Watford Swimming Club proudly hosted its third meet of the year this past weekend: the Claire Houchin Skills Development Meet, held at Woodside Leisure Centre.

 

The event brought together hundreds of young swimmers from across the region, including clubs from as far afield as Brentwood. Designed as a development meet, entry times were capped to focus on nurturing up-and-coming talent, with many swimmers experiencing their first competition.

 

The atmosphere was fantastic, with swimmers, coaches, and volunteers coming together to deliver a fantastic weekend of racing. A special highlight of the meet was the awarding of ‘speeding tickets’—a recognition given to swimmers who exceed the upper qualifying time for their event.

 

Speeding ticket recipients included:

 

A particularly special mention goes to Noah Carter, who achieved speeding tickets in all six of his events: 100m Freestyle, 100m Breaststroke, 100m Butterfly, 200m Backstroke, 100m Backstroke, and 50m Butterfly.

 

The club was also delighted to welcome back Claire Houchin, after whom the meet is named, to present some of the medals and cheer on the next generation of swimmers.

 

A huge thank you to the many new parents who stepped up to volunteer, helping ensure the gala ran smoothly across the weekend.  A special thank you to some of the older swimmers and parents, without their own swimmers competing, who gave up their time to help out, highlighting the community spirit at the club. A huge thanks also to Ellis David Insurance Brokers for sponsoring the meet. 

 

Well done to all our swimmers for a brilliant weekend of racing and fun.