Swimmers dive into sprint meet
Stingray swimmers with Donna Thompson of sponsor CNB
(CNS Local Life): The Cayman National Fall Sprint Meet opened the 2018-2019 competitive age group season this past weekend with more than 100 of Cayman’s swimmers stepping up on the blocks for the event. Hosted by Stingray Swim Club (SSC), the meet, held Saturday, 22 September, also had athletes from Camana Bay Aquatic Club (CBAC), Darren Mew Swimming, Seven Mile Swimmers (SMS), and Special Olympics Cayman Islands competing in the 100m IM and freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke and butterfly sprints.
“Cayman National is a wonderful supporter of swimming,” said SSC president Kathy Jackson in a press release. “This meet is really important to us for a couple of reasons. First – it is a great opportunity after the summer holidays to get back on the blocks and race, and secondly we have our senior swimmers pair up with our younger swimmers – helping them figure out, how to read the heat sheets, when to go down for their race, how to step up to the blocks.
“It gives the younger swimmers a sense of comfort knowing they are not on their own at, what for some, is their first meet; and it gives the older swimmers the opportunity to develop their mentoring and leadership skills.”
Calling the format a “win-win”, Jackson thanked head coach David Pursley for initiating the concept, adding, “it is just one of the many things he has introduced to us that create a strong sense of family and friendship on deck and in the pool”.
High point winners on the day were for the girls Charlotte Duivenbode, age 7-8 (SMS); Allie Capesso, 9-10 (CBAC); Jillian Crooks, 11-12 (CBAC); Kyra Rabess, 13-14 (SSC); and Alison Jackson, 15 and over (SSC); and for the boys Noah Watson, 6 and under (SSC); Chase Watson, 7-8 (SSC); Ben Coak, 9-10 (SMS); Will Sellars, 11-12 (SMS); Corey Frederick-Westerborg, 13-14; and Jordan Crooks, 15 and over.
Overall team standings saw Stingray finishing first with 414 points, Seven Mile Swimmers second with 273 and Camana Bay Aquatic Club third with 105.
Donna Thompson, manager sales and services of Cayman National Bank, was on hand at the start of the meet to welcome the swimmers and their families. “The growth and development of the Stingray Swim Club is commendable, and the time, dedication and commitment, exuded to ensure the athletes learn discipline, teamwork and leadership is testament to the well balanced students we are developing in, and for, our society,” she said.
Jackson, who also served as meet director., added, “Meets like this don’t happen without the support of our volunteers – the officials and the parents who time and run the meet, so a big than you to them all.”
The next event on the Stingray Swim Club Calendar is the Mike Lockwood Memorial Pirates Week Meet, set for 15-19 November, which offers a full array of events – sprint, middle and long distances. Stingray swimmers will also compete in CIASA’s 800m CUC and Pirates Week 5K Open Water events, and will travel across town to Camana Bay to compete in the CBAC Fall Kick Off meet.
