AGE and experience was no barrier to being among the ribbons for this week’s South Gippsland Bass Swim Club meet with swimmers of all ages racing against friends.
From the youngest junior to the more experienced swimmers chasing national times each ribbon and personal best brought a smile to their faces.
The week kicked off with junior race nights at both the Wonthaggi and Leongatha pools with about forty-five of the development and junior squad swimmers having a go at all four strokes over 25 metres.
The youngest swimmers from Prep and Grade 1 were excited to be in the pool with their big brothers and sisters in older age groups.
The largest group of Grade 3/4 swimmers had many club members bringing a friend to compete with and join in the fun.
Swimming with a friend gave invited swimmers a taste of the excitement of racing supported by their families on the sidelines.
It was about having a go, trying their best and showing how much, they can do.
While the butterfly may not have been as stylish as the national squad there was no shortage of determination put into finishing the distance.
Ribbons and certificates were handed out showing the swimmers’ current times to look back at in future years to see how far they have progressed.
On Saturday the more experienced swimmers took the pool at the Gippsland Regional Aquatic Centre in Traralgon competing in 50m and 200m events with many of the swimmers trying to optimise times for upcoming championships before entries close in three weeks.
There was also a number of swimmers swimming to gain more experience and improve their times, especially the eleven-year-olds practising their 100 metres in readiness for the Gippsland championships in March.
Teammates provided plenty of support for fellow swimmers knowing how hard it is to get the last few seconds off their time and how much others want the same or better times.
Celebratory cheers and consoling hugs were everywhere as swimmers gave their best.
A number of swimmers achieved times to qualify for the National Championships in April next year.
The Gippsland Aquatic Centre was filled with cheers as Coach Dylan took on one of his swimmers, Will in the 50m Backstroke.
Will had been inching ever closer to Dylan’s time over past years and they both fought hard swimming up and down the pool with Will, for the first time ever, sneaking past Dylan to touch 0.06 seconds faster.
Family and friends on the sidelines went wild.
Many swimmers from the country squad were excited to get their first country time to join the growing team heading to the National Championships.
There were also a number of swimmers returning to racing having finished VCE exams, university studies or gap year travel.
Maintaining training while studying or travelling these older swimmers are now relishing the opportunity to enjoy time back racing in the pool sharing their wisdom marshalling the younger swimmers.
