In the news

Everyone is now settling into the new pool timetable and training hard. With the competition calendar in full swing, January has been busy and eventful month.

Tudor League

On Saturday 18^th January our team of swimmers headed to The Spa at Beckenham for the first round of this year’s Tudor league. 2025 is the league’s 50^th anniversary and there are special individual awards up for grabs in each round. In round one the awards were for the winners of individual races in the 10 & under category, two of our swimmers Miranda and Alex bagged a nice trophy each for winning their 50m backstroke events. The team had a total of thirteen 1^st places and finished the evening in third, just behind Tonbridge and Bexley. Round two is back at The Spa on Saturday 15^th February.

Kent County Championships

This year’s county championship kicked off with the 800m freestyle at K2 Crawley on the Saturday 11^th January, with two of our swimmers in action, Andrew and Caitlin. Even though there was trouble with the boon, which delayed the start and meant it had to be swum short course, they both swam well setting new pb’s, finishing 8^th in their respective age groups.

The championships then moved to the London Aquatics Centre in Stratford for two weekends. We had thirty-six swimmers qualifying for this part of the championships across a hundred and forty-four individual events, with nine of those swimmers’ securing acceptances for the first time.

The team had a great championship, with Daisy winning a fabulous bronze medal in the splash and dash 50m freestyle event. A total of twelve swimmers made an amazing thirty-eight individual finals, with more pb’s from our swimmers than we can count.  Two of our swimmers were involved in nail biting swim offs for a place in the final, after finishing the heats with an identical time with another competitor in 10^th spot.  Andrew had to race 50m breast, winning his swim off to secure his spot in the final.  Sadly, Maria was just pipped in her 50m fly swim, narrowly missing out on a spot in the final. Well done to all our county qualifiers we are extremely proud of you.

Of course, we extend a huge thank you to our team managers and officials who generously gave up their weekends to ensure our swimmers could compete throughout these championships. We truly couldn’t do this without you. And finally, a huge thank you must go to our incredible coaches, whose dedication and support throughout the championships has been invaluable. The success and progress of our swimmers is a testament to their unwavering commitment and enthusiasm for the sport.

Finalists Results

Aaron - 100m Back 10^th, 50m Back 7^th, 50m Free 8^th.

Alice - 100m Breast 10^th, 200m Breast 9^th.

Andrew - 800m Free 8^th, 50m Breast 7^th, 100m Free 7^th, 200m Free 9^th, 200m Breast 4^th.

Caitlin - 800m Free 8^th.

Daisy - 50m Breast 10^th, 100m Free 9^th, 50m Free 3^rd.

Ellie - 100m Back 8^th, 100m Fly 9^th, 50m Fly 5^th.

Hana – 200m Fly 7^th.

Hannah – 200m Back 7^th.

Liza - 200m IM 10^th, 100m Back 4^th, 50m Back 7^th, 100m Fly 8^th, 100m Free 7^th, 200m Free 8^th, 50m Free 9^th.

Lucas – 100m Breast 9^th, 50m Breast 10^th, 50m Back 7^th, 200m IM 10^th, 100m Free 9^th, 50m Free 6^th.

Maria – 200m Fly 9^th.

Miranda – 100m Breast 6^th, 50m Breast 4^th, 100m Fly 7^th, 200m Breast 6^th.

Shekinah – 50m Breast 8^th, 50m Fly 6^th, 50m Free 7^th.

Referee Training

Mark Bond begins his training to become a qualified referee in February. This is a significant commitment, as the year-long course involves extensive pool hours and exams. Once qualified, his expertise will be a tremendous asset to the club. Good luck Mark, we wish you all the best over the next year.

If any parents are interested in learning about how to become a swimming technical official (people in white poolside) please email our volunteer coordinator Jo [email protected]. She will be more than happy support you through the process.