This weekend saw the last weekend of the County Champs, and wasn’t it a long one! Due to some events having to be cancelled last weekend, it meant that they had to be re-organised into Saturdays schedule, meaning a very long (and slightly confusing!) programme of events. That, along with a fire alarm (and Jake Spicer being one of the lucky selected few to be wrapped up in silver foil! 
) really didn’t bode well for a quick gala, but despite this, there were some really great swims!
The boys started off with the 50m BK. Blake Russell was first up, swimming the event for the first time and beating his entry time by a second! Jake Spicer was up next with another great swim and getting a 1second PB! I think it was somewhere around now that we were rudely interrupted by a fire alarm and all herded outside! Poor old Jake was still in his swimming trunks, and the cause of the fire alarm…..a hair dryer was left on!!! With all that ‘excitement’ out the way, CAtherine McGeown swam next, finishing off her first County Champs experience with the 400m FC. Catherine did another great job, pushing herself all the way, breaking the 6minute mark in her first ever 400m race, and also winning her age group, getting herself another medal! MAtt Wright then swam in the 100m BK final that had been cancelled from the week previous. Matt did a great job, getting 2nd place overall, and missing his Midlands time by just 0.5seconds! Jake swam the 400 IM (again!! Jake swam this event last week, but the following heats were cancelled, so he had to swim again this weekend), but good job he did, as this time he achieved his Midlands time! This swim got him 2nd place in his age group and a 46second (!!!!!) PB! To finish this session off (yes this is still the first session!!) was the boys 50m FC. Oliver Adkin was competing in his first ever County Championships swim, but the long wait didn’t phase him, and Oliver got a 2 second PB! Well done Oliver! Blake was next, another great swim and 3 second PB and a 10th place in his age group! Jake then swam in his 3rd swim of the afternoon, with a 2 second PB and 8th in his age group!Mark Crook Rumsey concluded the first session in fine style, bringing his 50m FC time down to 25seconds! Taking another 0.5 seconds off his PB, Mark came 6th in his age group and achieved yet another Midlands time!
Finally the evening session was upon us, although delayed. The events were reversed, so it was the girls time for their sprints. Daniella Freestone kick started the session with her debut performance in the County Championships. Daniella did a great job swimming the event for the first time! Sophie Tupper followed, also swimming the event for the first time! Well done girls! Eleanor Hopewell finished off the event on top form, with a 2 second PB, and a 10th place in her age group! Jake Spicer (who had a very long day!) finished off his swims with a 400m FC. In a great race, JAke took 30seconds off his PB, and achieve another Midlands time! Jake now already has 3 Midlands time, and is close on a number of others. Bearing in mind this time last year he was yet to qualify, just goes to show the hard work Jake has been putting into his swimming! Well done Jake! He came 5th in his age group in this event. The day was rounded off with the 50m FC. Daniella was back in action, smashing her entry time by 3 seconds. Natasha McLoughlin followed, taking a second off her entry time! NExt up was Beth Tomlinson with a 2 second PB! Sophie Tupper followed with a 4 second PB! Demi Exon had an equally good performance with a 3 second PB, and Eleanor finished the day also with a 2second PB!
The swimmers were back again on Sunday afternoon, hoping for no interruptions this time! The girls were competing in the morning, and Daniella was again up first in the 100m IM. In the first time she has swum the event, Daniellea matched her entry time! Natasha McLoughin took an impressive 7 seconds off her entry time, and Sophie Tupper took 5 seconds off her PB! Demi Exon took 3 seconds from her entry time and Eleanor Hopewell had another great swim with a 4second PB! The girls then had 50m fly, Natasha made a great start to the event, taking 3 seconds off her PB, and Beth Tomlinson followed with a great 4 second PB. Eleanor followed, coming 6th in her age group with a 2 second PB and Demi Exon finished the event with a second PB and coming 10th in her age group. The girls finished off the morning with the 50m Breaststroke. Natasha started off, and despite swimming with her goggles in her mouth, took 2 seconds off her entry time! Daniella followed with a 5 second PB! Sophie Tupper shaved another 0.5econds from her favourite event and Beth Tomlinson just missed out on her PB. Eleanor Hopewell finished the girls events at this yearsn County Champs. In a very tough heat, Eleanor fought hard, and the hard work payed off with a 2 second PB and 6th place in her age group! Eleanor hung around at the end to find out the results of the final BAGCAtS (a points system to award to top 10 overall swimmers in each age group), having being in and aroun the top 10 position for the championships, but unfortunatly Eleanor just missed out with 13th place. Well done to all the girls that took part in this years County Championships!
In the final session of the County Championships, the boys returned for their sprints, and I made myself comfy in my very own camping(/swimming!) chair (thanks to the Crook-Rumseys! ) Blake Russel kicked off proceedings with a great 9 second PB in the 100m IM! Mark Crook Rumsey followed with another great performance, a 2 second PB, 8th in his age group and a plcae in the senior final. Matt Wright swam in the final heat, also with a great swim; a second PB, 5th in his age group and also with a plcae booked in the final! Oliver Adkin put in a very brave performance tackling the 50m fly, and had a great swim breaking the 50second mark! Jake followed, having saved himself for the event, Jake gave it everything, and it was worth it with a 4second PB and coming 4th in his age group!Having had just 15minutes rest, Mark and Matt competed head to head in the final heat of the 50m Fly. Matt shaved some more off his PB with a great swim, another Midlands time and 5th place in his age group! Mark narrowly missed breaking into 26seconds, with almost a second PB, also achieving another Midlands time and coming 3rd in his age group!
Blake Russell was the only Shepshed swimming in the 50m Breaststroke with a 4 second PB. Matt and Mark finished off the County Championships in the100m IM. Both lads put in a great performance, just missing their heats times (although I swear Mark actually started to go backwards on the breaststroke leg! :-p ), Matt coming 5th and Mark 8th, both under their previous PB’s.
Jake Spicer, very deservedly, found himself back in the top 10 BAGCATS this year. Having got 10th 2 years ago, and 9th last year, Jake moved up another position into 8th this year! Very impressed with his huge trophy ( ) Jake had his most successful County Championships yet!
Well done to all those who swam in this years County Championships. For most it is a learning curve; and experience of what it is like to swim against a range of swimmers of their own age in a number of events, for others it is about chasing down those Midlands and National times. Whatever it was you were aiming for at this years County Champs, I hope you achieved it, you have all done great!
Well done guys, keep up the good work, it’s been a pleasure!
