NORTH LONDON GRADED LEAGUE 9TH MARCH     LOUGHTON.

In this round of the North London Graded League we were stretched to the limit and just about covered the races due to late withdrawals and illness. The swimmers who turned out did the club proud and held their own while having to swim a lot of races, some of which were one after the other.

At the end of a very long night where the last race ended just before 10pm, the Anaconda team finished in a very creditable 3^rd place. When you consider the team had many debutants to competitive swimming and a couple of swimmers who had only just graduated from the swim school, it makes the result even more remarkable. It was great to see so many happy faces at the end of the evening.

 Well done to all the swimmers and parents who made the long trip to Loughton, some of whom made the journey by public transport. Thanks to Ray who managed the team so well as always and made sure the swimmers were in the right place at the right time and to Lesley who represented the club as an Official.

FINAL STANDINGS

LEYTON                         112   

RNSS                           162

ANACONDA              181 

HACKNEY                   183

WALTHAMSTOW    199

HARINGEY                 215

GIRLS: Elizabeth Arnold, Agnes Benedict, Zella Clay, Emilia O’Connell, Olivia O’Connell, Abigail Tegene, Emily Thomas, Annie Thomas and Evelyn Leddy.

BOYS: Alex Tegene, Joseph Haines,Odhran Redmond, Jasper Den Dulk, Charlie Baduna, Jacob Omondi, Isaac Omondi, Joshua O’Connell and Damaso Mateus.

ANACONDA SWIMMERS AT MARK FOSTER SWIM CAMP

During the half term holiday three of the clubs swimmers were sponsored by Aquaterra to attend the Mark Foster Swim Camp at Holloway school. National swimmer Andrew Boadi and Regional qualifiers Fred Goudie and Tommy Donovan joined a group of young swimmers from London and the surrounding areas to benefit from the experience of former World, European and Commonwealth Champion Mark Foster and his colleagues, who included Katy Sexton MBE the former World and Commonwealth backstroke Champion.

The three day course helped the swimmers learn about swim techniques, speed training / sprint endurance drills and start and turn drills in the pool. The swimming was complimented with land training that included compound training, circuits and flexibility and core strength training. Each day also had motivational speeches concerning ‘preparing to race’, ‘turning bad performances and failure into great!’ and Mark Fosters Olympic memoirs.

The camp finished with Mark Foster and Damian lo Cascio (former international swimmer) challenging our own national speedster Andrew Boadi to a race over 25m. Andrew gave a great performance but was touched out by the six time world champion into second place. It was a fun way to end the camp and all the swimmers came away with a smile on their faces and hopefully have learnt a lot that can help them to become the best that they can be in the future.

 The club would like to thank Aquaterra for giving our young swimmers this opportunity.

ERIC PENWILL RELAY TROPHY GALA     10/2/13

Anaconda swimmers had a great time competing at this junior relay gala (9-12yrs) and they did the club proud with some outstanding performances in the pool and showed great team spirit on the poolside as they clinched 2^nd place overall in what was a very competitive  evening.

With late withdrawals the team were faced with the problem of many swimmers having to swim up in age group as well as their own and with only three 9 year old boys the team had to swim for a time only as they couldn’t compete for gala points in the 9yr boy races as we had to use an older swimmer. That didn’t deter the squad who swam magnificently and put in some great performances to claim vital points. The 9yr old boys also gained all important gala experience that will help them with the Junior League season approaching.

Congratulations to all the swimmers who took part and competed so well for the club and helped contribute towards a very exciting evening of swimming.

GIRLS: Elizabeth Arnold, Agnes Benedict, Poppy Boswell, Emma Brealey, Sydney Celul, Elena Dewhurst, Tiffany Hayes, Alexa Kennedy, Esme Llewellyn-Smith, Eve Proctor, Emily Thomas, Millie Troup and Sadie Wilson.

BOYS: Noah Boydell, Sam De Leval, Jasper Den Dulk, Tommy Donovan, Max Greenhalgh, Zachary Lyttle, Conor Newmarch, Ben Purves, Adam Tomkinson, Sam Tomkinson,  Alden Whiting and Alistair Woolley.

FINAL STANDINGS                   

12TH /13^TH MAY 2012

Crystal Palace was the venue for this Level 1 meet which had attracted many of the top clubs from London and the surrounding Home Counties.

The host club Beckenham had a strong contingent across all age groups to make it a stern test for the Anaconda squad. This was to be expected from a club that has produced World Championship medallist and Olympic hopeful Ellen Gandy (who sponsored the girls 200 fly race) and Olympic Gold medallist Duncan Goodhew.

The swim of the weekend came from Andrew Boadi who medalled in all four of his events. Andrew won gold in both the 50m free and 50m fly, his time of 24.58 in the free earned him a National Youth Championships qualifying time. To top this achievement his time of 26.02 in the fly has given the 17 year old the chance to pit his wits against the cream of British swimming by entering the British Gas ASA National Championships on 20^th -23^rd June. This event is doubling up as a last chance to qualify for the Olympics. After all that excitement Andrew went on to win bronze in the 100m free in a PB of 56.27 and eased to bronze position in the 50m back. The clubs other Open swimmer Brett Mclean finished the weekend with four LC PB’s and three medals from five events. Brett collected a silver in the 50m fly, a bronze in the 100m back and a gold in the 50m breastroke with an impressive time of 30.93 (PB).

Andrew Bartha and Fred Celul (both 14) had strong swims in the competitive 14/15 age group and came away with a full complement of LC PB’s. Andrew just missed the regional qualifying time in the 100m free with 1:03.90, had his 50m breast time of 38.95 place him in 11^th and added his third PB in the 50m free with 29.40. Fred got his LC PB in the 100m back winning his heat in a time of 1:14.78.

Redi Qosja (13) and Fred Goudie (12) were the clubs representatives in the tough 12/13 age group. Redi had seven swims over the weekend and achieved LC PB’s in six of his events. His 50m free time of 31.82 and 50m back time of 36.93 were the pick of the bunch. Redi also gained PB’s in the 50 and 100m breast, 100m free and 50m fly. Fred had the toughest schedule over the weekend swimming in nine events. He gained LC PB’s in the 100m breast, 50m and 200m fly. His time of 2:56.37 in the 200m fly put Fred in 6^th place. If the age category was just for 12 year olds the Junior club captain would of come away with a couple of medals for his efforts.

Iona Ocak(13) was the sole female swimmer taking part for the club. Iona had six swims and had 100% success in gaining her LC PB’s. She swam a strong race in the 50m free in a time of 31.14 placing her 12^th out of 42 .Iona followed that up with PB’s in the 100 and 200m free, 50 and 100m back  and 50m breast.

Tommy Donovan (11) swam in six events and achieved LC PB’s in the 100m free, with a time of 1:12.96 and 50m fly. His time of 35.89 in the fly won Tommy the silver medal. Although his time in the 100m breast of 1:34.32 was not a PB it was enough to earn the bronze medal.

The weekend was a very successful and positive experience for this small squad of Anaconda swimmers and the club as a whole. Between them, the eight swimmers achieved 28 PB’s, 3 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze medals and a further eight top ten finishes. Not forgetting two National Qualifying times for Andrew Boadi .Well done to all of you.

Special thanks to Steve Greer (Saturday) and Head Coach Wayne Lock (Sunday) for the invaluable advice and coaching they offered the swimmers over the weekend. 

5^TH / 6^TH MAY 2012   CRYSTAL PALACE

Anaconda had two swimmers representing the club at this year’s championships, Brett Mclean (25) and Andrew Boadi (17). Both of whom did the club and themselves proud.

Andrew started the weekend off on Saturday with the heats of the 100m free setting a time of 59.23 a touch under his PB. He then went on to swim the 50m fly heats and was 3rd fastest qualifier in a time of 26.93. In the final he went one better and in a time of 26.60 the silver medal was secured.

Brett swam in the 50m breastroke on Saturday and in the heats qualified in 5^th position with a time of 31.72. He went on to better his time in the final with 31.53 and cement his position in 5^th place.

Sunday morning saw Andrew competing in the 50m backstroke and he qualified for the final in 8^th spot with 31.12. Andrew improved his time in the final getting very close to his PB with 30.61 and coming 7^th overall.

The afternoon session once again had both Brett and Andrew qualifying for finals. Brett qualified for the 100m breastroke final and with a time of 1:10.58 he was placed 5^th overall. Meanwhile Andrew sprinted to the 50m free final in a time of 25.32 to clinch the last berth. Yet again Andrew improved on his time in the final and 25.02 grabbed 7^th place for the 17 year old.

Head Coach Wayne Lock was very pleased with the Anaconda duo who qualified for 5 finals out of 6 events against the cream of the London region, with Andrew coming home with a silver medal to cap a great weekend of swimming. 

The Edmonton Open Winter Sprints competition proved a very warming event for Anaconda swimmers on Saturday 21 January.  They came home with 46 medals and 30 personal best times, competing against 15 clubs from north London and surrounding counties.
Tommy Donovan, 10, topped the medal table, striking gold in all eight of his events. His time of 1.36.45 in the 100m breaststroke set a new Anaconda club record for his age-group, and places him near the top 10 swimmers of his age in the UK in this event.
The younger swimmers all showed great determination in this very busy competition. Aleksandra Qosja, 10, won a silver and a bronze, Disney Harker, 9, touched home first in a close 50m backstroke event, and Alexa Kennedy clocked a PB in the 100m IM.
Fred Goudie, 12, won three golds and four silvers in seven swims, with a good PB in the 50m breaststroke, while fellow 12 year old Redi Qosja powered to a silver and a bronze, and Maya Spence’s personal best in the 100m back earned her a silver.
Alexandra Dixon, James Spence and Katie Fitzgerald all gained two PBs, with Katie narrowly missing out on a medal in the 50m backstroke.  Simge Arslan, 11, improved her times in all three of her events, and Harry Robinson came fifth in the 100m breaststroke with a personal best.
Andrew Bartha, 14, continued his strong recent form with three PBs and three medals, including a gold in the 50 breaststroke. Other 14 year olds adding to the mighty medal haul included Alex Brown with a gold in the 100m fly, Angela Fieldman with two silvers and two bronzes, and Sian Donovan with a bronze in 100M IM. Lydia Pearce, swimming in the 50m breaststroke, also gained a PB.
The more senior swimmers also swelled the medal count, with Sam Dixon, 15, winning three silvers and a bronze, all with personal best times, and Jessie Potter grabbing a brace of silvers.  Killian Fitzgerald swam a good PB time of 32.91 in 50m fly, just missing the bronze.
In the very competitive open section, against some very strong swimmers, Brett McLean completed a fine Anaconda display, with four golds, a silver and bronze.
Head coach Wayne Lock said that he was very pleased with the club’s performance, adding that he had not expected many personal best swims at this event, because many of the swimmers are in the middle of a very heavy training cycle. And it was great to see a big group of Anaconda swimmers of all ages reaping the benefits of their hard work.

MIDDLESEX COUNTY ASA AUTUMN DEVELOPMENT MEET 2011

3^RD /4^TH DECEMBER 2011      SOUTHBURY ROAD

The Middlesex autumn development meet was held over the weekend of the 3^rd / 4^th December and Anaconda was represented by 17 eager swimmers hopeful of PB’s, medals and acquiring county qualifying times and they were not to be disappointed.

Redi Qosja (12) certainly had the most demanding schedule for the weekend with a total of eight events. Of those eight he amassed six speeding tickets (county times), a gold and silver medal and eight PB’s with a combined total of 76 seconds off his former best times. Jasper Den Dulk (10) carried on his great form with four speeding tickets and PB’s in the 100IM, 50 and 200 back and 400 free. Fred Celul (13) had two great swims in the 100 and 200 back to get his speeding tickets comfortably, with Andrew Bartha (14) winning silver in the 100IM and a speeding ticket in the 100 free in a time of 1:04.26.Luke Dudley (10) had success with PB’s in both the 50 free and 50 fly. His time of 46.88 in the fly secured Luke the gold medal. Tommy Donovan (10) tried his hand at three new events, the 400 free, 200 fly and 200IM and came away with three speeding tickets. Fred Hockey (11) added two PB’s in the100IM and 200 free as did Alex Brown (14) in the 100IM and the 100 free. Joseph Haines (11) also bagged himself a PB in the 100IM.

The girls were equally as productive with some outstanding performances. Angela Fieldman (14) earned herself a PB and speeding ticket in the100 back. She followed that up by bagging herself two gold medals and a silver medal in the 100 and 800 free and the200IM respectively. Emily Thomas (10) managed PB’s in both the 50 breaststroke and 200 back, her time of 3:44.50 in the 200 back captured the bronze medal. Emily then put on a gutsy performance in the 400 free and her first attempt at this distance was rewarded with the silver medal.  Alice Hockey (9) secured herself another county time with a speeding ticket in the 50 free and went onto gain PB’s in the 200IM and 200 free and also won finalist rosettes for the200IM and the 50 fly. Sydney Celul (9) also won finalist rosettes in the 50 fly and 200free. Sydney’s  time of 3:31.00 in the200 free was 8 seconds under her previous best and put her in 4^th place just missing out on a medal. Alexa Kennedy (9) was another of the girl’s squad to win a finalist rosette in the 200 free and was joined by Agnes Benedict (11) who won a rosette with a 3 second PB in 100 back with a time of 1:39.23.

The weekend was a great success with the Anaconda swimmers amassing 36 PB’s, 18 county qualifying times, 9 medals and 10 finalist rosettes. Well done to all the swimmers who took part over the weekend you put on a great show. The only negative to be taken away was the fact that we only had 17 swimmers. Those numbers were well down on previous years and we should have a larger number attending these open meets. Let’s hope the efforts and success of all our swimmers this weekend inspires more to participate in future events. A date for your diaries, the spring development meet is on 15^th/21^st /22^nd April at Southbury road, let’s make sure we have a big turnout for this event.

Last but by no means least a big thank you to head Coach Wayne who was in attendance for the whole weekend making sure the swimmers were well prepared and supported throughout the weekend.

WATFORD MIDDLE DISTANCE AND 50M OPEN MEET

SUNDAY 27^TH NOVEMBER 2011

On Sunday a group of swimmers from Anaconda made the journey up the M1 to Watford,  to compete in near tropical conditions at a very hot Woodside Leisure Centre for the Watford Middle Distance and 50m Open Meet.

Alice Hockey (9) started off a great day of swimming with a Bronze medal and PB in the 50m backstroke. She followed that up with Gold medals in both the 200m and 50m breaststroke. Her time of 3:40.76 in the 200m was a 15 second PB and put her 18 seconds clear of her nearest rival. Alice’s time of 49.52 in the 50m breast puts her at number 1 in the county rankings. Emily Thomas (10) swam in the 50m and 200m free events and gained PB’s in both.  Her time of 3:19.95 in the 200m was 6 seconds under her previous best. The girl’s squad was completed with Sian Donovan (14) and Iona Ocak (13). Sian had three top ten finishes and a PB in her 200m free.  Iona picked up a 4^th and 5^th place in the 50m free and back respectively, and ended the day by capturing the Bronze medal in the 50m breaststroke with a time of 43.66. Iona also gained county times on both her 50m free and back.

The boys squad started the day with Alex Manolopoulos (15) grabbing the Bronze medal in the 50m backstroke and he followed that up with a PB in his 50m free. Tommy Donovan (10) had a good day at the pool with a Gold medal in the 50m fly. This time of 37.77 (PB) was also the Watford Open Meet record for 10yr olds. He achieved two Silver medals in the 50m and 200m breaststroke and two Bronze medals in the 50m and 200m free events. Jasper Den Dulk (10) had four top ten finishes and PB’s in the50m fly, 50m breaststroke and 200m free. Jaspers time of 2:57.96 in the 200m free beat his previous best by 11 seconds and also gave him a county qualifying time. Fred Hockey (11) completed the squad and had good swims in three events,  especially the 200m breaststroke where he came 9^th and just missed out on beating his PB by the narrowest of margins.

So after a long day at the pool the Anaconda swimmers came away with a haul of 10 medals, 14 PB’S, 12 county qualifying times and a Watford Open Meet record. A very good return from a small group of swimmers who all should be proud of their performances in the pool and the way they represented the club out of the pool by cheering and supporting each other and showing a great team spirit.

The Club Championships Presentation

All main club members are welcome to the evening in Holloway School (Bridge School Hall) on Saturday 17^th December at 7PM. Doors open at 6.30pm. We will be presenting the 50m and 100m Medals and trophies. Please bring your own drinks (adults are allowed to bring alcohol). Also if you could bring a plate of food for the table that would be great. (please contact Donna on donna_donovan@btinternet.com to let her know what you are bringing).

Christmas Raffle

You will be receiving some tickets in the post over the next week, there are some fantastic prizes:-

1^st prize - Ipod Touch

2^nd Prize - Nintendo 3DS Console

3^rd Prize - 22” Flat Screen TV

4^th Prize - Christmas Hamper

Other prizes include:

Cut and Blow dry at a leading hair salon, Jessica Pedicure, Bottle of Champagne, Lane for 4 at Rowans Bowl, Tour around Arsenal football ground, £25 Pizza Hut Voucher and many more!

Please show your support.

Christmas Closing

Anaconda will be closed for Christmas from Monday 19^th December and will reopen on 3^rd January 2012.

The Cally pool is going to be closed to the public from the 28^th November to 2^nd December.

The pool will be open to Anaconda Swim School and Swim Club as normal. The reason for the closures are because the changing rooms are being re fitted, so the showers and 1 of the changing rooms will be out of action on the Monday and Tuesday. We will be using another room for the male changing. Also this means that only 1 toilet facility will be available. Please can we have at least 1 parent volunteer to monitor the toilets as they will be unisex and in the Females locker room.

Please contact any one that swims on Monday or Tuesday that you know as I dont have

email addresses for everyone.

Christmas Raffle

You will be receiving some tickets in the post over the next week, there are some fantastic prizes:-

1^st prize - Ipod Touch

2^nd Prize - Nintendo 3DS Console

3^rd Prize - 22” Flat Screen TV

4^th Prize - Christmas Hamper

Other prizes include:

Cut and Blow dry at a leading hair salon, Jessica Pedicure, Bottle of Champagne, Lane for 4 at Rowans Bowl, Tour around Arsenal football ground, £25 Pizza Hut Voucher and many more!

Please show your support.

The Club Championships Presentation

All main club members are welcome to the evening in Holloway School (Bridge School Hall) on Saturday 17^th December at 7PM. Doors open at 6.30pm. We will be presenting the 50m and 100m Medals and trophies. Please bring your own drinks (adults are allowed to bring alcohol). Also if you could bring a plate of food for the table that would be great. (please contact Donna on donna_donovan@btinternet.com to let her know what you are bringing).

Christmas Closing

Anaconda will be closed for Christmas from Monday 19^th December and will reopen on 3^rd January 2012.

MEDALS AND PERSONAL BESTS AT THE BARNET OPEN 100 MEET 

Sunday 13 November 2011

A small group of Ancaonda swimmers produced a big set of results at this open gala, hosted by the Barnet Copthall club, and featuring competitors from as far afield as Kingston, Milton Keynes and St Albans.

The Anaconda quartet of Alexandros Manolopoulos, Tommy Donovan, Jasper Den Dulk and Fred Goudie all produced some very good swims.

Tommy, 10, came home with a terrific haul of medals – gold in the breaststroke, silver in the individual medley and bronze in the freestyle, along with a good fourth place in the backstroke. His winning breaststroke time of 1:39.52 was a comfortable 5 seconds ahead of the nearest swimmer.

The 10 years backstroke results saw Tommy and Jasper in the tightest of finishes. In the end, Tommy touched home in 1:30.61 – precisely one hundredth of a second ahead of Jasper, who finished in a fine fifth place in 1:30.62. It couldn’t have been closer. 

Jasper knocked a massive 17 seconds off his previous backstroke time of 1’47, and came up with another strong performance in the freestyle, clocking a new personal best of 1:23.94, nearly 12 seconds faster than before.

Alex, swimming in the competitive 15 year old age group, took almost 2 seconds off his breaststroke time to finish in 1:27.65, and also gained another PB in the individual medley.

Fred, 12, scooped the gold medal in the backstroke in 1:13.91, a time which places him fifth in the county rankings.  He also clipped nearly 8 seconds off his butterfly time, finishing fourth in 1:17’26, and gained PBs in the breaststroke and freestyle.

The squad was encouraged and helped throughout the long day by Steve Greer and Harley.  Our thanks to them for their commitment, and for ensuring that the Anaconda swimmers were always in the right place at the right time in this busy but much-enjoyed meet. 

THE JOHN WATSON TROPHY GALA

SATURDAY 5^TH NOVEMBER 2011

PARK ROAD

On Saturday night a squad of swimmers from Anaconda competed against Bethnal Green Sharks and three teams from host club Haringey Aquatics at Park Road, in an attempt to retain the John Watson Trophy

  All the early indications showed that it was to be a battle for first between Anaconda and Bethnal Green Sharks , a battle that went right down to the last couple of races in a very exciting  evening of swimming.

The girls u/16 squad of Rae Lily Oswald (15), Angela  Fieldman (14) , Sian Donovan (14) joined by Iona Ocak (13)in the relays led the way with a clean sweep  of victories. Rae victorious in both the 100m breaststroke in 1:24.25 (PB) and 100m fly 1:25.28 (PB).Angela winning  the 100m back in 1:19.03 (PB) and Sian completing  the individual wins in the 100m free 1:10.96 (PB). With the help of Iona the girls completed the set  in the 4x25 free relay in 59.93 and the 4x25 medley relay  in 1:07.53.

The u/16 boys  squad of Jake Usher (15), Padraig Lynch (15),Nicholas Olney (14) and Emile Dietrich (14) were victorious in both the 4x25 free relay 54.90 and  4x25 medley relay  1:01.78. There were also PB’S  for both Emile in the 100m free 1:05.50 and Nicholas in the 100m fly 1:15.12

 In the Open  age group  there  were convincing wins for Brett Mclean in the 100m breast  1:10.18, Jeanne Banky in the 100m fly 1:11.09 and Kathleen Bartha in the 100m back 1:16.31,along with wins for the mens open  squad of Jake Usher ,Brett , Padraig and Damien Assini in the 4x25 medley  55.96 and with Emile joining  Brett, Padraig and Damien in the 4x25 free in 51.21. The womens open squad of Jeanne, Kathleen , Chelcie Coyne and Charlotte Larner  won the 4x25 medley in 1:06.50.

 The u/14 girls were not to be outdone  with great wins for both Iona in the 100m back 1:20.81(PB) and Nina Morris-Evans (13) in the 100m breaststroke 1:32.78 (PB).  The girls were joined by Sofia Mavlli (11) and Esme Llewellyn Smith (10) to win the 4x25 free relay in 1:05.06 and were just touched out for 2^nd place in the  4x25 medley  1:13.40 with the help of Francois Patasin (10).

There were PB’S  for George Hockey  (13) in the 100m free 1:21.68, Fred Goudie (12)  100m fly 1:19.25 and Sam Llewellyn Smith (13) 100m back 1:21.15. The u/14 boys squad was completed by Fred Celul  (13) who was  just two tenths away from a PB in coming 3^rd in the 100m breast  in 1:30.21

 In the u/12 girls there were great swims and PB’S galore as Sofia Mavlli won the 100m back in 1:25.31 (PB) and came 2^nd in the 100m free 1:15.18 (PB). Esme Llewellyn Smith came 2^nd in the 50m fly 41.81 (PB) and Francois Patasin came 3^rd with a great swim in the 100m breaststroke 1:42.03 (PB). The u/12 girls were joined by Sydney Celul  (9) in the relays who swam  fantastic  freestyle legs to help the girls to 4^th in the 4x25 free and 2^nd in the 4x25 medley

 The u/12 boys also had a great night with Tommy Donovan (10) dominant in the 100m breaststroke,  winning in 1:41.43 (PB) and  3^rd in the 100m free 1:17.53 (PB). Fred Hockey (11)  came 3^rd in the 100m back 1:42.34 (PB) . The boys were joined by William Olney (11) and Asa  Breuss-Burgess (11) in the relays, who helped the team to 4^th in the 4x25 free relay 1:11.09 and 1^st in the 4x25 medley relay  1:20.68.

 The last event of the night saw the Anaconda  squad storm to victory in the mixed 8x25m free relay  in a very exciting race but it was not to be as Bethnal Green came out on top overall.

FINAL STANDINGS

BETHNAL GREEN SHARKS    193

ANACONDA                           184

HARINGEY BLUE                    130

HARINGEY PURPLE               123

HARINGEY RED                       78

 With over 20 victories loads of PB’S across the board and with some swimmers  competing above their age group the night was a great success and the swimmers put on a great show and should be very proud of their efforts. Go Anaconda!

Dear Members,

Anaconda Swimming Club / Swimming School is closed from 1^st Aug – 31^stAug. (At all pools)

Our first day back to training/teaching is 1^stSept.

We hope you have had a great first half of the year and we wish you a restful August.

Kind Regards

Anaconda SC Committee

Anaconda swimmers answered the call to attend the First Crystal Palace, Beacon Long Course Open Meet at the weekend. Saturday 28^th and Sunday 29^th May 2011

The ASA has set up a number of Beacon Training Centres around the regions, to provide athletes with mechanisms for further development, From, ‘learn to swim’ through to the ‘performance pathway’.  It was also the last chance for swimmers to achieve a National Qualifying Time for the season.

Anaconda had six competitors competing for places on Day One, starting with Alice Hockey aged 9, who competed in her first long course race for the Girls Open 200m Breaststroke.  Alice fought bravely to achieve a PB LC time of 4.01.23.

Zack Campbell-Maughan aged 12 competed in the Boys Open 100m backstroke with a LC time of 1.23.79, while Fred Goudie aged 11, enjoyed a comfortable winand Gold Medal, with a PB and LC time of 1.17.52.

The 12 /13 year old Anaconda Girls competed in the 100m Freestyle.  Aimee-Rose Nahal reached 4^th position in her age group with a LC 1.06.33, knocking 3.5 seconds of her PB while Iona Ocak achieved a LC PB of 1.10.96.

Parents were perched on the edge of their seats for an action packed afternoon, but unfortunately not for the thrill of witnessing their child’s outstanding time.  They had more cause to take flight in case they received their own ‘gold medal’, from one of the numerous pigeons flying around the spectator’s gallery – and this is the National Sports Centre.

The squad was joined in the afternoon by Dominic McLoughlin aged 15, competing in the 100m freestyle and the 100m Butterfly.  While the only girl competing in the afternoon events, Aimee-Rose Nahal put in further strong performances in the 100m Backstroke achieving a silver medal with a PB LC, time of 1.14.62 and the 200m freestyle gaining a Gold Medal and PB of 2.25.91.

Day Two saw Defne Navaro competing in the 100m Breaststroke, with a LC time of 1.33.00 she was joined by team mate Angela Fieldman for the 200m Individual Medley.  Defne achieved a LC PB time of 3.01.03 knocking a staggering 13.81 seconds off her time.

Zack Campbell-Maughan, competed well in two further events, while Fred Goudie won the 200m Backstroke in 2.45.96, just two seconds off a long course national qualifying time, and also gained a bronze medal in the 100m Breaststroke. 

Aimee-Rose Nahal gained 1^st place in the 400m Freestyle with a LC PB of 5.05.44, 2^nd place for the 200m Backstroke 2.31.44 and 3^rd place for the 50m Freestyle.

Thomas Donovan aged 10, enjoyed his first experience of the long course event at Crystal Palace.  Competing in the Boys 50m Freestyle, his gallant effort earned him, a PB of 36.69.  Thomas is currently ranked 26^th in the region for his 50m Freestyle.

It was a strong performance from the Anaconda squad over the weekend as a whole, well supported and encouraged throughout by our coaches Michele (Saturday) and Wayne (Sunday).

Anaconda Swimming Club

29^th May 2011

Small Fish in a Very Big Pond

Derventio excel 5th Long Course Meet at Pond’s Forge International Pool, Sheffield 2nd 3rd April 2011.

You could immediately tell we were at a very big Pond, when the audience was invited to stand for the National Anthem before the swimming heats began. Not something you normally need to do on a Saturday afternoon at Southbury or Park Road.

This meet attracts swimmers from all over the country – from Islington to the Isle of Man, Bristol to Newcastle, Oxford to Hull. In the 50 metre, 10 lane Olympic-style pool, the organisation would be fantastic, flying through the endless number of heats at rapid speed. Well, so we thought! Unfortunately technology got the better of the event organisers and the morning proceedings were halted when the timer decided to have a malfunction (It’s a technical term)! Just to add to the excitement, instructions to evacuate were called out over the Tannoy, when someone inadvertently leaned on the alarm. As a result, Fred Goudie was forced to repeat his 50m breast stroke race at the end of Session Two, but would be rewarded for all his hard work later in the day.

Dominic McLoughlin began his events with the 100m freestyle, reaching a long course time of 58.43, followed by Aimee-Rose Nahal in the 200m Backstroke with a time of 2:43:77. Fred Goudie came third for his age in the 100m Backstroke, achieving a LC time of 1:20:73. Aimee continued with the 50m Freestyle reaching a LC time 31:25. Dominic fought in the 200m Freestyle, while Aimee continued her battle in the 100m Freestyle. Fred was the only Anaconda medallist of the day, achieving a bronze for his earlier efforts in the 100m Backstroke, with a very impressive third position.

Day two saw Aimee competing in the 100m Freestyle and 50m Backstroke with a final heat in the 200m freestyle achieving a LC time of 2:30:14. Dominic fought bravely in the 50m and 100m Butterfly with good LC times of 28:28 for the 50m and 1:04:55 for the 100m.

The meet is a great opportunity for young swimmers to experience competing in a big pool, with some of the top clubs in the country taking part.

Clubshop are the appointed swimwear and accessory suppliers to Anaconda Swimming Club and offer a discount on full priced merchandise to all members.
To take advantage of this offer just click the Clubshop button. All sales help the club so please make Clubshop your first stop when you need any new products.

The NEW Club Hoodies have arrived and can be ordered from Tony. Email him stating your required size M, S, XS or XXS. The Hoodies are £30ea.
Email Tony at info@anacondaswimmingclub.org.uk

Anaconda Swimming Club secured its place in the top flight of the National Arena League on Saturday, with a storming set of performances at Southbury Leisure Centre.

Club captain Leo Kirby led from the front, winning the open backstroke event, and scooping the silver medal spot in the open 200m individual medley with a personal best time of 2.20.80.

It was a great night for the older swimmers, powering to victory in both the men's and women's open freestyle relays, with Brett McLean also winning the fly and breast stroke races, against teams from London and the surrounding counties.

The 15/U boys ripped up the club record books yet again. The superb quartet of Dominic McLoughlin, Andrew Boadi, Joe Grubb and John Rivers won the freestyle relay in 1.48.77. John continued his scintillating run of form, smashing another club record to win the 100m freestyle in 57.75, while Dominic produced record-breaking swims in the 100m back and fly events, adding to his rich haul of club bests. The 15/U boys also seized second place in the medley relay, with Padraig Lynch swimming the final lengths in a fine 28.22.

The 15/U girls all contributed vital points to the scoreboard, with Lauren Speirs, Harley Greer, Chelcie Coyne and Kathleen Bartha taking the bronze medal place in the medley relay, and - joined by Morgan Mockler - Lauren, Harley and Kathleen sped to silver in the freestyle relay. Morgan also scooped a strong second place in the 13/U breast stroke event, and Jake Usher can be proud of two personal best backstroke times.

The 10-11 year old Anacondas all proved their great potential, with Ethan Harrington racing home first in the backstroke, and Aimee-Rose Nahal producing great swims for second spot in the butterfly, and third in the backstroke. Maisie Parker and Redi Qosja both scored highly commendable thirds in the freestyle, and the young relay teams - which also included Iona Ocak, Megan Thompson, Fred Celul and Fred Goudie - never finished lower than third.

On the poolside, club coach Michele Davies added to the strong team spirit with transfer tattoos for the swimmers, featuring the new club logo with a prowling snake - possibly a warning to other clubs to watch out when the Anacondas hit the water.

The Annual General Meeting of Anaconda Swimming Club will be held onFriday 13 November 2009 at 19.00 at IRB (Ironmonger Row Baths), London EC1

Anaconda Swimming Club is run on a voluntary basis by a small committee who are elected. The Committee needs your help. Please come to the AGM and find out how you can help the club.
All parents/guardians of swimming members of Anaconda and all adult swimming members (aged 18+) of Anaconda are entitled to vote. Everyone is welcome and refreshments will be provided.

AGENDA
1. To appoint a chair for the meeting
2. To receive the report and accounts for the year 2008
3. To elect a Chair, a Secretary, a Treasurer and other members of the Management Committee

Swimming Lessons and Club training

Free assessments Thurs 1 October, Saturday 3 October, Sunday 4 October and Wednesday 7 October.

Introductory offer for new members before end of October - 2 months free membership of Anaconda Swimming Club.

Venue
Holloway School Pool
28 Carleton Road
N7 0EQ

For more information email your name, childs name, age of child, address, telephone number and email address to:

holloway@anacondaswimmingclub.org.uk

44 junior swimmers from Anaconda stormed home with a haul of 43 medals from the Edmonton Phoenix Winter Sprint competition last Saturday at Southbury Road.

Morgan Mockler (11) and Freddie Cornwell (10) scored perfect victories across each of the four strokes in their age groups, bringing the total of gold medals to eight for Anaconda. Mockler’s time of 34.19 set an outstanding record in the 50m backstroke, whilst her times for butterfly (33.83), breaststroke (40.64) and freestyle (32.41) hold excellent prospects for the Middlesex Championships to be held next month. Meanwhile Cornwell gave another show stopping performance to break his own backstroke record with 36.44 whilst swimming impressive times to take gold in butterfly (35.07); breaststroke (45.43) and freestyle (33.62).

Excellent silver medals were awarded to first-timer Fred Goudie (9), Aimee-Rose Nahal (10) and Ethan Harrington (10) whilst Naomi Jeffs (10) collected four bronze, Fred Celul collected three, and one bronze apiece went to ten-year olds Nahal, Megan Thompson, Maisie Parker and Emily Hepden, eleven year old Mario Robec and twelve year old Caitriona Wastell making a total of thirteen bronze for the junior team.

Seventeen new competitors from Anaconda were introduced to the gala, with impressive performances particularly from Marcos Manolopous (9), Isis Hudson (11) and Redi Qosja (10).

Anaconda’s Freddie Cornwell has scooped a BRITISH AGE GROUP (BAGCAT) award from his first splash at the Ponds Forge international pool in Sheffield last weekend. Olympic swimmer Melanie Marshall was on hand to present the award after the ten year old speedster took double-gold in the 100m and 200m backstroke, also winning silver in the 200m butterfly in a nationally-ranked level one meet hosted by City of Derby. In a debut entrance to long-course (Olympic pool) swimming, Freddie also achieved a top age-group ranking for his three 50m events and re-wrote the club record book to amass a total of 1773 points, well ahead of his nearest rival from Wear Valley, with 1600.

In the thirteen year old age-group, Dominic McLoughlin swam eight events to claim a hotly contested second place BAGCAT award with 2621 points just behind James Clark of Swindon with 2679. Dom took first ranking in 50m backstroke and butterfly, setting a huge club record and personal best time of 30.53 seconds in the fly. Meanwhile, Brett McLean contested finals for four open men’s events, winning silver for 50m breaststroke in 31.77, bronze for 100m breaststroke in 1.11.57, and setting a personal best time in the 100m long course butterfly with 1.01.70.

Other star performers were eleven year old Morgan Mockler, who scored a second-place ranking in the 50m backstroke (36.07); Leo Kirby (16) with two personal best times of 27.24 in the 50m freestyle and 30.59 in the fly; Wayne Lock for the 50m breaststroke (33.53) and Dixie McLean in 200m individual medley (2.46.70) and 100m breaststroke (1.27.70).

John Rivers

Woodside, Watford

3rd & Final Round - 13th December 2008

Personal Best times and Club records flowed last Saturday as Anaconda reached its highest position ever in the National League! Competing in the final round at Watford, the rising swim-team inched out five clubs from the league, finishing overall in 11th place from 24 contenders in Division One.

The under 13’s boys team won the highest honours with six outright wins and smashing four club records in the process. Freddie Cornwell (10) astounded the crowd with his record-breaking 34.95 in the 50m butterfly, setting a time currently ranked as 4th in the country!

Dominic McLoughlin (13) won both the 100m freestyle and backstroke events and gained a new record of 27.35 in the relay lead-off, whilst Joe Grubb (13) swam a fabulous personal best time of 1.23.59 to win the 100m breaststroke. With team-mates Andrew Boadi and Padraig Lynch swimming well under best times in butterfly and freestyle, the U/13 boys set two cracking records in the relays and proved unbeatable in both medley and freestyle events.

Not to be outdone, the U/13 girls team of Jodie Sees, Lauren Spiers, Kathleen Bartha and Harley Greer took out the club record with an excellent lead-off from Sees to add to her personal best swim in the 100m butterfly.

Success was also had in the Under 15’s division, with McLoughlin teaming up with breaststroke maestro John Rivers and Clissold partners Daniel Melville and Gabriel Cramer, to smash records in both relays.

The final record went to the Open men’s team in the most exciting finish of the evening, when McLoughlin & Rivers joined Leo Kirby, William Larner, Brett McLean and coach Wayne Lock to lead the race until the final leg when they were sensationally overpowered by Watford.

Other outstanding swims with personal best times were recorded by, Naomi Jeffs, Chelcie Coyne, Ronnie Grubb, Clare Walton, Megan Thompson, Cramer, Bartha and Spiers.

Woodside, Watford

Tide flowing firmly in Rivers' favour

Middlesex County SC Championships

Southbury Road, Enfeild

6th & 7th December 2008

Personal Best times and Club records flowed last Saturday as Anaconda reached its highest position ever in the National League! Competing in the final round at Watford, the rising swim-team inched out five clubs from the league, finishing overall in 11th place from 24 contenders in Division One.

The under 13’s boys team won the highest honours with six outright wins and smashing four club records in the process. Freddie Cornwell (10) astounded the crowd with his record-breaking 34.95 in the 50m butterfly, setting a time currently ranked as 4th in the country!

Dominic McLoughlin (13) won both the 100m freestyle and backstroke events and gained a new record of 27.35 in the relay lead-off, whilst Joe Grubb (13) swam a fabulous personal best time of 1.23.59 to win the 100m breaststroke. With team-mates Andrew Boadi and Padraig Lynch swimming well under best times in butterfly and freestyle, the U/13 boys set two cracking records in the relays and proved unbeatable in both medley and freestyle events.

Not to be outdone, the U/13 girls team of Jodie Sees, Lauren Spiers, Kathleen Bartha and Harley Greer took out the club record with an excellent lead-off from Sees to add to her personal best swim in the 100m butterfly.

Success was also had in the Under 15’s division, with McLoughlin teaming up with breaststroke maestro John Rivers and Clissold partners Daniel Melville and Gabriel Cramer, to smash records in both relays.

The final record went to the Open men’s team in the most exciting finish of the evening, when McLoughlin & Rivers joined Leo Kirby, William Larner, Brett McLean and coach Wayne Lock to lead the race until the final leg when they were sensationally overpowered by Watford.

Other outstanding swims with personal best times were recorded by, Naomi Jeffs, Chelcie Coyne, Ronnie Grubb, Clare Walton, Megan Thompson, Cramer, Bartha and Spiers.

There were two fabulous relay legs timed at 30.44 for Kathleen Bartha and 31.08 for Lauren Speirs which helped set the record / win the bronze medals and Padraig Lynch also swum an excellent 39.16 for 50m Breaststroke but was unfortunate to be DQ'd at the start.

Anaconda medal tally:

Gold (3)

Brett McLean Open 50m Brst (30.99) Record

John Rivers U/14 Breast (33.40) Record

John Rivers U/16 Breast (33.40) Record



Silver (5)

John Rivers U/14 100m Brst 1.14.93 / 1.17.16

Clare Walton U/14 50m Brst 39.37 / 39.33

Men's Open 4 x 100m Medley Relay (4.18.21) Record

Boys 14/U 4 x 50m medley relay (2.10.92)

Boys 14/U 4 x 50m F/S relay (1.56.96)



Bronze (9)

John Rivers Open 50m Brst (33.40)

John Rivers U/14 50m F/S (27.18)

Clare Walton U/14 100m IM (1.15.15)

Clare Walton U/16 50m Breast 39.37 / 39.33

Clare Walton U/14 50m Back (34.64)

Dominic McLoughlin U/14 50m Back (33.08)

Brett McLean Open 100m IM (1.04.80)

Brett McLean Open 100m Fly (1.01.76)

Girls 14/U F/S relay (2.04.02)



17 New Club Records:

Dominic McLoughlin (6) 200m F/S 2.12.95; 50m Breast 36.69; 100m IM 1.09.57; 200m IM 2.30.52; 50m Fly 30.83; 50m F/S 27.40

Leo Kirby (4) 100m F/S 58.04; 200m F/S 2.12.59;

100m Back 1.06.00; 200m Back 2.26.70

Morgan Mockler (2) 100m Back 1.19.79; 100m IM 1.21.04 John Rivers (1) 50m Breast 33.40

Brett McLean (1) 50m Breast 30.99

Freddie Cornwell (1) 37.48

U/16 Girls 4x50m Medley Relay 2.20.15

(Clare 34.78; Harley 40.86; Morgan 34.07; Kathleen 30.44)

Open Men's 4x100m Medley Relay 4.18.21

(Leo 1.07.06; Brett 1.08.52; Wayne 1.03.09; Dominic 59.54)

Morgan just narrowly missed the record for 100m F/S with her super-fast time of 1.10.16.

There were plenty of other Personal Best times over the weekend, so well done to all of the following swimmers:

Joe Grubb - 400m IM 6.03.88 and 100m IM 1.17.61; Padraig Lynch - 100m Free 1.08.81 and 100m IM 1.20.04; Lauren Speirs - 100m Back 1.18.48; 50m Fly 36.17; 50m Free 32.31 and 100m IM 1.19.85;

Harley Greer - 200m Breast 3.17.39 and 100m IM 1.22.09;

Kathleen Bartha - 100m IM 1.19.13;



also 3 more PB’s for Leo Kirby - 100m Fly 1.07.34; 50m Fly 30.12 50m Free 27.29

Star Performers Joe Grubb, Kathleen Bartha and Jessie Baker

Star Swimmers Harley and Fred

Southbury Road, Enfeild

22nd November 2008

Anaconda narrowly missed winning the Jim Savoury Trophy after some outstanding individual and relay swims at Southbury Road, Enfield last Saturday. The super swimmers scored 13 first places and broke 7 club records on their way to second place behind Edmonton Phoenix, with only one race separating the gala between first and second place.

Individual event winners were: U/12 category - Fred Celul (50m Backstroke); U/14, - Lauren Spiers (50m Butterfly) & Kathleen Bartha (100m Freestyle); U/16 - Clare Walton (100m Backstroke) & John Rivers (100m Butterfly); Open Age – Wayne Lock (100m Breaststroke) & Brett McLean (100m Butterfly and Individual Medley).

McLean smashed the Club record in both individual events along with Rivers who produced an excellent butterfly swim of 1.06.87 to knock over a second off the previous mark. Ten year old Freddie Cornwell set yet another record in the 50m Butterfly (35.97) achieving a superb second place against older boys in the age-group whilst Leo Kirby (16) broke the seven year old mark with his time of 58.68 in the 100m Freestyle.

Clare Walton (1.14.26) and Dom McLoughlin (1.10.41) continued their sensational form this season by both breaking records in the 100m Individual Medley.

Relay winners on the night also included Andrew Bartha, Ronnie Grubb, Jodie Sees, Harley Greer, Joe Grubb, Tomas Sitek, Andrew Boadi and Padraig Lynch whilst Steve Jones set two personal best times and the Open Mens’ Team of Kirby, McLean, Lock and Rivers won the final event in record-breaking time (48.58).

Record Breakers Clare Walton and Dominic McLoughlin

1st Division National League

Woodside, Watford

8th November 08

A further fourteen records and twenty personal best times were set by Anaconda Swimmers during the second round of the National Swimming League in Watford last weekend.

The first division team was in top form with swimmers Morgan Mockler (11) and Dominic McLoughlin (13) leading the way with outright wins in the backstroke, butterfly and freestyle events.

Young challenger Freddie Cornwell (ten) broke two records competing in the 10-11 years age group for butterfly and freestyle, whilst John Rivers (14) also set two new marks, including the 100m freestyle (58.62) and 100m breaststroke (1.14.39). There were outstanding swims by Jessie Baker (14), Joe Grubb (13), Kathleen Bartha (13) and Ronnie Grubb (ten) who all broke personal best standards in the age-group events.

Brother and sister duo Brett & Dixie McLean returned to represent Anaconda in the Open age division, with Brett fighting Ipswich to the final touch in the breaststroke (Record 1.07.33) and also smashing the 100m butterfly mark in a new time of 1.00.60.

Clare Walton (14) had a dream run in the backstroke events, her time of 1.12.53 finally broke the Open Record of 1.13.00 set 23 years ago in 1985! Walton’s 50m time of 33.85 also set a new age-group and Open Record, whilst the men’s backstroke record was destroyed by Anaconda Masters swimmer Calvin Biss in a time of 1.03.38.

Four more standards were set in the relay events with Coach Wayne Lock, Leo Kirby, Daniel Melville, Gabriel, Jodie Sees, Lauren Spiers and Harley Greer joining the record ranks.

The previous weekend had yielded further success for the club when it sent two full teams to the John Watson Trophy Gala at Park Road and fetched the trophy as well as second place from local rivals Haringey and Bethnal Green. Anaconda is now awaiting the draw for the 3rd and final round of the National League to be held on 13th December.

Anaconda is celebrating victory over five 1st Division teams at the University of Hertfordshire pool last weekend. The speed-stars returned from their first outing in this year’s National Speedo League with an unprecedented bonanza of 18 new club records and 30 personal best swims from the 50-event programme. Last year’s national finalist Hatfield took out the first round, followed by Romford Town whilst Anaconda took a surprise 3rd place ahead of the best teams from Watford, Enfield, Runnymede, Saxon Crown and Sutton & Cheam.

Dominic McLoughlin (13) set a phenomenal 8 club records in the one evening including four individual marks in the 50m & 100m freestyle and 50m & 100m backstroke events. Dom accomplished a convincing sub-minute win (59.51) in the boy’s freestyle whilst Morgan Mockler (11) won the 10-11 years girl’s backstroke and set three records across three strokes (freestyle, backstroke and butterfly) at the shorter 50m distance.

Clare Walton (14) broke the individual record for 100m backstroke (1.13.01) and smashed three more in the relays along with team-mates Jessie Baker (14), Samara Williams (14), Julia Taylor (15), Veronika Kussa (Open), Rhianne Thomas (Open) & Kathleen Bartha (13). Bartha had already swum a supreme anchoring leg to set a new record in the 13/U freestyle relay with Harley Greer (13), Jodie Sees (13) and Lauren Spiers (13) whilst the 13/U and 15/U boys teams of McLoughlin, Joe Grubb (13), Andrew Boadi (13), Padraig Lynch (12), John Rivers (14), Gabriel Cramer (14), and Daniel Melville (15) set three further records in the relays.

Anaconda’s remaining individual record of the evening was set by ten year old Freddie Cornwell who lowered his own time to take 2nd place in the 11/U butterfly whilst Leo Kirby (16) swam a huge

personal best in the backstroke to come within tenths of the Open Age Record with his time of 1.06.64.


The super-strong team also boasted rare appearances from Rhianne Thomas, Andrew Boadi, Brett McLean and Veronika Kussa who had returned from university, boarding school, masters swimming and lifeguarding to compete for Anaconda in the league.