Eight Fins’ swimmers got their short course season started by competing in the Dunedin Challenge, held at the Xcite Centre in Bathgate, and although they had just one week’s training since the summer break they still managed to have a successful day.
The swimmers had a total of 38 swims, recording 28 PBs, 74% improvement rate, which is very acceptable with 32 of the swims achieving a top 10 finish and include 17 gold, 5 silver and 1 bronze medal.
There were three improvements in the Fins all-time to 50 rankings plus two new entries and they all came from fins top swimmer at the meet, Millie Whytock, 12 years female. Millie won a total of 8 gold and one silver medal. They cam in the 50m and 100m butterfly;, 50m and 100m backstroke; 50m and 100m freestyle; and 200m individual medley, which were all gold, and the silver medal was in the 100m breaststroke.
Millie’s highest position and largest move was achieved in the 50m butterfly where a 0.61 second PB was enough to move her from 34th place to 24th. Her other two moves were from 45th place to 36th, with a 1.20 second PB in her 100m backstroke, and from 44th to 38th, with a 0.64 second PB in her 100m butterfly.
Millie’s highest entry position, which was probably her best swim of the day, was 37th place in the 100m freestyle with a 4.22 second PB. This means that Angela Bathgate drops out of the top 50. She set her time at Glenrothes in October 1995. The time now required to enter the rankings is 1 minute 6.10 seconds.
Millie’s other entry is in 49th place in the 200m individual medley which she achieved with a 0.16 second PB. This time we lose Claire Edwards
from the rankings, who set her time at Glenrothes in August 1995. The time now required for entry is 2 minutes 43.28 seconds.
The swimmer with the next highest number of gold medals was Jack Campbell,13 years male, who won 5 gold medals and a silver. Jack won the 100m and 200m individual medley, 50m and 100m butterfly, and 100m backstroke. His silver medal was in 50m freestyle.
Jack’s top PB was 1.58 seconds in his 100m individual medley.
With four gold medals and two silver medals was Cole Gray, 12 years male, his four gold medals won in the 200m individual medley, the 100m freestyle, the 100m backstroke, and the 100m butterfly, while his silver medals were achieved in the 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle.
Cole’s top PB was 3.39 seconds in his 100m butterfly.
The remaining medal was Sadie Paton, 13 years female, with a silver medal in her 50m backstroke and a bronze in her 50m breaststroke. Sadie was also 4th in the 50m and 100m butterfly, and the 100m freestyle, and 6th in both the 50m and 100m freestyle.
Sadie recorded the 3rd highest PB, by a Fins’ swimmer of 5.08 seconds in her 100m butterfly.
Summer Ramshaw, 13 years female, was 5th in the 50m breaststroke and 11th in the 100m freestyle.
Summer’s top PB was 1.60 seconds in the 50m breaststroke.
Leyton Neilson, 12 years male, was 6th in both the 50m freestyle and 100m breaststroke, and was 8th in the 100m freestyle.
Leyton recorded Fins’ largest PB of 9.60 seconds in his 100m breaststroke.
Chelsea Walker, 12 years female, was 9th in the 100m breaststroke, 12th in the 100m individual medley, 13th in the 100m backstroke, and 16th in the 100m freestyle.
Chesea’s top PB was a 2.82 seconds improvement in her 100m backstroke.
Although she did not quite make a top 10 finish Eilidh Needham, 11 years female, finished 11th in her 50m breaststroke and 14th in he 100m freestyle.
Eilidh also recorded 2nd largest PB by reducing her 50m breaststroke time by 8.32.
A very successful day considering it was the first competition after the summer break and good to see that all swimmers managed to achieve at least one PB.