Pathway to the Top

With no competition last weekend, we return to ‘Pathway to the Top’ where we will focus on the 200m Butterfly.

Although the girl’s record for this event is not the oldest it is certainly one of the oldest and was set by Carole Lewis at Carnegie in December 1985, long before any of the current squad members were born. The time set by Carole was 2 minutes 21.59 seconds.

There is just one swimmer from the current squads in the top 50 and, as reported from round 2 of the East District Age Group Championships, the record could be under serious threat. Erin Taylor’s swim at the Xcite Pool in Bathgate took her to within 2.66 seconds of Carole’s record.

As at 4 March 2022 Erin is currently ranked 4th 17 year old, in Scotland, and is just 2.17 seconds off the top ranking.

For those girls within the current squads, if not your immediate goal, certainly a long term goal will be to enter the top 50, and to do this you will need to beat the time of 3 minutes 17.57 seconds, which was set, at the old Kirkcaldy Pool, by Eilidh Child in February 1998.

Eilidh decided to change sports and is now better known as Eilidh Doyle who went on to represent Great Britain, in track and field, at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and won a bronze medal in the 4x400m relay at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

She also represented Scotland in three Commonwealth Games in the 400m hurdles.

Back to swimming, Eilidh was Scottish Schools Champion twice in the 13/14 age group in the butterfly.

There are two boys, from the current squads, in the top 50 and they are Mark Scott, whose time of 2 minutes 25.69 seconds, again achieved at the 2nd round of the East District Championships, puts Mark in 21st. place in the rankings. A further 2 second PB would move him up a further three places.

The other swimmer in the top 50 is Blair Wardlaw who currently sits in 30th with a time of 2 minutes 55.13 seconds, set at the Fife Leagues in Glenrothes in April 2018, and a 2 second PB would gain just one place.

The current record is held by Callum MacGregor at 2 minutes 14.04 seconds and was set at the FIRST (Falkirk Integrated Regional Swim Team) Open Meet, in April 2014.

For the up and coming boys to move into the top 50 rankings the time to beat is 3 minutes 33.80 seconds, set at Glenrothes in June 2007 by Jamie Ferguson.

Irys Blair would have made the top 50 in the boys ranking following her 3 minutes 33.48 seconds time, recorded at the East District Age Groups, round 2. So, for this event it is harder for the girls to make a top 50 ranking. Big challenge for the boys here.

‘Labore et Scientia’ – through hard work and understanding.