Swimming
Mayor hands out the honours

Buy photos » The Mayor of Redditch, Cllr Alan Mason, with the talented RSC squad. (s)

REDDITCH Swimming Club were honoured on the final day of their 2012 Club Championships with the attendance of the Mayor of Redditch, Cllr Alan Mason.

The mayor presented the ‘sprint medals’ to the successful swimmers who had competed in the 50m events a few weeks earlier.

This was the first year that RSC had been able to hold their club championships in their new home pool at the Abbey Stadium, where each gala had attracted a full viewing gallery of vocal and supportive parents.

Thanks to the council, Redditch SC are also now able to host regular galas featuring teams from around the region, recently welcoming teams from as far afield as Hereford and Derby.

The annual Club Championships consist of nine galas, covering 46 individual events. This year’s championships had a record number of entries, with over 130 swimmers entering for almost 800 swims.

The ages of swimmers ranged from just seven to adults over 40 competing in the parents’ races, which always thrill the crowd and inevitably bring the biggest cheers of the championships!

The competitors are obviously relishing their new surroundings as no less than 51 Club Championship records were broken, some of which had lasted for more than 20 years.

Additionally, literally hundreds of personal bests and County Championship qualifying times were achieved.

Following the presentation the mayor watched the last gala and was very impressed by the standard of swimming demonstrated by the many talented swimmers at the club.

He was especially delighted to see the faces of the seven and eight-year-olds light up with pride as their names were announced, accompanied by enthusiastic cheering from the crowd.

The mayor commented: “What a fantastic way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Redditch Swimming Club has always had a reputation for producing excellent swimmers that have gone on to represent the county, the Midlands and even Great Britain.

“Now, with this superb facility here at the Abbey Stadium, I see the next generation coming through and will be keen to see some of these swimmers making the same journey.

“I must congratulate the volunteer coaches, helpers and supporters for making Redditch SC such a great club and providing this sporting opportunity for the young people of Redditch.”

The Redditch swimmers are now concentrating on qualifying for this year’s County, Midland and possibly National Championships.

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