers and their loyal parents who spent a second weekend at Littledown for the County Championships. Otters started the weekend leading the points and medal tables. With many of our swimmers away or having succumbed to one of the many viruses doing the rounds, there was some concern for our ability to maintain our position. Once again the sight of so many Ferndown parents parading to their official positions in perfect whites provided the needed boost in morale and the Otters set about doing what they do best - swimming fast and finishing first!
With Reuben in full song, and Tony, Emma and MarkT in encouraging form, the Otters performed superbly across the board. With outstanding swims from many other clubs, Ferndown swimmers were still able to stamp their supremacy on the proceedings (in this writer's view).
By the end of Sunday, Ferndown Swimming had stretched its lead to 280 points (the equivalent of 35 1st places swims!) with a good lead in the Heats Medal Tables and a dominant first place in the Finals Medal tables.
Club
Points
Ferndown
1634
Bournemouth Dolphins
1354
Tornadoes of South Dorset
881
Christchurch & NM Seagulls
599
West Dorset Warriors
572
Poole S.C.
375
Clayesmore
50
Wareham and District S.C.
44
Gillingham
34
Weymouth
29
Heats
Club
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Total
Ferndown
62
47
32
141
Bournemouth Dolphins
57
30
45
132
Tornadoes of South Dorset
24
32
20
76
Christchurch & NM Seagulls
16
13
15
44
West Dorset Warriors
6
17
14
37
Poole S.C.
3
15
13
31
Gillingham
1
1
2
4
Weymouth
0
2
1
3
Clayesmore
0
2
0
2
Wareham and District S.C.
0
0
0
0
Bridport Barracudas
0
0
0
0
Blandford
0
0
0
0
With 182 individual swims that were some combination of Age Group CBT (champ. best time), Jnr CBT, Snr CBT, Jnr Record, Senior Record, WCQT (westerns qual. time) or NQT (national qual. time), it's not possible to fairly list the best swims. The list of impressive pb's is even more extensive. This writer, however, was singularly impressed to see Elliot Wilks achieve a pb in the 400 Free even after stopping at 350 metres for a chat with the timekeeper!
The club is grateful to DCASA for their hard work in running the event and to all the parents who volunteered to help.
