West Districts Group 4 Twenty-one swimmers, aged between 10 and 21, from North Ayrshire Amateur Swimming Club were in action recently in the Group 4 meet of the 2010 West District Championships, held over two days in the long course 50m pool at Tollcross Leisure Centre, Glasgow. Jordan Hughes (13) won a fantastic ten, yes ten, gold medals in the age 13 category, winning all the events that he entered on the way to securing the Best Boy trophy at that age group and recording some good Personal Best ("PB") times. Jordan's younger brother, Ross (12), also had an impressive meet picking up the Best Boy trophy in the age 12 category with a haul of two gold, two silver and a bronze medal. Jennifer King (12) showed great consistency in winning six gold medals and two bronze as she collected the Best Girl trophy in the age 12 category. Julie McClymont (12) recorded some great PBs as she won a gold and five silver medals in the age 12 category, finishing second to Jennifer King in several events in a North Ayrshire one-two. Julie's older sister, Heather (14), took the bronze medal in the gruelling 1500m Freestyle in the age 14 and over category. John Wright (12) delivered another strong performance over the two days with two gold and five silver medals and some great PBs. Graham Brown (14) secured his qualifying time for this year's British Age Group Championships with an excellent swim in the 200m Backstroke. Liam Cairns (11) was right in among the medals in the boys' age 10-11 category with one gold, three silver and two bronze. In the same age category Glen Duffy (11) collected a bronze in the 200m Butterfly. Kirsten Andrew (12) produced a strong swim in the age 12 category 800m Freestyle to take the silver medal. Gina Allan (11) swam well to take the bronze medal in the age 10-11 category 100m Freestyle. In that same age group, Demi Orr (11) had her first successes in the long course pool with a great haul of two gold and six silver medals and PBs aplenty. Completing North Ayrshire's medal collection for the meet were Rheanna Sloss (14) and Robyn Stewart (15) with a bronze medal each. Points are won for the team for a place in the top six in each event and also winning points for North Ayrshire were Catriona Fowlie (10), Eilidh Love (10) and Rowan Smith (12).

NA Junior Meet North Ayrshire Amateur Swimming Club recently hosted its annual Junior Meet at Auchenharvie Leisure Centre with swim teams competing from across the west of Scotland. Held over two days at a packed pool, this meet was for swimmers aged up to 14 years old. In addition to the regular competitors from the Club, the meet offered an opportunity for some of the club swimmers who compete less often to enjoy the thrill of the competitive atmosphere. Amongst the first time competitors from North Ayrshire was 8 year old Connor Tarran who had been training with the Club for just a few weeks before the meet and who described the experience as "really exciting, a good experience but a bit scary!" This was a view shared by 12 year old Craig Nisbet who was also competing for the first time since joining the club a few months ago and who said, "it's been great fun but very nerve-wracking". In addition to playing host to a successful gala, North Ayrshire's swimmers put in some strong performances. Heather McClymont amassed an impressive haul of six gold medals and one silver medal in the girls' age 14 category and younger sister, Julie , took two gold medals in Personal Best ("PB") times from her two swims in the age 12 category. Also in that age 12 category Jennifer King secured a clean sweep of four gold medals from her four swims and Kirsten Andrew took a silver and a bronze in PBs. In the boys' age 11 category Liam Cairns took 5 golds and a silver while securing PBs across the board and Glen Duffy took a silver and two bronze. Jake Dunwoodie was competing in his first individual meet and enjoyed the experience with a gold medal, two silvers and a bronze in the boys' age 8 category. Rory Dickson continued his impressive form in the same age group with a trio of gold medals and two silvers. Rory's older brother, Andrew, won bronze in the age 12 category. In the boys' age 9 group, Lewis Henry took two bronze medals with four PBs. Catriona Fowlie won three gold medals in PB times and also took a sliver and a bronze in the age 10 category with Eilidh Love taking a bronze in the same age group. Katie Inch recorded six PBs on the way to winning two golds, two silvers and two bronze in the age 9 category. In the same age group Emma Scully grabbed a gold medal, two silvers and a bronze with excellent PBs. Jasmine MacKillop, also in the age 9 category, bagged some great PBs and a bronze medal and Briony Thomson recorded some great PBs and won a bronze medal. Demi Orr achieved good PBs as she scored a hat-trick gold medals in her four swims in the age 11 category and Louise Downie won a silver and a bronze in that age group, again with PBs. Sarah Reford took a gold and two bronze in the age 14 category and in the same age group Maggie Stewart won a gold, three silver and a bronze, recording PBs throughout, and Alison Hughes took a pair of silvers and of bronze. Alison's brother, Mark, won a bronze in the age 10 category. In the boys' age 14 group, Raymond Stone secured a gold and a silver medal in his two swims with two PBs. A North Ayrshire team was also in action recently at Tollcross in the City of Glasgow Open Meet. Jennifer King (12) won three golds, a silver and a bronze and Julie McClymont (also 12) took a gold and two bronze. Graham Brown (14) won a gold and two bronze medals and John Wright (12) won one each of gold, silver and bronze with Ross Hughes (also 12) taking a silver and a bronze. Robyn Stewart (15) swam her way to a gold and completing the medal tally was Rheanna Sloss (14) with a silver and a bronze. Liam Cairns (11) had the thrill of achieving his first qualifying time for the British age group championships to be held later this year.

South Ayrshire Open Meet It has been a busy time for North Ayrshire Amateur Swimming Club with two teams in action recently, with one picking up a trophy for Best Club. First up was a team competing at the South Ayrshire Open Meet, held over two days at the Citadel Leisure Centre in Ayr. Demi Orr (11) had a terrific meet in the age 12 and under category, collecting a gold medal in the 200m Butterfly, together with a silver and two bronze, with some excellent Personal Best ("PB") times recorded along the way. The Open meet format is for swimmers of all ages and Pamela Wright (22) won gold in the age 15 and over 100m Freestyle and bronze at the 50m distance. Kerry Andrew (15) was swimming in the same age category and took the silver medal in the 200m Freestyle and the bronze in the 100m event, won by Pamela. Kerry's sister, Kirsten (12), picked up the bronze in the 100m Backstroke. Alison Hughes (14) swam strongly in the age 13-14 category with a string of PBs and winning the silver medal in the 200m Backstroke. Eilidh Love (10) was the youngest North Ayrshire team member and recorded some impressive PBs, as did Georgia Henry (11), Amy MacPherson (12), Louis Dymond (11) and Graeme Wallace (20). Next up was the Falkirk Otter Mini Meet held at Larkhall Leisure Centre for swimmers aged up to 11, where a team of fifteen North Ayrshire swimmers enjoyed a great day with the Club picking up the trophy for the Best Club overall, retaining the title which they won in 2009. Demi Orr (11) was in majestic form, winning gold in all of her four events in the age 11 category and collecting the trophy for the Best Girl in her age group. Liam Cairns (11) was impressive, as he won two gold medals and two bronze in PB times, winning him the Best Boy award in the age 11 category. North Ayrshire's 8 year old relay team of Abbie Freeman, Meredith Scott, Jamie Love and Rory Dickson produced strong swims to collect the gold medal. For Jamie and Abbie this was their first competition outside of the Mini League. Rory continued his recent good form with two silver and two bronze medals in the age 8 and under category with three PBs achieved and relay team-mate, Abbie Freeman, won a bronze in the girls' 8 and under. Cameron Auld (9) picked up two bronze medals and Catriona Fowlie (10) one bronze, both swimmers with a full house of four PBs. Jasmine MacKillop (9) and Georgia Henry (11) both recorded a clean sweep of four PBs and points were also won for the Club by Louise Downie (11), Katie Inch (9) and Emma Scully (9). Finally in a postscript to last week's report on the Scottish National Age Championship, recognition should go to Jennifer King (12) who was crowned Scottish Champion in two events, as being the fastest Scottish swimmer in the 400m Individual Medley and the 200m Backstroke.

Scottish Age Groups Fifteen swimmers from North Ayrshire Amateur Swimming Club enjoyed major success at the recent Scottish National Age Group Championships held over 4 days at the 50m pool at Tollcross Leisure Centre in Glasgow, the venue for the swimming events at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Thirteen year old Jordan Hughes led the medal charge with a phenomenal eight gold medals in the age 13 category across various distances in the Butterfly, Freestyle and Medley. Jordan recorded six new Personal Best ("PB") times and added to his medal collection with two silver medals to take his haul for the meet to an astonishing ten medals overall. Jordan's younger brother, Ross (12), showed that the swimming talent is spread across the Hughes family with a bronze in the fiercely contested final of the 200m Butterfly and strong swims right across his other events in the age 10-12 category, achieving a number of good PBs. Jennifer King (12) was collecting medals aplenty in the age 10-12 category with silver in the 200m Backstroke and two bronze, in the 1500m Freestyle and the 400m Medley. Robyn Stewart (15) produced a fantastic swim to collect the bronze medal in the age 15 category 200m Butterfly, knocking an amazing 3.5 seconds off her PB in the process. This was Robyn's first medal at this level and was an emotional moment for club swimmers and coaching staff alike. Graham Brown (14) swam strongly to pick up the bronze in the gruelling 1500m Freestyle, with a 29 second PB, and also recorded strong PBs across his other events in the age 14 category. Qualification for the Nationals is a major achievement in itself, being earned through swimming the qualification times set by Scottish Swimming, and gives swimmers the opportunity to compete against their strongest peers from Scotland and beyond. This year more North Ayrshire swimmers qualified for the Nationals than in 2009, and also earned the right to swim in more events than previously. Points are awarded to swimmers for places in the top six in each event and the Club recorded a highly impressive 11th place overall, a great achievement out of more than seventy clubs competing from all over the country. In addition to the medal winners mentioned, points were secured by Heather McClymont (14) and her younger sister, Julie (12), Rheanna Sloss (14) and John Wright (12). Liam Cairns (11), the youngest member of the North Ayrshire team, was competing in his first National event, and said, "The whole experience was amazing, if pretty exhausting, and I'm hoping to have the chance to compete again at this level in the future". The other North Ayrshire swimmers who qualified for the individual events were Kirsten Andrew (12), Sarah Reford (14) and Raymond Stone (14) and competing in the relay teams were Rowan Smith [12] and Kerry Andrew (15).

Ren 96 Graded Meet A team of swimmers from North Ayrshire Amateur Swimming Club competed recently at the Ren 96 Graded Meet held over two days at Johnstone Pool. The graded meet format provides an opportunity for improving swimmers to compete and to attempt to achieve new Personal Best ("PB") times. Angus Dickson (10) won gold in the age 8-10 100m Freestyle, smashing more than six seconds off his PB, and followed that up with a bronze in the 50m event. In the age 13-14 category, Connor Woods (14) took silver in the 50m Butterfly in a new PB. Sarah Reford (14) grabbed a gold medal in the age 13-14 100m Backstroke and won silver in the 100m Freestyle, both in PB times. In the same age group, Jade MacKillop (13) swam strongly to take silver in the 200m Freestyle in a new PB. Gina Allan (11) was right in among the medals with a silver medal in the age 11-12 50m Breaststroke and bronze in the 100m Freestyle, knocking more than 3 seconds of her previous PB in the latter event. Also in the age 11-12 category, Amy MacPherson (12) won silver in the 100m Butterfly. Special mention should be made of the two North Ayrshire swimmers who knocked most time off their previous PBs, Louis Dymond (11) in the age 11-12 category 100m Medley and Ailie MacPherson (11) in the girls' 11-12 age group 100m Freestyle. Also recording excellent new PBs at the meet were Jasmine MacKillop (9), Katie Inch (9), Connor Nicol (13) and Rory Dickson (8).

Mini League The Mini League team from North Ayrshire Amateur Swimming Club won out in Round 2 of the 2010 qualifying heats as they continue to strive to defend their title in the Clyde Coast Mini League. A competition held over three heats and, if successful in qualifying, a final, the Mini League is for swimmers aged up to 11 years old. This provides an opportunity for the younger swimmers to participate in an event that is always fiercely contested. Competing at Whitehill Pool in Dennistoun, Glasgow against teams from Rutherglen, Inverclyde and Clydebank, the 2010 team demonstrated the potential to continue the success achieved by the club, which has won the title for the last five years. Rory Dickson (8), in his first year in the team, won all his races, gaining maximum points for the team, an achievement matched by Liam Cairns (11), Mark Hughes (10), and Catriona Fowlie (10). Demi Orr (11) also swam impressively with three first places and a second and Katie Inch and Nathan Priceman (both 9) each achieved one first and three second places. In the youngest age group Abbie Freeman (8) also performed well with a first, a second and a fourth place. The swimmers named here were supported superbly by the rest of the team in the relay events and the club now looks ahead to the final qualifying round to be held in May to seek to secure a place in the final. North Ayrshire finished clear in first place, with Rutherglen second, Inverclyde third and Clydebank in fourth place.

Mini League Two teams from North Ayrshire Amateur Swimming Club were in action recently in Glasgow. First up were the Mini-League team in their first heat as they began the defence of their five successive victories in the Clyde Coast Mini-League. The Mini-League is for swimmers aged up to 11 years old, giving the younger swimmers a chance to compete in an event that is always fiercely contested. North Ayrshire won this first heat at Bishopbriggs Pool on the north side of Glasgow against teams from Kirkintilloch, Kilmarnock and Dunoon and are in action again shortly in the second round of the heats to be held at Dennistoun. Next up was a team of 18 swimmers competing in Group 2 of the West District Championships, this time held over 2 days at the 50m long-course pool at Tollcross. North Ayrshire amassed an impressive medal haul across the age groups. Jordan Hughes (13) collected 4 gold medals in the 13-14 age category with excellent personal bests ("PBs") in the 400m Individual Medley and the 800m Freestyle and picked up 2 silvers and 2 bronze. Younger brother, Ross (12), also had a successful meet in the 10-12 age category with a gold in the 200m Butterfly in a PB time and 4 silvers and a bronze. Also in the 10-12 age group, John Wright (12) was on the top step of the medal podium with gold in the 200m Freestyle and won 2 silvers. Graham Brown (14) won gold in the 13-14 age category in the demanding 800m Freestyle and, showing his strength over the long distances, grabbed silver in the 1500m Freestyle. For the girls, in the age 10-12 category Jennifer King (11) continued her excellent winning run with 3 gold medals and topped that up with 3 silvers. In the same age group, Julie McClymont (12) had an impressive meet with 2 golds, 2 silvers and a bronze with PBs across the board. Rheanna Sloss (14) grabbed a bronze in the age 13-14 category and Robyn Stewart also won bronze in the age 15 and over category, with both girls recording good PBs.

200 Meet Auchenharvie Leisure Centre was the venue for the successful "200 Meet" hosted recently by North Ayrshire Amateur Swimming Club ("NAASC"). This meet, held over two days, is a popular fixture on the swimming calendar, providing swimmers with an opportunity to swim distances from 200m right up to 1,500m. The entry list attracted clubs from all over Scotland, with competitors from as far afield as Oban, Glenrothes and Dumfries. With such stiff competition, it was pleasing that North Ayrshire swimmers represented their club well with some impressive Personal Best times being achieved by the 22 swimmers from NAASC, many of whom also bagged a substantial medal collection. Graeme Wallace won the Open Age Group trophy with four wins to his name. Liam Cairns won the Best Boy trophy in the 11 year old category, with gold in the 200m IM, together with a silver and three bronze. Glen Duffy was Best Boy in the 10 year old category, having grabbed gold in the 200m Breaststroke and Butterfly adding to a silver and a bronze. Angus Dickson was second to Glen in the 200m Breaststroke. Michael Thompson (15) was in impressive form, collecting Best Boy in the 15-16 year old category with gold in the 200m IM and three silvers and a bronze. John Wright (12) swam strongly throughout, collecting gold in the 12 year old 200m Butterfly and a silver and bronze. For the girls, Eilidh Love won the Best Girl trophy in the 10 year old category, winning three golds in the 200m IM, Freestyle and Backstroke, together with a bronze. She was followed by Catriona Fowlie (10) who picked up gold in the 200m Butterfly, with two silvers and a bronze. Sarah Reford (14) won Best Girl in the 14 year old category with a hat-trick of bronze medals. Demi Orr (11) also demonstrated her strength across the strokes, with gold in the 200m Butterfly, together with 3 bronze medals in the age 11 group. Catriona Campbell (16) picked up a silver and a bronze in the 15-16 year age category and Rowan Smith (12) collected bronze in the 200m Butterfly.