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.
Individual Medal Winners
Ben Fuller : Gold – Open 50m back, 100m back, 200m back, 15yrs 100m free, 100m breast, 100m fly, 100m back, 200m free, 200m IM Silver – Open 50m free, 50m fly, 100m fly, 200m IM Bronze – Open 50m breast, 100m breast, 200m free
Ben Cooper : Gold – Open 400m free, 1500m free, 14yrs 100m free, 100m back, 100m fly, 100m breast, 200m free, 200m IM Silver – Open 200m free, 200m fly Bronze – Open 50m fly, 100m fly, 100m back, 200m IM
Sam Cooper : Gold – 11yrs 100m fly, 100m breast, 200m free, 200m IM Silver – 11yrs 100m free Bronze – 11yrs 100m back
Jayce Brown : Silver – 13yrs 100m breast, 200m IM Bronze – 13yrs 100m back, 100m fly
Brad Van Luenen : Bronze - 13yrs 200m free
Jordan Hickey : Silver – 16yrs 100m breast
Abbey Brown : Silver – 10yrs 200m IM, 100m breast Bronze – 10yrs 200m free, 100m free
Men Open 4 x 100m free relay – Bronze (Ben Fuller, Ben Cooper, Brad Van Luenen, Sam Cooper