Four Fins’ swimmers qualified to compete at the Scottish National Short Course Championships, held at the Royal Commonwealth Pool from last Friday morning through to Sunday evening. The meet attracted a very large contingents from south of the border and further afield.

An unfortunate feature of the meet was that PBs were difficult to achieve, and this not only applied to Fins swimmers but all swimmers taking part, where only about 35% of the swims resulted in an improvement.

However, one Fins’ swimmer stood out, and that was 14 year old Erin Taylor who manged to qualify, through her heat swim, for the ‘B’ Final of the Women’s 400m Individual Medley, in 5th place, (13th overall) and 7th Scot. Erin’s heat time was just outside her PB by 0.66 seconds. In the final she recorded a time of 5 minutes 3.45 seconds giving her a PB of 2.08 seconds and a 3rd place finish. This was 11th overall but still 7th Scot. The event was won by double World, European and Commonwealth Games Champion, 30 year old Hannah Miley, of the University of Aberdeen Performance Team.

Although she didn’t manage to qualify for a final 15 year old Neža Dolenc Luznar recorded a 0.09 second PB in her 200m Freestyle and was just 0.03 seconds outside her PB in the 50m Freestyle.

The remaining two swimmers who didn’t quite make a PB were 17 year old Theo Goodfellow and 17 year old Nicole Reynolds.

Another Fins’ member, who trains with Fins at weekends but who swam for the   University of Stirling at the Championships was 20 year old Kyle Pate who recorded two PBs reducing his 100m Individual Medley by 0.04 seconds, to gain 6th place in the ‘B’ Final; and his 50m Backstroke by 0.24 seconds, to gain 8th place in the ‘B’ Final.

The previous Saturday 26 Fins’ swimmers competed , at the Michael Woods Centre, Glenrothes. Seventeen swimmers in the Fife Championships and nine, relatively inexperienced swimmers, in the Geordie Wotherspoon Trophy.

Unlike the National Championships the swimmers in the Fife Championships only had the four 50m events in the individual strokes plus a 100m Individual Medley. The 17 swimmers had a successful day gaining 7 championships Titles, 12 silver and 7 bronze medals plus a further 30 top 10 placings from a total of 71 swims. They also recorded some very good personal best performances with the top improvements coming from Heidi Mellon, 12/13 girls, who reduced her 100m Individual Medley by 6.43 seconds; Ailsa Burns, 14/15 girls who reduced her 50m Butterfly by 5.09 seconds; and Grace Wilson who reduced her 100m Individual medley by 4.75 seconds and her 50m Butterfly by 4.55 seconds.

The results were:

Esme Lee, 12/13 girls, gold in Backstroke and Butterfly; silver in Breaststroke and Individual Medley; bronze in Freestyle.

Kristin Mackay, 11/under girls, gold in Butterfly and Individual Medley; silver in Backstroke and Breaststroke; 5th – Freestyle.

Both Esme and Kristin won the overall best girls awards in their respective age groups making them the Fife Age Group Champions.

Theo Goodfellow, 16/over boys, gold in Breaststroke and Individual Medley; 4th – Butterfly; 5th in Backstroke and Freestyle.

Nicole Reynolds, 16/over girls, gold in Breaststroke; bronze in Butterfly and Individual Medley; 5th in Backstroke and Freestyle.

Mark Scott, 12/13 boys, silver in ALL five events.

Erin Taylor, 14/15 girls, silver in Breaststroke and Individual Medley; 4th – Butterfly; 6th in Backstroke and Freestyle.

Blair Wardlaw, 14/15 boys, silver – Backstroke; 6th – Butterfly; 7th – Freestyle; 9th – Individual Medley.

Ben Lewis, 14/15 boys, bronze in the Backstroke, Butterfly, and Freestyle; 4th – Individual Medley; 7th – Breaststroke.

Erin O’Connor, 16/over girls, bronze – Backstroke; 4th – Freestyle

Euan Pate, 16/over boys, 4th – Individual Medley; 5th in the Butterfly; and Breaststroke; 8th in the Backstroke and Freestyle.

Neža Dolenc Luznar, 14/15 girls, 5th – Freestyle; 6th in the Butterfly and Individual Medley; 9th in the Backstroke and Breaststroke.

Kimberley McCabe, 16/over girls, 6th – Breaststroke; 7th – Butterfly; 9th in the Backstroke and Individual Medley.

Steven Pate, 12/13 boys, 7th – Breaststroke.

The remaining swimmer, not yet mentioned was Ana Doherty, 12/13 girls, who, although not quite making a top 10 placing, recorded three good PBs.

There were 9 swimmers in the Geordie Wotherspoon Trophy event and again there were some very good PBs, the top two coming from Adam Selbie, 9/under boys, who reduced his 25m Breaststroke by 3.34 seconds, and Ava Reid, 9/under girls, who reduced her 25m Freestyle by 2.63 seconds.

The placings were:

Adam Selbie, 2nd – 25m Breaststroke.

Irys Blair, 9/U girls, 3rd – 25m Backstroke

Ethan Pate, 9/U boys, 3rd – 25m Freestyle

Ava Reid, 6th – 25m Freestyle

Connor Winton, 9/U boys, 6th – 25m Butterfly

Arran McKinlay, 10/12 boys, 8th – 50m Freestyle

Callan McComskie, 10/12 boys, 9th – 50m Breaststroke

Charlotte Wardlaw, 10/12 girls, 10th – 50m Backstroke

Sophie Young, 10/12 girls, 10th – 50m Breaststroke