Saturday 5th January 2019, Hemel Hempstead

The first round of Major League took place before we could even take the Christmas decorations down this year. However, the Christmas extra sessions proved beneficial to the swimmers, who worked hard on technique and racing skills.

We travelled to Hemel Hempstead to compete in Gala 2 of the first division of the league against Hatfield, Hemel Hempstead, Royston, Stevenage & Tring. On the night we achieved three 1st, nine 2nd and ten 3rd places together with a total number of 28 PBs across individual and relay events. The gutsy swims fielded by our swimmers saw us finish in 4thplace with a total of 156 gala points, only 4 points behind Royston.

My read on the swims is very positive: some swimmers improved their times, others managed better specific skills (such as more efficient underwater phase, or faster finishes), they should all be proud of their performances.

The team spirit was excellent, with swimmers supporting each other and contributing to the team effort in a positive way. Teddy went to Olivia W for stepping up to swim the 100 back literally 1 minute before the race: she bravely walked to the starting block with a huge smile on her face… that is the right spirit!

A huge well done to each and every swimmer and to all the helpers and parents for their continued support!

Best wishes

Manuela