Ellie Ogier of the Guernsey Swimming Club powers to second place in the 50m backstroke.
SIGNS are promising that the Channel Islands will once again enjoy a gold rush in the pool at the Island Games in Aland this summer.
In the first three sessions of this weekend’s main meeting of the Specsavers CI Championship, no fewer than 36 records were broken and many in convincing style.
Not unusually, several Games gold medallists were among those who set new marks with Ben Lowndes, Jonathon Le Noury and Jeremy Osborne among the Sarnians to excel at Beau Sejour.
Others went to undoubted future Games stars such as Kristina Neves (with seven), the Parfit siblings and Joshua Lewis, who shone on Saturday afternoon. The 15-year-old’s performance in the 200m breaststroke was outstanding.
Up against Lowndes, Lewis trailed the Guernsey Swimming Club star by nearly a second at the halfway mark, but 50m later he had eased past him and went on to win in 2min. 28.88sec.
It was a new age-group record by more than seven seconds and a national qualifying time to boot.
Even GSC coach Greg Zimmerman was hugely impressed by the Barracuda.
‘OK, he is not one of my swimmers, but he has been fantastic. He beat me in the 50m breaststroke and I don’t mind losing to someone like that,’ he said.
However, from his club’s perspective Zimmerman had many positives to take from the first three sessions.
‘There have been some excellent swims.
‘Ben Lowndes in the 200 fly was outstanding, and Matt Butt in the same race. He is still a young lad who has perhaps been off the pace a little in the last couple of years but is now back on it again and looking very good.
‘Stewart Hume has been awesome this weekend. He was second in the 200 back and has dropped his time down six seconds from September, which is phenomenal by any standards.’
Barracudas coach Alison Frankland was also delighted with the displays of her charges.
‘We have had some really good performances throughout the age groups and a lot of personal best times,’ she said.
‘It is good to see our senior boys such as Jonathon Le Noury and Ian Hubert in action and on target to improve in the lead up to the Games.
‘I am also pleased to see Jeremy Osborne, who is not in full-time training, performing well and he did a good time in the 100m freestyle [52.84, a new record].
‘This weekend has been a good weekend in that it is early in the season and some people have not tapered for it, but it gives me an indication as to where they are in their programme.’
With her Guernsey Island Games team manager’s hat on, Frankland was pleased with the potential she saw from Sarnian competitors in this environment.
‘This year we are going to have a fairly young team for the Island Games.
‘Swimmers like Kristina Neves and Lotte Parfit, for example, will be looking to push for places.
‘On the one hand we have got some experienced swimmers and on the other we have got some youngsters coming through.’
She added that a Games year gives an added buzz to local swimmers in both training and competitions.
‘We are really lucky in Guernsey that we have got the Island Games every two years, the Commonwealth Games every four and now the Commonwealth Youth Games,’ Frankland said.
‘I think that is what keeps youngsters in the sport because they have got so much to aim for and the chance of competing alongside huge nations. We are the envy of coaches in the UK.
‘We are also very lucky to have Beau Sejour and now a lovely new facility of a six-lane pool at St Sampson’s High. It is just what we need because we can now extend our training programme and that will only benefit the youngsters.
‘We have got wonderful opportunities here and I just admire these swimmers for all they do to achieve them.’
Zimmerman echoed those sentiments.
‘I started coaching with the GSC in September and Jocelyn [Guille] has been fantastic in her role as head coach supporting me.
‘When I came in I asked the swimmers about their goals, and a lot said the Island Games. For some that is realistic, for others it might prove a step too far, whereas others did not see it as a potential aim yet they have now proved that they have it in them.
‘For me, sport on a competitive level is about achieving as much as you can and if you put the effort it, an opportunity like going to the Island Games is going to spur you on.
‘These guys come training 14 hours a week and I have enjoyed helping them and hopefully they have enjoyed it and taken something out of it.’
Article posted on 26th January, 2009 - 2.29pm
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