On a sunny Wednesday, the Talbot Heath Swimming Academy, driven by Mr Korotkova, embarked on a familiar route through the Southwest Counties to participate in the ESSA South West Senior Schools’ relay competition.
The competition staged Junior (comprising pupils from Years 7 and 8, Intermediate (Years 9 and 10), and Senior (Years 11, 12, 13) categories, competing in a 4 x 50m Medley and a 4 x 50m Freestyle Relay. The challenge extended beyond the 100 female teams in the Southwest, pitting them against schools from eight other regions across England.
Upon collation of all times, the top 30 teams nationally will receive invitations to the National Finals at the iconic Commonwealth Games pool in Birmingham, come November.
With Izzy, Zara and Jessie competing at the senior level for the first time, joined by Caidee, the Junior teams excelled in both relays, with each individual impressively surpassing their personal bests in each of their relay swims. Their performances secured them 12th place in the Medley and the Freestyle Relays.
The Intermediate Freestyle team, composed of Carmen, Coco, Florence, and Daria, set out strong and led their heat from start to finish to shatter the previous School Record by 2 seconds. The Medley relay team of Daria, Victoria, Carmen, and Florence—also delivered an outstanding performance, further reducing the school record in this event by 3 seconds. These efforts positioned them as the third fastest school in both Medley and Freestyle events.
The Senior Team of Yasmin, Eliza L, Mila, and Erin, showcased near-personal best performances, fighting well in both of their heats to secure ranking as the fourth fastest school in the Medley Relay and fifth in the Freestyle Relay.
Throughout the event, the pupils demonstrated strong team values, expressing gratitude to officials and supporting each other. They impressed the staff and earned a celebratory stop at the services on their return journey.
Thank you to Coach Barry and Team Manager Mrs Salmond for supporting the pupils.
The teams now keenly anticipate the announcement of the National qualifiers.
