Medals and PBs for Gunnedah swimmers at sprints in Tamworth

Swimming Gunnedah didn’t let last Sunday’s early morning rain dampen its spirits, as a contingent of 28 swimmers competed at the New England North West Long Course Sprint Meet in Tamworth.

There was strong team spirit, high morale and plenty of smiles on the pool deck, as Gunnedah swimmers contested 127 events and smashed 29 personal best (PB) times.

The club also bagged 23 gold, 12 silver and 14 bronze medals.

The carnival attracted competitors from around the region and was the first hit-out for several of the Gunnedah club’s newest members who have signed up ahead of the summer season.

Making her comeback after a two-year hiatus was Dana Campbell (16), who helped lead the team as the most senior swimmer in the squad.

Dana proved she still has the skill and speed after snatching silver and a PB in the 50m freestyle as well as four bronze.

Last Sunday was the debut carnival for Maddison Hill (9) who raced in four events and bagged her first bronze medal in the 50m freestyle, while sisters Evelyn (7) and Isabelle (10) Connolly gained valuable experience at their first carnival.

Personal best times were hard to come by due to time delays and heavy rain at the start of the meet, however Gunnedah proved its strength once again with swimmers putting in strong performances and finishing close to their PBs.

The Tamworth meet was held in conjunction with a development day on Saturday, hosted by Swimming New England and North West with New Zealand national champion Jack Hendy a special guest.

Gunnedah’s Macey and Darci Dalessandro and Marsel Tikhonskiy rubbed shoulders with the 50m butterfly gold medallist, learning about the finer points of sprint freestyle.

They also gained valuable advice about strength, conditioning, activation, dryland training and nutrition.

After a solid winter training block, the club is preparing for a hectic summer season with the Gunnedah long course carnival set down for early January, followed by NSW Country Regionals, New England North West Championships, Speedo Sprints, NSW Country and State Championships, National Age and the school carnival circuit.

The club will again hold its hugely successful intensive swim camp on the Gold Coast in January, with about 30 athletes to experience an amazing week at the Gold Coast’s High Performance Centre at Runaway Bay.