National Age Group & Youth Competitions

August, 2004


The Kelly College swim squad returned from the National Age Group and Youth Competitions with some fine results from the 9 strong team who had worked hard throughout the year to achieve the necessary qualifying times. One notable absentee was Jack Cockerton, team captain who had produced some great performances at the Olympic trials and Western Counties championships only to contract an energy-sapping virus just a month before the Nationals. The thoughts of the team and supporters were with him as they departed for Sheffield.

The teams busiest member was Adam John who had entered seven events over the four days of competition including the grueling 1500m freestyle and was competing in three events on the last day. Despite his hectic schedule, Adam managed to produce personal best times in all his swims most notably in the 1500m freestyle where he knocked more than 50seconds off his entry time. He earned himself places in the final no less than  4 times and his all round abilities gave him 5^th place in the BAGCATS overall placing in the 12 year boys category.

Tom Howe 14, was the only squad member to return with medals - silver in the 200m IM and bronze in the 400m freestyle. Keen to improve on his similar medal tally from last year, Tom produced a great swim to claim the silver in the 200m IM reducing his time by 4 seconds but the opposition was too strong for him to achieve the illusive gold medal position in his favoured 400m freestyle event.

The other 14 year old competitor, Matthew Henry followed Tom in a number of events but he also contested the 1500m freestyle along with Adam and produced a 19 second PB and finished in 7^th place. Matthew qualified for finals in two other individual events where he finished 9^th in both the 400m IM and 400m freestyle.

The “most improved” award must go to Ben Clark who had qualified for the 100m freestyle by a few tenths of a second which ranked him 50^th going into the heats. He then proceeded to knock 3 seconds off his time in a fiercely competitive event and earned himself a place in the final where he maintained his improved time to finally finish in seventh place.

Matthew, Tom and Ben were joined by Joshua Lake to make up the boys 11-14 relay team who swam in the freestyle and medley relays in both the heats and the finals finishing 6^th  in the freestyle and 8^th in the medley. It was a great achievement for the Kelly team to contest the race against the teams from Millfield, Plymouth Leander and the nations larger city teams such as  Leeds and Sheffield and hold their own.

The only girl entrant in the Age group competition was Holly Yeo who had qualified in both the 100m and 200m breaststroke. She almost repeated Ben’s level of improvement by producing a time 4 seconds inside her entry time in the 200m event which moved her from 31^st place to 11^th but just missing out on the final.

The youngest team member was 11 year old Lawrence Oxborough, a freestyle specialist, who swam the 100m, 200m and 400m distances. He produced some strong performances and travelled home having got his first experience of the National Championships.

In the Youth competition (13-17 for girls and 14-18 for boys) the two remaining representative where Amanda Sanderson, 15, and Matthew Hill aged 17. Amanda was scheduled to have a busy time in Sheffield having entered  6 events where some involved heats, semi-finals and finals. Her best performances were in the 400m IM where she improved her initial heat position of 8^th to finish 7^th in the final for the 14/15 years age group and similarly in the 200m freestyle where she improved from 7^th to 6^th from the heat to the final.

Well done to all the team, coaching staff and families and we look forward to a hard earned break before school starts again in September. In the mean time our best wishes go to Jakie Wellman who will be competing at the Olympic Games in Athens for Zambia and to David Hill whose preparations continue for his debut at the Paralympic Games for GB in September.