City of Sunderland ASC 2011 Summer Splash

Hartlepool SC entered twenty four swimmers from their A and B squad’s in the City of Sunderland ASC’s 2011 Summer Splash.  It was held on the 2nd and 3rd of July in Sunderland’s  breath taking Aquatic centre, a 10 lane, 50m Olympic sized swimming pool. 

They competed against a multitude of talented swimmers from all over the North of England and all parts of Scotland.  Hartlepool SC’s gifted young athletes swam magnificently over the two day event and came away with 54 well deserved medals for their efforts.  This included 11 Gold, 16 Silver and 10 Bronze medals along with medals for the 17 top six positions in the 12yrs and younger age groups.  They also managed between them to make almost 70 new Personal Best times.

Two of Hartlepool’s older swimmers managed to get themselves into the skins.  This is a knock out event where the top 10 swimmers of each age group in the 200 IM compete at various pre - selected strokes. The loser of each race drops out until it is whittled down to a single winner.  The last three swimmers in the skins picked up monetary prizes of which Hartlepool swimmers 17yr old Joseph Laybourn and 17yr old Ryan Hepple proudly came in 1st and 3rd. respectively.

Due to the ever increasing numbers of swimmers joining the Hartlepool Swimming Club, they were finally able to enter the team relay events.  This is something that hasn’t happened for several years now and is an undisputable milestone for Hartlepool SC’s indefatigable Head Coach Ian Bullock.  It was an absolute joy as a Hartlepool SC spectator to watch them hold their own against the much, much bigger clubs.  They finished in the top 5 three times and also picked up two 2nd placed Silver medals.  This is a definite indication that Head Coach Ian Bullock is slowly but surely making the Hartlepool SC an all-round competitive swimming club and a force to be reckoned with.

In the Girls 9yrs age group Sophie Walsh swam in the 50m Freestyle making a Personal Best time (PB).  She then picked up a 6th placed medal in the 50m Backstroke.   Tilly Skidmore had two top 10 positions in the 50m Breaststroke and the 200m Freestyle making PB’s in both. She went on to pick up a 5th place medal and a PB in the 50m Freestyle.  Katie Laybourn picked up a 2nd placed Silver medal in the 50m Freestyle.  She went on to make three new PB’s picking up three Silver medals in the 50m Butterfly, the 200m Individual medal and the 200m Freestyle.  Katie’s fired home in the 50m Backstroke event picking up a Gold Medal for her effort.       

In the Girls 10yrs age group Aimee Littler had a top 20 finish in the 50m Butterfly and two top 15 finishes in the 200m Breaststroke and the 100m Butterfly.                Niamh McMorris had two top 20 finishes in the 100m Freestyle and the 200m

Breaststroke with a new PB. She managed three top 15 finishes in the 50m Freestyle, the 50m Breaststroke and the 50m Butterfly with a new PB. In the Boys 10yrs age group Matthew Scott made four top 15 positions in the 200m Freestyle, the 50m Breaststroke with a PB, the 100m Breaststroke with a PB and the 50m Freestyle also with a new PB.  Callum Brackstone had two top 20 finishes in the 50m and the 100m Breaststroke. He went on to make five top 15 positions in the 200m Freestyle, the 50m and the 100m Backstroke, the 50m and the 100m Freestyle making new PB’s in both.  Callum made a top 10 finish in the 200m Backstroke.

In the Girls 11yrs age group Emily Rafferty had a top 20 finish in the 100m Backstroke with a new PB.  She made four top 10 positions in the 50m Backstroke, the 50m Butterfly, the 50m and the 100m Freestyle making PB’s in all four events. Emily went on to pick up three 6th place medals in the 50m the 100m and the 200m Breaststroke making PB’s in all three events.  Beth Turner had two top ten finishes in the 50m Breaststroke and the 50m Backstroke making PB’s in both.  She picked up a 6th placed medal in the 100m Freestyle and five 5th placed medals in the 200m Breaststroke, the 200m Freestyle, the 50m Butterfly with PB, the 50m Freestyle with PB, and the 100m Breaststroke with a PB.  In the Boys 11yrs age group           Callum Brass had a top 10 finish in the 100m Breaststroke, he picked up six medals for his remaining six races which where a 5th place medal in the 200m Butterfly, a 4th placed medal in the 100m Freestyle, a Bronze medal in the 200m Individual Medley, two Silver medals in the 200m Backstroke and the 50m Freestyle with a PB.  Callum topped his weekend off with a well-deserved 1st place Gold Medal in the 50m Backstroke.  Timmy Berry was to pull on his Hartlepool swimming cap for the last time at this weekend’s competition as he was leaving the club to train with his grandfather.  Timmy had two top 15 finishes in the 100m Backstroke and the 100m Freestyle.  He made a top 10 finish in the 200m Individual Medley.  The Timster picked up nine medals from his remaining nine events; two 6th placed medals for the 200m Butterfly and the 50m Backstroke, a 5th place medal for the 100m Butterfly, a 4th place medal in the 50m Butterfly, two 3rd placed Bronze medals in the 200m Freestyle and a 50m Freestyle with a new PB, a 2nd placed Silver Medal in the 50m Breaststroke and two 1st placed Gold medals in the 100m and the 200m Breaststroke events. The Hartlepool Swimming Club would like to thank Timmy for being part of its ‘A’ Squad and good luck whatever you go on to do.

In the Girls 12yr old age group Courtney Syres competed in the 50m Backstroke, the 50m and the 100m Backstroke making PB’s in all three events.  Courtney’s highlight of the weekend came when she picked up a Bronze medal in the 50m Breaststroke.  Nicholl Fitzgerald had six top 15 finishes in the 200m Individual Medley, the 50m and the 100m Freestyle, the 50m Breaststroke, the 50m Butterfly and the 100m Backstroke with a new PB. Nicholl had two top ten finishes in the

 100m Breaststroke and the 50m Backstroke making a new PB.  In the Boys 12yrs age group Arran Boagey had three top 20 finishes in the 50m Freestyle, the 200m Individual Medley and the 100m Freestyle with PB.  He went on to make three top 15 finishes in the 200m Freestyle, the 50m and the 100m Butterfly making personal Best times in both events.

In the Girls 13yrs age group Charlotte Berry competed in the 50m and the 100m Butterfly, the 50m the 100m and the 200m Freestyle events, making PB’s in all three distances, the 50m the 100m and the 200m Breaststroke again making PB’s in all three distances.  Charlotte also made a new personal best time in the 200m Individual Medley.  In the Boys 13yr old age group Callan Torka had a top 10 finish in the 200m Freestyle event.  He made two top 5 finishes in the 50m Breaststroke and the 100m Freestyle events.  Callan went on to pick up four medals from his other four events: a 3rd place Bronze medal in the 50m Freestyle with a new PB, a 2nd place Silver medal in the 50m Butterfly and two 1st place Gold Medals in the 100m and the 200m Butterfly events.

In the 14yr Girls age group Lucy Walsh just missed a top 20 finish in the 50m Freestyle but she did go on to make four top 20 finishes in the 50m Backstroke, the 100m Breaststroke, the 100m Freestyle and the 200m Individual Medley making personal best times in all four races.  Laura Maddison had two top 15 finishes in the 200m Freestyle and the 100m Backstroke with a PB. She made two top 10 finishes in the 50m Backstroke and the 100m Freestyle Laura’s highpoint came when she picked up a 3rd place Bronze medal in the 50m Freestyle event.  In the Boys 14yrs age group Sam McMorris finished in the top 10 four times the 100m Freestyle, the 50m and the 200m Freestyle making PB’s in both distances and the 200m Individual Medley with a new PB.  Sam finished off with three top 5 finishes in the 50m Butterfly, the 100m Butterfly making a new PB and the 200m Butterfly.  Oliver Stoker had a top 15 finish in the 100m Breaststroke and made a new PB.  He managed five top 10 positions in the 50m and the 100m Butterfly making PB’s in both, the 100m Backstroke, the 100m Freestyle and the 50m Breaststroke with a PB.  Two top 5 positions where taken in the 200m Individual Medley and the 200m Freestyle with a new PB.  Oliver finished his competition with two medals: a 3rd place Bronze medal was made in the 50m Freestyle with a new PB and a 2nd place Silver Medal was achieved in the 50m Backstroke along with a new PB. 

In the 16yr Girls age group Sarah Joy had a top 10 position in the 100m Freestyle.  She made three top 5 finishes in the 50m Butterfly, the 200m Individual and the 200m Freestyle with a new PB.  Saz went on to pick up two medals in the competition: a 2nd place Silver medal and a new Personal Best time in the 100m Backstroke and a 1st placed Gold medal and a new PB in the 200m Backstroke.  Heather Richardson, who had competed the day before in the Scottish Nationals Open Championships held in Glasgow, had entered herself in three events.  The 184

Miles she had to travel back from Scotland didn’t affect her performance in the pool.  Heather picked up three medals from her races: a 2nd place Silver medal in the 200m Freestyle and two 1st place Gold medals in the 100m Backstroke and the 100m Breaststroke.

In the 17yrs age group Ryan Hepple had a top 5 finish in the 50m Freestyle. He managed to pick up two 3rd placed Bronze medals in the 100m Freestyle and the 100m Butterfly.  Ryan’s best moment came when he powered his way to finish in 1st place picking up a Gold medal in the 200m Individual Medley.  Joseph Laybourn picked up five medals from his five races.  He took a 3rd place Bronze medal in the 200m Individual Medley and three 2nd placed Silver medals in the 50m Backstroke, the 50m Butterfly with a new PB and the 50m Breaststroke with a new PB.  Joseph went one better when he picked up a 1st place Gold medal in the 200m Butterfly.    

Press release HASC 45 – 19th August 2011
Issued by Marley Jackson, 01642 735303, 01429 428738 or 07817263803