Hoddesdon Swimmers Part of Winning Team

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‘Record Breakers’

Grace Harvey and Lottie Millsat the East Region Disability Swimming Championships

Hoddesdon Swimming Club members; Grace Harvey (13 yrs) who attends Presdales School in Ware and Charlotte Mills (9 yrs) who attends Heath Mount School in Watton-at-Stone travelled to Newmarket to take part in the 5th ASA East Region Disability Swimming Championships. Both girls have the condition cerebral palsy and are classified at S7 for Butterfly, Backstroke and Freestyle and S6 for Breaststroke.

The girls swam brilliantly; Grace winning four golds and achieving six ASA East Region Records: 400 Freestyle, 100 Backstroke and 100 Freestyle both the Junior and the Senior records. Lottie won gold in the 50 Backstroke and won the Top Girls points for her 50 Breaststroke, Lottie also achieved the East Region Record for the 50 Backstroke in both the Junior and Seniors.

The girls are now looking forward to travelling to Sheffield for the Disability Swimming Events (DSE) National Championships to be held on 26th and 27th November, 2011 when both girls will represent Team East.

Head Coach Janet Warrington was delighted with the girls’ efforts. “Both girls have recently been ill Grace with tonsillitis and Lottie with the flu they both swam very well today and the future is looking very bright for both of them. Disability Swimming is very exciting and we are working towards the girls’ dreams of representing Team GB in a Paralympics’.

The Disability Sports Events (DSE) National Junior and Youth Disability Swimming Championships is a chance not only to be judged against other swimmers within the same classification as oneself, but also against those of a similar age. Twelve-year-old Grace Harvey (S8, SB7, SM8) who has Cerebral Palsy of Hoddesdon Swimming Club swimming in the under 14 age group and competing in this Championship for the first time, travelled to Ponds Forge in Sheffield for the two-day event on 26 and 27 February. Swimmers swim as part of their Regional team, and not their home club. There were 30 swimmers from 17 different clubs from all counties representing the East Regional Team.

Grace had three races in the first session, 100m Freestyle, 200m IM and the 400m Medley relay. Due to her recent knee injury, she chose to start in the pool and this gave her a slight disadvantage. All heats are multi-disciplinary meaning that it is mixed classification depending on entry time, but swimmers are grouped into their age band.

In her 100m Freestyle, S9 and S10 swimmers, who, are currently swimming very fast, dominated the heat. Grace began her 100m Free slowly, initially at the rear of the field, but by 25m she had gained ground and was in 6th position. She settled into a steady pace and eventually finished 4th in the heat with a half second personal best. Overall in the S8 classification she came 1st and won her first Gold medal, with her fellow team mate Alice (S8) from Cambridge Swimming Club collecting Silver.

Second event in this session was 200IM. This is perhaps Grace’s weakest event, which she usually swims against the clock, as the other swimmers have finished when she has about 50 metres or so to go. An event not taken up by many swimmers, there was only one heat where 5 swimmers took the start, but there was another SM8 swimmer from the North West Region who submitted an entry time 2 seconds quicker than Grace so we hoped that Grace would get to race against an equal competitor. Again starting in the pool, Grace was slow into her Butterfly leg. She trailed behind in last place, letting her fellow S8 competitor get away. At the end of 150m she was half a length behind. There were just the 2 S8 swimmers left, the other 3 swimmers had all finished their races. But Grace dug into her Freestlyle and somehow from nowhere she overtook the other competitor in the final 25m to secure 1st place in the SM8 category with an amazing 12-second personal best time.

Out of the pool, quick chat to team manager Lee on how the race went, then straight to the marshalling area for the 400m Medley relay. She swam the backstroke leg and gained a 9 second personal best time over 100m. The team finished 4th overall with an outstanding performance from Lauren Smith (S9) from Cheshunt Swimming Club in the Freestyle.

After lunch, Session two was rather slow with several heats of 200m and 400m metres Freestyle. There were only 4 swimmers in Grace’s 400m Freestyle, the other 3 were S9 racing against each other for position, and Grace would swim her own race against the clock for time. She gained a massive 14-second personal best time, which gave her, her third gold medal for the day in the S8 category.

The following day Grace had two individual races and the 4 x 100m Freestlye relay. 

The 100m backstroke was perhaps Grace’s most exciting race to watch. She was in a heat against two other S8 swimmers, one of which was the young lady from the North East Region whom she had beaten in the 200m IM the previous day. They were matched stroke for stroke until the final 50m, when the other swimmer started to pull away. Grace came back at her in the final 25m, we have never shouted so much, but the opposition touched 1/10 of a second ahead of her. Grace had to settle for Silver with another 12- second pb, but it was good to see her actually race.

Final individual race of 50m Freestyle gave her another 1st place, gold medal and pb.

The final race was the 4x100m Freestyle relay. Grace swam an excellent first leg, being in 4th position at the change over. Lauren Smith swan the final leg and was some 50m metres behind in 2nd place when she entered the water. She swam her heart out and was only beaten by 10 seconds into 2nd pace. Lauren says that if she had another length she would have beaten the Greater London team. 

Overall Grace had a fantastic weekend 5 personal best times, 4 gold medals, 2 silver and she was given a good run for her money. Team East also had an excellent weekend. Every swimmer gained personal best times, many took home at least one medal, James Hollis (S10, Epping Swimming Club) was Top Male swimmer and Team East won the team trophy.

A big ‘thank you’ to Janet Warrington, Mary Wright and all coaches at Hoddesdon Swimming Club for training Grace, and to County Silver squad for swimming alongside her. Without you all, she wouldn’t have achieved what she did.

Next stop – back to Ponds Forge in April for the British International Disability Long Course Swimming Championships.

Swim Wales Disability Short Course Open Meet – Llandudno

If you thought disability swimming was slow, think again when Team GB are at the Meet. British and European records fell in many events, and 2 world records were set. All heats were multi-disability; you raced against other competitors with similar entry times, regardless of age and classification.

Once Grace Harvey, the youngest competitor, got over the excitement of warming up in the same lane as Ellie Simmonds, she got on with the task in hand. Under the watchful eye of Carl Cooper, Grace set about a day of serious swimming. There were 6 races to do. Llandudno is a long way and we wanted our money’s worth!

Her first race was the 200m free and she finished second in her heat with a 6 second pb. Next followed 100m backstroke. Grace was moved up a heat and could not contain her excitement at swimming in the same heat as Ellie Simmonds. Although she finished 7^th in the heat she gained a 4 second pb.The final race of the morning session was 50m free. After a slow start, Grace made up ground to finish 1^st in her heat with yet another pb.

After the excitement of the morning session, there was a three and a half hour break, and we all felt tired. Grace struggled in the 400m free, she was 13 seconds off her pb, but she perked up again in the 200m IM. Although she swam the final 50m on her own (we’re used to it now) she still achieved a 4 second pb. The final race of the day was the 100m free and it was exciting to watch Grace. She was just beaten into 2^nd place, overtaking 2 other swimmers in the final 25m.

A job well done and a long journey back home.

• Special Olympics Eastern 2010
• Five members of Hoddesdon’s Special Abilities Squad took part in the Special Olympics Eastern representing Team Eastern Herts on the 8th May 2010. Click here for report and photograph

Grace impresses British Swimming at the London Region Disability

Swimming Championships 2009

Grace Harvey, who has the condition cerebral palsy, represented Hoddesdon Swimming Club at the London Regional Disability Swimming Championships on 22nd September 2009. Grace had to be up very early to go to the Classification appointment earlier in the day. British Swimming had to go through a procedure on land and in the water to decide which Disability Classification Grace would have. The Team told Grace and Janet Warrington (Head Coach) at Hoddesdon Swimming Club, that her Classification would be S7 for Freestyle, Backstroke and Butterfly, S6 for Breaststroke and SM7 for her Individual Medley. Then, after a quick lunch, Grace, Janet and her family travelled to the East Ham Leisure Centre for the Championships. Grace swam a fantastic 50 Backstroke and won her heat with a touch and in a personal best time of 1:05.42 and came 2nd out of the Womens 11/12 yrs age group. Straight from the pool and into the stewards area, hardly catching her breath Grace then swam her 200 Freestyle another excellent race with a very strong finish, Grace got another pb 4:27.46 and won her age group. The events were spaced out a little more and Grace won her next race the 50 Freestyle in a pb of 56.09 and finished the day off with a brilliant Individual Medley in another pb of 2:30.73 and finished in 4th place in the 11/12 yr age group.The team from British Swimming then came over and said they wanted to speak to Grace. They were so impressed they said the classification rating had to be moved, Grace apparently swam so well in the pool – they were very impressed. Now Grace has had her classification confirmed as S8 for Freestyle, Backstroke and Butterfly, S7 for Breaststroke and SM8 for Individual Medley.Grace is now looking forward to the ASA East Region Disability Swimming Championships which will be taking place on Sunday 6th December at Breckland Leisure Centre, Norfolk. Carl Cooper ASA Playground to Podium Officer has said he will be inviting Grace on to his programme, which means Grace will be supported by the ASA and encouraged to continue dreaming of representing Team GB at the Paralympics.

Click here for link to photograph of Grace and Janet

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