Swim meet adds splash of international flavour
Swimmers at the last day of the Mike Lockwood Memorial meet
(CNS): International swimmers added to the excitement of the annual Mike Lockwood Memorial Pirates Week meet held 19-22 November at the Lions Aquatic Centre. Hosted by Stingray Swim Club (SSC), the meet included swimmers from New York-based Agua (Asphalt Green Unified Aquatics) and Team Fins from Texas; along with local entrants Camana Bay Aquatic Club (CBAC), Seven Mile Swimmers (SMS) and Special Olympics of the Cayman Islands.
Ella Kaye Lockwood was on deck to watch the start of the meet, commenting on how fitting a tribute the event is to her late husband, Mike Lockwood, who was the driving force behind both the Lions Aquatic Centre and the Pirates Week Festival. Michael Lockwood (Mike’s son) who is president of the Cayman Islands Amateur Swimming Association, was also on hand to cheer on the swimmers and lend his skills as a timer.
“It was an excellent weekend of fun and good strong competition,” said SSC president Amanda Roberts. “It was wonderful having visiting swimmers from New York and Texas to add some excitement to the wide range of races on offer over the four days – from long distance events to sprints. In my last meet as president, I am particularly proud of our Stingray swimmers who all swam their hearts out and won the team championship trophy.”
Those familiar with Cayman’s swim scene will have recognised Coach Andy Copley (Stingray’s former head coach) who is now at Agua and travelled to Cayman with a team of swimmers and parents.
“It was great to have Coach Andy bring a team to the Mike Lockwood Memorial Pirates Week meet,” said Stingray Head Coach David Pursely. “Having outside competition from the United States helped to boost the level of swimming this weekend and played a tremendous role in the motivation of the swimmers.
“Stingray Swim Club hopes to have outside competition in each of their premier competitions moving forward. The courtesy of the swimming community and the sportsmanship of the swimmers this past weekend was tremendous and will no doubt lead repeat visits from outside teams.”
The team from New York had a great time and the parents are already insisting that the meet become a fixture on their club calendar – a great indication of the endless possibilities of swimming as a major player in sport tourism here in Cayman.
In the overall points standings, SSC placed first with 813 points; CBAC was second with 632 points; Agua came third with 404 points; SMS took fourth with 90 points; and Team Fins was fifth with 12 points.
High points winners:
Girls U6, Lea Neveilova (SMS); Girls 7-8, Lila Higgo (CBAC); Girls 9-10, Allyson Belfonte (SSC); Girls 11-12, Emma Feld (Agua); Girls 13-14, Ria Plunkett (SSC); and Girls 15 and over, Lauren Hew (CBAC).
Boys U6, Luke Higgo (CBAC); Boys 7-8, Phin Ellison (CBAC); Boys 9-10, Stefano Bonati (CBAC); Boys 11-12, Justice Carrenard (Agua); Boys 13-14, Matthew Somerville (CBAC); and Boys 15 and over, Rory Barrett (CBAC).
