2011 NT Open & Age Championships / 9 & Under Championships
A team of 9 swimmers travelled to Darwin last week to compete in the NT Open & Age Swimming championships. Overall the team did very well with every swimmer achieving personal best times and many individual medals were won.
Sam Cooper, Ben Cooper and Ben Fuller convincingly won their Age Aggregate Awards and both Ben Cooper and Ben Fuller won many of the “Open” medals.
Ben Fuller swam a National Qualifying time in the 100m freestyle with a time of 56.27 seconds to add to his other event that he will compete in next month in Adelaide at the Australian Age Championships.
Five of our swimmers – Jordan Hickey, Jayce Brown, Sam Cooper, Ben Cooper and Ben Fuller, qualified and will represent the Northern Territory at this year’s Arafura Games in Darwin in May, and Ben, Ben and Sam have also been selected to represent the Northern Territory in Melbourne in August for the Australian School Sport Swimming Championships.
Our only competitor in the Northern Territory 9 & Under Championships – Kirby Patterson-Fahy, also had a great meet, swimming personal best times in each of her three events and only narrowly missed out on medals.
Not a bad performance from a bunch of dedicated swimmers who have had a myriad of coaches so far this season. With the appointment of the YMCA’s new head coach and the opening of the new Indoor Aquatic Centre next month offering year round swimming and continuity of coaching, things can only be looking up for swimming in Alice Springs.
The Alice Springs Swimming Club will be holding a “Come & Try” swim meet on the evening of Friday 1st April. Any one interested in having a go can get further details from the club registrar Sue Van Luenen or one of the other committee members on pool deck weekday afternoons.

Read more...

In December 7 of our swimmers braved the wet season in Darwin to compete in the NT Swimming Long Course Qualifying Meet held on December 11 and 12.

Congratulations to Brad Van Luenen, Alana Fuller, Jayce Brown, Mel Gunner, Melissa Johnson, Stella Taylor and Abbey Brown who finished the Meet with numerous PB’s, NT qualifying times, medals and JX times. They gained invaluable competition experience and displayed great sportsmanship throughout the weekend.

Brad Van Luenen stayed behind for 2 days to work with top coaches in a Development Clinic and returned to the Alice with some great tips for everyone.

Alice Springs Invitational Swimming Carnival

On the weekend swimmers from Alice Springs and Darwin competed in the Alice Springs Invitational Swimming Carnival.

Swimming was of a high standard with the competition between Clubs fierce.

Overall our team swam very well with most swimmer achieving personal best times and many individual medals were won. The Carnival also gave our younger and new swimmers invaluable competition experience.

Some fantastic swims over the weekend included: Stella Taylor who improved over a minute in the Open 400m freestyle and 30 seconds in the Open 800m freestyle; Jayce Brown one minute 20 seconds in the Open 400m freestyle; Jarrod Cross one minute in the Open 200m backstroke; and Anastasia Pannell 33 seconds in the U10 200m Individual Medley.

Age Champions:U7 Taea Patterson-Fahy; U8 Erica Portelli, Callum Saville; U9 Harry Newton; U10 Anastasia Pannell, Corwin Turner; U11 Abbey Brown, Charlie Newton; U13 Brad Van Luenen, Teagan Hancock; U14 Jayce Brown, Stephanie Hanlon; U15 Darcy Kerr; U16 Ben Fuller, Jordy Hickey; 17 and Over: Sarah Cullanane.

Sprint Champion: Ben Fuller; Male Distance Champion: Jarrod Cross; Overall Champion Boy: Jayce Brown; Champion Club: Alice Springs.

Once again our club enjoyed a successful trip to Katherine on the weekend for their annual Birthday Swimming  Carnival. Congratulations to all twenty swimmers who traveled to Katherine to compete, especially ten of our young swimmers, for whom this was their first trip away with the team.  It’s a long trip on the bus and very hot, uncomfortable weather in Katherine at this time of the year, very  different to the conditions we’ve had down here in Alice.

Read more...