It was a busy weekend for Hemel Hempstead Swimming Club with swimmers competing at both the Hatfield and Hertsmere Flyers Open Meets. With the qualification window now shut for the Herts County Championships which take place in March the club is celebrating a record 72 qualifiers, which is an increase of over 30 percent on last season. This will mean that we will have one of biggest representations at this year’s County Championships. In addition after the weekend the club already has a record number of 20 swimmers qualified for the East Regional Championships.
On Saturday a squad of swimmers were at the Hatfield Open Meet in pursuit of qualifying times for the East Regional Championships next May. Despite the senior squads being in a heavy part of training cycle and racing tired, a number of new times were achieved and there were two first time Regional Qualifiers in Lauren Windsor and Shona McKenna.
Sixteen year old Lauren Windsor was on sensational form and having never qualified before came away from the meet with two qualifying times in the 50 and 100 Butterfly in 31.51 and 1.10.60 respectively.
Inspired by her older club mate 13 year Shona McKenna then destroyed her 50 Freestyle Regional Qualifying time ,with a technically brilliant swim to secure a 1.2 second personal best in 30.08 and her first ever Regional Qualifying time, to the delight of her club mates.
In the 100 Breaststroke 13 year old Leanne Abrey who is a first time qualifier this season added her third qualifying time in 1.23.30. In the same heat 16 year old Paige Wilding narrowly missed hers by a fraction of a second. Both girls secured gold medals in their age groups.
The boys were not to be out done with some aggressive racing. Tom Sherriff was inside the 200 IM, 50 Butterfly and 50 Freestyle qualifying times, while 13 year old Charlie Rayner smashed the 200 IM, 50 Butterfly and 50 Breaststroke times, as well as taking the gold medal in each of these events.
On the Sunday at the Hertsmere Flyers Meet a squad of swimmers sought out last minute County Qualifying times. There were two new qualifiers in Emily Young and Lois Emery as well as a number of new qualifying and improved times for other swimmers.
With the qualification window now shut for the Herts County Championships which take place in March the club is celebrating a record 72 qualifiers, which is an increase of over 30 percent on last season. This will mean that we will have one of biggest representations at this year’s County Championships.
In addition after the weekend the club already has a record number of 20 swimmers qualified for the East Regional Championships which sees the best swimmers from Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire compete in May. With two and half months to go until the qualifying window closes in April and the Herts County Championships to come before then there are high hopes that this number will increase as there are a number of swimmers near to qualifying times