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Swim Success
Swim Success
The Borders’ amateur swimming clubs (ASC) were well represented at the recent East District Age Group Championships held on the 6-7 December in Glenrothes. Many of the club members are also members of Swim Team Borders.
Swim Team Borders is a squad of Borders club members who attend extra training sessions with Alex Jordan, the Borders Performance Development Coach. Together Swim Team Borders and the Borders amateur club programmes provide swimmers with the opportunity to meet the recommended number of sessions as outlined by British Swimming. Swim Team Borders members have chosen to increase their commitment to their swimming development by attending three to five morning training sessions (dependant on age) each week at Selkirk Leisure Centre. The Swim Team Borders Programme is working towards the standard of a genuine high performance squad.
Swim Team Borders and Borders Performance Development Coach, Alex Jordan, was pleased with performances over the weekend. “The team competed very strongly in all of their events. The swimmers showed that the Borders’ club coaches are doing a great job with their programmes and, together with Swim Team Borders, are helping to increase Borders swimmer performance standards. I have seen huge improvements already in the Borders club swimmers who have increased their commitment and are attending morning training sessions... and the squad has only been established for three months”, said Jordan.
Over the two days of competition Swim Team Borders members achieved personal best (PB) times in most of their events and made five finals, while Galashiels club member Amy Fraser won two gold medals. Fourteen year old Fraser dominated older opponents in the 14/15 years 200m Freestyle and recorded an impressive personal best time in the 400m Freestyle on the way to another victory over older rivals. Amy is generously assisted by Scottish Borders Council’s Athlete Support Programme.
Other successes included:
- Duns ASC :
o Euan Johnston recorded a PB in the 100m Butterfly final, finishing second to successfully book a place in the East District Age Group Finals to be held in March 2009.
o Kirsty Paterson swam strongly in the Girls 16 & Over 200m Freestyle placing sixth just outside her PB. Kirsty is generously assisted by Scottish Borders Council’s Athlete Support Programme.
o Sarah Paterson, although unwell, competed strongly
- Teviotdale ASC:
o Scott Wilcox cut two seconds from his PB in the heats of the 14/15 years 200m Breaststroke and went on to place fifth in the final.
o Kristie Waugh achieved a PB in the heats of the 12/13 years 100m Breaststroke to make the final in which she later placed sixth.
o Maria Beattie, Joe Scott, Katie Waugh and Jessica Wilcox, all competed exceptionally well and all recorded PB’s
- Kelso ASC:
o Emma Hope and Lucy Hope, both did very well, recording some impressive PB’s
Swim Team Borders is one of several initiatives being implemented in the Borders Swimming Performance Development Programme. The programme aims to help further develop Borders swimmers and coaches, and improve the performance standard of Borders swimming as a whole. Representatives from Scottish Borders Council, Borders Sport and Leisure Trust and Scottish Swimming, three of the major partners involved in the Borders Swimming Performance Development Programme, have been delighted with the success so far. The seven Borders clubs in the scheme are Duns, Galashiels, Hawick, Jedforest, Kelso, Peebles and Teviotdale Amateur Swimming Clubs.
Caption from left to right and front row to back
Front Row (L to R) - Joe Scott & Maria Beattie (both of Teviotdale Amateur Swimming Club)
Second Row (L to R) - Lucy Hope (Kelso ASC), Amy Fraser (Galashiels ASC), Emma Hope (Kelso ASC)
Back Row (L to R) - Alex Jordan (Borders Swimming Performance Development Coach), Euan Johnston (Duns ASC), Kirsty Paterson (Duns ASC), Scott Wilcox (Teviotdale ASC), Sarah Paterson (Duns ASC), Richard Kenney (Sport and Recreation Manager, Scottish Borders Council).
