Senior Swimming Gala
It was a busy afternoon in the pool on Monday with our Year 5-8 pupils competing in our annual intra-school gala. All children swam two individual events as well as a set relay.
The gala kicked off with the Individual Medley Finals and what a way to start! There were three school records broken in the first four races, a tremendous effort by our finalists! Pupils took part in qualifiers for this event with the fastest four times achieving a place in the final. The winners of this prestigious event were presented with a trophy.
In the U11 girls IM was the first race of the afternoon, with Esme M finishing in 1st place. This race was close and it was great to see all competitors swimming technically very well. The U11 Boys IM began tightly but it didn't take long for Harry M to widen the gap and win the race in an impressive time of 58.88s. Harry now holds the school record for this event, last broken in 2015. Morgan in Year 5 achieved 2nd place with George P finishing 3rd. The next race followed in similar fashion with Bridie taking an early lead with her super butterfly. Georgina (2nd), Emily R (3rd) and Emily S (4th) also really impressed me with their efforts and it was great to see them rise to this challenge. The final IM was the U13 boys and again and incredible performance by Henry H saw him break the school record (which he broke last year) in a time of 57.69s. Harry S, William H and Isaac T showed great determination and although Harry was disqualified for an illegal one handed touch on his breaststroke, he had a great swim finishing with the second fastest time. There were a few disqualifications on the day but this is all part of learning experience and despite the disappointment, we hope that pupils learn from being in an environment where it is okay to make mistakes.
Following the IM's, the programme of events saw pupils compete in a range of strokes over varying distances. Races were extremely competitive and it was a real pleasure to stand back and see so many children swim at the level they did. There will always be a range in ability and experience but every pupil has worked hard to improve and this was evident on Monday. Whether it was swimming a particular distance, tumble turning, diving or using the 5m flags effectively, a number of pupils surprised themselves I think! Isn't it amazing what we can achieve when we put our minds to it?
The set relays brought the gala to a close and it was Blue Set who dominated this year, winning three out of five events. Red Set came 2nd overall and White Set 3rd. It was a great atmosphere and the pupils certainly made it exciting for those spectating! Well done to all competitors, it was lovely to see you all supporting one and other and showing good sportsmanship throughout.
