SER Results

Thanet Swim Club gained their highest reward to date in The South East Region ASA 2008 Youth Championships held at the Garrison 50m pool in Aldershot, Hampshire last weekend. The championships tend to be draining from an endurance viewpoint but this year the lack of available 50m pool time meant the championships were crammed into 2 days instead of the usual 3 days and saw the loss of the traditional age group finals in favour of a single open final system, depriving the younger age groups of their showcase finals.

The Seahawks had a squad of 11 swimmers competing at the championships and came up trumps by winning a first ever Silver and 2 Bronze Medals, a further 12 top 10 finishes including making 3 Open Finals, breaking 5 Club Records and recording 3 National Youth Championship qualifying times.

14 year old Charlotte Davies reached the Open Age Finals in two gruelling events, recording a long course (50m pool) time of 2mins 30.18secs in the final of the 200m Individual Medley with a superb display to claim the Bronze Medal in the 14/15 year age group and taking a very creditable 4 th Place in the Open final. This was the third time she has recorded a National Youth Championships qualifying time for the event this season.

In the 200m Butterfly Final, Charlotte recorded a new PB of 2mins 28.78secs to claim 4 th Place in the 14/15 year age group and 5 th place in the Open Final whilst setting a new 13/14 year Club Record. She then made it Double Bronze with a hard earned 3 rd Place to get back on the podium in the tough 400m Individual Medley where her time of 5mins 11.62secs was her second National Youths Qualifying time for the event. In the 100m Butterfly, the endurance factor started to take its toll but she still produced a time of 1min 09.28secs, just 1.19secs outside another National Time to claim 6 th place in the 14/15 year age group to round off an excellent championships for her.

15 year old Lacey Palmer surged into the lead from the start in her heat of the 14/15 year age group 100m Freestyle race and dominated her rivals to produced a new PB of 1min 01.42secs long course, which not only claimed the 15/16 year and Open Age Club Records but also put herself on the podium to claim the Seahawks first ever Silver Medal at the South East Youth Championships. Her only disappointment was missing the National Time by an agonising 0.12secs. In the 100m Backstroke, Lacey recorded 1min 10.07secs to be within 1.21secs of the National mark, claiming 7 th Place and in the 50m Backstroke her time of 33.29 claimed 8 th Place. There was also a new season's PB in the 50m Freestyle where her time of 29.10secs claimed 9th Place with a 12 th Place finish in the 50m Butterfly in 31.91secs.

17 year old Sharnie Clements had a terrific heat in the 50m Breaststroke with her time of 36.83secs landing a place in the Open Final. In a close finish, Sharnie claimed 4 th Place in the 16/17 year age group and the 6 th Place in the Open with her final time of 37.29secs. In the 100m Breaststroke she recorded 1min 21.48secs to claim the 5 th Place in the 16/17 year category. 14 year old Kelly Henson also claimed a 5 th Place finish in the 14/15 year age group in the 800m Freestyle finishing in 9mins 41.79secs.

15 year old Louise Gates also claimed 5 th Place with her's coming in the 14/15 year 50m Breaststroke in 37.25secs, narrowly missing out on the Open final. 15 year old Keiron Piper produced another attacking swim in the 200m Freestyle where his time of 2mins 04.92secs brought him within 1.03secs of the National Youth Championships qualifying time. Another good performance was that of 14 year old Evie Bunte in the 100m Backstroke where her time of 1min 11.33secs was just 1.32secs outside the National qualifying mark. 15 year old Jack Little set a new PB for himself in the 100m Freestyle in 1min 00.29secs and also set a new 15/16 year boys Club Record in the 50m Butterfly in 30.07secs. Another 15 year old, Milly Henson also set a new PB with her's coming in the 50m Butterfly in 32.85secs.

On the relay team front, the top performance went to the Girls 4x100m Freestyle where they started ranked 9 th and clinched a spectacular 5 th Place finish in the 14 to 17 year age group. 14 year old Samantha Woodbridge lead off at a terrific rate and completed the first 100m leg in 1min 02.11secs, recording a National Youths Qualifying Time and setting new Club Records for the 13/14 age groups. Lacey Palmer (15) followed and recorded a blistering 1min 01.17secs to maintain the lead. Louise Gates (15) followed and produced a 1min04.68secs to hand over to Sharnie Clements (17) who came home in 1min 03.23secs to claim the creditable 5 th Place finish, four places higher than their ranking with their time of 4mins 11.19secs.

In the girls 4x100m Medley relay Lacey Palmer lead off on the Backstroke leg recording 1min 10.32secs, Sharnie Clements then set off in the Breaststroke leg where she produced a time of 1min 21.56secs. Charlotte Davies put in a strong Butterfly leg in 1min 09.03secs to hand over to Samantha Woodbridge to complete the Freestyle leg in 1min 01.92secs to claim 7 th Place for the team in 4mins 42.83secs, again rising from their ranking at the start of 8 th Place.

The final relay was the Girls 4x200m Freestyle and the very youthful team gained valuable experience in the adult event. Lead off by 15 year old Louise Gates, a good start was gained with her time of 2mins 17.81secs, 13 year old Libby Henson took on the second leg and came home in 2mins 18.87secs. 14 year old Evie Bunte went next and produced 2min 18.09secs to hand over to Kelly Henson (14) for the final 200m where she came home in 2mins 17.88secs giving the team an overall time of 9mins 12.65secs and claimed a 7 th Place finish.