ESSA National Relay Finals 2019, Year 5 & Year 6, Ponds Forge

Having qualified for the ESSA Nationals in the Spring Term, our U11 team travelled to Ponds Forge on Saturday to compete in both the 4x25m Freestyle and 4x25m Medley relay.  The team was made up of Captain, Harry M, Aurora F, Helena F, William B and Annabel S.  We arrived ready for our designated warm up time where we had the opportunity to prepare physically for the race, and familiarise ourselves with the the starting blocks and so on.  Following this, the team had lunch and then returned to poolside ready for their first heat.  Each event had a minimum of three heats so competition was extremely tough, with some of the best swimmers across the length and breadth of the country!  St Hugh's performed well in both heats, but missed out on the A finals despite a good performance.  In both events, we qualified for the B Finals and the team were pleased to be able to swim again.  A huge well done to all five competitors who showed great composure as they stepped up on to the blocks - quite a daunting prospect at the age of 10/11 in such a big venue!  The team will receive their swimming badge at the end of term for competing at a national level.  A huge thank you to Miss Ward and the parents for their support on the day.