Surrey swimmers finish third at the National County Team Championships in Sheffield – up two places on last year, writes team manager Hannah Davies
Due to a few changes and a busy swimming schedule we decided not to hold a team building event before this year’s national championship. Meeting at the coach park was quite nerve-racking for some swimmers as it would be their first time away without family and friends. But that soon disappeared, hearing the chatter as they made new friends on the coach.
We had a good journey up to Sheffield and quickly settled into our hotel. After a wonderful three-course dinner we took over a wing of the dining room for our evening of team building and entertainment.
This year, we broke with tradition in our choice of team captains. Congratulations to Aidan (Sutton & Cheam) and Max (Reed’s) for being selected. Both have represented Surrey here every year since 2022 – and this was their last time. They had been chosen for their leadership, being great role models and always enhancing team spirit. It’s quite a feat given the dual age group.
Team colours were issued to those representing here for the first time. After a talk by Dan, the county coach, and Christina, our president, the fun followed in the form of some quizzes and dingbats that saw the swimmers competing for the coveted Percy Pig and Pals prizes.
During breakfast the next morning we had to break the news that Max had been withdrawn from the team and would not be competing due to a medical emergency. Despite this, the team, wearing their distinctive harlequin jerseys, along with our president, assembled for the traditional group photograph on the hotel steps. Then we started the dressing up so we could arrive at Ponds Forge in style. Garlands, tutus and jester hats were adorned and in full flow.
When we got to our allocated seating the swimmers got to work on their face painting. Coaches, team managers and swimmers all joined in the team spirit and wore the blue and yellow county colours with pride. Some had even come prepared with extra sparkle and had customised both their goggles and the team managers. I think that was a first!
The meet is organised into two divisions competing simultaneously. Division One swims nearest the scoreboard and Division Two nearest the diving pool. The event is preceded with a grand parade of teams. Surrey made a memorable entrance, proudly led by Aidan and Ellie (Max’s replacement) receiving the loudest cheer from the crowd. Yes, I’m biased!
The sense of pride and unity was clear for all to see. Once the parade had concluded, the teams enjoyed a few dance numbers, with Surrey undoubtedly setting the pace and leading the way during the Macarena. With spirits high and energy levels rising, the meet had officially started.
Many of our future Olympians and British junior team members were out in force representing their counties and we knew the competition would be fierce. Surrey competed in Division One, where the atmosphere was electric and air horns, drums and vuvuzelas filled the venue with deafening noise.
It didn’t take long for our swimmers’ results to start rolling in. With a tally continually scrolling on the scoreboard we kept checking to see if we could beat our fifth place from last year.
Toby (Leatherhead) came third in the 14/15yr 100m butterfly, Aidan was second in the 16/17yr 100m backstroke and Maddie (Guildford City) third in the 12/13yr 100m freestyle.
After a short break we were right back at it. Aquiles (Guildford City) came third in the 16/17yr 100m butterfly, Heidi (Guildford City) was runner-up in the 14/15yr 100m freestyle (impressive for a 14-year-old) and Ami (Leatherhead) third in the 14/15yr 100m backstroke.
With just a few relays left Surrey had been in the top five for most of the gala. But in what position would we finish? The girls’ 14/15yr medley team of Ami, Alice (Cranleigh), Scarlett (Guildford City) and Heidi came third, bringing home more valuable points.
After a tense finale we waited for the scoreboard to update. The end result was a very close third for Surrey, only four points behind Yorkshire in second. And even though we had no event winners this year, every swimmer had played their part for the team.
Lead coach Dan Burnham (Leatherhead) attributed the result to the team’s all-round performance, where the depth of talent across all the events had made Surrey stand out and consistently score high points.
He said: “This was very much a full team effort and to come away with third overall is a result every swimmer should be extremely proud of. The team were a credit throughout the event. From the moment we arrived the swimmers mixed brilliantly. It was great to see everyone engaging with one another and across the age groups.
“The older athletes set a great tone from the start, leading by example with the younger swimmers. It was definitely a blow when Max was taken ill but I think the team showed maturity in how they handled the situation and kept spirits high.
“Well done to Ellie for stepping in to carry the flag and to Aidan for taking on the breaststroke, without hesitation, in Max’s absence. There were no easy races and every swimmer fought for their position, contributing valuable points to the overall team total.”
Dan was supported in coaching this year by Sadie Flynn (Kingston Royals). Many thanks to you both for inspiring the swimmers and helping to bring out the best in them. Thanks also to Nick Williams (Kingston Royals), our nominated official at the championship.
On a personal note, I would like to round off by thanking my fellow team managers, Amanda Partridge (Epsom District) and Justine Ryan (Guildford City), for their wonderful support over the weekend, especially in light of the medical emergency. Without them the trip could simply not have run.
Max has since recovered from an operation and is back training in the water. We wish him a full recovery and look forward to seeing him back at competitions soon.
The results are available here.
Hannah Davies