Back row Left to Right – Adam Selbie and Charlotte Wardlaw, front row – Etan Pate, Caleb Gray, Eva Watson, and Irys Blair
Left to Right – Cole Gray, Lilian Blair, Millie Whytock, and Sadie Paton
Missing from the Photos are Abby Morris, Dmitri Tincovan, and Jack Campbell.
Last weekend 20/21 May 2023 was another very satisfactory weekend for Fins’ younger swimmers who competed at the Carnegie Open Age Group Spring Meet, held at the Michael Woods Centre in Glenrothes. The ages ranged from 8 years to 14 years in five age group categories with the 8/9 and 10/11 year olds competing in a double year age group while the 12 to 14 years competed in a single year age group.
The meet attracted a large entry with participating clubs from Fife, Edinburgh, East and West Lothian, the Borders, Perth and Kinross, and Angus
Fins had 13 swimmers competing and they contested a total of 102 swims., 68 of which resulted in PBs. Every swimmer achieved a minimum of two PBs which resulted in the swimmers achieving 14 gold, 5 silver, and 11 bronze medals, plus a further 45 top 10 finishes, and five of the swimmers won at least one gold medal.
However, it was an amazing weekend for one Fins’ swimmer, 11 year old Ethan Pate, swimming in the 10/11 boys age group, had a total of twelve swims and every one resulted in a medal. These were 9 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals.
Ethan won the 50m, 100m and 200m butterfly; 50m, 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle; 200m backstroke; and 100m individual medley. His silver medal came in the 100m backstroke and the two bronze medals in the 50m backstroke and 200m breaststroke. Terrific achievement.
Caleb Gray, 12 years boys, won two gold medals in the 100m and 200m butterfly.
Caleb also won silver, in the 200m Backstroke and bronze in the 400m freestyle. In addition, he finished 4th in the 200m freestyle; 5th in the 200m individual medley; and 8th in the 200m breaststroke.
Lilian Blair, 10/11 years girls, won gold in the 50m breaststroke and three bronze medals in the 50m butterfly, 50m backstroke, and the 200m breaststroke. Lilian also finished 4th in the 50m freestyle; 5th in the 100m freestyle and 10th in the 200m freestyle.
Irys Blair, 13 girls, won gold in the 200m individual medley. She also won 2 bronze medals in the 50m backstroke and 100m butterfly. Irys’ remaining swims saw her finish 4th in the 50m butterfly; 5th in the 50m breaststroke and the 100m backstroke; 7th in the 100m breaststroke and 10th in the 100m freestyle.
The remaining winner was Eva Watson, 10/11 girls, who won gold in the 200m butterfly; and a bronze in the 100m butterfly. Eva’s other swims saw her finish in 4th place in the 400m freestyle; 5th in the 100m backstroke, 200m breaststroke and 200m individual medley. She also finished 8th in the 50m backstroke and 200m freestyle; 9th in the 50m butterfly; 10th in the 50m and 100m freestyle, and the 100m individual medley; 11th in the 100m breaststroke; and 14th in the 50m breaststroke.
The remaining medallist was Adam Selbie, 13 boys, who won three silver medals in the 200m backstroke and the 100m and 200m breaststroke, plus two bronze medals in the 50m backstroke and 100m individual medley. Adam just missed out on a further six medals finishing in 4th place in the 50m breaststroke, 100m backstroke, 100m and 200m butterfly, 100m freestyle, and 200m individual medley. Adam also finished 5th in the 50m butterfly.
In terms of overall performance, and despite the top age being 14 there was still movement in the Fins’ all-time top 50 rankings, two entries and one improvement, and they were all achieved by Adam.
The top performance was Adam’s improvement from 42nd to 37th in the 200m butterfly. This was achieved with a 6.20 second PB. Adam’s top entry position was in 48th place and that came in the 200m breaststroke where he recorded the largest Fins PB of the weekend, a 57.21 second improvement from the time he set at the same meet last year. Leaving the top 50 rankings in this event is Callum Smith who set his time at the INCAS Distance meet in May 2012.This means the time now required for entry is now 2 minutes 57.71 seconds.
Adam’s other entry is in 50th place in the 100m individual medley this time with a 7.25 second PB and replaces Stuart Lee who set his time at Dundee in November 1993, and the new entry time is Adam’s new time of 1 minute 13.26 seconds.
Adam also came very close to two further entries in the 200m backstroke where he was just short by 0.54 seconds, despite a 6.46 second PB, and the 50m backstroke where he missed out by 0.66 seconds. His PB on this occasion was 2.23 seconds.
Other PBs worthy of note came from:
Abby Morris, reducing her 100m individual medley time by 22.87 seconds.
Ethan Pate, reducing his 200m breaststroke time by 13.38 seconds, and 6.00 seconds off his 200m backstroke
Sadie Paton, who took 7.44 seconds off her 100m backstroke time
Millie Whytock, who reduced her 100m backstroke time by 5.65 seconds, and
Lilian Blair, who took 5.55 seconds off her 200m freestyle.
The result of the remaining swimmers, are:
Charlotte Wardlaw, 14 girls, 5th in both the 100m and 200m breaststroke; 6th in both the 50m freestyle and 50m backstroke; 8th – 50m breaststroke; 10th in both the 100m freestyle and 200m individual medley; and 11th – 200m freestyle.
Millie Whytock, 10/11 girls, but 10 years of age, 5th – 50m backstroke; 6th – 100m backstroke; 15th – 50m freestyle; and 17th – 100m freestyle.
Dmitri Tincovan, 12 boys, 5th – 100m breaststroke; 7th – 50m freestyle; 8th – 50m breaststroke; 9th – 50m butterfly; and 13th – 100m freestyle
Jack Campbell, 10/11 boys, 9th in both the 100m freestyle and 200m backstroke; 11th in both the 100m backstroke and 200m freestyle; 12th in both the 50m freestyle and 100m individual medley; and 21st – 50m backstroke.
Cole Gray, 10/11 boys, but10 years of age, 9th in both the 50m butterfly and 100m breaststroke; 11th – 50m freestyle; 14th – 200m freestyle; and 16th in both the 100m backstroke and 100m individual medley.
Abby Morris, 14 girls, 11th – 100m breaststroke; 13th – 50m backstroke; 16th in the 50m breaststroke, 100m individual medley, and 200m freestyle; and 17th – 100m freestyle.
Sadie Paton, 10/11 girls, but10 years of age, 20th – 50m breaststroke; 21st – 100m breaststroke; and 27th in both the 50m freestyle and 100m backstroke.
In addition to the individual swims, two relay teams competed in a 4 x 50m mixed freestyle relay. The 8 to 11 years team of Lilian, Cole, Eva, and Ethan finished 2nd, while the 12 to 14 team of Irys, Charlotte, Caleb, and Adam were 10th.
Ken White
Club Press Officer