On Saturday 1st July Swindon Dolphin took a small squad of six swimmers to a local swim event, the Triathlon Ferris Big Swim. This event is held at the Waterland Outdoor Pursuits, Lake 32, and with the absence yet again of the ASA Wiltshire County Championships gave some of our swimmers the chance to test out the local waters for a spot of swimming.
The event consists of a 1 mile and 2 mile events, with 140 swimmers opting to take the mile event by the horns while 129 swimmers took on the 2 mile event. We saw some great swimming in the event with most of the team coming in the top 16 overall, with all Swindon Dolphin swimmers gaining a top 5 AG place including Sarah Forbes who won her age group, Ciara Montague who gained a 3rd place AG finish, Jack and brother John Church gained AG 4th and 5th places respectively. Swindon Dolphin Coach Dean Fouracre stormed in with a 5th AG placing and was the first swimmer to finish non wetsuit, going against the grain where 138 out of 140 swimmers all wore suits for the event. The winner of the 1 mile event was Swindon Dolphins Cathy Naus who shared the first place title with another swimmer both posting times of 20:41.
Cathy was the youngest swimmer in the field on the day and came away with the win in her first ever adult competition. A superb performance against a very experienced athlete and surrounding field.
The 2 mile event was a popular choice this year for many swimmers, with Dolphin Jake Lewis competing in this. The winner of the event came into the finish in 43:18 with second place a few seconds after in 43:23, both experienced swimmers and triathletes who were neck and neck all the way around, leaving the rest of the field behind from the early stages. Jake managed to bag a great time of 46:03 and gain a 6th place overall and a 3rd AG placing.
Overall this event was a fantastic showcase for the club with some great performances all round.
The next event is on September 16th and we are looking to get more swimmers from the club interested and signed up for the event. The September event also adds an element of competition as teams compete for the Glenys France Memorial trophy over the 1 mile distance. The winners being the first 5 swimmers from a given club to cross the finish line. Last year swindon Dolphin narrowly missed out against a team with a pool of over 30 swimmers, come along and join the team this September. You can wear a wetsuit or not, the choice is yours.
To sign up for the Tri Ferris Big Swim September visit http://triferris.com/bigswim/index.html, enter the 1 mile distance and ensure your club name is Swindon Dolphin ASC. See the recent email from SCM for further information.’
Jason Tait
Swindon Dolphin Open Water Coach & Secretary
