Ekhuruleni District Winter Short Course Championship
24 clubs primarily from the Gauteng areas competed in the First Ekhuruleni District Winter Short Course Championship. All the winter training has paid off. ESP has scored high in recent events but this is the first win in decades.
ESP champions
Several swimmers swam all 10 events and finaled for many. Swimmers total approximately 2 and a half kilometres per session. 4 sessions a weekend translates into about 10km swum and at least 1 hour dynamic stretching with explosive jumps! Average swimmers will start the morning with a 1km warm up, followed by 20 minutes of dynamic stretching and explosive jumps. Averaging an estimate total of 500m of racing, add another 1 km for cool downs (This encourages the “body chemistry” to recover as close to normal as possible – aiding the body to recuperate quicker enabling swimmers to continue racing hard).
Savannah & Jessica
ESP swimmers won 11 gold medals, 3 silver medals, and 12 bronze. The points were scored in the 106 final swims that our swimmers qualified for. Only finalists in the top 8 score points for the club with 1st place 10 pts/ 2nd place 8 pts/ 3rd place 6 pts and then 5-4-3-2-1. Only the 1st 2 swimmers per club (maximum 2 club swimmers) score points. This makes achieving a final vital.
The ESP team shone bright. We had 15 newbies competing in their first champs. Kyle Mckenzie, Ashleigh Stock and Savannah Mitchell were the stars of the team. Both have swum faster than the present qualifying times for the Open Senior Short Course Championships. (These times may be altered after the Olympics)
Top Results.
Savannah finaled in all 8 of the events that she entered, winning 6 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze medal. She now has 5 Senior Short Course times under her belt, having swum the 100m breaststroke in 1.17:84 and 100 butterfly in 1.08:02. (Savannah also qualified in 50m butterfly and breaststroke. Previously she qualified in the 200m breaststroke).
Kyle, a breaststroke and Individual medley swimmer posted a fast 1.03:34 for the 100m Individual Medley and 2.14.88 for the 200 Individual Medley. (Senior short course qualifying time) The 15/ 16 age group was a powerful group at this meet. Kyle qualified for all 10 finals winning 3 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medals.
Ashleigh Stock reclaimed her Breaststroke title winning 2 gold medals (5 finals)
Jessica Burgess won 7 bronze and 1 silver medal.(10 finals)
Bernalee Doster won 2 bronze medals (6 finals).
Colette Fourie won 1 bronze medal (6 finals)
Other finalists are Storm Ryder (9), Kerrin Burgess (8), Kent Field (8), Adrian Ristow (7), Nicholas Smith (6), Jonathan Smith (5), Savannah Sheerin (5), Murray Copeland (3), Morgan Corns (3), Chane Van Rooyen (2) Ciaran Le Goff, Oyama and Clayton Malaza and Jody Copeland (all with 1)
