Midland Open Water Championships 2013
27 Jul 2013
Pershore Swimming Club entered a team
into the Midland Open Water Championships last weekend - for the first time -
producing a string of excellent performances against some very strong and
experienced opposition.
The Midland Open Water Championships is
an annual event that is open to swimmers aged 12 and above, with different
distances from 5,000m to 1,500m being swum by different age groups. The
championships always attract some of the top open water talent in the country
and this year was no exception with many England Development Squad swimmers
participating.
The hottest day of the year so far saw
a team of seven Pershore swimmers û Alex Dobell (16), Angus Jones (15), Katie
Sharratt (15), Lizzie Vizard (14), Emily Burton (14), Callum Sanderson (13) and
Casarena Ferreira (12) make the journey across to Leicestershire to swim at a
nationally-recognised open water course at Bosworth Water Park near Hinckley,
Leicestershire.
After a detailed safety briefing and
æmarking upÆ of the swimmers with their individual entry numbers, the Pershore
team were free to relax and watch the open category (over 18Æs) events to get
themselves used to this new competition format.
The first event for Pershore swimmers
was the 2000m freestyle which saw Jones, Sharratt and Dobell take to the water
along with around 50 other competitors. Both
Jones and Dobell completed the event in times of 27:38.84 and 32:56.55 respectively
- very respectable times for novice open water swimmers swimming at this tough longer
distance. Unfortunately Katie Sharratt received a hefty kick to the stomach
soon after the start and had to retire but is determined to return next year.
Next event up for the Pershore team was
the 1500m event, with over 80 swimmers lining up in this event. Representing Pershore in the 1500m were
Vizard, Burton, Ferreira and Sanderson. The large number of swimmers
simultaneously starting this event caused some delay whilst the officials
ensured all swimmers were holding their position in the water behind the start
line. After a really exciting start with plenty of jostling for position, the
Pershore swimmers got their heads down and concentrated on technique and
speed. Vizard was the first Pershore
swimmer home in a fantastic 23:23.78 closely followed by Sanderson (23:40.29),
Ferreira (26:33.64) and Burton (27:11.95).
Ian Cumming, Pershore Swimming Club
Coach, said: "I am incredibly impressed
by the way our swimmers performed at this event. It is a huge step for swimmers used to 25m
indoor pools and starting blocks and switching to compete in a lake with a 750m
course, mass starts, weeds and plenty of very large fish! All the swimmers did themselves and the club
great credit and we were delighted with the performances.ö
Ends.