Woden had a team of 19 Sharks compete at the recent NSW Country swimming championships after a few crucial weeks of hard work under new coach Erin Priestly. Despite being sick, Jarrod Lee was first to race in the 400FS, leading from start to finish, clocking a five second PB and winning gold. Not only did this put Woden at the top of the point score briefly, but it set the tone for the weekend. For the next two long days, the Sharks raced with heart and swam very impressively, and caught the attention of other NSW coaches. The Sharks were generally the loudest in the stands and the strongest in the water, with several Sharks displaying the new developing squad character of finishing fast! The highlight on Saturday was the Men’s 12&U FS relay where the boys’ team of Ethan Lowey, Jack Dixon, Mason Thornton and Jarrod Lee raced from an outside lane to claim Silver! The second day kicked off where the first day finished, with more fast racing. Phoebe Ross consolidated her performances at State with gold in the 100 and 200 Breaststroke; also qualifying for the 2014 Australian Championships in the 200 Br. Emma Harris also claimed victory in the breaststrokes with solid performances. Oliver Holdway came home like a steam train and was unlucky not to get a medal in the 100 Breaststroke, coming equal 5th with a 4 second PB! Grace Read swam very well achieving three amazing PBs, and Jessica Lee swam very well in her first country race, swimming right on her PB.
Jarrod Lee Gold 50FS, 200FS, 400 FS, 200IM, 100BK
Silver 100FLY, 100FS, 4×50 12&U FS Relay
Phoebe Ross Gold 100BR, 200BR
Emma Harris Gold 100BR, 200BR
Ethan Lowey Silver 100BR, 4×50 12&U FS Relay
Bronze 100BK, 200IM
Jack Dixon Silver 4×50 12&U FS Relay
Mason Thornton Silver 4×50 12&U FS Relay
A big congratulations to all Sharks who swam on the weekend. The team came 13th on the Club point score, and 5th on the medal tally over all. All the hard work put in over the last few weeks paid off, and a big thank you to Erin for helping the Sharks get ready. I’ve been very impressed with the attitudes towards training recently and encourage all Sharks to keep on training hard, encouraging others and having fun with their swimming. We have a small squad, but we’re starting to punch above our weight and achieve things that many others aren’t. Keep up the great work, and I’ll see you back at training!
Ben