Blythe Barracudas Swimming Club Stories and Write Ups

City of Coventry Open 15th January 2012

Blythe Barracudas Swimming Club were well represented at the City of Coventry Open Meet on Sunday 15^th Janaury. Blythe were rewarded with an overall second place for a visiting club out of the twenty who took park, an outstanding achievement for the Barracudas. There were 18 girls and 9 boys attending the event and they amassed a total of 39 medals between them, including 19 gold.

Star performances for the girls was 12 year old Laurie Bennett who excelled with 5 gold medals in the 50m, 100m, 200m butterfly events and wins in the 200m breaststroke and individual medley. Charlotte Rigg also managed multiple golds in her 9 year old events with wins in her 200m freestyle and 200m breaststroke. The other gold medals for the girls included 18 year old Nicola Smith in her 100m breaststroke event, 14 year old Amy Greenhill in the 50m breaststroke, 10 year old Scarlett Flynn in the 50m freestyle and 9 year old Alyssa Morrison in the 50m backstroke event.

For the boys 9 year old Thomas Jones delivered a haul of 3 gold medals in his 50m breaststroke, 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly events. 13 year old Ben Austin managed a winning performance and gold medal in his 100m breaststroke and 12 year old Ben Hurdman achieved a gold in his 50m backstroke. There were some fine swims and gold medals for 11 year old Matthew Pagan in the 100m breaststroke and Jack Wilson in his 50m breaststroke event.

Boldmere Junior Gala 7th January 2012

Blythe Barracudas Swimming Club secured an emphatic win at the Boldmere Junior Gala held at the Wyndley Leisure Centre, Sutton Coldfield on the 7 January.

It was the first gala of the year and a successful one for new Head Coach,

Brian Cooke.

Blythe’s young swimmers dominated proceedings winning 23 out of the 51 events and achieving a total of 60 personal best times, including relay events.

For the boys, Tom O’Hanlon achieved an impressive double with wins in the 11 and under 50m butterfly and freestyle events. Rory Jones also managed a first place for the 11 and unders in his 50m backstroke event. There was a first place for Jack Wilson in the 12 and under 50m breaststroke and 10 year old Thomas Jones won his 50m freestyle event. Excellent swims saw 9 year olds Freddie Truman win the 25m freestyle to round off a great night for the boys.

There were some fine performances from the girls with Rosie Breslin winning her 50m freestyle event for the 11 and unders and Scarlett Flynn achieved a first place finish in her 10 year old 50 breaststroke event. Charlotte Rigg won the 10 year old 25m butterfly and Beth Gowing secured another first in her 10 year old 50m backstroke event.

Blythe’s dominance was clear to see in the relay events where they managed to win 12 out of a possible 19 events demonstrating the strength in depth at the club.

Birmingham Water Festival 16th October 2011

Blythe Barracudas Swimming Club attended their very first Birmingham Water Festival Open Meet on the 16 October at Stechford Cascades pool. This is an important event in the calendar for those younger swimmers looking to gain experience in competing in a gala atmosphere.

Blythe had thirteen of it’s swimmers taking part and there were some outstanding swims.

For the boys 8 year old Freddie Truman excelled and won a Gold medal for his 25m breaststroke event and a Silver in his 25m butterfly both in personal best times. 9 year old Thomas Jones achieved a Silver medal in his 25m butterfly and 10 year old Rory Jones swam superbly to take the Gold medal in his 50m backstroke event with a personal best time.

For the girls 9 year old Freya Lindsay collected a double with a Silver medal in her 25m butterfly and bronze in the 25m freestyle both in personal best times. 9 year old Beth Currie had a fine swim and received a Silver medal in her 25m breaststroke event

Blythe's Busy Autumn: Girls Gala, 50m Sprints Open Meet, Cov & District Champs

Blythe Barracudas Swimming Club enjoyed a busy schedule throughout September and October culminating in some fine individual performances.

Blythe competed in their first girl’s only gala held at Droitwich on Saturday 15 October. Despite finishing in fifth place swimmers achieved 44 personal best times out of 47 events. Star performer was 9 year old Charlotte Rigg who placed first in her 25m breaststroke event in a new personal best followed up by a second place finish in her 25m butterfly event. The other girls who managed second place on the night were 9 year old swimmer Elizabeth Pomfret, 10 year old Scarlett Flynn, 11 year old Hannah Currie and 12 year old Sasha Lindsay.

Blythe were well represented at the 50m Sprints Open Meet event held at Coventry on Saturday 24 September. 17 swimmers took part recording 15 personal best times between them, the highlight of the meet was the success of 14 year old Kelly Hurdman who received a bronze medal in her 50m breaststroke event with fellow 14 year old Amy Greenhill just missing out on a medal with a fourth place finish. 10 year old Scarlett Flynn also just missed out on a bronze medal in her 50m breaststroke event taking a massive 3 seconds off her personal best.

There were some impressive performances in the Coventry and District Championships held over 3 days at Pingles in Nuneaton. In what has become a major fixture, 10 year old Tom O’Hanlon excelled in his 50m freestyle and backstroke events by winning 5^th and 6^th medals in the finals with 11 year old Jack Wilson reaching the final of the 50m breaststroke event and taking home the 5^th place medal. For the girls Scarlett Flynn also managed a final appearance and qualified with the second fastest time out of 29 swimmers.

Ron Walker Trophy Gala 17th September 2011

Blythe Barracudas were back in action on the 17 September at the Ron Walker Trophy Gala held at Pingles, Nuneaton. Blythe managed a creditable 5^th place overall with a number of new swimmers, with some fine performances at the gala.

For the girls, 9 year old Charlotte Rigg was outstanding with wins in her 25m breaststroke and butterfly events. Scarlett Flynn excelled in her 10 and under 50m breaststroke event, with a first place taking 5 seconds off her personal best time. Another first place went to Alyssa Morrison in the 9 year old girls 25m backstroke event achieved with a personal best time.

Not to be outdone the boys contributed 2 wins on the night with Jack Wilson winning the 12 and under 50m breaststroke event and Benjamin Davis managing and impressive personal best time with his win in the 11 and under 50m butterfly event. Blythe continue to improve as an emerging club with 23 personal best times being recorded on the night out of the 51 events.

Mercian Summer League Third & Final Round 9th July 2011

Blythe Barracudas signed off in the Final Round of the Mercian Summer League held at Wombourne on Saturday July 9^th.

Blythe managed a respectable fourth place finish in their final gala of the season with some outstanding individual swims. Star performer was 12 year old Hannah Rogers who completed a superb double with wins in her 50m butterfly and 100m freestyle events. There was a strong performance from 9 year old Lily Graham who managed a first place in her 25m butterfly event and a second place finish swimming against older swimmers in the girls 12 and under 100m backstroke event.

For the boys, Tom O’Hanlon was rewarded with two excellent second place finishes in his 50m backstroke and 50m freestyle events.

Blythe also competed in the recent Boldmere Water Carnival Open Meet at Stechford Cascades. Sixteen club swimmers took part recording an impressive 28 personal best times in all events. Fourteen year old Kelly Hurdman excelled with 3^rd place awards in the girls 100m and 200m breaststroke events both in personal best times. Younger swimmers with notable performances were 9 year old Charlotte Rigg achieving 5^th place awards in her 50m breaststroke and freestyle events, and 10 year old Tom O’Hanlon with 5th place award in his 50m backstroke and 6^th place in his 50m freestyle event.

Nuneaton 'Diddy' League Round 2 14th May 2011

Blythe Barracudas competed in the second round of the Nuneaton Junior League held at Stafford swimming pool on the 14th May 2011. It was a close fought gala with Blythe finishing fifth place with some excellent individual and relay swims. There were 12 first places out of the 51 events with 28 personal best times.

The 9 year old girls achieved success with Lily Graham winning her 25m butterfly and freestyle events and Scarlett Flynn and Charlotte Rigg winning the 25m breaststroke and backstroke events. The three girls were also joined by Molly Sanders in winning their medley and freestyle relay events. Blythe would like to congratulate the girls in remaining unbeaten in both rounds of the league to date.

There were some strong swims from the boys with 10 year old Tom O’Hanlon winning the 50m backstroke and 11 year old Matthew Pagan and William Rigg winning their respective 50m races in the breaststroke and freestyle events. The 11 and under boys relay team impressed with wins in the medley and freestyle events, swimmers included George Armstrong, Matthew Pagan, Benjamin Davis and William Rigg. Blythe Barracudas final success was in the boys 12 and under freestyle relay event, with swimmers Ben Hurdman, Tom McNutt, George Armstrong, and Jamie Edwards claiming the first place.

City of Birmingham Open Meet, Easter 2011

A group of swimmers from Blythe Barracudas Swimming Club competed in the City of Birmingham Open Meet at Stechford Cascades over the Easter weekend with some notable successes. The ten competing swimmers achieved an impressive fifteen personal best times over the four day event.

Blythe would like to congratulate 12 year old Emily Graham who was voted best girl performer overall winning no less than eight events in her age group, a stunning achievement, and an endorsement of the training from City of Birmingham.

In the 50m freestyle races there were excellent swims from Sian Wyn-Jones receiving the silver medal in a new personal best time and also in a personal best time Amy Greenhill collected the bronze medal.

For the boys Matthew Austin received a fourth place award in the 50m freestyle in a personal best time and in the same event competing in his first City of Birmingham Open Meet, Amile Zormati, achieved a 5^th place award in a personal best time

Warwickshire County Championships March 2011

Blythe Barracudas recorded some outstanding personal best times at the Warwickshire County Championships with 21 club swimmers taking part over three weekends in March at Coventry’s 50m pool.

Blythe would like to congratulate 12 year old Emily Graham for her amazing achievement in becoming the fastest swimmer in the County in the 50m butterfly event and picking up the 1^st place trophy in a personal best time against top swimmers of all ages. Emily also achieved in the 11/12 year old age group two gold medals in her 50m backstroke and freestyle events, a silver medal in the 400m individual medley and bronze in the 200m freestyle.

There were exceptional swims by 9 year old Lily Graham achieving four personal best times in her events and 10 year old Frances Austin also recorded three personal best times over the three Saturdays in her individual events. 10 year old Hannah Currie also deserves a special mention for her seventh place finish with a personal best time in her 50m breaststroke when competing against a strong field of over 50 swimmers in the 9/10 years age group.

Blythe Barracudas continue to demonstrate their recent improvements as an emerging local club with a further seven swimmers achieving personal best times, including ten year olds Benjamin Davis and eleven year olds George Armstrong and Sasha Lindsay, twelve year olds Ben Hurdman and Tom McNutt and thirteen year old Sian Wyn-Jones.

Junior Trophy Gala 12th February 2011

Blythe Barracudas Swimming Club have come along way since being established back in 2006 and this was evident at the Junior Trophy Gala held at Tudor Grange Leisure Centre.

Blythe came up against Solihull for the second time in a competitive gala and

six other established clubs. Blythe came a very credible fourth proving they can now hold there own against bigger clubs. There were some exceptional swims on the night with 27 personal best times recorded.

Highlights included sister’s 9 year old Lily Graham winning her 25m butterfly and freestyle and 12 year old Emily Graham who also won both her individuals in the 50m butterfly and backstroke in a personal best time. There was also a first place for 9 year old Scarlett Flynn in her 25m breaststroke event.

Strong swims for the boys with first place finishes for 10 year old William Rigg in the 50m freestyle and 11 year olds Jack Wilson in his 50m breaststroke along with George Armstrong in the 50m freestyle in a personal best time.

In the relay events there was success for the 12 year old girls with first place in the 25m freestyle relay event with impressive swims from Hannah Rogers, Sian Wyn-Jones, Emily Graham and Alice Lodge.

John Vaughan Open Gala 29th January 2011

Blythe Barracudas were back in action in the John Vaughan Trophy Gala held at Wolverhampton Baths on the 29^th January.

Despite fielding younger swimmers against tough opposition Barracudas managed some exceptional individual and relay performances with 16 personal best times overall.

Star performer for the girls was 11 year old Emily Graham who won both her individual events in the 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle.

For the boys Ben Hurdman came a close second in the 11 year old 50m backstroke event with an excellent personal best time.

There was success for the 11 year old girls with first place in the 25m medley relay event with impressive swims from Alice Lodge, Hannah Currie, Cerys Stansfield and Emily Graham.

The outstanding team effort was epitomized in the girls freestyle open age relay event with a fighting 3^rd place for 17 year Kitty Busz, 14 year old Maria Thompson and 13 year olds Kelly Hurdman and Rachel Davis.

Coventry Open Meet 16th January 2011

Blythe Barracudas produced some magnificent swims at the City of Coventry Open Meet which was held at their 50m pool on Sunday 16^th January.

Blythe would like to show their recognition of the fantastic achievement of nine year old Lily Graham who won the BAGCAT trophy 1^st place awarded for her four gold medals in her age group in the 50 and 200m freestyle, 200m backstroke and individual medley events all in new personal best times.

There were some outstanding performances for the boys, twelve year old

Ben Austin was also able to celebrate by winning gold in the 200m individual medley, to go with a silver medal for his 100m breaststroke and two bronze medals in the 200m freestyle and 50m butterfly. Tom McNutt achieved gold in his 50m backstroke and bronze medals in the 50 and 100m freestyle in personal best times.

Fourteen year old Matt Austin won two silver and bronze medals in the 50m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 200m freestyle and individual medley races. Capping off a fine day for Blythe, ten year old Rhys Dunne achieved his first competitive medals with bronze in the 50m freestyle and butterfly events.

Redditch 'Diddy Gala 8th january 2011

Blythe Barracudas sprang back into action at the start of the year with the Diddy Gala held at Droitwich on the 8th January.

This gave the younger swimmers an opportunity to warm up for the Nuneaton Junior League.

Blythe finished fourth overall on the night with some outstanding performances.

For the boys there were wins in the 50m freestyle events for 10 year old William Rigg and 12 year old Tom McNutt in a personal best time. 11 year old Jack Wilson in his 50m Breaststroke event.

The girls also had some excellent swims with 9 year old Scarlett Flynn winning her 25m Breaststroke event in a personal best time and 9 year old Lily Graham in the 25m Butterfly.

The boys 12 and under medley relay achieved a first place swimmers included Jamie Edwards, William Rigg, Ben Hurdman and Tom McNutt. For the girls 9 year old freestyle relay there was a first place for Grace Harris, Scarlett Flynn, Lily Graham and Elizabeth Pomfret.

Kingsbury Friendship Gala 23 October 2010

Swimmers Pool their Talents

Blythe Barracudas continue to establish themselves as an up and coming swimming club by earning a creditable fourth place in the Kingsbury Aquarius Friendship Gala.

The event held on Saturday 23 October at the Pingles in Nuneaton saw Blythe swimmers deliver an impressive 10 individual personal bests and a host of fine relay performances against the regions top swimming clubs.

Performance of the night came from 10 year old Jack Wilson who achieved a first place in the 25m breaststroke in a personal best time and completed a double in the 25m freestyle race.

Other noteworthy performances came from Hannah Currie who came second in the girls 10 and under 25m breaststroke event and James Lee who managed two second place finishes in the boys 12 and under 50m Butterfly and 50m Backstroke events.

Blythe would also like to congratulate 8 year old swimmer Charlotte Rigg on her fantastic achievement of three gold’s in her breaststroke, backstroke and freestyle races at the recent highly regarded City of Birmingham Water Festival.

Stoke "B Grade" Gala 27 September 2010

Blythe Barracudas continue to impress

Blythe Barracudas competed at the B Grade Gala hosted by City of Stoke Swimming Club last Saturday and Sunday.

With many of the swimmers taking a well-earned rest following the Barracudas' recent promotion to Division 2 of the Nuneaton Diddy League, a select team of Barracudas Gala squad turned up at Stoke-on-Trent and came away with some impressive personal best times.

Best Barracudas' Performance of the 2^nd day went to Ben Austin who was awarded the bronze medal for his first-ever 200 metre breaststroke race. Close behind was Rachel Davis who smashed her previous personal best by over 8 seconds for the 200 metre freestyle. Swimmers Frances Austin, Benjamin Davies and Nicholas Davenport also recorded personal best times.

The Barracudas' competition squad will now be turning their attention to next weekend's Gala in Nuneaton. Training up to 6 times a week, the athletes are able to take part in as many sessions as they wish and progress as fast as they feel able. The sessions take place on weekday evenings and weekend mornings and are led by the club's fully qualified coaching team.

Nuneaton 'Diddy' League Final 19th September 2010

Blythe Barracudas Swimming Club ended a fantastic season by securing promotion to the second division of the Nuneaton Junior League on Saturday in the finals held at Wolverhampton Central Baths.

It was Barracudas second visit to the finals in the past three years culminating in a fifth place finish, enough to achieve promotion to the second division.

Having won the previous three rounds, Barracudas encountered tough opposition in the finals but still managed a creditable performance.

The highlight being Emily Graham’s three first place finishes in the girls 11 and under 50m Butterfly and 50m Backstroke and the 50m Butterfly in the 12 and under girls event. Emily was awarded the Record Breakers Trophy for her achievements.

Blythe Barracudas also managed a victory in the girls 12 and under medley relay event including swimmers, Amy Lewis, Amy Greenhill, Rachel Davis and Emily Graham.

There were a string of notable second place finishes from William Rigg in the 10 year old boys 50m Freestyle and 25m Butterfly, James Lee in the 12 year old 50m Backstroke, Hannah Currie in the 10 year old 50m Breaststroke, Jack Wilson in the 10 year old 50m Breaststroke and George Armstrong in the 10 year old boys 50m Backstroke.

The relay events also saw Barracudas claim five second place finishes across the respective age groups, and help contribute to a strong team effort.

Blythe is a very enthusiastic and friendly swimming club which always welcomes swimmers of all abilities and they train in both Solihull and South Birmingham.

If you are interested in joining them please visit their website atwww.blythebarracudas.com to find out more about the club.

Blythe is a very enthusiastic and friendly swimming club that welcomes swimmers of all abilities to train and compete at all levels. The Club trains in both Solihull and South Birmingham under the guidance of our chief coach, former international swimmer Mark Sheldrick.

If you would like to find out more about the club visit the website atwww.blythebarracudas.com or email welcome@blythebarracudas.com to arrange a free trial with one of our fully qualified coaching staff.

Nuneaton 'Diddy' League R3 25th June 2010

report to follow.

Nuneaton 'Diddy' League R2 8^th May 2010

Blythe Barracudas swam to an impressive consecutive win in Round 2 of the Nuneaton Junior League held on Saturday 8th May at Nuneaton.

Blythe now have two wins to their name against strong opposition and are in a good position to reach the finals to be held in September.

Blythe ran out convincing winners on the day with 28 races wins out of a possible 51, there were also 13 personal best times.

Barracudas dominated the relay events winning 12 out of the 19 events.

There were some notable individual performances with William Rigg winning the 10 year 50m Freestyle and 25m Butterfly, this double was matched by Ben Austin in the 12 year old 50m Breaststroke and 50m Freestyle.

For the girls there were wins for Emily Graham in the 11 year old 50m Backstroke and 50m Butterfly and Georgia Smith managed wins in the 9 year old 25m Butterfly and 25m Freestyle events. Congratulations must go to club member James Lee for representing Warwickshire County on Sunday 9th May with the team finishing third overall.

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Mercian League R1 24^th April 2010

Blythe Barracudas were in action again in Round 1 of the Mercian Summer League at Tamworth. Despite being up against tough opposition, Blythe managed a respectable fourth place with 23 personal best times being achieved at the event.

There was success in the boys 12 and under Medley Relay team with an emphatic first place for Ben Hurdman, Ben Austin , James Lee and Tom McNutt. The individual highlights were first place for Jack Wilson in the 10 year old boys 50m Breaststroke in a personal best time and first place for Katie Berwick in the 14 year old girls 100m Breaststroke.

Blythe is a very enthusiastic and friendly swimming club which always welcomes new members.

If you are interested in joining them please visit their website at www.blythebarracudas.com to find out more about the club.

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Diddy League R1 17th April 2010

Blythe Barracudas swam into form on Saturday 17th April at Stechford Cascades, competing in the first round of the Nuneaton Junior League.

Blythe achieved a convincing victory on the night against five other teams.

There were 18 personal best times recorded on the night with Blythe winning 27 out of the 51 races and placing second in 14 of the other events.

It was a great all round team performance with outstanding victories in 11 out of the 19 relay events.

There were individual successes for Emily Graham in the 11 year and under girls 50m Backstroke and Butterfly events and Georgia Smith in the girls 9 year old 25m Butterfly and freestyle. Other winners for the girls included Frances Austin, Sophie Gifford, Amy Lewis, Amy Greenhill and Rachel Davies in their respective events. The boys also achieved great success with individual wins from William Rigg, Jack Wilson, Matthew Pagan, Ben Hurdman, Tom McNutt and James Lee.

Blythe is a very enthusiastic and friendly swimming club which always welcomes new members.

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John Vaughan Trophy Gala 30th January 2010

Blythe Barracudas took the opportunity to blood it's elite swimmers against older aged children in the recent John Vaughan Trophy Gala, held at Wolverhampton Central Baths on Saturday 30^th January.

Despite finishing eighth on the night valuable experience was gained with the young Barracuda squad competing well beyond expectations.

There were 22 personal best times out of a possible 32 individual events with some notable performances.

Many of the swimmers were up against older opposition with the club able to take stock of it's future young prospects.

Excellent performances were achieved in the following events:

Two first places for the 9 year old girls medley and freestyle relay teams which included Cerys Stansfield, Charlotte Rigg, Georgia Smith, Lily Graham and Frances Austin. There was also a second place for the 9 year old mixed freestyle relay team which consisted of Frances Austin, Lily Graham and boys William Rigg and Adam McNutt.

First places were also achieved in the 11 year old girls freestyle relay with Emily Graham, Sophie Gifford, Mollie Lewis and Sian Wyn-Jones.

In the Open events there were first places in the medley and freestyle relay team which included Hollie Joyce, Lucy Rigg, Sophie Thompson and Katie Berwick.

In her first gala for Blythe Barracudas, Emily Graham achieved a first place in the 11 year old girls 50m backstroke event, in a new personal best time.

Boldmere Invitational Meeting 20th& 21st November 2009

Blythe Barracudas produced some magnificent swims at the Boldmere Open Meet over the weekend of 21st and 22nd November held at Stechford Cascades Swimming Baths.

Blythe had 23 of it's club swimmers taking part in the event with 37 other Midlands based clubs also represented.

There were 59 personal best times recorded by the Blythe Barracudas swimmers with 11 year old James Lee deserving a special mention. James competed in seven events all in personal best times excelling in his 50m backstroke event where he achieved a Silver medal. He also received fourth and fifth place certificates in the 50m and 100m butterfly and the 100m backstroke events respectively. Blythe's other medal winner was 14 year old Elinor Penny who achieved the Bronze in the 100m butterfly.

Another noteworthy performance came from nine year old William Rigg who was awarded a 5th place certificate in the 50m freestyle event.

Fifteen year olds Michael Penny and Sophie Thompson achieved four personal best times each, over the weekend's events a feat also matched by twelve year old swimmer Kelly Hurdman.

There were exceptional swims by Ben Austin , 11, in the 100m freestyle taking 7 seconds off his previous personal best and not to be outdone. Nine year old Hannah Currie slashed 7 seconds off her personal best in the 50m butterfly.

The remaining personal best times were evenly spread between those swimmers taking part in the event, demonstrating the recent improvements of this emerging local club.

Warley Wasps Friendly B Gala 3rd October 2009

Blythe Barracudas took part in a thrilling swimming gala hosted by Warley Wasps Swimming Club at Smethwick on Saturday evening.

Blythe finished a close second on the night to eventual winners, Perry Beeches, however it could have been even better if luck had been on their side.

There were numerous great performances on the night and the team managed fourteen first place finishes out of 41 events with 12 personal best times.

14 year old James Lewis won the Individual Medley and 100m Butterfly. William Rigg won both of his individual events in the 10 year old one length butterfly and two lengths freestyle with personal best times. He was also involved in two relay wins with fellow team mates, Ben Hurdman, Jamie Edwards and Tom McNutt in the 10 Year olds Medley Relay and Freestyle Relay.

There were wins for Joe Evans in the 14 year old 100m Freestyle, Kelly Hurdman in the 12 year old two length girls Breaststoke and Amy Lewis in the 12 year old two length Freestyle all achieved in personal best times. James Lee won the 12 year old boys two length Backstroke. The girls performed well in the relay events with valuable wins in four out of seven, many achieved with younger swimmers.