Scottish National Age Group Championships, Tollcross, Glasgow, 7-10th April 2011

South Mainland brothers Donnie and Eddie Price between them swam 32 races at the Scottish National Age Group Championships. Both had qualified for all 13 events and fourteen year old Donnie successfully reached 6 finals, achieved 1 silver and 2 bronze medals, and made long course PBs in every event during the 4 day competition.

Day one kicked off with the 200m butterfly followed by the 100m freestyle when Donnie made his first final. Following this was the longest event, the 1500 freestyle where Donnie, in typical fashion started at a fairly steady pace. Each 500 metres progressed quicker than the previous resulting in a good long course PB and a silver medal.

Two finals were reached on the second day in the 200m freestyle and the 200m breaststroke where he attained 4^th and 9^th places. Saturday’s heats brought a further two finals in the 200m IM and the 100m backstroke, but with 8 swimmers having achieved a time within 0.6seconds in the 100m breaststroke, Donnie missed that event’s final by a finger nail. However, the 400m freestyle provided an excellent racing opportunity when Donnie produced a flat out final 25metres to fight off a furiously fast finish by the swimmer in the next lane to just make it into the medals in 3^rd place.

The last day of the championships brought two races that he wasn’t fast enough a year ago to qualify for, the 100m butterfly and the 200m backstroke. He demonstrated how well he’s progressed in recent months in backstroke by making it to the final. Prior to finals, he still had the 800m freestyle. It was an interesting race as similar to last year the heat before his had produced two times faster than Donnie’s entry time. Again, Donnie tackled the race in a steady first half then picked up the pace gaining on, then overtaking several swimmers during the second half.  Pushed all the way, Donnie had a very fast and necessary last 100metres which, although out-touched at the end was enough to have beaten the swimmer in the earlier heat by a second and to win the bronze in a new Shetland Age Group record.

For younger brother Eddie, 12, this was the first time competing at a National event. As the youngest Shetlander to have ever qualified for all 13 events, and indeed the only boy in his age group at the championships to do so, this in itself was a remarkable achievement.  Having only ever raced some of the events once before in a 50metre pool, there were certainly new challenges. Nevertheless, he coped particularly well in his races and produced results very close to entry times, creating a set of long course PBs. One of his best times was in the 100m freestyle with a 1.06.48 and another was at the other end of the scale with a 19.47.62 in the 1500m freestyle, where he finished in his top position of 6^th place. A further top ten place was achieved in the 800m freestyle where he finished 9^th.

Dyce Hunting Trophy Meet, Westhill, 26th March 2011

Eight swimmers from South Mainland ASC took part in the Dyce Hunting Trophy Meet last Saturday in Westhill near Aberdeen, and all performed well, achieving many PBs, several top ten placings and additional success for three of the team by the winning of a medal.

Ten year old Erraid Davies had a tremendous race in her heat of the Girls 10/11 years 100m butterfly, winning it in an excellent time of 1.31.46, a new Shetland Age Group record for 10 year old Girls. However, a girl in the previous heat had swum a fraction faster, placing Erraid in silver position. Her 100m backstroke produced another PB with a 1.30.10 and a 5^th place and a further PB was achieved in the afternoon in the 100m freestyle where she finished 10^th in a time of 1.20.92.

It was in the Boys’12/13 years 100m freestyle that SMASC swimmers James Morris 13, and Scott Riise 12, each gained a medal. The best pals battled it out in adjacent lanes in the fastest heat.  Both gained superb PBs - James with a 1.10.20 came second, closely followed by Scott in a 1.11.36 for third place.

James had earlier broken his 200IM time by 6 seconds with a 2.54.21 and his 100m breaststroke by one second to finish in 6^th place. In the last event of the day, the 100m IM he finished off by successfully gaining a PB of 1.23.71.

Scott also achieved a PB in his breaststroke with a 1.42.64 and was just outside his entry time in backstroke. Swimming in the same age group was Philip Hilditch, 13, who had a most successful meet, producing PBs in all but one race. In his first competition south, he got underway by knocking a massive 10 seconds off his 200m IM  for a 3.04.25 and then a took second off his 100m breaststroke to finish 10^th. In the 100m freestyle he smashed his entry time by 3 seconds with a 1.12.25 to finish 6^th overall. The afternoon session saw him achieving his fourth PB in the 100m backstroke with a time of 1.31.11.

In the Girls 12/13 age group, Vhairi Davies, 12, swam 100m in each stroke, finishing close to entry time in backstroke and fly, but gaining a PB in freestyle with a 1.18.24 and with a 1.44.20 made a very good 4 second improvement in Breaststroke. Cara Steven, 12, swam extremely well in her three races. Two seconds were knocked off her breaststroke for a 1.37.19 and she then lowered her freestyle time by a brilliant 5 seconds with a 1.18.69, and backstroke by over 4 seconds with a 1.29.27. 

In the Girls 14/16 age group, Morven Davies, 14, achieved very good PBs as well. Both her events showed a similar improvement with 3 seconds drop on her entry times for a 1.16.67 in freestyle and 1.34.77 in backstroke.

Kirsty Laurenson, 15, swam every event in the meet. She was within a second of entry time in backstroke, where she came 8th and her 100m IM was also just outside her time. Her highest place was achieved in the 100m freestyle where a time of 1.09.89 was only a 1/100 of a second away from her very recent PB and earned her 5^th place.

South Mainland ASC would like to thank, Mainlands, Freefield Pharmacy and Northlink for their support.

North District Age Group Championships, Inverness, 5/6 March 2011

Four weeks after swimming at Inverness, Donnie and Eddie Price were back in the pool representing South Mainland ASC at the North District Age Group Championships and the brothers had a tremendously successful weekend, producing a dozen PBs each, qualifying for every final and returning with handfuls of medals.

Competing in every event in the programme, Donnie, 14, started off with a superb 12 second PB in the 200m butterfly with a time of 2.24.44 and continued producing PBs one after the other, improving times in all but one event.

His first medal came on Saturday morning by winning the 400m freestyle and an excellent 200m breaststroke in a time of 2.38.32 earned him a silver in the afternoon. The evening session began with the 1500m freestyle, with Donnie winning his age group in a new Shetland Age Group record of 17.09.15.  With little recovery time he then had to cope with three close together finals, where resulting times, all slower than heats, perhaps  demonstrated just what  swimming a 1500m  takes out of a swimmer.

However, after good night’s rest, times were once again on the way down. Firstly, a PB of 1.06.05 in the 100m backstroke, gave him another Shetland Age Group record. This was followed by a bronze medal winning performance in the 200m freestyle. The morning ended with another distance event, the 800m freestyle earning Donnie his hat-trick of golds for the distance freestyle events. The 400 IM in the afternoon then gave Donnie his final medal of the championships with a silver. The evening session rounded off with a further two good swims in the finals bringing his total number of races to a demanding but successful eighteen.

Meanwhile, Eddie, 12, was collecting medals in all but two events giving him an amazing total of 5 silver and 5 bronze. He started off by achieving a Scottish National Age Group consideration time with a 1.05.47 in the 100m freestyle heat and then smashed his 200m breaststroke and 400m freestyle times to take silver in both. During the afternoon, further PBs in the 200m freestyle and 200m backstroke earned him bronzes with his 2.42.88 in backstroke being a Scottish Swimming District Regional Programme (DRP) qualifying time. A further PB came in the 100m breaststroke which he broke again in the evening’s final in a 1.28.86 for another third place.

Sunday continued with an equally impressive set of swims. A whopping great 8 second improvement with a 2.50.27 for the 200m butterfly gave him silver and once again lowered his Shetland Age Group record.  This was followed with a superbly paced 800m freestyle where he broke the 10minutes with a 9.56.20 for second place. The afternoon session produced a 4 seconds PB in the 100m butterfly, achieving  yet another  Scottish Age Group time, but it was in the 400m IM that Eddie had a really stunning swim, knocking a massive 16 seconds off a month old PB – but in a tightly fought race he was just out-touched at the finish for 4^th place. Eddie still hadn’t done enough and faced three further finals in the last session. He proceeded to pick up three more medals. In the 200m IM his 2.43.80 was a bronze and was another time for the DRP. The 100 butterfly resulted in 3^rd place and in his last event of the championships, the 100m backstroke he further lowered his PB set in the heat to a 1.15.98 for silver. 

Eddie’s most remarkable achievement is that he now has consideration times for every event for next month’s Scottish Age Group Championships.