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March 2008 |
Essex County Championships 2008 Colchester Swimming Club members were congratulated by their Joint Chief Coaches Michelle Young and Ian Johnson for their magnificent performances at the County Championships, the clubs dedication to training and sheer hard work this year has been rewarded with a super haul of championship medals. Fifty four members gained their County qualifying times, 27 boys and 27 girls, and they swam in an extraordinary 226 heat races, making 27 finals.
Colchester's senior boys claimed two Championships titles, Men's Captain Thomas Rootsey in the 400 Individual Medley and Sargon Youssefi in the 50m butterfly. The Club was delighted with their performances and the 43 top six placings gained by its members. The event highlighted the depth of swimmers at the club this year, with some excellent performances from some of its younger members, 9 year olds Philippa Davenall and Cameron Simpson were rarely out of the top six placings, claiming silver and bronze medals amongst their hauls. Philippa finished in 5th place in the top Essex 9yr old girl category, with Cameron finishing in 6th place as top Essex 9yr old boy. Thomas Rootsey was not to be outshone finishing in 4th place in the Top Youth 16/0ver category. The club's swimmers also enjoyed competing in 6 relay races, with all the swimmers, supporting each other brilliantly. Twelve year old Evie Thatcher was in super form, swimming lots races in personal best times, but the highlight of her championships was her breaststroke races, Evie claimed the silver medal in the 100m breaststroke race and the bronze in the 200 breaststroke. In the 50m sprint events bronze medals were also claimed by Katie Watson in the 50 fly, Bronwyn Carter in the 50m freestyle, Chris Palmer in the 50m backstroke and also Tim Tripp in the 50m backstroke. Whilst competing at the Championships, lots of swimmers gained top six placings, swam superb personal best times, with some even gaining their Regional Qualifying Times, so that they can compete in Norwich at the Regional Championships in a few weeks. Exciting times ahead, for the coaches and swimmers of Colchester Swimming Club.
Water Polo vs Chelmsford - 11th March Colchester got their league campaign back on track with a 7-4 win over Chelmsford at Leisure World on Tuesday. This was the reverse fixture from a fortnight ago when Colchester had to fight tooth and nail to salvage a 10-10 draw in Chelmsford. Colchester took a more patient and measured approach this time round. A tidy lob from Craig Snowdon put Colchester one goal ahead. However a mix-up between Snowdon and Chris Harrington led to a penalty which goalkeeper Ryan Van Ginkel was unable to stop. Colchester did not see this as a set back and continued to play the game at their own tempo. Eddie Corcos was on the score sheet again taking both his goals well and never allowing the Chelmsford defence to settle. However later in the match Corcos let his penalty king crown slip. Colchester were awarded a penalty, which Corcos duly slammed against the woodwork. The miss did not come back to haunt Colchester who continued to dictate the game to Chelmsford. In the previous encounter between the teams Colchester had struggled to keep pace with Chelmsford's younger players, but in their own pool Colchester dominated from the start. Simon Lecomber continued his good goal scoring form with a well taken shot when Chelmsford were reduced to 6 players for a major foul and David Nicholson scored an important goal to keep Colchester ahead Colchester were leading comprehensively at half time 5-1 and looked to be cruising towards victory, unfortunately this didn't happen as Chelmsford fought back in the third quarter to leave the score 5-3 going into the final phase of the game. Colchester fought back well and, despite Chelmsford's 'keeper being in top form, started to again resume control. Star man James Tomlinson, who had caused problems for the Chelmsford side all game, was rewarded with a goal and Martin Vinter broke forward to rifle a shot past the Chelmsford keeper.
Colchester welcomed back Stuart White from injury, who gave a good account of himself, never letting the Chelmsford attackers settle into a rhythm and Elliot Tomlinson was unlucky not to get on the score sheet and would have done had a he received a better pass while going one on one with the keeper. Colchester finished the game in high spirits and were more than happy to get back to winning ways. Barker and Associates man of the match was James Tomlinson.
Water Polo vs Chelmsford - 25th February Colchester made an epic come back on Tuesday in a 10-10 draw away at Chelmsford. Chelmsford started the match fiercely and despite some good goalkeeping Ryan Van Ginkel was unable to stop Chelmsford from taking a 6-0 lead within the first two quarters. Colchester were punished for a slow start and only goals from James Tomlinson and David Nicholson at the close of the second half gave Colchester a fighting chance. The second half began brightly for Colchester, the introduction of Simon Lecomber into the pool paid off instantly. Goals from Lecomber, Tomlinson, Martin Vinter and two from the clubs newly crowned penalty competition champion Edward Corcos, evened the score at 7-7. Chelmsford were almost behind for the first time when Snowdon latched on to a Lecomber pass but his goal was disallowed. Colchester's pressure had paid off to get the scores level and the last quarter was a tense affair as Chelmsford reformed and Colchester looked to take the lead for the first time in the game. Colchester trailed the home side 10-9 in the final minutes of the last quarter. Simon Lecomber scored from distance, after a mighty debate between the referee and the Chelmsford goalkeeper, the goal was given. As the clock counted down to full time, Craig Snowdon shot from distance but could only hit the bar, that was to be the last chance of the game as it finished 10-10.
Essex County Championships Block B at Grays - 15th/16th February The weekend of the 15th/16th February was busy for a large group of young swimmers from Colchester Swimming Club who competed at the Essex County Championships. There were a good few medals won and many personal best (PB) times were broken over the event. Joint Chief Coaches Michelle Young and Ian Johnson are very proud of all the swimmers because it is such an achievement to swim at County level even if you do not win a medal. Saturday brought delight for 17 year old Thomas Rootsey who is now Essex champion in the 16 yr & over 400m Individual Medley. He worked extremely hard throughout a thrilling race and took the title with a strong final Front crawl leg. He also took 2nd place in the 800 Front crawl, missing 1st place by the final stroke, and he was 6th in the 100m Individual Medley. 12 yr old Evie Thatcher had a superb swim in the 200m Breaststroke achieving a 13sec PB and gaining 3rd position in the final, she also swam a 4sec PB in the 200m Individual Medley. 9 year old Phillipa Davenall swam an excellent 8sec PB in the 100m Individual Medley winning a well deserved 3rd position, she also came 6th in the 200m Breaststroke final. 9 year old Cameron Simpson had a great weekends swimming, he knocked an incredible 18secs off his PB in the 200m Front crawl, swam a 9sec PB in the 100m Individual Medley to make the final and an 11sec PB in the 200m Breaststroke to gain a well earned 4th place.
15 year old Timothy Tripp's 200m backstroke race was a 4sec PB as well as an Eastern Region time. Young Matthew Parsons swam very well in many events, he is only just in his age group so was swimming against much older competitors, he achieved PBs in his 200m Breaststroke (5secs), 200m Front crawl (3secs) and the 100m Individual Medley (1sec). 14 year old Sarah Larner swam a new PB in the 100m Front crawl, a time of 1min 04.75secs, and took a second off her times in both the 100m Individual Medley and Backstroke races. 15 year old Daniel Few knocked a huge 15 secs off his previous PB in a strong 800m Front crawl. 12 year old Paige Young gained two PBs by 2secs in the 200m Individual Medley and the 200 Breaststroke and swam a determined 800m Front crawl. Lucy Coates swam an excellent PB of 4 secs in the 100m Individual Medley at her first visit to these Championships. Jim Vickers had a great swim in the 200 Front crawl narrowly missing an Eastern Region time and also got a PB of 3secs in the 100m Individual Medley. His team mate Damian Green achieved a 2sec PB in the 100m Individual Medley along with sister and brother Bronwyn and Alex Carter who both swam PBs in the 100m Individual Medley and 200m Front crawl respectively. 14 year old Karl Roberts swam well to gain a PB in the 200m Backstroke. Other Colchester competitors swimming well were Lousie-Jane Watts (200m Backstroke), Victor Lam (200m Backstroke and 100m Individual Medley), Denise Young (100m Backstroke) and Chris Palmer (100m Individual Medley).
Sudbury Masters Valentine Open Meet - 16th February Colchester Swimming Club's Masters team achieved a fantastic win at the Sudbury Masters Valentine Open Sprint Meet on Saturday 16th February. The team consisted of 14 members with excellent results giving them 1st place out of the 28 competing. Damien Navarrete swam brilliantly with two 1st and three 2nd placings, making him first overall in his age group. Valerie Stanndage again proved unbeatable with four 1st positions, backed by Julie Jago with a first placing. Christine Wakeling, 3rd overall in her age group, and Diana Hunt, each having five events, completed the ladies team Daniel Hunt had a great evenings swimming with one 1st and two fourth placings giving him 2nd place overall in his age group. Excellent support was given by Martin Cram and
Jason Marven, each swimming all six events gaining valuable points with many personal best (PB) times. More points were attained by Simon Nicholson, Mark Heptonstall, Eddie
Corcos, Leo Basten, David Hunt and Chris Harrington.
Water Polo vs Clacton (Cup) - 12th February Colchester went into a tough Eastern league cup semi final against Clacton full of confidence following last week's 15-2 drubbing of Harlow. With new signing South African, Ryan Van Ginkel in goal Colchester seemed to be at full strength. The new goalkeeper would have a tough debut with Clacton's relentless attack. From the off Colchester struggled with Clacton not allowing Colchester any space and offering solutions to every Colchester attack. Before long Colchester were 3 goals down and only a Simon Nicholson goal to their credit. Colchester's frustration was clear to see as shots hit the woodwork or saved by the Clacton goalkeeper. The game would get worse as Colchester began to self destruct and despite making some fine saves Van Ginkel was unable to keep Clacton at bay for long as they ran out 9-1 winners. A bitterly disappointing result for Colchester but one they will have to get over quickly when they return to league matches next week.
Water Polo vs Harlow - 7th February Colchester stepped up their campaign for Eastern league glory with a 15-2 victory over Harlow last Tuesday. Colchester had their strongest squad of the year with only Stuart White and goalkeeper Ross Knevett missing. It was up to Captain David Nicholson to keep out the Harlow attack without the aid of a specialist goalkeeper. Nicholson rose to the challenge only conceding two late in the final quarter thus providing a solid foundation for the outfield players. At the other end of the pool Simon Nicholson continued his fine goal scoring form helping himself to four goals. Colchester attacked and defended well as a team and started to play some very good polo. The goals were shared amongst several players. Midfielders, Craig Snowdon and Chris Harrington were rewarded for their hard work with a goal each. Eddie Corcos showed his years of experience, holding off the Harlow defence and even scoring two well taken goals. Martin Vinter broke through the Harlow defence to score twice and Simon Lecomber also recorded a brace of goals as he continued his comeback after six months out with an eye injury. James Tomlinson was given a torrid time by the Harlow defence, and ended the game covered in scratches, but still managed three goals. Colchester needed this morale boosting performance before the semi final of the Eastern league cup, to be played against arch rivals Clacton next Tuesday.
Water Polo Away vs Clacton - 29th January Colchester faced their toughest challenge of the New Year with a match against top of the table Clacton on Tuesday. The last time Colchester beat their rivals was in early 2006 so the home side were keen to finally end Clacton's stronghold in this fixture. Colchester welcomed back two long term absentees, with Stuart White returning to fitness and Simon Lecomber returning from a nasty eye injury. Lecomber's return was felt instantly as he helped himself to a goal in the first and final quarter of the game. Colchester battled hard throughout the match but their grit and determination was always matched by a strong Clacton side. Clacton held on to a two goal lead for a majority of the match, until the third quarter when Colchester dominated and came right back into the match. Simon Nicholson, a man in goal scoring form scored two on the night and could have had four but saw two legitimate goals cruelly disallowed by the referee. Goals from Craig Snowdon at the end of the first and third quarters helped to keep the fight alive in the home side. However Clacton managed to hold on to their lead and win the game 7-6. Colchester were unlucky with Martin Vinter hitting the bar during the game and goal keeper Ross Knevett pulled off an array of impressive saves. This now leaves Colchester with some work to do to stay in contention of winning the winter league, although there is an eagerly awaited chance for revenge, when Colchester take on Clacton in the semi final of the cup in a couple of weeks.
Essex County Championships Block A at Grays - 26th/27th January The last weekend of January saw a number of members of Colchester Swimming Club competing in the Essex County Championships at Grays in Essex. Saturday brought wonderful success to Sargon Youssefi who swam a masterful 50m butterfly in the boys' 16 years and over event. He kept a cool head in a tightly contested race to snatch the County Champion title in a time of 27.42secs. The day also produced more finalists and proud medal winners after swimming in their respective age group heats: Katie Watson achieved a bronze medal in her 50m Butterfly and a 4th place in the 50m Front crawl. Lucy Tallentire gained a 4th place in the 50m Butterfly, Phillipa Davenall took a bronze medal in her 50m backstroke and gained a 6th place in the 50m Butterfly. Bronwyn Carter won a bronze medal for the 50m Frontcrawl and a 6th place in the 50m Breaststroke and Gemma Wass achieved a 6th place in the 50m Front crawl. The club also entered relay teams this year. The Girls' Medley and Freestyle teams of; Grace Sanderson, Lucy Tallentire, Bronwyn Carter, Katie Watson heavily challenged the final placings with Emily Storey making up the Freestyle team for a well deserved sixth place. A tough 4x100m Individual Medley and Freestyle line up saw Thomas Rootsey, Oliver Crosby, Sargon Youssefi and Victor Lam snatch two fifth places. Sunday saw many youngsters swimming determinedly but just missing final positions in 7th place, including Jack Gallagher who swam a strong 50m Front crawl race. However there were further successful finalists and medal winners: Christopher Palmer took a bronze medal in the 50m Backstroke and came 5th in the 50m Frontcrawl. Timothy Tripp achieved a bronze medal in his 50m Backstroke, which also gave him an Eastern regional time as of 30.66 secs. Cameron Simpson won a silver medal in his 50m Breaststroke final along with a 6th place in the 50m Butterfly and Evie Thatcher gained a personal best time in the final of the 50m Breaststroke of 39.72secs. The whole team produced exceptionally good results over the weekend and the string of personal best times achieved is a reflection on their commitment to the last few months of hard training.
Water Polo Away vs Ipswich - 25th January Colchester looked to build on their winning start in 2008 with a return trip to Ipswich last Friday night. A depleted Colchester squad arrived in Ipswich with high spirits after their 9-5 home victory over Ipswich at the start of the month. Colchester started brightly; Simon Nicholson was causing problems to the Ipswich defence with his pace. Confidence was growing, some slick passing and good ball retention was on display as Colchester eased into the lead. James Tomlinson, making his first appearance for Colchester for some time, put in a solid and assured performance. Team junior, Elliott Tomlinson continued his good form too, working hard for the team in the pool and making some good saves when called to take up position in the Colchester goal. Martin Vinter took a break from marshalling the defence to add two goals, if not for an uncharacteristic penalty miss would have had a third. For all his hard work and endeavour Chris Harrington was rewarded with an opportunity in front of goal which he finished with ease. Colchester took an 8-5 lead into the final quarter but couldn't hold onto their lead as Ipswich fought back and Colchester's lack of a specialist keeper cost them and the match finished 8-8. The league now hangs in the balance and could come down to a crunch fixture against Clacton next week.
Ipswich Open - 19th/20th January A large number of members of Colchester Swimming Club travelled to Ipswich recently to compete in their first Open Meet of 2008. 9 year old Matthew Parsons had an extremely successful weekend achieving the top position in his age group for boys. He won medals in many of the races he swam in with first placing in the 50m Front crawl in a time of 34.90secs. 17 year old Thomas Rootsey also won medals in many of his races including first place in the Men's 200m Backstroke in a time of 2mins 14.58secs. 9 year old Katherine-Jane Watts enjoyed a good weekends swimming. She achieved an Essex County qualifying time in the Women's 200m Backstroke in 3mins 14.22secs, as well as a third position in the 50m Butterfly in 41.62secs. Her sister Louise-Jane also swam as excellent 200m Backstroke in a time of 2mins 36.09secs. 14 year old Lucy Tallentire gained a well deserved Eastern Regional time in her 50m Butterfly race, in 32.98secs, as well as knocking 4 seconds off her personal best time in the 200m Front crawl race. !6 year old Oliver Crosby also achieved an Eastern Regional time of 2mins 05.13secs in his 200m Front crawl race. 9 year old Phillipa Davenall had some super swims, she won the 50m Breaststroke race of her age group in a time of 47.16secs and achieved a 2nd place in the Front crawl race, in 36.12secs. 11 year old Danielle Hall swam well in all her races, she gained a 3rd position medal in the 200m Butterfly race (3mins 14.44secs), as well as swimming her 200m Individual Medley race 6 seconds faster than her previous personal best, in a time of 3mins 01.98secs. Many personal best times were smashed over the weekend: 13 year old Gemma Wass was on excellent form knocking 7 seconds off her previous best in the 200m Front crawl (2mins 26.83secs), 6 seconds off her 200m Backstroke time and 4 seconds off her 100m Front crawl. Young Tom Illidge swam well all weekend, particularly when he swam a personal best time in the 200m Breaststroke knocking 15 seconds off his previous time. 12 year old Evie Thatcher swam a fantastic 200m Breaststroke in a time of 3mins 05.94secs and also swam a 7 second personal best in the 200m Front crawl, a time of 2mins 31.35secs. 15 year old Timothy Tripp swam an 8 second personal best in his 200m Backstroke race and Taylor Young swam a personal best of 38.19secs in his 50m Front crawl race. 12 year old Paige Young swam good races in the 200m Backstroke (2mins 37.61secs) and the 400m Front crawl (4mins 59.72secs) and young Charlotte Marven gave it her all over the weekend, swimming in a large number of races.
Water Polo Home vs Ipswich - January Colchester's water polo team started their new year in style with a convincing 9-5 victory against Ipswich in the winter league. Colchester played the home tie with an almost full strength side with only two players missing. Almost two months had passed since Colchester's last game but there were no signs of any rust as James Tomlinson helped himself to three quick goals. Martin Vinter added to Colchester's impressive start with a signature long range shot which left the Ipswich keeper with no chance. Colchester goalkeeper Ross Knevett was kept busy in the second quarter and the defence had to be at their best as Ipswich grew in confidence. Colchester soon thwarted the pressure from the away team with two goals form Veteran Utility man Eddie Corcos. In the final two quarters Colchester began to close the game out with goals from Simon Nicholson and Craig Snowdon. Tomlinson's fourth goal of the night sealed the 9-5 victory for Colchester. Colchester team Ross Knevett, Martin Vinter, David Nicholson, Simon Nicholson, Craig Snowdon, Edward Corcos, Richard Horrocks, Chris Harrington, James Tomlinson, Elliott Tomlinson. If you are interested in water polo and would like more information please contact the Water Polo secretary.
Griffin Chapman Christmas Gala at Leisure World - 16th December Colchester entered two teams; the Gladiators managed by Denise Young and Oliver Crosby (ladies' captain and men's vice captain) and the Warriors managed by Tom Rootsey and Katherine Roberts (men's captain and ladies' vice captain). Spencer Prior had a great evening, he swam brilliantly to win the under-11s 50m breaststroke (50.23secs), he won the under-10s 25m breaststroke (23.31secs) and also swam strongly in relays during the evening. Henry Gilbert swam well for the Warriors, making excellent improvement in his swimming, coming first in the under-11s 50m butterfly (47.63secs) and swimming strongly in relay events. Joe Mackinder also made progress in the gala claiming victory in the under-12s 50m backstroke (43.27secs). Katherine Insull looked very strong as she swam to victory in the under-13s 50m butterfly in a time of 40.4secs. Lucy Coates, Cameron Simpson and Alice Insull swam brilliantly over the whole gala. Coates came first in the under-10s 25m butterfly (23.31secs) as well as performing well in relay races. Simpson was an important member of 3 winning relay teams, he also received a time fault on the under 10s 25m butterfly race, as his time was too fast for the race. Alice Insull claimed victory in the under-11s 50m breaststroke in a time of 49.5secs which is also an Essex County qualifying time. She also played a part in a winning freestyle relay team. Alex Carter had a terrific swim in the under-12s 50m butterfly, with an Essex County qualifying time of 42.48secs. Charlotte Morgan swam brilliantly, leading all the way in her under-11s 50m backstroke, she held onto victory in a time of 45.78secs. Young Meg Boyden was delighted to gain 1st position in the under-12s 50m backstroke (43.26secs) and Damien Green was also very happy to win the under-12s 50m breaststroke in a time of 45.69secs. Young newcomers Phoebe Coles, Owen Preece, Sam Mackinder and Martha Dowley all enjoyed a good evenings swimming.
The gala ended with the elimination race, The Skins. In the boys race Alex Vipond & Chris Palmer swam fantastically, resulting with Palmer talking a magnificent victory for Colchester. For the girls Katherine Insull and Evie Thatcher swam a determined race with Thatcher claiming 3rd position. The was an excellent gala with lots of fun and with a strong Christmas theme. Colchester Gladiators were delighted to win the gala with the Warriors in 4th place.
National Speedo League Round 3 at Hatfield - 8th December A team representing the club travelled to Hatfield for the third round of the National Speedo Swimming League. Colchester were second on the night out of eight teams and are awaiting results of their overall position in the league. Thomas Rootsey made an excellent start to the evening by winning the opening individual medley race with a personal best time. Katie Stratton swam brilliantly coming first in the 100m breaststroke with a personal best time of 1min 26.44secs, she was also a valuable team member in the girls' 15 yrs and under freestyle and medley relays. Timothy Tripp also had a super evenings swimming, claiming victory in the 100m backstroke with a personal best time of 1min 7.79secs. Joe Mackay swam a strong 100m breaststroke just missing victory but both Mackay and Tripp were members of two victorious relay teams along with team mates Jordan Jago and Karl Roberts. Roberts was also delighted to achieve an Essex County time in the 100m freestyle with a personal best of 1min 3.07secs. Evie Thatcher swam an outstanding race in the 13yrs and under 100m breaststroke in a time of 1min 26.05secs, knocking two seconds of her previous time. In the 9-11yr age group Guy Harrison knocked a second off his personal best time in the 50m breaststroke to gain third place. He was also a strong team member in this age group's freestyle relay. Tom Vickers and Lucy Tallentire produced great swims with personal best times in the 100m backstroke races of their age groups. Vickers knocked four seconds off his previous time. The team coaches commented on the excellent effort put in by all swimmers and complimented them on the excellent team spirit present all evening.
50m Sprint Championship - 1st December Colchester Swimming Club recently held its 50m Sprint Championship, this proved to be an exciting, noisy, fast-moving evening. Swimmers' ages this year ranged from 70yrs + to 10yrs as the club's Masters squad entered many races, adding to the competitiveness. An amazing 5 new sprint records were set during the event. Sisters Jennifer and Bronwyn Carter broke records in the Women's 50m Freestyle (29.83secs) and 50m breaststroke (38.71) respectively. They also swam against each other in the final of the skins race later in the event, this is an elimination race involving the six fastest women's freestyle swimmers of the evening. The Carter sisters swam a strong determined final, incredibly finishing in joint first position. Denise Young was on great form breaking the female 50m backstroke record in a time of 34.69 secs. Lucy Tallentire also enjoyed a terrific swim setting a new record of 33.18secs in the 50m butterfly, despite recent injury. The 5th record broken was by Victor Lam with a swim of 29.06secs in the Mens 50m backstroke, Lam also swam in the Men's skins race at the end of the evening along with team mates Daniel Few, Joe Mackay, Oliver Crosby, Sargon Youssefi and Thomas Rootsey who was victorious in the final after a fiercely fought contest. Luke Heptonstall, Tom and Jim Vickers and Luke Vince all produced super swims and were delighted to gain much desired Essex County times. Victoria Skornia, Brogan Simpson and L-J Watts all swam extremely well producing personal best times. Grace Sanderson enjoyed a strong evenings swimming and she was thrilled, along with her team mates Gemma Wass, Sarah Larner and Katie Watson to qualify for the skins race. Medals were awarded to the top 6 swimmers in six age groups meaning many competitors received an award for their hard work.
Essex County Senior/Junior Championships at Grays - 24th/25th November The weekend of 24th/25th November was a busy one for a group of Colchester Swimming Club swimmers. They took part in the Essex County Senior/Junior Championships. Everyone worked hard through the heats of many races with a small group successful in making final producing great results. Four 9 year old boys claimed a magnificent victory in the boys 9/10 years 200m Freestyle relay in a time of 2mins 16.51 seconds, five seconds ahead of the team in second place. The delighted youngsters were Jim Vickers, Tom Illidge, Matthew Parsons and Alex Carter. 17 year old Thomas Rootsey, the club's men's captain, qualified for a phenomenal 9 finals. He achieved third placings in the 100m backstroke and 200m individual medley and fourth placings in the 50m backstroke and 100m individual medley, as well as placings in the top 6 in the other finals. His team mate Victor Lam also had a terrific weekends swimming, competing in four finals along with Rootsey. Lam gained second placings in the 100m individual medley and 100m backstroke along with third placings in the 50m and 200m backstroke. Also swimming well this weekend was Oliver Crosby, he was delighted to gain placings in many junior finals, including 5th place in the 50m and 100m backstroke and 6th in the 100m breaststroke The 9/10 year old girls relay team of Alice Insull, Philippa Davenhall, Meg Boyden and Charlotte Morgan had super swims, just missing out of finals. The 11-12 year old girls relay team also missed out on a final with a strong swim, this team was made up of Sarah Purnell, Evie Thatcher, Paige Young and Katherine Insull. Other swimmers who enjoyed great swims over the weekend were Sarah Larner, sisters Jennifer and Bronwyn Carter, Joe Mackay and L-J Watts. This was a great weekend of swimming really putting Colchester Swimming Club on the map.
East Region Inter-Counties Masters at Colchester - 18th November Colchester hosted the East Region Inter-Counties Masters competition on Sunday 18th November. Essex was represented by swimmers from all over the county ranging in age from 18 to 75. Colchester had 6 swimmers taking part in this prestigious event; they were father and son John and James Tomlinson, Simon Nicholson, Julie Jago, Diana Hunt and Valerie Standage.
Leading Essex out with a comfortable win, a full 7 seconds ahead of all the opposition, was Valerie Standage in the 65+ years 50m backstroke. Simon Nicholson also added valuable points to what was to be Essex's domination of the competition, coming second in the 35+ years 50m butterfly. Essex were never caught after their early success, they finished 30 points clear of a strong Suffolk team and were presented with the new East Region Trophy presented by Essex County to celebrate a hundred years of swimming in Essex.
National Speedo League Round 2 at Boreham Wood - 10th November Colchester Swimming Club took a team of swimmers to Boreham Wood on the 10th November to compete in a National Speedo League gala. It was an exciting evening as the Colchester team faced tough competition. Ellie Tripp had an excellent swim in the girls'10-11yrs 50m breaststroke with a time of 43.97s, she also contributed to the relay races along with team mates; Danielle Hall, Alice Insull, and Megan Boyden. They swam a determined 9-11yrs front crawl relay and finished in a magnificent 3rd position. Danielle also swam an impressive 50m butterfly race in a time of 39.5s, as well as a personal best this time also gains her the Essex County time that she has been working so hard to get. Alice Insull retuned to good form at this event with a personal best of 40.96 in the 50m backstroke and Alice's sister Katharine also swam extremely well in a number of relay events throughout the evening. Tim Tripp and Chris Palmer both produced terrific swims: Tim was placed 3rd in the boys' 15-and-under 100m backstroke and also played a valuable part in the relays in the same age group. Chris also produced a great swim to gain 3rd place in the boys'13-and-under 100m freestyle as well as swimming strongly in his other individual event and relays. Jim Vickers swam a super 50m butterfly in the boys' 10-11yrs age group in a time of 42.46s. Personal best times were achieved during the evening by; Evie Thatcher in the girls' 13-and-under 100m breaststroke with a time of 1m 28.93s, Luke Vince in the boys' 13-and-under 100m backstroke, his time was 1m 18.36 and Alex Carter found form to produce a time of 34.87s in the boys' 10-11yrs 50m freestyle. Newcomer to the club Victor Lam made a valuable contribution to the team along with many of his team mates in the second round of this highly competitive competition.
ASA East Region Long Course Championships at Norwich - 3rd/4th November Five of Colchester Swimming Club's senior swimmers; 17 year olds Victor Lam, Thomas Rootsey and Jenni Carter, 16 year old Oliver Crosby and 15 year old Bronwyn Carter, qualified for the ASA East Region 2007 Long Course Championships. They travelled to the 50m pool at the UEA Norwich on 3rd and 4th November for their first Long Course meet this season. Colchester Swimming Club welcome Victor Lam now living and studying in Colchester from Hong Kong and were delighted that he celebrated his first competition for the Club with a silver medal in the 200m backstroke. Victor swam an impressive 2.16.93s against strong opposition in the final to take silver well ahead of the bronze medal winner. He also swam terrific 50m and 100m backstroke races to reach the finals and narrowly missed out on bronze medals in both events. Tom Rootsey entered 8 events achieving final places in four of them he was 5th in the 100m butterfly achieving a very pleasing long course pb of 1.02.09s, 5th in the 200m and 400m Individual Medley's and 6th in the 200m backstroke.
Jenni and Bronwyn Carter could hardly have been closer both competing in the 50m freestyle. Bronwyn submitted an entry time six one hundredths faster than her sister but it was Jenni's turn to finish six one hundredths ahead of Bronwyn this time with 30.06secs. Oliver Crosby unfortunately had to withdraw from the competition with an injury after starting well with a good long course time of 59.52s in the 100m freestyle.
Annual Presentation Afternoon - 22nd October It was also a chance to look ahead to an exciting year in prospect with the launch of the sponsorship deal and to unveil the first part of new club uniform resulting from this partnership. Carolynn Pissarro of Griffin Chapman said, "Griffin Chapman are delighted to be sponsoring Colchester Swimming Club and supporting sporting activity in Colchester".
With the approaching Club Championships for this year the afternoon started with recognition of last year's Record Breakers. Paige Young (then 11 years) broke none less than seven records across the 11 to 13 year age groups, Chris Palmer took two records in the 11 years age group and Louise-Jayne Watts, Joe Mackay, Sargon Youssefi and Thomas Rootsey each broke a record in their respective age groups. Swimmers gained three County Championship titles throughout the year. Tom Rootsey became Essex Junior 100m freestyle Champion at the Essex Junior and Senior Championships and Essex 3000m Open Water Champion. Paige Young took the title in the 11 years 50m Freestyle at the 2007 Age Group Championships. A record number of swimmers achieved the required qualifying times to swim at County and Regional level, with 41 swimmers achieving County times and 16 achieving Regional times. Named Essex hats were presented to those who qualified for and competed at the ASA 2007 County Championships, with certificates for the junior swimmers. T-shirts were also presented to those competing at the Regional Championships. Grace Sanderson, Katie Watson, Chris Palmer, Sargon Youssefi and Tom Rootsey were also selected by Essex ASA to join the County team for the regional inter-county gala in July, again a record number of swimmers selected from Colchester. Success was evident across the board with masters swimmers also claiming impressive achievements. Val Standage broke the East Region 100m backstroke record in her age group and there were a number of medals won at county and regional level. Tri-athlete Phil Jarvis competed in the sprint world Championships in Hamburg and Roy Young qualified for the GB team to compete in Canada next year over Olympic distance. Richie Haines and Stuart Bennett joined Roy in the Ipswich duathlon recently and as a team took first place. Joint Chief Coach Michelle Young was delighted that this afternoon was "wrapping up a wonderfully successful year for The Club with some exceptional performances and great team spirit shown throughout the year".
ASA National County Team Championships 2007 at Sheffield - 21st October Colchester Swimming Club's Thomas Rootsey was selected for the Essex team to compete at the National County Team Championships at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, Sheffield on 21st Oct.
After an overnight stay in Sheffield the Essex team arrived at Ponds Forge on Sunday morning to a full house of spectators and competitors representing 39 teams. The set up was two 25m 10 lane pools back to back with two competitions (division one and division two) taking place at the same time. The atmosphere was excited and loud and Thomas swam the 16/17 years 100m backstroke for Essex in an excellent 1.01.41s finishing 4th in his heat. Tom thoroughly enjoyed the weekend and was delighted to experience the thrill of swimming at this international venue alongside the likes of Francesca Halsall of Lancashire, Commonwealth Games & European Championships finalist and World Championship semi finalist and Jemma Lowe of Northumberland and Durham, Commonwealth Games finalist. The whole experience was certainly one not to be missed. Essex finished in 19th place in division one.
Colchester Phoenix 14th Anniversary Open Meet - 20th October Colchester swimming club were delighted to join swimmers from 20 other Clubs at the Colchester Phoenix ASC 14th Anniversary Open meet. Particularly pleasing was the fact that disabled and non-disabled athletes were given the opportunity to compete in their chosen sport alongside one another at this excellent event. Colchester Swimming Club were thrilled to win the overall team trophy (non-disabled) with 348 points as well as the coveted Phoenix Challenge Cup in the 8 x 50m squadron relay. 9 year old CSC member Philippa Davenall taking part in her first open meet was presented with the Middleton Family Endeavour Award, after a terrific competition in which she gained excellent times in all her races enabling her to compete at county level. Many swimmers made significant improvements and gaining valuable competition experience. Matthew Parsons 9 years and new to Colchester made an impressive start to competition for the club entering a large number of events. Matthew achieved a number of Pb times and swam some fine races including as excellent 50m freestyle of 35.97s. Suzi Robinson competing in her 1st open meet also entered numerous races and was rewarded for her excellent effort with some great swims. K-J Watts clearly on good form had entered a variety of events and swam terrifically throughout. The Clubs senior swimmers were no less successful with 16-year-old Dan Few producing an excellent 100m-breaststroke Pb time of 1.19.33s. to take gold and improving on his recently acquired 100m freestyle Pb time further with an excellent 59.22s. Gemma Wass swam a number of good races including an excellent 50m butterfly of 35.46s. and a very strong relay performance. Karl Roberts swam well achieving medal positions and Pb times; he won the 50m backstroke in 34.23s. and produced a great Pb in the 100m freestyle of 1.05.78s. Lucy Tallentire shone with great performances including an excellent 1.08.96s in the 100m freestyle and 33.74s taking gold in the 50m butterfly, well deserved reward for her commitment in training. Matthew Davies and Tom Vickers also showed much improvement and excellent swims again tribute to their good attendance and hard work in training. . 14 year old Sarah Larner achieving a number of excellent medal positions. Both Sarah and Paige Young also swam excellent 400m freestyle races touching in under 5 minutes for the first time to take silver and bronze. Guy Harrison produced a massive personal best swim of 1.40.00secs in the 100m breaststroke as well as a number of other excellent times and Jim Vickers produced some great performances, as did Bronwyn Carter, Jordan Jago and Alex Jackson.
Bury St Edmunds Masters - 14th October After a very foggy start four of Colchester's Masters swimmers travelled to Bury St Edmunds on Sunday 14th October for the first East Region Masters Championships. Top performer for Colchester having a superb set of swims was Damian Navarrete age 39.Achieving gold in all 5 swims the 50m,100m and 200m Breaststroke and the 100m Fly and Individual Medley, fantastic swimming .Team mate Mark Heptonstall age 46 raised his game with two personal best times coming first in the 50m Fly knocking 1.5 seconds off his old time and swimming to second in position in the 50m Front crawl. For the ladies backstroker Valerie Standage won the 50m and 100m events and also swam to second spot in the 100m Freestyle. Diana Hunt swimming well achieved two gold's in the 50m and 100m Freestyle.
All 4 swimmers took part in the mixed 200-years+ 4x25m relays. In the medley Damian took over from Mark (who had swum a brilliant length of Fly) and managed to take Colchester into second position. The Freestyle relay proved more difficult but they still came away with bronze medals. This brought their tally to 10 golds ,3 silvers and 1 bronze position an excellent result at this level of competition.
National Speedo League Round 1 at Hatfield - 13th October A team from Colchester Swimming Club travelled to Hertfordshire for the first round of the National Speedo League, prepared to face tough competition from top teams in Division One of the league including the 2006 Champions; Hatfield.
Team manager Roy Young was delighted with the outstanding team spirit displayed by the young, and in some cases inexperienced Colchester team at this high level competition. The mutual support was clear to see when cheers erupted from the whole team as 16 year old Dan Few touched in the open 100 metres freestyle in his first sub minute swim for this event of 59.76secs. Tremendous effort produced many personal best swim times. Among them Grace Sanderson swam particularly well with a 4th place and Pb time of 1.16.51s in the 13 years 100m backstroke and a terrific last leg of 30.83s in the 13 years freestyle relay. Also swimming strongly throughout was 15-year-old Simon Vipond who produced an excellent Pb of 1.11.30s in the 15 years 100m butterfly. Megan Boyden swam an excellent 50m freestyle of 35.27s as well as a great relay leg of 34.43s in the 10-11 years age group. In the same age group Danielle Hall swam an impressive 50m butterfly of 39.96s, dipping under the 40-second mark for the first time. Evie Thatcher, on good form swam an excellent 1.28.21s in the 13 years 100m breaststroke and Katie Stratton also produced a Pb in the 15 years 100m breaststroke of 1.27.24s. Tim Tripp made a valuable contribution to the team with a great 100m-backstroke time of 1.08.37s, as well as getting the 15 years medley relay team off to a great start with an excellent 50m-backstroke time of 32.73s. Lucy Tallentire swam well to produce an excellent 1.17.84s in the 15 years 100m butterfly and Denise Young returned to competitive swimming with a good 1.13.90s in the Open 100m backstroke. Many swimmers in this up and coming young team took on the added challenge of swimming above their own age group. Notably 14-year-old Sarah Larner opened the competition with a Pb of 2.42.67s in the Open 200m individual medley and 13 year old Alex Jackson achieved a good 4th place in the 15 years 100m breaststroke in a time of 1.22.29s. A final seventh place for Colchester did not do justice to the spirit and 100% commitment given by all the swimmers in spite of the high level of competition they faced. Having taken the experience on board they are now preparing to take on the next round challenge in a few weeks time.
Young Age Gala at Braintree - 22nd September Terrific team spirit was rewarded with an early season win for Colchester Swimming Club at the friendly young age gala hosted by Braintree. 9-year-old Phillipa Davenhall was first in the water for Colchester and certainly made her mark in her first gala, storming to victory in the 50m freestyle in an impressive Essex qualifying time of 38.28s. She was also part of the unbeatable girls 9-year-old freestyle and medley relay teams with K-J Watts, Amy Harrison and Amy Haines. K-J Watts also in winning form swam an excellent 25m butterfly in 20.78s to take maximum points and Amy Harrison secured a pleasing win in the 25m breaststroke in 26.53s. The 9-year-old boys were equally successful; Jack Gallagher produced a great 38.6s to win the 50m freestyle and was part of the victorious 9 years medley and freestyle relay teams. Along with Cameron Cowan whose hard work in training was also rewarded with an excellent win in the 25m backstroke in 22.37s, Cameron Simpson who also secured victory in the 25m breaststroke in 21.76s and Spencer Prior in great form, producing the fastest freestyle relay split of 17.5s and an excellent 50m backstroke in the time trial event taking place. 12 year olds Chris Palmer and Evie Thatcher each secured 2 individual wins for Colchester. Evie in the 50m butterfly in 36.81s and the 100m breaststroke with a 2 second Pb in 1.29.88s. Chris won the 100m freestyle in 1.04.81s and also with a 2 second Pb the 100m breaststroke in 1.25.80s. Palmer also played a part in both boys winning 12 years relay teams with Alex Vipond, Matthew Lemnell, Edward Cresswell and James Coppin, as well as bringing the gala to a close with victory in the exciting finale the cannon relay. Other valuable points were added by excellent wins from Alice Insull in the 10 years 50m backstroke in 42.59s, Danielle Hall in the 11 years 50m butterfly in 40.97s, Paige Young in the 12 years 100m freestyle in 1.08.68s and Alex Carter in the 10 years 50m freestyle in 35.38s. Alex joined by Taylor Young, Tom Illidge and Jim Vickers also excelled with medley and freestyle relay wins, and the girls 10 years medley team of Alice Insull, Anna Ewbank, Meg Boyden and Charlotte Morgan also took maximum points. The whole night was a succession of terrific swims including those of Ellie Tripp and Damian Green both achieving superb Pb swims in the 11 years 100m freestyle and was reflected in the final result with Colchester on 202 points ahead of next placed team Braintree on 192.
Ipswich Novice Open Meet - 9th September Colchester Swimming Club enjoyed great success at the Ipswich Novice Open Meet. The 19 gold, 20 silver and 19 bronze medals as well as numerous other top 6 places and too many personal best swim times to mention individually were tremendous, particularly in view of the swimmers inexperience. The challenge of the tough 200m butterfly was taken up for the first time by a number of swimmers. 12-year-old Vicky Skornia swam an excellent race in 3.54.33s to take gold and completed an excellent day of personal best swim times in all her events.
10-year-old Taylor Young also struck gold with an excellent swim of 4.39.16s as well as achieving a number of top six places and a terrific 200m breaststroke best time of 4.20.08s. 10-year-old Megan Boyden on superb form swam excellent personal best times. She won a fist full of medals including bronze with an impressive first 200m butterfly, and an outstanding 45-second personal best time of 2.54.50s in the 200m freestyle where she took gold. 12-year-old Brogan Simpson also swam an excellent first 200m butterfly and took silver, and 10-year-old Charlotte Marven faced the challenge and was rewarded with an excellent 4.10.31s and 4th place. Alex Jackson also made great strides in all events, producing a particularly impressive 60-second Pb in the 200m freestyle and a terrific 1st place in the 200 Individual Medley in 2.46.43s. 9-year-old Jack Gallagher swam well to improve his times and was especially impressive in the 50m freestyle, taking gold in an outstanding 37.92s. 9-year-old Cameron Simpson had a great competition with an outstanding swim and top spot in the 200m breaststroke. 10-year-old Jim Vickers took gold in the 200m Individual Medley. Jim also took gold in the 50m breaststroke in 49.72s and silver in the 200m breaststroke with a massive Pb and tribute to his hard work in training on this stroke. 12 year old Tom Vickers took an impressive four 1st places making a great start to his season and Evie Thatcher was also in great form taking a hat trick of gold's. Other gold medallists were 10 year old Damian Green in the 200m freestyle, 13 year old Grace Sanderson in the 200m backstroke and 14 year olds Robert Ewbank and Emily Storey all with terrific swims. There were many great swims across the board the final places were by no means the whole picture 11-year-old Cara Porter showed great determination in her events and was rewarded with excellent Pb's. Luke Heptonstall swam well and 9 year olds K-J Watts and Cameron Cowan both earned themselves bronze medals with excellent 50m backstroke Pbs. The gala was invaluable experience and a great platform from which to move on this season, with exciting times ahead for these young swimmers.
Invitation Gala (Mini League rules) at Basildon - 8th September Swimmers from Colchester Swimming Club travelled to Basildon's 33-metre pool for an early season gala and showed great promise for the season ahead with some excellent performances. Colchester's 1st win of the night came from 12-year-old Paige Young swimming in the 14 years and over age group. Paige competed in some tight races and fought off the opposition to take 1st place in both the 2 lengths butterfly and 2 lengths breaststroke. Joined by K-J Watts, Megan Boyden, Joanne Illidge, Grace Sanderson and Laura White in the winning girls 6 x 1 length butterfly relay team she was also part of the 2nd placed 6 x 1 length breaststroke relay team.
There were also excellent individual wins and maximum points for Colchester from Jack Urwin with a great swim in the 10 years 1 length breaststroke in a time of 33.32s. Charlotte Marven was victorious in the 10 years 1 length freestyle, Tom Illidge won the 10 years 1 length butterfly in 28.65 secs and Guy Harrison had an excellent win in the 11 years 1 length freestyle in 24.45secs. In the older age groups Tom Vickers won the 13 years 2 length backstroke, 13-year-old Grace Sanderson took top spot with a strong swim in the 14 years and over 3-lengths freestyle and Emily Storey won the 14 years and over 2 lengths backstroke. It was pleasing to see many good performances from the older boys particularly highlighted in the strong relays. Karl Roberts, Matthew Davies, Alex Jackson and Tom Vickers won the 13 years 4 x 1 length freestyle relay. Brothers Alex and Simon Vipond swam well throughout, Alex was 2nd in the 11 years 1 length butterfly and was part of the winning 6 x 1 length butterfly relay team with Spencer Prior, Tom Illidge, Tom Vickers, Robert Ewbank and Simon Vipond and Simon was also part of the winning 6 x 1 length breaststroke relay with Sam Emm, Jack Urwin, Guy Harrison, Alex Jackson and Robert Ewbank. There were many 2nd and 3rd places all adding to Colchester's tally with exciting and close races particularly between Colchester, Basildon and Braintree. Romford fielded a very strong team and took 1st place and Colchester finished 3rd with 148 points just behind Braintree and ahead of Basildon. Wentworth finished in 5th place.
Essex Mini League Round 4 at Braintree - 14th July An excellent second win in a row for Colchester Swimming Club in the Mini League at Braintree, particularly pleasing as without a full team many swimmers had extra races. This was a great all round team effort with strong relays and terrific individual performances. Alex Jackson took two excellent individual wins in the 13 years 50m backstroke in 36.53 secs and 50m butterfly in 35.95 secs. Alex swam a terrific 17.47 secs in the 6 x 25m breaststroke relay where the team finished 2nd and was joined by Matthew Davies, Steven King and Tom Vickers in the 13 years 4 x 25m freestyle relay to take maximum points for Colchester. 9 year old Tom Illidge and 10 year old Jack Urwin also worked hard for the team with Tom taking top spot in the 10 years and under 25m butterfly in an excellent 19.16 s. as well as contributing to both unbeatable boys 9 years 4 x 25m breaststroke relay team with Sam Emm, Sam Watkins and Spencer Prior and 10 years 4 x 25m freestyle relay with Isaac Thatcher, Sam Watkins and Jack Urwin. Jack also swam an impressive 10 years 50m individual freestyle race in 38.91 secs leading from start to finish and was 2nd in the 10 years 50m breaststroke in 52.05 secs. Other terrific winning swims came from Charlotte Morgan with an excellent 10 years 50m backstroke in a personal best time of 45.41 seconds. Isaac Thatcher in the 10 years 50m backstroke in 46.84s, Steven King in the 11 years 50m freestyle in 40.06 s. and Karl Roberts in the open 50m backstroke in 34.88s. An excellent 9-year-old girls team of K-J Watts, Amy Harrison, Charlotte Holt and Anna Ewbank won both freestyle and breaststroke relays, and the 10-year-old girls team of Megan Boyden, Helena Wright, Charlotte Marven and Charlotte Morgan were also victorious in their freestyle relay. Grace Sanderson made a great contribution to the team in a number of races including the winning girls 13 years freestyle relay along with Laura White, Joanne Illidge and Evie Thatcher, Grace swam a terrific second leg of 14.72 secs and achieved an excellent 100m freestyle Pb of 1.09.38 secs. Commitment and notable performances came from a number of other swimmers achieving personal best swim times as well as points for the team among them Guy Harrison's 48.76 secs in the 11years 50m breaststroke which secured him second place and Robert Ewbank also swimming well to achieve an excellent pb of 1.07.33 secs in the open 100m freestyle. The combination of Spencer Prior, Sam Emm, Steven King, Matthew Davies, Tom Vickers and Simon Vipond also proved a winning formula in the 6 x 25m butterfly relay. This was a clear win for Colchester with 155 points, 20 points ahead of next placed Hornchurch and the team are now looking forward to the final round of the mini league competition at Basildon in September.
Norwich Open at UEA - 7th July Colchester Swimming Club travelled to the UEA Norwich for a friendly open meet and came home with trophies and personal best swim times galore. Four senior swimmers qualified for the tough 100m freestyle skins knock out competition; 15 year old Bronwyn Carter and 16 year old Jenni Carter swam terrific rounds with great excitement and support from their team to reach the last three in the girls competition. Bronwyn reaching the final round and finishing second, a great conclusion to a successful evening with a full set of Pb's, silver in the 50m freestyle and bronze in both 50m backstroke and 50m breaststroke. Jenni swam an excellent 29.27s to take gold in the 50m freestyle. Dan Few had a great evening taking 5th place in the skins competition and making improvements to all his times including a particularly impressive 31.90s in the 50m butterfly he took silver in the 50m backstroke. 13 year old Sarah Larner finished 7th in the skins competition and swam well to take gold in the 50m butterfly, silver in the 50m freestyle and bronze in the 50m backstroke. 14-year-old Robert Ewbank made great strides, recently returning from injury he took gold in the 50m backstroke in 33.52s and bronze in the 50m breaststroke.
Too many impressive swims to mention them all individually but among them 9 year old Thomas Illidge took gold in the 50m freestyle in an outstanding 36.31s, gold in the 50m butterfly and silver in the 50m backstroke and 50m breaststroke. Sam Emm swam a good 39.96s to win bronze in the 50m freestyle and won bronze in the 50m butterfly. Cameron Cowan made excellent improvements to all his times, as did K-J Watts who won silver in the 50m butterfly and bronze in the 50m breaststroke. 10-year-old Danielle Hall took gold in the 50m butterfly in an outstanding 40.67s and also won bronze in the 50m breaststroke and Jack Urwin achieved massive personal best swim times, reward for his hard work in training. The hard work and excellent attitude of 11 year olds Lauren Richardson and Joanne Illidge also paid off with significant improvements in their times and Molly Huggins did extremely well in her first competition. The 13-year-old boys had a terrific competition swimming close and exciting races, an excellent 50m freestyle from Luke Vince of 29.56s earned him silver with Karl Roberts close behind in Bronze position. The boys achieved the same positions in the 50m backstroke with a third silver for Luke in the 50m butterfly, Matthew Farthing this time on his heels taking bronze. Alex Jackson and Matthew Farthing took silver and Bronze in the 50m breaststroke. Matthew Davies and Luke Heptonstall were never far behind and all six swam very pleasing times.
Lucy Tallentire and Emily Storey had their own battles in the 14 years age group with Lucy taking gold the 50m butterfly in an impressive 34.04s and silver in the 50m freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke. Emily took gold in the 50m breaststroke and bronze in butterfly, backstroke and freestyle. All swimmers taking part in this open meet should be congratulated on their achievements.
East Region Inter-County Gala at Grays - 7th July Five swimmers from Colchester Swimming Club were invited to join the Essex County team, competing in the East Region inter-county gala hosted by Essex County ASA at Blackshots Grays. 12 year olds Grace Sanderson, Katie Watson and Chris Palmer, 16-year-old Sargon Youssefi and 17-year-old Tom Rootsey were delighted and honoured to be selected to represent the County.
Grace Sanderson was chosen to form part of the opening ceremony parade and of the Colchester Swimmers was first to swim. She led the girls' 11/12 years 200m medley relay off to a great start with a brilliant personal best swim of 35.25 secs for the backstroke leg. Katie Watson completed the final freestyle leg of the medley relay in a tremendous 29.83 secs and later as part of the girls 11/12 years 200m freestyle relay, led that team off in a terrific 30.67 secs finishing the 1st leg ahead of the field. Next up was Sargon Youssefi who took over the 3rd leg of the 15/16 years boys 200m-medley relay in 1st place and maintained the lead for the team with a terrific 50m-butterfly time of 28.39secs. Chris Palmer as always swam well with an impressive 28.85 s. for the third leg of the 11/12 years boys freestyle relay making a great contribution to an excellent race and second place for the boys team. Tom Rootsey was selected for the 17 years and over 100m-backstroke event where he produced an excellent 1.01.63 to finish third. Also part of the final race of the gala the 200m freestyle relay, Tom took over the third leg in first place, he swam an impressive 25.43 secs to keep the team ahead for an exciting final leg, which saw Essex take victory. This was a great finale to the gala where Essex were placed fourth overall. All five swimmers made a significant contribution to the County team as well as being excellent ambassadors for Colchester.
Junior Speedo League Final Round at Barnet Copthall - 17th June The final round of the Junior Speedo League took place on Sunday. Again with noticeable strength in the relays and an awesome team spirit Colchester excelled. This was a very positive conclusion to this league competition. Ellie Tripp was in stunning form having achieved a personal best time on Saturday at Braintree she raised the bar again in the 11 years 50m breaststroke leading from start to finish she secured victory in an excellent new Pb of 43.04s. Joined by Joanne Illidge, Victoria Gillman and Danielle Hall in the 4 x 25m freestyle relay the girls secured more valuable points for the team with terrific swims and an excellent win. Danielle Hall then went on to swim an impressive Pb in the 11years 50m butterfly in 41.69s and K-J Watts also took top spot in an excellent 20.38s in the 9 years 25m butterfly. The 9-year-old boys showed tremendous promise with Cameron Simpson swimming an amazing 25m breaststroke; he led from start to finish and stormed to victory in 22.18s. He was also part of the unbeatable 9 years 4 x 25m freestyle and 4 x 25m medley relays with Sam Watkins, Cameron Cowan and James Gallagher who all swam extremely well. Many of the swimmers had extra races or were swimming above their own age group and all performed with great determination and maturity. James Coppin was in good form taking 1st place in the 11 years 50m breaststroke and also swimming in the 12 years 50m breaststroke and a number of relays. The boy's 10-year-old 4 x 25m freestyle and medley relay teams of Taylor Young, Tom Illidge, Alex Carter and Sam Emm were also outstanding and proved unbeatable securing maximum points for Colchester.
Finishing comfortably in second place behind Redbridge on the night due largely to the tremendous team spirit and commitment of all team members, Colchester finished the season 3rd overall in the league. Congratulations to all swimmers participation in these league fixtures on a great season.
Braintree Carnival Cup Gala - 16th June Colchester Swimming Club competed in the Carnival Cup gala at Braintree on Saturday. The depth and excellent morale within the Club currently was evident in the outstanding teamwork displayed and the future of the Club is looking more and more exciting as the swimmers move from strength to strength. A great example to her team mates was 12 year old Paige Young, who having shown courage and determination in training to get back to form after an extended period away due to injury, made a great come back to competition. She took first place in the 13 years 100m freestyle with an excellent personal best swim time of 1.08.36s. Many close races particularly against the final winners Edmonton Phoenix made this an exciting gala. Sarah Larner's 100m butterfly was an outstanding swim. She fought hard all the way in a tight race, showing her strength in the closing stages to take victory in a Pb time of 1.14.66s. Katie Watson also had a great night with two first places in the 13 years 100m butterfly and 100m breaststroke, where she swam an excellent personal best time of 1.31.91s. Ellie Tripp also took maximum points for the team with an impressive 11 years 50m breaststroke of 43.76s. Personal best times were tumbling for many of the swimmers. Luke Heptonstall showed great progress with an outstanding 7 second pb in the 13 years 100m breaststroke in 1.34.73s, Jordan Jago swam an excellent 15 years 100m butterfly in 1.11.88s and Alex Jackson swam an exciting race narrowly missing out on top spot but securing an excellent pb of 1.22.38s, in the 15 years 100m breaststroke. 12-year-old Chris Palmer swam a terrific 1.04.09s in the 13 years 100m freestyle, Emily Storey swam 1.34.38s in the 15 years 100m breaststroke, Oliver Crosby achieved 1.03.09s in the Open 100m butterfly and Katy Spiller swam an excellent 1.17.75s. in the Open 100m backstroke. Many were at the younger end of their age band or were swimming up into the next age group, 13-year-old Louise-Jayne Watts competing in the 15 years 100m backstroke swam an excellent 1.16.44s. Despite not having a full strength team the swimmers really came together, particularly in the relays with a tremendous six victories including the exciting finale cannon relay. To finish second, only five points behind a very strong Edmonton team was outstanding.
East Region BAGCAT Championships at UEA - 9th/10th June Ten of Colchester Swimming Club's younger members qualified to swim at the ASA East Region BAGCAT Championships 2007, competing against the best in Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. A number were swimming at Regional level for the first time and getting their first taste of competition in a 50-metre pool. 12-year-old Chris Palmer led the way qualifying in a tremendous 9 events. He swam very well throughout the competition despite his gruelling programme of races and an excellent 100-metre freestyle saw him into the final where he was placed 6th in a time of 1.05.36s. He also achieved a final 8th place with an impressive 400m IM time of 5.51.41s. 14-year-old Tim Tripp achieved an excellent final 8th place in the 200m backstroke reaching the final in 2.33.77s. and also swam well in the 100m backstroke. To achieve final places at this level of competition is outstanding.
10 year olds Ellie Tripp and James Coppin also rose to the occasion competing in the breaststroke events. Ellie produced great swims in both her races achieving excellent long course times of 1.40.91s in the 100m breaststroke and 3.43.80s in the 200m breaststroke. James also performed exceptionally well displaying maturity beyond his years to achieve an excellent 1.44.00s in the 100m and 3.40.47s in the 200m breaststroke. An excellent first East Region Championships for them both. In the backstroke events also at East Region for the first time were three more ten year olds. Jim Vickers who was very well prepared and produced an excellent 100m-backstroke time of 1.28.95s. Damian Green who swam an excellent 100m backstroke in 1.29.35s and an impressive 200m backstroke in 3.14.29s. and Alex Carter also swimming well in both backstroke events. All three gained valuable experience at this new level of competition for them. 12-year-old Katie Watson was another 1st timer swimming against tough competition she achieved an excellent 100m freestyle time of 1.10.14 seconds. 13-year-old Sarah Larner qualified for the 200m IM, 200m Butterfly and 100m freestyle this year. Sarah swam well and produced an excellent long course 100m freestyle time of 1.08.37s. Louise-Jayne Watts just moving up into the 13-year age group for this competition swam a good 200m backstroke to achieve a long course time of 2.44.88s. Qualifying to compete against the best in the region is a great achievement and tribute to the hard work and determination of the swimmers. Joint Chief Coach Ian Johnson said, " It also strengthens the Club's base of young swimmers and helps provide the long course experience, a platform from which to target higher achievements in the future". All ten swimmers should be congratulated.
Essex Mini League Round 3 at Witham - 9th June A tremendous team performance resulted in a well-deserved win for swimmers from Colchester Swimming Club at the Mini League gala hosted by Wentworth. Team Manager Pearl Watcham was delighted with the performance of her team who led the points totals throughout the gala. The relays were particularly impressive and were dominated by Colchester whose excellent teamwork resulted in outstanding success across the board. Colchester's first individual win of the night came from Isaac Thatcher. He swam an excellent 10 years 50m backstroke in 45.42s, followed just a few races later by an impressive 10 years 50m breaststroke of 51.70s, where he led from start to finish. Isaac had a terrific gala; he was also part of the winning 11 years 4 x 25m freestyle relay and the 6 x 25m breaststroke relay. Alex Vipond was also on tremendous form, he claimed victory in both the 11 years 50m breaststroke in 47.63s. and 11 years 50m butterfly in 41.73s. Alex stormed to victory with an impressive anchor leg of 15.13s in the 11 years 4 x 25m freestyle relay and completed a successful evening, swimming up 2 age groups to be part of the 14 years and over freestyle relay team who put on an excellent performance. Charlotte Wingar Colchester's only girl to win an individual event took top spot in the 11 years 50m breaststroke in 48.54s. Charlotte was also part of the winning 11 years 4 x 25m freestyle and 6 x 25m breaststroke relay teams. A number of personal best swim times highlighted the determination of the swimmers. Among them Grace Sanderson swam an impressive 13 years 100m freestyle in a personal best time of 1.12.29s and was also a member of the winning 13 years 4 x 25m freestyle relay team. Emily Storey swam an equally impressive personal best time of 1.11.89s in the 14 years and over 100-metre freestyle and was a member of the winning 6 x 25m butterfly relay team. Many outstanding victories added to the points tally for Colchester, Karl Roberts claimed victory in the 14 years and over 50m backstroke in 34.78s. Matthew Davies in the 13 years 50m breaststroke in 43.38s. and Luke Heptonstall in the 13 years 50m backstroke in 39.03s. Simon Vipond took 1st place in 1.07.58s, in the 14 years and over 100m freestyle, as did Alex Jackson in the 50m butterfly in an excellent 36.41s.
A terrific effort all round and tremendous team spirit was rewarded with an excellent result for Colchester who finishing in top spot with 175 points ahead of second place Rochford on 161. Well done to all concerned.
Junior Speedo League Round 2 at Waltham Forest - 6th May Colchester Swimming Club were clear winners at Waltham Forest in the 2nd round of the Junior Speedo League on 6th May. An all round great team effort secured victory with some excellent individual performances. Cameron Simpson swam a strong 9 years 25m breaststroke in 21.93s. to take 1st place and was joined by Sam Watkins, Cameron Cowan and James Gallagher in the 4 x 25m freestyle relay to secure another excellent win. K-J Watts swam a beautiful 9 years 25m butterfly in 20.27secs. to take top spot and was also part of the winning 9 years 4 x 25m medley relay with Amy Haines, Amy Harrison and Charlotte Holt who performed brilliantly against very strong competition. Chris Palmer in stunning form swam an outstanding 29.56s. in the 12 years 50m freestyle and contributed to the successful 4 x 25m freestyle relay team along with Edward Cresswell, Alex Vipond and Grant Polkinghorne who also had a good swim in the 50m backstroke. Danielle Hall had a great evening with an excellent win in the 11 years 50m butterfly in 43.46 secs. and was part of the winning 11 years 4 x 25m freestyle and medley relays teams along with Victoria Gillman, Joanne Illidge and Ellie Tripp. Ellie also securing maximum points for the team in the 11 years 50m breaststroke in 46.10s. Tom Illidge swam an excellent 10 years 50m breaststroke to take 1st place in 48.86s. and was part of the impressive 10-year-old boys unbeatable freestyle and medley relay teams with Taylor Young, Jim Vickers and Sam Emm. James Coppin produced an excellent personal best swim in the 11 years 50m breaststroke of 45.00 seconds to take top spot. Evie Thatcher had a good win in the 12 years 50m breaststroke in 41.73s. as did Alice Insull in the 10 years 50m freestyle in 37.07s. Katharine Insull after leading the team off in the first event, had a busy evening swimming well in the 12 years 50m backstroke, 50m freestyle and both medley and freestyle relays and contributing to the teams final total of 213 points ahead of next placed club on 199. This was an excellent result for Colchester.
East Region Youth Championships at UEA - 5th/7th May Thomas Rootsey, Sargon Youssefi, Daniel Few, Oliver Crosby, Jennifer Carter and Joe Mackay from Colchester Swimming Club travelled to the East Region Youth Championships at the University of East Anglia's 50-metre pool in Norwich. The best in Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire come together for these Championships, so the level of competition is high and these swimmers did incredibly well to gain the necessary qualifying times.
Tom Rootsey had just moved up into the 17 years and over age group and after going into the 200m individual medley final in 4th place, improved on his heat time and took bronze in an excellent 2.17.47s. An exciting 200m backstroke heat with a strong finish saw him into another final were he took 5th place, he was also rewarded with final swims in the 100m backstroke were he was placed 7th and 200m freestyle were he was 8th. In the 400m Individual medley Tom was just outside the medals in 4th and in the 800m freestyle he finished 6th. 16-year-old Sargon Youssefi swam well in the 50m butterfly and went into the 15/16-year age group final in 5th place. With an impressive swim in the final he also improved on his heat time of 28.77s to take bronze in 28.19 seconds. Sargon also competed well in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle 100m butterfly and 200m IM. 15-year-old Daniel Few was competing at this level of competition for the first time. He qualified for the 800m freestyle and swam a brilliant race, leading his heat from start to finish in an excellent long course time of 9.41.97s and taking 5th place in the 15/16 age group. To achieve a final place at his level of competition is outstanding. Teammate 16-year-old Oliver Crosby followed suit, he swam an excellent 400m IM to take 6th place as well as swimming a terrific 100m-butterfly in 1.05.82s, narrowly missing out on another final place. Having qualified for seven events Oliver also competed well in the 50m, 100m, and 200m freestyle, 50m butterfly and 200m IM. Ladies captain 16 year old Jenni Carter, the Club's only lady at this event swam very well in the 50m freestyle against strong opposition she achieved an excellent 30.72s. 15-year-old Joe Mackay also swimming at his level of competition for the first time competed in the 50m-breaststroke event achieving a time of 36.45s.
West Suffolk Open Meet - 21st/22nd April Forty-three swimmers travelled from Colchester Swimming Club to Bury St Edmunds for the West Suffolk Open Meet 2007. Louise-Jayne Watts 12 had a tremendous weekend competing in a gruelling 11 events and producing some excellent swims. Louise-Jayne won all the backstroke events in her age group including swimming a regional qualifying time in the 200m backstroke of 2.39.21s. A number of other medal positions and final places saw her finish the weekend 2nd in the top girl competition narrowly missing out on top spot by just two points.
A number of East Region Qualifying times were also collected. Birthday boy Alex Carter celebrated in style with excellent swims and qualifying times in the 10 years 200m backstroke in 3.13.37s, the 200m individual medley in 3.17.01s, and the 400m IM in 6.52.76 seconds. Also gaining qualifying times were 10-year-old Damian Green with an outstanding 200 m backstroke time of 3.15.00s. In the 200m breaststroke 9-year-old Tom Illidge swam an excellent 3.41.38s. and Ellie Tripp achieved an excellent time of 3.39.88s in the 10 years age group. Improving his East Region time with an impressive swim of 3.10.43s. in the 200 backstroke was 10-year-old Jim Vickers. 12 year old Chris Palmer again swam superbly taking gold in the 200m backstroke in 2.43.52s. as well as swimming impressive times in all his events most of which were Regional qualifying times. Tim Tripp 14 also excelled, swimming to gold in the 200m backstroke in an East Region time of 2.25.89 seconds as did Dan Few who took gold in the 15 years 200m freestyle in an East Region time of 2.09.41s. and gold in the 200m IM in 2.31.00s. 14-year-old Bronwyn Carter achieved a number of PB swim times and won a hat-trick of golds in the 50m freestyle in an east region time of 30.07 seconds, 100m breaststroke in 1.24.06 seconds and 200 breaststroke in 3.02.84.s. 14 years old Lucy Tallentire also took gold in the 200m butterfly in 3.04.92s and bronze in the 100m butterfly. Silver medals were won by 12 year olds Tom Vickers and Laura White, 13 year olds Sarah Larner and Matt Farthing and 16 year olds Katy spiller and Jenni Carter and bronze was won by 12 year old Evie Thatcher in the 200m breaststroke in 3.15.60s. Many more swimmers achieved excellent personal best swim times and gained valuable competition experience and all represented themselves and the Club magnificently.
Junior Speedo League Round 1 at Waltham Forest - 15th April A team of Colchester Swimming Club's younger members travelled to Waltham Forest to compete against teams from Redbridge, Greenwich, White Darts and Harlow and team manager Pearl Watcham was very pleased with their performance. The 9-year-old swimmers despite being new to competition in many cases, swam very well and a number of team members competed above their own age group and produced excellent performances. 10-year-old Jim Vickers placed second in both the 10 years 50 metres freestyle and 50 metres butterfly also competed in the 11 and 12 year age groups and produced consistently strong swims throughout. Jim was part of the teams 1st win of the gala the 10 years and under 4 x 25m medley relay along with Taylor Young, Alex Carter and Tom Illidge. Damian Green and Guy Harrison then joined Jim and Alex and the boys took Colchester's second victory in the 11 years 4 x 25m freestyle relay. Tom Illidge swam above his own age group claiming victory in the 10 years 50m breaststroke in an excellent 47.56 seconds. Jack Gallagher swam to victory in the boys' 9 years 25m freestyle in his first gala, in an excellent 19.00 seconds. K-J Watts, the teams' only female winner, led her 9 years 25m-butterfly race from start to finish achieving her victory in 19.55 seconds and Cameron Simpson took a brilliant 1st place in the 9 years 25m breaststroke in 21.93 seconds. The boys 9-year-old freestyle relay team of Sam Watkins, Cameron Simpson, Jack Gallagher and Cameron Cowan took 2nd place, with Cameron Cowan also swimming a strong butterfly leg in the medley relay. The 9-year-old girls medley relay of Amy Haines, Amy Harrison, K-J Watts along with Charlotte Holt, swimming in her first gala also gained a brilliant 2nd place. Megan Boyden who finished in an excellent second place in the 10 years 50m freestyle in a time of 39.50 seconds added valuable points to the teams' tally and Damian Green also took second in the 11 years 50m backstroke in 42.89 seconds. Ellie Tripp swam in the 11 years 50m breaststroke to take 2nd in 46.13 seconds and was joined by Danielle Hall, Victoria Gillman and Joanne Illidge to take 2nd in the 11 years 4 x 25m medley relay.
All swimmers displayed great team spirit and there were many other outstanding personal best swim times achieved across the team, who competed extremely well against tough competition.
Peterborough Open - 14th/15th April
12-year-old Chris Palmer swam numerous East Region qualifying times and earned himself bronze medals in the 200m IM, 200m backstroke and 100m freestyle. An amazing 400m freestyle time of 5.18.83 seconds completed a successful weekend. Louise-Jayne Watts also 12, produced many good performances, an outstanding 200m-backstroke time of 2.38.35 seconds was a regional qualifying time and gave her bronze. She took two further bronze medals and won silver in the 50m and 100 m backstroke and 200m butterfly. 13-year-old Sarah Larner competed well all weekend with an outstanding time of 2.39.98 secs. in the 200m backstroke. She won gold in the 100m and 200m butterfly, silver in the 100 m backstroke and 400m IM and bronze in the 50m backstroke and 50m butterfly. 14 year old Bronwyn Carter produced a number of excellent swims particularly impressive was her 50m freestyle time of 29.44 seconds giving her a bronze medal, she also took silver in the 50m and 100m breaststroke. Tim Tripp also 14 swam a close and exciting race in the 400m IM taking 1st place with a huge personal best time of 5.29.13 seconds, he also took gold in the 400m freestyle in a terrific 4.46.45 seconds. In the 15-year age group, Dan Few won bronze medals in the 200m freestyle in an excellent 2.11.62 seconds and 100 backstroke in 1.10.57 secs. and was delighted with his terrific swim in the 100 m freestyle, achieving a time of 1.00.61seconds. Oli Crosby achieved an excellent Pb in the 200m butterfly of 2.24.59 seconds giving him a regional qualifying time and gold medal. He also took gold in the 100m butterfly and silver in the 100 m breaststroke and 200 m IM. Joe Mackay swam some excellent 50m events achieving Pb times in all 4 strokes he took silver in the 50m breaststroke in 34.68 seconds and 50m butterfly in 30.69 seconds. Both ladies and men's captains swam well. 16-year-old Jenni Carter excelled with a superb Pb of 1.05.84 seconds in the 100m freestyle. She also achieved an excellent Pb of 29.50 secs. in the 50m freestyle to win gold and took bronze in the 200 m freestyle. Tom Rootsey 16, won medals in all his 10 events; his 200m-backstroke time of 2.16.21seconds was an excellent Pb and particularly pleasing. This 'new' Open Meet was a huge success for Michelle Young and 'county' squad.
Essex Masters at Grays -14th April Colchester's master's swimmers travelled to Grays for the Essex championships on 14th April 2007. Leading out was 65 year old Valerie Standage. She came 1st in the 100m Backstroke in a new Eastern region record time of 2.02.86. She was also 1st in the 50m back and 3rd in the 400m freestyle. Training partner Diana Hunt also had a good day finishing first overall in the 55/59 age group after winning the 50m free and breastroke and the 100m free and individual medley. Julie Jago also recorded four 1st places winning the 100m and 50m back and the 50m free and butterfly events in her age group. This fine set of results placed the Colchester ladies in 3rd spot at the end of the competition against 21 other clubs. Colchester's men also produced a solid set of results. Damian Navarrete came 2nd in all three of his events the 50 and 100m Breastroke and the 100m Fly which he swam in an excellent time of 1.15.75 seconds. Excellent first places often snatched by tenths of a second were achieved by John Tomlinson 50m breast, Simon Nicholson 50m fly and Simon Lecomber 50m Freestyle. Mark Heptonstall, James Tomlinson and James Heathcote also swam well over a range of events. The above swimmers joined by Suzy Sawris competed in eight relays and were placed in the first three in seven of these. Winning gold in both their events were the mixed 200 years+ team consisting of Val Standage, Diana Hunt, Mark Heptonstall and John Tomlinson / Simon Nicholson.
After an exhausting day racing 7 unlucky Colchester swimmers returned to a car with a flat battery. The RAC were called upon for a jump start unfortunately they only do cars not swimmers!!
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