Hampshire Development Meet 2022 - Report
Report from Coach Ellie:
It was my absolute pleasure to have the opportunity to coach the City of Southampton Swimming Team consisting of 36 swimmers from over the different squads at the Development meet held at Winchester pool on 26th June, 2nd & 3rd July. Not forgetting to mention with the help of Team Managers Kelly and Tash and new to the team Coach Brooke who were all fabulous – Thank you!
For some of our swimmers this was their first competition and as I told them, as a swimmer this was always one of my favourite meets and this year it did not disappoint!
Our team of 36 swimmers achieved 143 PB’s…WOW!
10 Golds, 23 Silvers, 15 Bronze placings. 48 Medals in total!
There were a few disqualifications but this is what the development meet is all about: developing as a swimmer, learning that mistakes happen and how to deal with the disappointment, pick yourself up, carry on and avoid doing it next time.
The thing that made me the happiest though was how all the swimmers from the different squads and of different age groups supported one another. They were there if anyone was feeling anxious, they cheered each other on poolside and congratulated their team mates on their success. This is what makes a great competition, it’s who you spend the long days with and I was lucky enough to get to spend them with such a great team of swimmers who made the days lots of fun. Parents you should be very proud of them, I know I am!
Sebastian A-L – (4pbs) I just want to say a massive well done to Seb for competing in his first ever meet, especially as this was an away meet and doing so with such confidence. Well done Seb lovely to have you poolside with me, I hope you enjoyed it.
Sophia A – (6pbs 2 Gold’s 5 Silver 2 Bronze) This Girl Can! It was a delight to get the chance to coach Sophia and be there to witness her obvious talent. Great finish to the competition with a silver in the 200m Fly. Well done Sophia!
Laurence B – (4pbs, 2 Bronze) It was lovely to have the opportunity to coach another swimmer from our top squad. I especially enjoyed cheering on Laurence swim the 200m freestyle to get an 11sec pb! I’m sure I caught a sneaky smile at the end too.
Lois B – (3pbs, 2 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze) Lois is a ray of sunshine and brought it with her once again to this meet, along with some amazing racing! Well done Lois a pleasure to coach you and have you poolside with me.
Xavier B-L – (4pbs) Xavier was such great company throughout the meet, keeping us all smiling with his great sense of humour. And of course some awesome swimming from this pocket rocket smashing his pbs!
Bernice C – (1pb) Despite not being happy with her lane draw, Bernice managed to put this concern behind her and remained focused to swim a nice pb in the 100m freestyle. Well done Bernice, keep up the good work!
Lewis C – (1 Silver) What kind of meet would it be without coach Lewis and the encouragement he gives to all our swimmers, thank you Lewis! Your silver medal in the 100 fly was well deserved. You rocked that pink hat!
Olivia D – (7pbs) What a great meet for Olivia achieving a full house of pbs. Well done, some excellent racing over the weekend. Now to keep it up in training I know you can do it, believe in yourself!
Alex D – (5pbs) Alex was a great asset to the 13/14yr relay team, smashing his pbs in both events. Alex demonstrated some great swimming throughout both days, and it’s obvious he’s a well-liked member of the team.
Jayden D – (6pbs, 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze) If anyone was following coverage on youtube you’ll have seen me jumping up and down after George confirmed Jayden’s Gold in the 200m backstroke! Great swimming all weekend Jayden you just need tighter shorts to avoid having to pull them up when racing!
Arthur E – (5pbs, 2 Silver) What a lovely lad! I hope this meet proves to Arthur his place in the new squad is where he’s meant to be. Some awesome swims, especially 50m fly where his technique has improved massively and helped him secure the silver medal. Well done Arthur, keep working hard!
Caitlyn H – (2pbs) Caitlyn’s hard work in training resulted in her gaining a brand new pb in 100m IM, taking off a whopping 17 seconds. It was lovely that your friend that came to watch you swim, was able to see you smash your pbs. Super swimming Caitlyn!
Iliya I – (5pbs, 1 Silver) Iliya fought hard to bring home the silver for the 9/10yr relay team swimming the last leg in style! He showed great determination all weekend, well done Iliya although I’d like to see more tumble turns next time!
Yana I – (6pbs) Yana showed great maturity throughout the weekend, supporting all the swimmers especially her little brother which was lovely to see. Some great pbs achieved Yana all your motivation in training is paying off!
Isaac J – (4pbs, 1 Bronze) I’m so pleased for Isaac that his continuous hard work in training is getting him the results he deserves. Isaac is definitely a swimmer to watch out for, well done on the amazing pbs he achieved!
Alana J – (1pb, 1 Silver) Only with me for one race but she was more than happy to be my amazing assistant and after all that hard work helping me, she still managed to smash nearly 6 seconds off her 100m IM time. Super swimming Alana!
Amelie L – (4pbs, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze) What a lovely girl to have the pleasure of spending the day with. She’s quietly confident and brings it when needed in the pool. What an amazing fly leg in the 9-10yrs medley relay. Training is definitely paying off!
Alex L – (3pbs) Although we have completely different taste in music, we can both agree that Alex has a talent for swimming. Due to Alex being in National Regional squad I don’t often get the chance to chat to her but it was a pleasure to be her coach for the afternoon.
Eden L – (4pbs, 2 Gold, 1 Silver) I’ve missed coaching Eden who always manages to make me smile with her sweet personality. Yet, in 200m freestyle she was anything but sweet to the opposition, a super 17 second pb and well deserved gold. You go girl!
William M – (5pbs) William’s technique is one of the best I’ve ever seen and during this meet he was able to bring the power too. This helped him smash all his pbs! Super proud of this delightful young man, keep up the good work William!
Eve P – (3pbs, 2 Gold, 1 Silver) Little Miss Eve, I want her in my squad! After a false start, that wasn’t her fault, Eve was able to show us all how it’s done by returning to the block and fetching home the well-deserved gold. I am grateful for getting the opportunity to coach Eve. Well done Eve you star!
Filip P – (4pbs, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze) Filip’s fantastic swimming got the 11-12yrs freestyle relay off to a great start and helped them towards winning the silver medal. It’s been lovely watching Filip progress through the squads, and to get the chance this meet to witness all his achievements. Keep up the good work Filip!
Maja P – (5pbs) Maja has been an amazing addition to our team having recently joined the club. No one would have known this was her first meet as it didn’t hold her back, instead she went and smashed it giving it her all in the pool. A big well done Maja, I hope you enjoyed it!
Emily R – (4pbs, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze) So proud of how Emily has fought back from a shoulder injury since October. Her first meet back didn’t disappoint, racing fast earning her some brilliant pbs and well deserved medal placings. I also want to say a big thank you to her, for reassuring some of the more nervous swimmers.
Aurelia R – (6pbs, 1 Bronze) Aurelia is a breath of fresh air. She is so lovely to spend time with and it was a delight to coach her over the 2 days. A well-deserved bronze in the 200m breaststroke and an amazing finish to the second day completing the 200m fly. I take my hat off to her. Well done Aurelia!
Eren S – (2pbs, 1 Bronze) I want to make to make everyone aware that Eren swam a 38.77!! for the breaststroke leg in the 13/14yr medley relay-Wow! Then managed to take 41 seconds off his 200m Breaststroke, all this in the space of 20 minutes. Keep up the hard work Eren you star!
Muiz S – (3pbs) Muiz is such a cheeky chap. He kept me laughing throughout the meet, especially when he sat poolside with his grab bag of quavers. This didn’t appear to impact on the awesome swims he managed to achieve. Well done Muiz!
Adarsh S-K – (3pbs) Everyone loves Adarsh! He wasn’t best pleased with my compliment about him being the father figure of the group, he said he would prefer to be known as the big brother. Adarsh swam some great pbs and I’m sure he would have achieved many more if he’d entered more races…next time Adarsh!
India T – (8bps) Another great addition to our team, although you wouldn’t have been able to tell as she fits in perfectly. First competition for India and despite the nerves she gave it her all as and swam some brilliant swims especially her 50m freestyle for which she smashed her predicted time by nearly 7 seconds. Well done India!
Ben W – (6pbs) Ben’s laugh lights up the room and I enjoyed every session Ben was there. A brilliant set of swims from Ben, especially the 50m fly, earning him a full set of pbs. Keep up the hard work Benjamin 200m fly next!
Jonas W – (1pb, 1 Gold, 1 Silver) If anyone ever needs a 200m Breaststroke demonstration I will send you the link for this race swam by Jonas. What a great technique held over the full 8 lengths. The 19 second pb and Gold medal was well deserved. Good work Jonas!
Mya W – Mya is the most hard working swimmer I know, who will never miss a training session. This paid off with some lovely swims by Maya who held a great technique throughout both the 100m Back and 200m Breaststroke races. Just keep swimming Dory!
Oliver W – (4pbs) What a lovely lad! Oliver swam some brilliant races throughout both days, especially his 100m Breaststroke where he took off 5 seconds! He’s a very calming influence and a pleasure to be around.
Zoe W – (4pbs, 1 Silver) Zoe kicked off her weekend with an awesome swim in the 11/12yr freestyle relay helping the team achieve Silver medal placing. This was followed by 2 more amazing swims where she took nearly 10 seconds off both races, well done Zoe!
Lisa W – (4pbs) Where do I start…After needing a lot of persuasion to enter her first ever meet, she went on to smash all 4 races! A 21 second pb in her 100 freestyle was outstanding and definitely chocolate milkshake worthy. Now less chatting and more swimming Lisa!
Adean Y – (6pbs) A couple of weeks ago Adean sprained his wrist badly which meant no pool training, but what a comeback! Adean absolutely nailed it, watching him take 4 seconds off his 50m Breaststroke and place 1st in his heat was a highlight for me. Brilliant swimming!
Well done to all the Swimmers and a big thank you to all the volunteers. Without you guys the competitions wouldn’t be able to go ahead and I wouldn’t have got to have such a fun filled few days, witnessing the fantastic swimming of our future stars!
Coach Ellie J
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