Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games - Day 5

Day 5

Monday 28th July 2014

Well, as mentioned in my last post, today is the final day of competition for me at the XX Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.  I have had a truly amazing experience, I have met numerous famous people during the course of the week, and last night after leaving the pool, I spoke to Australian Breaststroke legend, Sally Hunt who swapped one of her bullet caps for one of mine, then later, turned up and gave me one of her Australian training costumes, I am so happy!!  I spoke quite a lot to Sally over the week and we had a few giggles to the fact that she was twice my age!!  On a serious note though, she spoke a lot about her experiences and I really enjoyed her company.  I just hope that in 4 years time, if I manage to qualify for the next games, that I bump into her again.  Thank you Sally!

Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games - Day 5

Day 5

Monday 28th July 2014

Today would be my final day in Glasgow at the 2014 Commonwealth Games before dashing back down into England to compete in Sheffield at the 2014 ASA National Age Group Swimming Championships.  My final event in Glasgow was the 50m Backstroke.  Swimming in Heat 3 of 5, in lane number 7, I honestly didn't expect to get any further in the competition than the heats.  However, after a really strong swim in my heat, Incredibly I finished 5th in a new personal best time of 31.03 just qualifying for the semi finals, 16th fastest overall.  

At the end of the session, my mum and dad managed to grab a few minutes with me at the spectators side of the pool, along with one of my mums old swimming friends, Jackie who now lives in Glasgow.  They all told me what a great swim I'd had and they were absolutely gutted as they didn't have any tickets to watch me in the Semi Finals later that evening.  

After a long day, and my mum and dad trying every possibility to get tickets to watch me, they finally managed to get 1 ticket for the semi finals.  My mum was the lucky parent who managed to stop and watch me, whilst my dad and brother found their way back to their 'pod' to pack up ready to leave first thing the following morning.

I was actually really excited to compete in the semi-final.  When it was my turn to be introduced to the crowd, I gave the biggest smile and wave I could to the cameras, I felt totally relaxed and knew that I just had to give it all I had.  I finished 8th in my Semi final and maintained my 16th position overall.  

I can honestly say that I have had the best experience ever at these Commonwealth Games, I have thoroughly enjoyed competing against the best swimmers in the Commonwealth, I just hope that I can now go to Sheffield and get some good results before I return to Glasgow on Sunday for the Closing Ceremony!

Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games - Day 4

Day 4

Sunday 27th July 2014

I knew that today was going to be a big day for me as my Pioneer 79 Swimming Club Head Coach, Mike Wilson, his girlfriend Kate and two personal friends would be watching me, along with two of my club mates, Tom Gilroy and James Thompson!  My family would be here again, as would be Tracy, Steven and Georgia! My best events were today, the 200m Individual Medley and 100m Breaststroke but the only problem was, that the gap between the two events would be minimal, even closer together than yesterday's two events!

My first event was the 200m Individual Medley, entering on a time of 2.23.78, and swimming in the fastest heat (Heat 4), I was extremely pleased to finish 7th in my heat in a new personal best time of 2.23.75, although only 0.03 of a second, it was still a pb!  Next up was the 100m Breaststroke, having literally swam just under 30 mins earlier and setting a new pb, I was extremely disappointed with my swim, entering a time of 1.13, my finishing time was almost 2 seconds slower, finishing 8th in my heat. 

At the end of the heats session, I met up with everyone at the end of the pool.  Knowing that I was disappointed with my Breaststroke result, I was very nervous to see everyone, especially Mike!  However, everyone tried to put my mind at ease and make me feel better by speaking positively about my 200m IM swim, along with the whole experience of being at the Games.  I could tell that Mike was also disappointed, but we didn't really speak much about it, I'm sure he will talk to me more about it at a later date.  Perhaps in hindsight, I should have selected to swim in either one or the other of the events, not both.

Returning to the village, I was relieved to know that I had only 1 more swim left at the Games, the 50m Backstroke tomorrow.  I had mixed feelings; excited but also feeling rather sad, I have had such an amazing experience competing here, I don't want it to end.  On Tuesday morning, my mum and dad will be collecting me from the village and we will be travelling down to Sheffield so I can compete at the ASA Age Group Nationals.  I thought I would be really excited about it, but half of me just wants to stay here and enjoy the rest of the experience in Glasgow.  I know that I have to go down to Sheffield as this will be the best year for our Club at the Nationals so far as we have 7 age group swimmers competing, 2 youth and 1 open water qualifier, it will be great for the club and Mike, our Coach.

Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games - Day 3

Day 3

Saturday 26th July 2014

Today I returned to the pool prepared to compete in the 200m Breaststroke and 50m Butterfly.  First up was the 200m Breaststroke, feeling apprehensive about the condition of my knee, I knew it would be a tough race both mentally and physically.  I was swimming inthe final heat, heat No.4, lane No.1.  I held my place, finishing 7th in my heat however, I was very disappointed with my time of 2.40.00, some 4.5 seconds slower than my personal best.  The winner of my heat, Taylor McKeown from Australia went on to win the final in a time of 2.22.36!  With no time to dwell, I returned to the calling area to wait for my next event.

Next up was the 50m Butterfly.  This is an event I had originally entered to enable me to have 'another' swim whilst at there. I knew there was no pressure on me, As I had only set a new PB of 28.97 at the British Gas International Meet, which was the first time I had actually hit the CG Qualifying Time.  However, I picked myself up after my 200m Breast swim, even managing a wave to the crowd from behind the starting blocks! Although my finishing time time was slightly slower than my PB (29.30), I finished my heat in 4th place which I was extremely pleased with.

After the morning session, I managed to grab a few moments with my family, along with a few special friends who had travelled to Glasgow to watch; Tracy, Steven and Georgia Mort from Grace Cole also Andy and Caitlin Armstrong from Pioneer 79.  It was great to see everyone travelling to Glasgow to support me, Thank you!!  

Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games - Day 2

Day 2

Friday 25th July 2014

After my successful start yesterday in the 50m Breaststroke, today I had a well earned 'day off'.  Although not swimming, I headed for Tolcross International Pool all the same, in order to cheer on my team mates in their various events, as well as having an appointment with the Team Physio (Ruth) who has been working hard on my knee.

In the afternoon, my Mum, Dad and Brother had been allocated visitor passes to visit the Athletes Village, I was so excited to show them around.  They arrived around 2.30pm (when they eventually found the correct entrance!)  I had a lot of fun showing them around especially my brother, as he was in his elements in the entertainment area, lots of video games etc!  They seemed to have a good day too, as they had been to the track cycling in the morning at the Chris Hoy Velodrome, then walked over to the village.

They left around 6pm, I headed back to the dining area and met up with the rest of the team before having an early night to in order to prepare myself for tomorrow's racing, the 200m Breaststroke and 50m Butterfly, whilst my mum, dad and brother headed into Glasgow Centre.

Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, Day 1

Day 1

Thursday 24th July 2014

My first event of the 2014 Commonwealth Games took place today, it was the 50m Breaststroke.

The easiest way to describe how I was feeling was..... Nervous!!

I swam in Heat No.4, Lane No.7.  With a personal best time of 33.53, I knew that all I could do was to go out and do my best, and hopefully finish with a new personal best.

It was a strong field, with swimmers in the previous heat swimming times of between 30.49 and 35.19, I knew it would take a new PB to get me through to anywhere near a semi-final.

I was off!  What an amazing feeling to swim against swimmers from around the world, I was happy when I looked up at the scoreboard and realised I had finished 5th in my heat in a new PB of 33.28!

With just one heat left to swim, it was a nervewracking wait to see if I had successfully qualified for the semi-final.  I'd done it!  I had qualified in 16th place and had secured a place in Semi-Final No.1, Lane No.8, next to my team mate Laura Kinley who would be swimming in Lane No.7.

Here is a link to take you to an interview after my race:

Click HERE to watch full interview

50m Breaststroke Semi-Final (Day 1)

Wow! What a feeling...... due to swimming in Lane No.8 (Closest to the camera) I was first to walk onto the poolside when my name was called..... I was VERY nervous.  However, knowing I had swam a PB in the heat I knew that whatever I did would be a great achievement as I hadn't expected to make any semi-finals.  Once everyone was on the poolside, we were called to the starting blocks.  'Take your marks..... GO!!'  We were off!!  This was the most AMAZING buzz I had ever experienced, I swam as fast as I could, touching the timing pads and looked up, I had climbed a place in my heat, finishing 7th in a slightly slower time of 33.38, but I was so happy!!

At the end of the second semi-final, the results were shown on the scoreboard, I had successfully finished 15th overall in the Women's 50m Breaststroke Event at the 2014 Commonwealth Games!! Tomorrow was a day off before returning to the pool on Saturday for more racing.  At the end of the session, I got to see my mum, dad and younger brother, Harry, it was lovely to see them as I hadn't seen them since I left the train station at Lancaster on Sunday.

They were very proud......



Opening Ceremony of the XX Commonwealth Games

Wednesday 23rd July 2014

(A day to remember)

Everybody was excited, we had waited until almost the end of the Opening Ceremony before we had our 'moment'.  As 'Isle of Man, you may now enter' was announced, my heart was pounding!  There were thousands of people in the stadium, the atmosphere was electric, the 2014 Commonwealth Games were almost open, this was a moment I will remember for the rest of my life!  I videoed the whole lap as we walked around Celtic Park, click below to watch as the Isle of Man Team entered the Stadium.

Click HERE to watch my memorable moment entering the Opening Ceremony

My Mum and I hit the BBC News Headlines!

My Mum and I make it onto the BBC Sports News Headlines

on the first day of competition!

Please click HERE to take you to the full report.....

En route to the 2014 Commonwealth Games!

I arrived at Lancaster Train Station at 1pm on Sunday 20th July where I was to meet the rest of the IOM Swim Team to travel by train to Glasgow, I had mixed emotions, very very excited, but at the same time, very nervous.  Before the team arrived, I took the opportunity to have a few family shots taken on the platform! Below is my proud mum and dad, my brothers Andrew, Harry and myself.

When everybody else arrived, it all began to feel real, I was on my way to Glasgow to take part in the 2014 Commonwealth Games!! Charlotte was meeting us in Glasgow as she was flying up from Plymouth, later that day.  Us, however, we're being treated to First Class Accommodation on board the Virgin Train to Scotland!!

Just time for a quick Team (well, almost 'Full Team') photograph!!

Left-Right 

Leonie Cooil, Team Manager

Alex Bregazzi

Guy Davies

Me

Laura Kinley

Grant Halsall

Tom Beleich

Lee Holland (Team Coach)

Team IOM - The Road to Glasgow!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/commonwealth-games/28106605


I have even had a mention in the history of Team IOM for the Commonwealth Games!! I'm honoured :)

Granada Reports Interview

During my recent visit to the Isle of Man, I had the privilege of being interviewed by Granada Reports in relation to my Commonwealth Games preparations, below is a link to the footage courtesy of Granada Reports!! Click on the link below and you will be redirected to the footage!

Niamh - Granada Reports interview - 2/7/14

British Gas International Swimming Championships 2014

My next competition was the British Gas International Swimming Championships which was held 24/6/14 -28/6/14 at Manchester Aquatics Centre, Manchester.  Due to my age, I was competing in the 16 & Under age category.  The competition was run very differently to normal events, with the heats for each event taking place in the evening session, and finals the following morning.  I was not sure how it would pan out and had to organise potential time off school from the Tuesday to Friday, totally dependant on my performances in the heats.

DAY 1 – 24/6/14

My first event of the competition was the 50m Backstroke.  Entering the event with a time of 31.30, I was really pleased to produce a new personal best of 31.29! (just 1/100th of a second faster than my previous time).  The fastest 16 & Under swimmer’s time was 30.32, I was disappointed however as I missed out on the final, finishing =12th with two other girls.

DAY 2 – 25/6/14

After a normal morning at School, my dad picked me up at 2pm and I returned to the Aquatics Centre to compete in the 200m Breaststroke and 50m Butterfly Heats.  In the heat of the 200m Breaststroke, I finished in a time of 2.40.25, slightly disappointed, I was determined to do better in the final as I had successfully qualified 7th fastest overall for the 16 & Under age group final.

The 50m Butterfly was literally 15 minutes after my previous 200m Breaststroke heat, barely having time to recover, I entered the ‘splash and dash’ event revved up and focused on doing a decent time.  Entering 29.71, I was extremely pleased with my performance of 29.15, producing another PB and qualifying 8th fastest for the final to be held the following day.

DAY 3 – 26/6/14

I arrived at the pool bright and early in order to prepare myself for my first finals session of the Competition.  After watching the recorded footage from my 200m Breaststroke heat from the day before with my Head Coach Mike, we meticulously went through the race, picking up on various areas of my performance requiring urgent improvement.   The fastest qualifier for the 200m Breaststroke final was European Youth Olympic Festival Gold Medallist, Abbie Wood from Derventio (Sheffield).  At the 50m point, I hit the turn first with a split time of 35.22, 0.7 seconds ahead of Wood.  At the halfway point (100m) I had stretched the lead to 1.7 seconds, touching in a time of 1.14.23, I felt really comfortable with my race and I just kept going! At 150m, I had yet again pulled away, taking the lead up to 1.89 seconds turning in 1.54.68.  With just 5m to go, I could see that Wood had visibly closed the gap, but somehow, I successfully managed to hold her off, taking 1stplace in a phenomenal new personal best time of 2.35.50, some 2.5 seconds faster than my previous PB!  I was really pleased with this performance, and couldn't believe what time I had done when I looked up at the scoreboard!

However, less than 10 minutes later, I was back in the pool for the 50m Butterfly final.  Having set a PB in the heat, and just swam the 200m Breaststroke final, I was very surprised with my result.  The winner of the final finished in a time of 28.42 and I was extremely pleased to finish in 8th position in yet another PB of 28.97, just 0.55 seconds behind the winner!  My mum recorded the race and I was surprised at how close we all were at the finish, the winner could've been anybody.  

After I had finished my finals and swim down, my mum took me back into school briefly for a couple of hours to do an English assessment, and then she collected me again during my 4th lesson and took me back to Manchester for the Day 3 Heats Session.

The afternoon session was a much quieter affair with just the 100m Breaststroke Heat.  Entering with a PB of 1.13.03, I swam my heat in a slightly slower time of 1.13.44, and qualified fastest for the 16 & Under final which was to take place in the morning on Day 4.

DAY 4 – 27.6.14

I competed in the 100m Breaststroke final, at the 50m point, I turned 1st in a new 50m PB time of 33.82!  It was a very close race, just managing to hold off my nearest rival, Sarah Tripp, I finished in a fantastic new PB of 1.12.12, with Tripp finishing just behind on 1.13.23.

Then it was back to school for a couple of hours before returning to the pool for my final event of the competition, the 50m Breaststroke.  After setting a new PB in the final of the 100m Breaststroke (split), I was determined to see what time I could pull out of the bag.  However, If I made the final, Iknew that I would unfortunately have to withdraw due to catching a place to the IOM to take part in a ‘team building day’ for the IOM Commonwealth Games Team!  The race was almost over before you blinked!  With 8 swimmers in the heat, I finished 2nd in yet another PB of 33.53!  Thinking I would be pleased with my time, my dad gave me the thumbs up, however, I knew that I could have gone faster, there was plenty left and I had struggled to ‘get going’.  My next attempt at this event will be the Commonwealth Games themselves!  When the results were posted, I was really pleased to find out that my time had amazingly qualified me 5th fastest for the ‘Open’ final, where I would have swam against some of the top British sprinters in this event.

On the whole, this was a very successful competition for me, finishing with 2 x 1st place positions and an 8th position in the 16 & Under Age Group, along with the potential to have done well in the 50m Breaststroke Open final.  I was also very happy to find that I had  finished with a 100% PB rate, 3 x New IOM Junior Long Course Records and 1 x New IOM Senior Long Course Record!  After Glasgow in a couple of weeks time, my sights are now set on competing for the Isle of Man at the Commonwealth Youth Games which will be held in Samoa, September 2015.  With qualifying times now published, I have to date successfully achieved 10 of these times, 5 of which were achieved at this competition alone!

Bolton News Report this week....

Bolton News Report this week......

Exciting News!!

WE DID IT!!

We have this week received confirmation that our relay teams have successfully secured a place in Sheffield this summer at the National Age Group Swimming Championships!

After our fabulous performances at the NW Regional Champs earlier this month, we have qualified as 11th fastest team in the UK for both the 4x100m Medley Relay and 4x100m a Freestyle Relay, along with 21st place in the 4x200m Freestyle Relay.  Our Club, Pioneer 79 have never had a team qualify for this event before, so we are very excited to be taking our Club to new heights!! All the girls are extremely excited, there will be 5 of us at the competition;

Eleanor Collin, Meghann Leaver, Alice Harding (this will be their first performance at the Nationals) Natasha Rogan and Myself!!  

Having now qualified for 7 individual races and the possibility of swimming 3 relays, we now have to sit down and realistically decide which events I will be swimming......... 

Check out my Sponsors, TP Properties......

They've just written a new article on me!!

http://www.tpproperties.co.uk/latest-news_commonwealth-swimming-for-supported-living-homes

Thank you TP Properties for your continued support :)

Weekend No. 2 of the North West Regional Championships

Day 3 of the NW Regionals was a very quiet day for me with only two events to fill the day, the girls 4x200m Freestyle Relay and the 100m Breaststroke.  Due to both myself and my friend Natasha having the last chance to gain a NQT in the relay, our Head Coach decided to split us up and put us as the lead leg in the 'A' and 'B' Teams.  The only time eligible to be used for a National time is the lead leg of a relay, this is due to the fact it is the only 'standing' start in any relay, the takeovers are all 'rolling'.  Anyway, the time required for my NQT was 2.11.36, the time I achieved in the relay was 2.12.13, again, missing my target.  Never mind, it just wasn't to be, however I am very pleased with the times I have achieved in this event this year as freestyle is by no means my strongest event!  Fingers crossed I will achieve this time next year.  As a team though, we did very well, finishing 4th overall in a time of 8.59.74, with a strong chance of qualifying for a National placing which will allow us to swim in Sheffield as a team.  This would be the first time that Pioneer 79 would have a relay team that has qualified to compete at the Nationals!  Only the fastest 40 teams in the country in each relay event will qualify.  We will have to wait and see, keep everything crossed!!

I also swam the heat of the 100m Breaststroke during this session, finishing the heat in a time of  1.14.26, I qualified fastest for the final, which took place during the next session.  The finals session started with another team event, this time it was the 4x100m Medley Relay.  Again, we were able to put out a very strong team, Eleanor swam the backstroke in a PB of 1.10.48, followed by me swimming breaststroke in a PB of 1.13.06, Natasha swam a great fly leg in a time of 1.08.05, 2 seconds down on her PB, however she was swimming the 200m Fly final straight after, then Meghann took up the anchor leg of freestyle in yet another PB time of 1.03.23! This meant our finishing time of 4.34.82 placed us into 2nd position, just behind Stockport Metro, and ahead of southport!

Next was my 100m Breaststroke final, having just swam a PB in the relay, I was determined to try and beat the time again, in order to have a 1.13 or faster on record..... I did it!! I took the gold medal and finished in 1.13.03, over 3 seconds ahead of my nearest rival, I was so pleased.

The final day arrived, slightly busier than yesterday, I had 1 relay and 2 individual events to swim.  The session kicked off with the 4x100m freestyle relay.  Having lead off yesterday in the 200m freestyle relay, it was decided that I'd swim 2nd in this relay due to my reaction time not quite being as quick as Natasha.  So Natasha set off to a strong start, swimming an incredible 1.00.97!  I took over, we had a good lead on the other teams, I had to at least keep the lead we had or improve it so Meghann could have a good start, I did! I swam a 2 second PB, which would have also been an NQT... 1.00.70, but as it wasn't a leading leg, it wouldn't count. Anyway, the lead had stretched to 15m by the 2nd takeover, Meghann swam another strong leg, just beating her time in the 4x100free relay, in 1.03.19, then Alice took to the water, by this time we had a phenomenal lead of almost 25m on our nearest rivalling team, Alice brought us home in a time of 1.02.18, our team had swam the relay in an incredible time of 4.07.04! 3rd overall!  Mike, our head coach was extremely pleased with our performances, the 'B' and 'C' teams also did really well, we were one of only two clubs in the NW to enter 3 teams into the relays, which shows how well as a club we are doing!

Back to my individual races, my first was the 200m Backstroke, qualifying 2nd for the final in a time of 2.24.76, 3 seconds behind Holly Hibbott from Southport.  Next was the 200m IM, I was pleased with my swim qualifying fastest for the final in a time of 2.24.70, just a second ahead of Holly Hibbott! I knew she would be a tough one to beat in the final!

The final session was upon us, I finished 2nd in the 200m Backstroke in a new PB of 2.23.81, almost 5 seconds behind Holly, who in the process of winning the gold medal also produced a new age group record for this event!  My final event was the final of the 200m IM, I knew that if I could get ahead of Holly by 3-4m at the end of the breaststroke leg, that I stood a good chance of beating her on the final 50m.... After the fly leg, I turned 0.7 seconds behind her, after the backstroke leg, I'd dropped to 2.05 seconds behind, the breaststroke, this was the leg I really needed to pull it back, I did, I turned 0.07 ahead of Holly, but I knew it would be a hard last length, I just couldn't hold her off! I finished in a new PB of 2.23.78, just 1.6 seconds behind Holly, who again, took the gold medal in a new age group record time of 2.22.18!  That girl is a machine!! Maybe one day I'll beat her?!!

North West Regional Age Group Championships 2014 / Day 2

Above- Swimmers on Day 2:

Meghann/Joe/Olivia/Eleanor/Alice/Me/Abi/Martha/Natasha/Ellie/Ewan

Ben/Dylan

After having a good start to the competition yesterday, I was hoping to do something similar today.  My first event was the 100m Butterfly, I have improved enormously on my butterfly recently and can actually say that I quite enjoy this event! Entering with a PB of 1.05.69, I was again very surprised to see that after my heat I had set myself yet another PB of 1.04.69, 1 second faster! This time also qualified me fastest for the final.  

My next event was the 200m Breaststroke, one of my favourite events! Entering as the fastest seed by quite some way, I felt comfortable enough to swim a relatively relaxed heat, finishing in a time of 2.41.39, this qualified me as fastest for the final.

Returning in the afternoon session for the finals, I was actually looking forward to swimming both finals.  I surprised myself again in the final of the 100m Butterfly, where I set myself another new PB, knocking a further 0.22 off my time in the heat, however, I was pipped at the post into second place by Holly Hibbott!

The 200m Breaststroke wasn't long after the final of the 100m Butterfly, however, I tried my best, finishing in 2.39.47.  Slightly slower again than my PB, but finishing some 6/7m ahead of my nearest rival, taking the gold medal!

Next week I am competing in another 3 individual events (200m Backstroke, 100m Breaststroke and 200m IM) along with 3 team events (4x200m Freestyle, 4x100m Medley and 4x100m Freestyle relays) so it should be another enjoyable weekend next week!

Below-Finalists on Day 2:

Alice/Natasha/Meghann and Me!  

Ewan also swam in the finals but he had unfortunately gone for a race when the photo was taken!

North West a Regional Age Group Championships 2014 - Day 1

DAY 1 - Saturday 31st May 2014

 

(Above, P79 finalists on day 1 - Natasha/Alice/Ellie/Meghann/Me and Matt)

Well, what a start to this year's North West Regional Age Group Swimming Championships?! My first morning was a very busy one, swimming in 3 events, then should I qualify for the finals, they would be swum in the afternoon's session.  My first event of the competition was the 400m Individual Medley, followed by the 200m Freestyle and finally the 100m Backstroke.

Originally, the plan was for me to swim the 200m Freestyle at the City Of Manchester Open Meet in May, in an attempt to achieve my NQT of 2.11.36, however, due to having experienced a niggle during training in my right shoulder the week leading up to the competition, it was decided by my Head Coach and myself to withdraw from the whole event in order to prevent any further injury from occurring.  Had I achieved the NQT at this competition, the plan was to then withdraw from the 200m Freestyle at the NW Regional Age Group Champs. This then left me with no option but to swim the three events on the first morning.

Aiming to make a final in the 400m IM in a very comfortable time of 5.20.00, I was shocked to look up at the scoreboard and see my time at the end of the race was 5.08.80! I couldn't believe that I had swam just 0.68secs slower than my PB, what amazed me more was the fact I had felt very comfortable during the race, with plenty left AG the end.  I had qualified 3rd fastest for the final!

My next event was the 200m Freestyle, although it's not one of my favourite strokes, I have been working hard on my technique and I was hoping to achieve the NQT in my heat which would then allow me to choose at the end of the session, which finals to swim in. Finishing in a slightly disappointing 2.14.88, 1.53secs slower than my PB and qualifying 6th fastest for the final, I knew I would need to swim this again for one last chance!

Next up was the 100m Backstroke, again, I surprised myself in the heat by swimming just 0.30 secs slower than my PB in a time of 1.07.44, qualifying 2nd fastest for the finalist the process, just 0.72 secs behind Holly Hibbott from Southport.  Decision time was upon us.......

After a long conversation with Mike, my head coach, it was decided that due to me already having my 400m IM NQT under my belt, that I would withdraw from this final, in order to concentrate on the 200m Freestyle and 100m Backstroke finals.

The gamble almost paid off - I finished 5th in the final of the 200m Freestyle in a new PB time of 2.11.85, knocking 1.5 secs off my previous time, but just missing the NQT by 0.49 seconds.... I was absolutely gutted!!

Anyway, not being in a position where I could dwell on what could've been, I had to do my swim down and prepare myself again for the next final, the 100m Backstroke.  Qualifying 2nd fastest, put me in lane 5 between Holly Hibbott and Charlotte Marshall from City of Salford, both great backstrokers! At the 50m point, I turned in 3rd place, however, after some great underwater work at the turn and the strength in my last 50m, I inched up into 2nd position, winning my first medal of the competition in a new PB of 1.07.02!  I was very pleased with my swims today, unfortunately my gamble didn't quite pay off, but I'll go away and work even harder on my freestyle and hope that next year I will be in a position to achieve the time I need.

Tomorrow I am swimming the 100m Butterfly and 200m Breaststroke...........

I've Done It!!

I'VE DONE IT!!

Wow..... What an amazing way to find out that I'd been selected to compete for the Isle of Man at the 20th Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this July!! I was told at the end of a training session by my coach, Mike Wilson at Pioneer 79's base, Accrington Academy.  All my swimming friends and quite a few parents were present, I was in shock and didn't really know what to do when I read the letter from my Team Manager, Leonie Cooil from the IOM.   When I returned home, I immediately phoned my grandparents, my aunties and uncles to tell them all the fantastic news! I can't believe that I will actually be competing in the Isle of Man's largest contingent at any Commonwealth Games, it is such an exciting time for me and a privilege.

However, I've lots of things to do before I travel up to Glasgow with the Isle of Man Team at the end of July, I have been invited to attend a 'team building day' where I will meet and be part of the team with the rest of the island's 40+ competitors.  On the day, I will hopefully receive my team kit too.  After that I will be attending the Isle of Man Lieutenant Governor, Adam Wood's house for a formal reception with the IOM team, followed by a swimming competition on the Island where I will be swimming for my Island home team (Southern ASC).  I am feeling very excited at the moment about it all, but also a bit nervous (a good nervousness though!!) this will be an amazing experience, I just can't wait.

I am not sure at the moment, but I think I may be swimming 6 events in Glasgow, the 50/100/200 Breaststroke, 200 IM, 50 Backstroke and 50 Fly.  This will give me Friday the 25th July free to break into the competition gradually.

As you can see below, my mum enjoyed 'cracking' open a bottle of bubbly after we received the news!

I'll keep my blog updated as I go on through the build up to the Commonwealth Games, with results from various competitions, so keep checking!!!

Swim Camp 2014, Fuerteventura

Easter 2014 - Pioneer 79 Swim Camp

During Easter, myself and a group of 28 other swimmers from Pioneer 79 Swimming Club travelled to Corralejo, Fuerteventura for an intense week of training.  During the course of the week, we undertook 10 x 2 hour pool sessions, 4 land training sessions and a sea swim.  The training would've been ok if I hadn't had to contend with a terrible bout of prickly heat every time I was exposed to the sun.  The skin on my arms, legs, back and feet were very red, itchy and extremely angry looking.  I was advised to take anti histamines for the allergy along with paracetamol for the pain.  My mum asked for advice at the pharmacy and was advised to 'keep her out of the sun'! Obviously this was an impossibility due to the structure of the weeks training.  Instead, we kept up with the treatment and added some talcum powder to the areas affected in the evening which definitely helped.  

The training, although intense, was very rewarding.  Being able to swim outdoors in a 50m pool is a great feeling, but strange when swimming backstroke due to easily getting disorientated with no roof to use as a guide! The total meterage covered by myself over the 7 days training totalled more than 60,000m. The facilities at the resort were fantastic, everything was on site, the rooms were very spacious and the food exceptional.  The chaperones and head coach were also very impressed and are currently thinking about the next swim camp which will hopefully take place in 2016.

My next competition is due in a couple of weeks time in Manchester, so between now and then I will be concentrating hard on my training along with my race preparation..  Before that comes the Isle of Man Commonwealth Games Selection Committee's decision on whether or not I will be selected to represent the Island in Glasgow! (Everything is most definitely crossed!! I will update my blog once I find any information out)

Scottish Nationals Day 4

Scottish Nationals Day 4

We packed up and set off for the pool for our final day of competition.  I was really looking forward to today as I had a much easier day than yesterday! It has been a very long, but enjoyable competition.  I have really enjoyed being part of the IOM team, travelling and stopping with them at the hotel.  The 50m Breaststroke was the 6th event of the morning, I had a bit of a wait, but it was great to watch some of the big names in Scottish Swimming competing in their various events, such as Hannah Miley, Michael Jamieson, Robbie Renwick, they were awesome!  

I had entered the competition with a time of 34.09, however at the Lancashire Counties I had swam slightly faster (33.97) so the entered time was no longer my PB.  I swam my heat, finishing 6th in a time of 34.54, just missing the CGCT by 0.02, but it qualified me 6th fastest for the final.  The IOM team left at lunch time to catch the train as they were travelling home via Liverpool Docks at 7pm, so I was left in Glasgow with my mum.  I sat with Andy (a coach from a Scottish team) that I knew through my head coach at Pioneer 79, so it was ok.  He talked me through the race and pointed out some new ideas for tactics, during the warm up I tried them out and was very pleased with the results.  I found out that my Dad, Nanna, Grandad and Uncle were all watching me live at home from the dining room, so I really wanted them to watch something Good!  Andy gave me some last minute advice as I set off to check in.  Then we were off!! I had a fantastic race and felt really strong as I got close to the finish, I looked up, I was really pleased as my block showed 3 lights, I'd finished 3rd! My time of 34.06 wasn't quite a PB, however, it was very close and most importantly, it was another CGCT!

We set off home from Glasgow as soon as I'd finished my swim down, s it was just after 8, I was very tired, but very pleased with my results over the course of the 4 days of intense competition.  We arrived home around 11.30pm, extremely tired! But hey, I'm up again for school in the morning as we don't finish until Friday for Easter!!

Scottish Nationals Day 3.....

Scottish Nationals Day 3

Today was IoM Team Mate, Brody Hewison's 16th Birthday, we had this team photo taken with his birthday cake!

We returned to Tollcross for the 7.30am warm up, today was going to be a tough one, but I was determined I was going to do my best!  My first event of the day was the 100m Backstroke, my long course PB is 1.07.14, and I finished the race in 1.08.53, slightly slower than my PB, but I improved my placing from 28th to 25th with the swim, unfortunately missing out on the final.  It was then a quick dash from the competition pool, back to check in for my next race, the 200m Breaststroke! I didn't even have time for a swim down!  

I swam a comfortable race, qualifying 6th fastest for the final in a time of 2.43.97, 7 seconds slower than my PB, but I would have another chance in the final later in the day.  Again, as soon as I had finished the 200 Breaststroke heat, it was yet another quick dash to check in for the 50m Butterfly! 

With a PB of 29.71, I was surprised to finish in 30.16 having had  just 10 minutes rest after my 200m Breaststroke!  My time pushed me up the rankings from 37th to 31st overall which I was extremely pleased with!  As soon as I had finished the 50m fly, I ventured round to the swim down pool for a well earned swim down!  Then it was off back to our hotel to rest up for the evenings 200m Breaststroke final!

We arrived back at the pool in plenty of time for the warm up, my final was the 7th event, so I had enough time to compose myself for my race.  My team mate, Laura Kinley (17 years) also qualified for the same final, she qualified 3rd fastest in a time of 2.41.05.  Anyway, we finished the race, I improved on my heat time by over 4 seconds and finished in 2.39.64, climbing up 2 places to 4th in the process.  Although it wasn't a new PB, I was very pleased with my swim as it was within the CGCT of 2.40.66, and also an NQT.

Tomorrow will be a much easier day, as I have just 1 event, the 50m Breaststroke, so fingers crossed I can qualify for another final tomorrow!

Scottish Nationals Day 2

Scottish Nationals - Day 2

After gaining a new personal best in my 100m Butterfly on Thursday, I returned to the pool on Friday to swim in the 100 Breaststroke and 200 Backstroke.  Unfortunately, I was only going to have a very short rest between the two races due to the way they organise the competition, so in the heats I swam the best I could, hoping to gain a place in the B Final.  The first event was the 100 Breaststroke, finishing 5th in my heat and 14th overall in a time of 1.15.28, I qualified 4th fastest for the final which was to take place in the evenings session.  Less than 20 mins later, I was back in the pool for the 200m backstroke.  Finishing 8th in the heat I was disappointed with my time, and I finished 34th overall.  

I returned to the pool refreshed and rearing to go for the 100m Breaststroke final.  Swimming in lane 2 in the final, I maintained my 4th position, finishing in a time of 1.14.54.

Tomorrow I am competing in 3 events, so it'll be a tough morning as there won't be much in a way of rest between races, but I will do my best and hope to swim well.

Scottish Nationals 2014..... Day 1

Scottish Nationals 2014, Glasgow

After meeting the rest of the Isle of Man Team at Lancaster Train Station, we headed straight up to Glasgow on the next train.  It was a long journey but I really enjoyed travelling with the IOM team, it made me feel much more part of it!  After we had eaten out tea, we headed back to our rooms for an early night's sleep, as we were all aware that the next 4 days were going to be tough!

Warm up was at 7.30am with the session getting underway at 8.45 sharp! I was in the first event of the day,the 100m Butterfly.  Due to my entry time being one of the fastest 50, I swam in the mornings session, the other 30 swimmers (50-80) swam their events in the afternoon.  I was in heat 5, swimming in lane 7.  I finished 5th in my heat, in a time slightly slower than my PB, 1.06.35, but I finished 17th overall, which meant I had qualified for the 'B' Final to be held in the evenings session. My next event was the 50m Backstroke, again, I swam slightly slower than my PB, 32.41, placing me 29th overall.  I was quite disappointed with my result in this event, however, it was still a good time.  

This afternoon, as I wasn't swimming, I opted to return to our hotel and relax, go to sleep and then watch tv, in preparation for my final this evening.  The finals started at 5.30, our race, the 'B' Final for the Ladies 100m Butterfly was the first event of the evening.  I couldn't believe what we had to do.... Every swimmer was introduced to the spectators individually (like they do at the Olympics!) when my name was called, I had to walk out onto the poolside from behind two screens and then take up my place behind my block! I was again in lane 7.  (This lane was a good lane for the filming of the race as I am very close to the camera!).  I finished the race 9th which placed me 19th overall, however, even having lost a couple of places in the final, I swam a new personal best time of 1.05.69, so I was very pleased with my result.

I'm back in the pool tomorrow, swimming 100m Breaststroke and 200m Backstroke, I will let you know how I get on!

March 2014

Lancashire County Swimming Championships 2014

During March, the Lancashire County Swimming Championships took place over two weekends, the first weekend was held at Liverpool's Wavertree Sports Centre, the second at Manchester's Commonwealth Pool, the Manchester Aquatics Centre.  This event is always a busy one, with swimmers competing from throughout the County who have successfully achieved the relevant qualifying times.  

I competed in a total of 13 events, however, it was to become the best Lancashire County Championships I had ever swam in to date!

I was competing in the 14 year age group, however, some of my results proved to be good enough to take medals in the Junior (16+ under) and Senior (18+) championships.

200m Breaststroke (AG)-1st,  (J)-3rd, (S)-3rd, 2.39.87 - NQT/CGCT

200m IM (AG)-2nd, (J)-2nd, 2.24.47 - NQT/CGCT

200m Backstroke (AG)-2nd, 2.25.89

400m IM (AG)-2nd, 5.08.16 - NQT

100m Backstroke (AG)-1st, 1.07.87 - NQT

50m Breaststroke (AG)-1st, (J)-2nd, (S)-3rd, 33.97 - CGCT

50m Backstroke (AG)-1st, (J)-2nd, 31.30 - CGCT

100m Breaststroke (AG)-1st, (J)-2nd, (S)-3rd, 1.13.81 - NQT/CGCT

200m Freestyle (AG)-3rd, 2.13.35

50m Butterfly (AG)-2nd, (J)-3rd, 29.71

100m Butterfly (AG)-1st, 1.05.82 - NQT

Many of the times I achieved at this competition were new personal best times which is great news!  This was to be my final competition where I would be able to achieve consideration times for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in Glasgow where I am hoping to be able to compete for the Isle of Man.  After the Lancashire County Championships had finished, my mum had to forward a completed CV including all the events I had achieved CGCT's for along with details of where I had achieved them.  All I can do now is to continue to improve and keep the IOM team manager informed of my results, then it is a matter of keeping everything crossed for me to be selected in early May.

Here is a photo of me and my friends at Pioneer 79 Swimming Club, Outside Manchester Aquatics Centre at the Lancashire County Swimming Championships in March......(my younger brother, Harry is in the middle on the front row!)

February 2014

North West Region English Schools Swimming Association Championships 2014

I entered this competition for my school, entering 6 events in total, I was only accepted for 2 due to being 'too fast' to compete in the rest! So on the day of the competition, I packed my bags and my mum drove me to Bolton One, where the event was being held.  When we got there, they were running late, and the pool was extremely busy due to the huge number of swimmers competing.  Anyway, my two races were in the final session of the day.

I competed in the 100m Butterfly, finishing in a new personal best time of 1.03.44, I took the gold medal.  My other event was my favourite, the 100m Breaststroke.  Having entered a time of 1.11, I finished in 1.12.74, taking the gold medal.  I was very pleased with this result, although it was slightly slower than my entry time, the next swimmer to finish was almost 8 seconds behind so I had swam the latter stages of the race on my own.

My school was extremely pleased with the results of the competition, now I have to wait to find out if I will be selected to represent our region at the finals which are to be held in Bristol at the end of June, so..... Fingers crossed!!

February 2014

Derventio Excel - Sheffield

After a very busy January, it was back to Sheffield where I competed in the Derventio Excel gala for the Isle of Man.  The competition is very well supported from across the country, and again this year was no exception, the event had been highly oversubscribed which resulted in many people being rejected from events.   I was very pleased to find out that I had been accepted for all the events I had entered.  This year, I was at the top of my age group (13/14 years) so I was hoping that the hard work put into my training would help me achieve some good results.

I was again very pleased with my results;

200m Backstroke - 1st - 2.24.23- NQT

100m Backstroke - 1st - 1.08.04

50m Breaststroke - 1st - 34.24 - CGCT

100m Breaststroke - 3rd - 1.15.00 - NQT

50m Butterfly - 3rd - 30.30

200m Breaststroke - 3rd - 2.41.70 - NQT

January 2014

North Lancashire Championships 2014

After a very successful competition in Sheffield at the North Zonal Meet, I returned to Lancashire where I competed for my first claim club, Pioneer 79 Swimming Club, in the 'marathon' of events in female swimming, the 800m Freestyle!  For those of you who know me, you will be aware that Freestyle is my most 'dreaded' stroke and I feel my weakest.  However, I am happy to do this event once a year as I feel it shows my progress over the 12 months.  This year, I was pleasantly surprised as I finished 2nd in my age group in a 26 second personal best time from last year, in 9.23.34!

January 2014

January was a very busy month for me, my first competition after the New Year was the North Zonal Meet which was held in Sheffield.  Competing for the Isle Of Man, I was very happy with my results.  

100m Breaststroke - 1st (1.13.87) NQT/CGCT

200m IM - 1st (2.24.34) NQT/CGCT

50m Breaststroke - 1st (34.09) CGCT

50m Backstroke - 1st (31.56)

200m Backstroke - 2nd (2.24.39) NQT

200m Breaststroke - 2nd (2.37.15) NQT/CGCT

I have now achieved 6 National Age Group Qualifying times for 2014, along with 4 Commonwealth Games Consideration times for Glasgow! With only 3 months to go before the closing date for consideration times, I hope I am able to keep improving and achieving them to build a strong case.