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Scottish Schools
2009 Scottish Schools Swimming Championships
Swim Team Borders again showed their greater commitment to training is paying dividends when they travelled to Glasgow to compete in the 2009 Scottish Schools Swimming Championships on
Saturday 31st January. The fourteen-member Borders Schools Swimming Team included nine Swim Team Borders members. All medals won by the Borders Schools Swimming Team were collected by Swim Team Borders members. In total seven medals were secured - 2 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze - and one Scottish Schools Record was broken by the team.
Representing Jedburgh Grammar, Lucy Hope, 12 y.o. of Kelso Amateur Swimming Club claimed gold in the Girls 50m Backstroke. Her time of 33.90 smashed the Scottish Schools Record and earned her the 12 & Under Girls Best Performance Trophy.
Earlston High’s, Amy Fraser, 14 y.o. of Galashiels Amateur Swimming Club continued her impressive list of season results taking the Girls Open 400m freestyle title winning gold in a time of 4:35.54. She also took silver in the Girls 200m butterfly with a time of 2:28.59.
Representing Gala Academy, Kirsty Paterson, 15 y.o. of Duns Amateur Swimming Club showed her versatility by claiming double silver in the four stroke 200m Individual Medley (2:29.14) and the 100m Butterfly (1:06.60).
Hawick High’s Jessica Wilcox, 13 y.o. of Teviotdale Amateur Swimming Club was the next Swim Team Borders member to mount the podium. After just missing out earlier on a medal in placing fourth in the Girls 200m Freestyle (2:17.40) Jessica showed great composure to address prior indiscretions and claim bronze in the Girls 100m Freestyle in a time of 1:03.35.
Also representing Hawick High, Jessica’s brother Scott Wilcox, 15 y.o. of Teviotdale Amateur Swimming Club finished the championships on a positive note for Swim Team Borders when he took bronze in the Boys 200m Breaststroke in a time of 1:10.06.
Borders Performance Development and Swim Team Borders coach, Alex Jordan, said he was very pleased with the swimmers’ performances: “I was impressed that the swimmers ‘attacked’ their long course events (i.e. swum in a 50m pool) in a very competent manner, when they train and race short course (i.e. swum in a 25m pool) the majority of the time, to achieve national school medals, for the first time ever in some instances. Lucy Hope and Jessica Wilcox, in particular, did very well in addressing inaccuracies from earlier swims to emerge with results that truly befit their potential... I really admire their resolve.”
Other Swim Team Borders members competing strongly for their schools at the championships were Maria Beattie (5th Girls Open 400m Freestyle and 8th Girls 15/16 years 200m IM), Euan Johnston (11th Boys 15/16 years 200m Freestyle), Sarah Paterson (11th Girls 15/16 years 200m Freestyle) and Emma Hope (18th Girls 13/14 years 200m IM and Girls 19th 13/14 years 100m Backstroke).
The Borders Sport and Leisure Trust provided team kit for the Borders Schools Swimming Team. Swim Team Borders is one initiative of the Borders Performance Development Programme which is supported by a partnership between the Borders Sport and Leisure Trust, Scottish Borders Council, Scottish Swimming and seven local swimming clubs - Duns, Galashiels, Hawick, Jedforest, Kelso, Peebles and Teviotdale Amateur Swimming Clubs.
Other Borders Schools Swimming Team members from Borders clubs competing at the championships included:
Fraser Samuel (11y.o.), Gifford Primary, third 11 year old in the Boys 12 & under 50m Butterfly; Ryan Brown (11y.o.), Ednam Primary, fourth 11 year old in the Boys 12 & under 50m Butterfly; Cameron Taylor, Hawick High School 11th 15/16 years Boys 100m breaststroke and 14th 15/16 years Boys 200m breaststroke and; Zoe Wilson, Hawick High School, 12th 15/16 years 200m Butterfly and 19th 15/16 years 100m Breaststroke.
