Rotherham Metro Long Course Meet
Ponds Forge, Sheffield
Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th January 2014

Kingston upon Hull swimming club were on their travels to Ponds Forge pool in Sheffield over the weekend of the 17th and the 18th January.

Regional A Squad

In the B grade, 14 year old Leoni Bull started off taking gold in the 50m backstroke, then went on to take a 3rd place in the 100m freestyle. This followed by a 2nd in the 100m backstroke, and to finish off, Leoni also secured a 3rd in the 50m butterfly. Luke Chapman, aged 14, secured 1st, 2nd and a 3rd places in the 50m freestyle, 100m backstroke and 100m butterfly. It was the first time 13 year old Mitchell (Mitch) Davis had been to Ponds Forge, let along swim in a 50m pool. Mitch looked at home in the 50m pool and secured two 3rd places in the 50m fly and 100m breaststroke.

Junior B Squad

Having only just turned 11 this month, Megan Gray put in fantastic swims to not only walk away with medals, but speeding tickets for swimming above the A grade cut off time. Megan swam six new personal best times, gaining her six 12-year-old Yorkshire qualifying times. Megan claimed speeding tickets in the 50m and 200m freestyle and walked away with the A grade gold in 100m freestyle in a time of 1.10.

The rest of the 11 year old girls carried on the good form, with Elizabeth Hawkard returning to gain a bronze in the 200m butterfly in a new personal best time of 3.01.07, and missing out on silver in the 100m butterfly by 0.02 of a second to take bronze in a time of 1.19.88. Elizabeth swam her way to a speeding ticket in the 200m freestyle. Evie Lees had some fantastic swims never finishing lower than 4th place in the A grade. Evie gained new personal best times in the 200m breaststroke and 100m butterfly. She swam her way to silver in the 100m breaststroke and gold in a Yorkshire qualifying time in the 50m backstroke. Evie achieved a speeding ticket in the 100m freestyle and in the 200m event she managed to swim under 2.30 for the first time, where her time of 2.29.77 saw her gain another speeding ticket. Jolie Bull has been working hard to improve her backstroke and it seems to have paid off, as she took the B grade bronze in 50m and 200m backstroke, then the gold in 50m backstroke. Jolie gained all long course personal bests. Her top swim came in the 100m freestyle where she improved her time for the first time in over a year to take the A grade silver. Ruby Willingham gained all new long course personal best time, scooping the B grade gold in 200m backstroke.

10 year old Clementine Lovel had her first experience of swimming in a 50m pool and didn’t let it phase her. Clementine swam her way to an 8 second personal best time in the 200m breaststroke to claim the A grade silver medal. Her 6 second personal best in the 200m backstroke saw her gain a speeding ticket. She shone in the freestyle events, gaining speeding tickets in the 50m 100m and 200m events. 10 year old Helen Beals had some great swims to gain personal best times and medals.

The boys were out to impress as well, with 12 year old Callum Wright knocking 6 seconds off his 100m butterfly time to claim a bronze medal, whilst also taking 3 seconds of his 200m freestyle. His 3 second personal best in the 100m backstroke saw him take the silver medal place, whilst his personal best in the 50m butterfly saw him scoop another bronze medal. Callum finished his 50m freestyle in 32.00, gaining him a Yorkshire qualifying time and silver medal .His top swim came in his 100m freestyle where his new time of 1.11. 00 won him another Yorkshire qualifying time. 13 year old Luke Taylor swam his way to bronze in the 100m butterfly with a 3 second personal best. He took silver in the 100m freestyle, and in the 100m backstroke his 5 second personal best saw him take gold, in a time of 1.20.96. Luke swam his way to a Yorkshire qualifying time in 50m freestyle and his new personal best time saw him take the gold in a Yorkshire qualifying time for the 50m backstroke. 12 year old Jon Adams was swimming in his first ever away gala, and to add to his experience he chose the prestigious Ponds Forge 50m pool for his trail run. Jon didn’t let nerves get to him and gained 4 new personal best times and took the B grade silver medal in the 50m freestyle.