Swimmers Eager to Race

Swimmers again flexed their muscles at the West Coast Swimming Club’s most recent Point Score Event held on the 19th of October at the Port Lincoln Leisure Centre. Preparations are now in full swing for the summer racing season with swimmers having registered to compete at events in Roxby Downs, Crystal Brook and Port Augusta over the coming month. These are crucial events to chart competitors’progress towards qualification for the 2013 Country Swimming Championships, State and National Championships; all of which require official qualifying times to be achieved some months prior to the event. 

Swimmers of the month were also awarded for September and October with congratulations to Ellie McInerney and Coen George (September) and Chris Bawden and Issy Scott (October). All of these swimmers have shown a dedication to attending and participating to their fullest during training sessions – respecting and rising to the challenges that their coaches have presented them with. The West Coast Swimming Club would like to acknowledge the support of McDonalds Port Lincoln for providing these incentive prizes.

 Stand out performances from point score firstly go to Henry Nelligan who swam an incredible 50m butterfly event to finish in 58.53 seconds – a massive improvement of 12.47 seconds on the last time he competed in the same race, and breaking the prized minute marker over this distance. Asha Edwards posted some amazing improvements in all 4 of the 50m events – one up to 20 seconds faster than previously recorded.  She recorded the fastest time of the 11 year old female competitors in the backstroke (48.76). A wickedly fast swim from Yemaya Coleman – Smith in the 50 freestyle (36.13) saw her celebrating a new personal best with further
improvements expected prior to the Country Championships. There is the potential for Yemaya to start edging towards the current South Australian Country Record for this event which is set at 32.78 seconds – only 3.35 seconds away. Jade Calverly was similarly very excited following her 50m backstroke swim with a 4 second personal best, edging her ever closer to going down under the minute mark over this distance (1.03.60). As a member of the Australian Youth Development Team for the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Jade is currently chasing a world ranking over a number of events. Racing against multiclass swimmers of the same classification
internationally her time in this event currently has her ranked 9th . Breaking the minute mark could see her make a Paralympic final and down under 50 seconds in possible medal contention.


Brooke Traeger is continuing to build fitness and held a great time over the 100m freestyle of 1.08.62. Xanthia Clark is clocking up plenty of pool miles and recorded a great improvement in all of her 50 m events – particularly her 50m freestyle (39.65) and 50m butterfly (53.00). Unstoppable Harrison Adams also blitzed the pool again in the 100m freestyle recording a time of 1.29.44 – as a 10 year old he will now be working on shaving off another 6 seconds to swim under the qualifying time of 1.22.81 set for the 11 and under age group at the Country Championships. Max Lambert swam an impressive butterfly race recording a personal best
of 44.49 narrowly being beaten by the butterfly master Coen George (43.01). In fact all of our senior swimmers posted improvements which is just the motivation needed as they prepare to race in Roxby Downs, Crystal Brook and Port Augusta. Henry Lambert topped the 50m freestylers in an electric time of 27.47 seconds.
The 14 year old current South Australian Country Male record is held by fellow West Coast Swimmer Levi Proude – set in Broken Hill (27.18) and Henry could give this record a real shake up in his next competition. To finish the evenings racing the 200m individual medley event was offered with Kellie Dennis, Victoria  Henderson and Yemaya Coleman – Smith all to be congratulated for competing over this distance for the first time.

 The West Coast Swimming Club has also named their club captains for the 2012 / 2013 season. Congratulations to male co-captains Henry Lambert and Luke Andrews and female leaders Brooke Traeger
(Captain) and Annabelle Nelligan (Vice-Captain). The club would also like to extend its thanks to other community users of the Port Lincoln Leisure Centre who have taken the time to share how important the availability of a community pool is to the maintenance of their health, well-being and sense of personal
pride in their fitness.

Link to Point Score Results and Improvements