January Level 3 Gala
On the weekend of January 22nd and 23rd Rotherham Metro held their 1st level 3 open meet of the New Year, which attracted swimmers from 33 clubs from all over the UK. This is a long course meet and involves many swimmers from top level to younger swimmers attempting to gain times to enter their respective regional championships. There are three categories that the swimmer can achieve, A grade, B grade and a speeding ticket that means the swimmer has swum faster than the cut off time. Over the weekend a total of 160 speeding tickets and medals of various grades and colours were won by Rotherham Metro swimmers.
Boys Competition
There was a very fierce rivalry between all the Rotherham swimmers to see who could claim the most speeding tickets over the weekend and leading the way in the 15 and over boy’s competition was Seventeen year old Aaron Waterhouse who claimed a very impressive six speeding tickets in 50,100, 200 Fly and Freestyle events followed by Gold in the 50 Breaststroke and also a Bronze medal in the 50 Backstroke. Also in the 15 and over category Tom Nelson (19) gained speeding tickets in 5 events which were 50, 100, 200 Backstroke 50, 100 Freestyle and a Gold medal in the 100 Freestyle. Matthew Sotheran (14) yet again amassed a fine tally of speeding tickets and medals which consisted of speeding tickets in the 50,100, and 200 Freestyle, 100 Fly and 200 Backstroke and followed this up with Gold in the 100 backstroke, Silver in the 100 Breaststroke and Bronze in the 200 Breaststroke. Eighteen year-old Simon Worne managed four speeding tickets in the 50 Fly, Breaststroke and Freestyle and also 100 Breaststroke with Gold medals in the 100 Freestyle and 200 Breaststroke followed by a Silver in the 200 Freestyle. The up and coming talent which is thirteen year-old George Russell managed four speeding tickets in the 50, 100,200 Fly and 200 Freestyle and added to his tally with Gold in the 50 Freestyle, Silver’s in the 50 and 100 freestyle and also 50 Breaststroke. Sixteen year-old Adam Parkes gained speeding tickets in the 50 Freestyle, Backstroke and 100 Freestyle and also Gold in the 200 Backstroke, Silver’s in the 50,100 Fly and a Bronze in the 100 Backstroke. Eleven year –old Connor Neal was in outstanding form gaining speeding tickets in the 200 Breaststroke and Freestyle and Gold medals in the 50 Fly and Breaststroke. Robert Pearson (12) claimed a speeding ticket in the 50 Backstroke, Gold in the 100 Backstroke with Bronze medals in the 50 Freestyle and 200 Backstroke followed by a B grade Silver medal in the 50 Breaststroke. Another younger swimmer gaining a speeding ticket was Benjamin Cliffe in the 50 Freestyle followed by Gold in the 200 Freestyle and Bronze medals in the 100 and 200 Breaststroke with a B grade Silver in the 50 Breaststroke. Twelve year-old Josh Hillman claimed Gold in the 200 Backstroke with Silvers in the 50 and 100 Backstroke and Bronze in the 200 Breaststroke and a B grade Gold in the 100 Fly. A very talented nine year-old Jack Whithurst claimed Gold in the 200 Freestyle, Silver in the 200 Backstroke and Bronze’s in the 200 Breaststroke and 50 Freestyle. James Shiel (15) won Gold in the 50 Fly Silver in the 100 Freestyle and Bronze in the 200 Fly also 15 Josh Whitehurst claimed Silver’s in the 50 and 100 Breaststroke and Bronze in the 50 Fly also 15 Thomas Gibbons won a bronze medal in the 200 Freestyle. Eleven year-old Jack McGann won Silver in the 200 Freestyle and B grade Gold in the 50 Fly followed by B grade Bronze in the 50 Breaststroke. Devin Kellett (11) won a B grade Gold in the 50 Freestyle and B grade Bronze in the 200 Backstroke, another eleven year-old winning B grade Gold in the 200 Fly was Owen Lawrence who followed this up with B grade Silver in the 100 Fly. Samuel Pearson (14) scored a hat-trick of B grade silver’s in the 50 Breaststroke and Fly and 100 Breaststroke also 14 James Newton gained B grade bronze medals in the 50 Backstroke and 200 Freestyle. William Bailey (15) claimed a B grade Silver in the 50 Fly and also claiming B grade Silvers were Thomas Hesling in the 50 Freestyle and Alex Forth ( 13) in the 50 Freestyle and winning a B grade Bronze medal in the 100 Backstroke was Eleven year-old Brodie Benson.
Girls Competition
Leading the way in the girl’s competition once again was sixteen year-old Charlotte Pearson who gained a magnificent six speeding tickets out of six events which were 50 Fly, 100 Fly, 200 Fly, 50 Free, 100 Free and 200 Free. Ten year-old Abbie Ackroud was in outstanding form as she gained a hat trick of speeding tickets in the 50,100 and 200 Breaststroke. Twelve year-old Holly Sotheran gained two speeding tickets in the 200 Fly and Freestyle and followed this up with Silver medals in the 50 and 100 Fly. Fourteen year-old Emily Shone was also in fine form claiming a speeding ticket in the 50 Backstroke and four Gold medals in the 50’s Freestyle and Breaststroke and also the 100 and 200 Backstroke and to add to this tally she also gained Silver in the 100 Breaststroke and Bronze medals in the 100 Freestyle and 200 Breaststroke. Another fourteen year-old having a very productive weekend was Jessica Bushby who gained a speeding ticket in a very fast 200 Free and Silver’s in the 100 Fly and Freestyle and 200 Backstroke and to finish off a Bronze medal in the 50 Fly. Up and coming talent Rebecca Finnie (11) gained a speeding ticket in the 50 Freestyle and Silver medals in the 50 and 100 Fly and also a hat-trick of Bronze medals in the 100, 200 Freestyle and. 50 Back. Ten year-old Rebecca Durn (10) produced an outstanding performance in the 200 Backstroke to gain a speeding ticket and also claimed a Silver medal in the 100 Backstroke. Twelve year-old Alice Aucott was another young swimmer in outstanding form claiming a hat trick of Gold medals in the 50 and 200 Freestyle and 100 Breaststroke. Bethany Woodcock (13) won Gold medals in the 100 and 200 Freestyle and also a Silver medal in the 100 fly and Bronze in the 50 Fly finally following this up with a B grade Bronze in the 50 Breaststroke. Nine year –old Debbie Cocking produced a fantastic swim to take the Gold medal in the 200 Breaststroke in a very close race and also taking a bronze medal in the 200 Backstroke. Fourteen year-old Kelsey Longden was just piped to the Gold medal by one hundredth of a second in the 200 Fly thus gaining the Silver medal, however she also won Silver in the 100 Backstroke and Bronze medals in the 100 Fly and 200 Freestyle. Abbie Hull (12) won Silver in the 200 Backstroke and Bronze’s in the 50 and 100 Backstroke and also a Gold medal in the B grade 100 Fly also taking a B grade gold medal was Ruth Brown (14) in the 50 Freestyle. Nine year-old Kenyon Kellet gained Silver in the 200 Backstroke and a Bronze in the 50 Backstroke; also nine Kayley Britten gained a Bronze medal in the 50 Fly, Kayley’s older sister Rebecca gained B grade’s Gold and Silver in the 200 Backstroke and Freestyle respectively. Eleven year-old Rebecca Bamber gained a B grade Gold in the 200 Freestyle and followed this with B grade Bronze in the 100 Fly. Fiona Connell (13) swimming the 200 Fly for the first time gained a B grade Gold and followed this up with a hat-trick of B grade Bronze medals in the 100 Fly and Back and also the 200 Freestyle. Lucy Fenwick (10) gained a B grade Silver medal in the 200 Breaststroke, gaining B grade Bronze medals were Sophie Jones (13) 50 Fly, Katie Pollard (11) 100 Freestyle, Lyn Shackshaft (14) 50 and 200 Breaststroke and Laura Gillott (14) 200 Backstroke.
Other swimmers competing were:
Hannah Dannatt , Alicia Hartley, Caitlin Wallis, Shannon Rickett, Shannon Eades, Nicole Clarke, Chloe Pollard, Andrew Bishop, Joel Mitchell, Luke Hamstead, Eleanor Coleman, Holly Fenwick, Heather Wellings and Shannon Sutton.