On Monday 6 July the club is holding its third internal gala for 2009 The strokes will be IM & front crawl. Warm up is at 6.30pm sharp. All swimmers aged 8 and over by 31 December are strongly encouraged to attend. There will be no normal training on that night and any swimmers under eight who are ineligible to swim in the gala are welcome to attend the Sunday training session from 3.00-4.00pm. Would all M&D squad members please bring their Otters tee shirts &/or tracksuit tops for a team photo.
M&D Individual Championships - unfortunately this year's competition scheduled for Sunday 5 July has had to be been cancelled due to a clash of dates for the Peninsular League clubs & difficulties arranging an alternative date before the autumn gala season.
Well done to the swimmers taking part in the COLSC Summer Sprints Open Meet at Liverpool Aquatics - on the first day Eleanor Cantwell clinched gold in the 50m Breaststroke, Rachel Turton bronze in the same event, Serena Rimmer bronze in 50m Fly & Morag Molyneux bronze in 50m Breaststroke. Otters continued to be amongst the medals on day two with Thomas Rodgers gaining silver in 50m back; Serena Rimmer silver in both 200IM & 50m f/s & bronze 100m fly; Eleanor Cantwell bronze in 100m breaststroke. The other swimmers posted many PB's and all the swimmers can be justifiably proud of their achievements. Results on members page.
SWIMSCOOL SATURDAY 27TH JUNE 6PM START -YES IT'S ON THIS WEEK!
Liverpool Penguins Macmillan Invitatation Gala Sunday 21 June - results on members page
Micro League Gala Leyland Sat 20th June - Otters finished a comfortable second, with some impressive individual performances & good relays. Otters have now finished their galas & with one gala remaining in the league, Otters should finish the season in mid table. A big thank you to all the swimmers who took part. Results now on members page.
SAD NEWS - it is with very deep sadness that we have heard that Otters coach Yvonne Hamblett has suddenly passed away following a heart attack in the early hours of the morning on Sunday 14 June. Yvonne has been part of the Otters family from the early days when her daughter Lisa was a member. She was a wonderful generous-spirited lady who always took an interest in the children's achievements both inside & outside of the club. Part of the bedrock of the Club, her weekly commitment to the training schedule was an example to all of us. She will be greatly missed by all the children, coaches and helpers - Monday & Thursday nights and club galas will not be the same without Yvonne's larger than life presence. We offer our heartfelt condolences to her husband Tommy, daughter Lisa and wider family.
The funeral service will be held at St James Church Maghull on Friday 19th June at 1.00pm. Family flowers only and any donations to The British Heart Foundation c/o Graham J Clegg 7 Dover Road, Maghull, Merseyside L31 5JB. Tommy and Lisa have also requested that everyone should please wear bright clothes -no black.
The club has also opened a book of condolence for children and parents to record their memories of Yvonne and this will be available on the front desk for the next week or so, there will also be a collection for the British Heart Foundation for parents who wish to contribute.
Reminder AGM - Thursday 18th June 8.00pm Park Pool - all parents are welcome
Junior Squad Galas
Saturday 20 June warm up 6.30pm - Micro League Gala 4 - Leyland Leisure Centre, PR25 2EX - team sheet now on front desk - can all selected swimmers please make every effort to attend this final gala of the 2009 league - there is strong competition in this year's league and it is important that we field as strong a team as possible. Please note there is no coach transport for this gala.
Sunday 21 June - Liverpool Penguins Macmillan Invitation Gala - warm up 1.30pm - Everton Park Pool, Great Homer Street, Liverpool L5 5EP. Team sheet on front desk again their is no coach transport.
Tadpoles League 2009 (9-12 year olds) Sept to November - entry pack now out - full details under galas link on right. Entries need to be with Bob by 13th July.
Congratulations to Serena Rimmer & Rebecca Thompson upon qualifying for the final of the 10yr girls 100m Backstroke at the ASA North West Region Age Group Championships at Manchester Aquatics on Saturday 6th June - this places them in the top eight in their age group in the North West.
Club Gala 1st June - results now on members' page on SCM - congratulations to Rachel Turton on smashing the 50m fly record which had stood since 2002.
The competition calendar has been updated through to 2010 including the dates for the Club Championships in November & is available under the dates link on the right. The "Diddy Gala" for swimmers aged 8 and under will be held on Sunday 12th July from 3.00 to 4.00pm.
COLSC - Summer Sprints Open Meet - L'pool Aquatics 27 & 28 June 2009. The entry pack has been e-mailed to squad swimmers & is also available under the galas section on the right. Now Closed to further entries.
Saturday evening sessions at Swimscool are back by popular demand starting Saturday 23 May 6.00-7.30pm.
On Monday 1st June the club is holding its 2nd Internal Gala. The gala is open to all children aged 8/over by 31.12.2009 and all eligible swimmers are strongly encouraged to attend. Warm up is at 6.30pm. Strokes swum will be Back & Fly. There will be no normal training sessions on that night. Swimmers who normally attend the first session and who are too young to swim in the gala will be welcome to attend the 3-4pm session on Sunday 31st May.
Micro League Gala 3 Clitheroe Sunday 17th May - well done to the junior squad on coming second in a closely fought gala - results on Members page on SCM
National Swimming League North West - Otters has been accepted into the league for the 2009 season and will swim in division two. This presents our senior squad with the opportunity to swim against their peers from clubs from as far afield as Bangor & Ulverston. The competition comprises three galas In October, November & December held at neutral venues. The first round will be on Saturday 3rd October against Swim Gynedd (Bangor), Liverpool Penguins, Kendal, Stretford, Sandbach, Hoylake & Warrington.
Micro League Gala 2 - Palatine Blackpool 10 May 2009 - results now on members' page on SCM
Otters finished off the M&D league in style at the final gala in Nantwich on Saturday 9th May, winning comfortably by the highest margin of the season, with 277 points compared to second place Woodchurch's 218 points. This was Otters fifth straight victory in the league with the whole squad putting in a superb effort & the girls winning a fantastic 20 out of their 25 races. Otters richly deserve the league title and if they can repeat this season's performance will be able to hold their heads up in division 2 next season. The success is down to everybody who has represented the club in the six galas and each swimmer will be presented with a league winners medal at the commencement of the internal gala on 6th July. Results are on the members' page on Swim Club Manager.
Well done to Harry Thompson & Serena Rimmer who finished in the medals swimming with COLSC in the Radford Open meet at Ponds Forge Sheffield over the w/end of 2nd & 3rd May. They both swam several PBs & Serena won 2 silver medals (50m back & 50m f/s) & bronze (50m fly) & Harry a silver in 50m breast. COLSC were the the top scoring club at the meet. Results are available on the members page.
Congratulations to Harry Thompson on winning the boys 11/under 50m Breaststroke with COLSC in the National Swimming League Cup Final at Ponds Forge Sheffield on Sun 26 April in a time of 38.62 - 0.31 sec faster than his nearest rival.
M&D Gala 5 Leaseowe - Sat 25th April. Congratulations to all the squad who put in a sterling performance to secure first place over Woodchurch by 44 points - the highest margin of the division this season! This was the fourth straight win in succession. The girls squad won all 9 relay races and all but 5 of their 16 individual races. Results are available on the members page.
COLSC Summer Sprints - 27 & 28th June. This is a popular Open meet, even more so since being moved to the 50m pool and presents an opportunity to swim against some excellent competition. Events comprise 50m & 100m in all 4 strokes & 200m IM. Open to children aged 9 & over on 28th June, entry will be based on minimum entry times. The meet is open to non-City swimmers and dual registered swimmers should enter via Otters, as their local club. Entry forms & QT's will be available shortly & will need to be returned by the end of May. Interested swimmers should register at the front desk & we'll circulate the entry forms as soon as they are available.
M&D Gala 5 Leaseowe Leisure Centre Saturday 25 April - it is important that all selected squad members make every effort to attend this gala and that we field as strong a team as possible. This is second place Woodchurch's home gala and they're likely to make a serious bid to try and recapture the top of the table. We want to put clear blue water between us and increase the lead going into the last gala and strengthen our hopes of the league trophy and promotion to Division 2. Warm up is at 1.30pm & the coach will depart Park Pool at 12.15pm, for those travelling by car the address is Twickenham Drive Leaseowe Wirral CH46 1PF (please note the gala is not at Woodchurch Pool).
Derventio eXcel Level 1 Open Meet (11 April) - a huge well done to Rachel Turton on winning Gold amongst stiff competition in the 13 yr 50m Fly at Ponds Forge National Pool in Sheffield. Full results are available on members' page.
Swimathon (in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care) - Thursday 16 April - Park Pool - there is still time to register - visit www.swimathon.org & enter session code D0003-03
Micro League - the first gala of the 2009 season took place at West View Preston on Saturday 4th April. Results & times are available under the members section.
Club Gala 30.03.09 (F/C & Brst) saw the highest turnout for a club gala for several years with 107 swimmers taking part in some fiercely contested heats. Well done to everybody who took part & particularly to Eleanor Cantwell on breaking her own 14yrs /over 50m Brst record set last year. The results are available on the members page on SCM including PB's where applicable, individual swimmers' records have also been updated.
Well done to Otters Girls Amy & Becky Sinclair & Becca Thompson who comprised 3/5 of the Churchtown Primary girls team which captured the girls trophy in the Southport Large Schools Gala at Dunes on Weds 25 March against rival Southport swimmers representing 4 other schools. The girls put in some strong individual swims in both the heats & finals and, making up 3/4 of the f/s relay team, won by a comfortable third of the pool.
MONDAY 30th March 2009 (6.30-9.00pm) - the Club is holding its first internal gala for 2009 - this is open to all swimmers aged 8 and above by 31.12.09. The strokes being swum are frontcrawl and breaststroke. The chief coach is currently selecting his Micro League squad for 2009 (ages 9-12) - come along and swim your best & you may be selected to represent the Club! PLEASE NOTE THERE WILL BE NO NORMAL TRAINING SESSIONS ON THIS DATE.
There will be no Swim Scool sessions on Saturdays 28th March & 4th April.
Lancs County Champs - week two - the Otters swimmers built on their successes from week one with Anna Hulme taking silver in 9yrs 50m breast and bronze in 50m f/s; Rachel Turton bronze in 13yrs 50 f/s & Harry Thompson bronze in 12 yrs 50m breast. The club can be justifiably proud of all our swimmers & Anna Hulme merits special mention finishing on the medal podium in 6 of her 9 races in the Championships.
Lancashire County Championships week one - Otters swimmers had some excellent individual swims with several PB's and qualifying times for the NW Age Group Championships achieved. The girls got amongst the medals with Anna Hulme (9yrs) gaining gold in 200m brst, and 3 bronze medals - 200m fly; 200IM & 50 fly & Rachel Turton with gold in 13yrs 50m fly. Club results available in members section.
Swimathon 2009 - Park Pool - Thursday 16 April (in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care) Otters swimmers have been invited to participate in this charity fundraiser - Serco will cover the entry fees provided they can each raise a minimum of £10 sponsorship. Swimmers can enter as individuals or as part of a team. More details available from Lindsay Massey
Magnificent Seven - congratulations to the Otters swimmers who have qualified to swim in the Lancashire County Championships at Manchester Aquatics Centre over the weekends of 14/15th & 21/22nd March. Annabelle Hartley, Anna Hulme, Hannah Kelsall, Serena Rimmer, Harry Thompson, Rebecca Thompson & Rachel Turton have, between them, achieved qualifying times in a total of 38 events. This demonstrates what can be achieved by commitment to regular training and we wish them every success.
Congratulations to the Otters Swimmers who swam in the City of Liverpool 50m Championships on Sun 22nd Feb, particularly Eleanor Cantwell - Silver 50m Brst; Rachel Turton - Gold in both 50m Fly & F/S & Silver 50m Brst; Annabelle Hartley - Silver 50m Back; Adam Phoenix - Silver 50m F/S; Harry Thompson - Silver 50m Brst & Anna Hulme -Gold 50m Brst & Silver 50m F/S. Full results for Otters swimmers available on members' page.
L&D Championships 7 &14 February - Otters swimmes results available on members page - well done to all the swimmers who represented the club on a fine performance & to Rachel Turton on winning Gold in 100m F/S; Eleanor Cantwell for silver 100m Brst; Harry Thompson Gold 50m Brst & Anna Hulme Gold 50m Brst.
TRIALS – There are over 20 children waiting for a trial to join Otters. I will be putting on sessions soon for these children to attend. Please accept my apologies for the delay. Kevin Walsh Chief Coach 17 February 2009.
Harrogate Level 1 Open Meet 31/1 & 1/2 - Otters' girls (Rachel Turton; Serena Rimmer; Becca Thompson & Anna Hulme) got off to a flying start in the medal stakes on the first day, with 2 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze & 6 runnners up medals out of 14 swims & a whole crop of qualifying times for the County Championships. Well done to all the girls on their achievements in what is a high standard meet, in particular Rachel Turton on Gold in 50m 13yr Fly & Anna Hulme on Gold in 50m 9yr Back. Day two & the medal haul continued with gold for Rachel in the 50m f/s, three silvers (Rachel 100m f/s, Anna in both 200m f/s & 50m brst) 2 bronze & 3 runners up medals. A superb set of results for all four girls. Their times and placings can be found under the members section.
Annual Membership Fees - The club need to register all its swimmers with the ASA urgently now to ensure continuing insurance and to conform with external gala rules. I would be most grateful to those families who have not paid as yet, to bring their fees to the next training session or advise me by phone or email if you wish to cancel your membership. Thanking you all in anticipation
Eric Turton 01695 422576 eric.turton@btinternet.com
Sad News - it is with very deep sadness that we have heard of the passing away of Tony Gerrard on Wednesday 21 January. Life Presidents Tony & his wife, Julie were stalwarts of the club & unstinting in their support over very many years and without their commitment, week-in, week-out, it is debatable whether the club would even exist today. They only stepped down from the active involvement and running of front of house operations in May last year following Julie's sudden illness. As a club we owe them both a huge debt of gratitude. Tony was a really nice man and will be greatly missed and our thoughts and prayers are with Julie and the family in their loss.
City of Liverpool Winter Distance Meet - congratulation to the club swimmers (Adam Phoenix, Anna Hulme, Eleanor Cantwell, Harry Thompson, Rachel Turton & Serena Rimmer)who swam extremely well in a very high standard meet over the weekend of 16/17 January. A number of Lancashire QT's were achieved & well done to Anna Hulme on winning the 9yr girls' 200m backstroke. Lancashire County Championships -14th,15th 21st & 22nd March 2009. The details and entry form are now available under the Galas link on the left. Swimmers must have achieved verifiable qualifying times at levels 1-3 licenced meets betweeen October 2008 and February 2009. All entries must be returned to Bob by 10th February to ensure we meet the closing date for entry. If you are waiting for an entry time from the second L&D Championship meet on 14th February please submit your entry & leave the time and fees to be completed after the gala. Micro League Fixtures 2009 - the dates for this year's four league galas were set at the recent league AGM and are included in the competition calander - under the dates link on the right. HAPPY NEW YEAR to all our members, parents and supporters. 2008 was a fantastic year for Otters with many notable achievements both in and out of the pool. We look forward to building on that success in 2009. TRAINING will recommence on Monday 5th January & there will also be a training session on Thursday 8th January 8.00 - 9.00pm for those swimmers who normally attend. Meet Mike Roberts - City of Liverpool's new Chief Coach - as a feeder club and to foster closer relations with COLSC we have arranged a meeting for coaches and parents at Liverpool Aquatics on Tuesday 13th January @ 7.30pm. Mike has a wealth of coaching experience and will be outlining his plans for the future. Please let Kevin/Bob/Eric know if you are interested in attending. Lancashire County Championships 2009 - the Qualifying Times have now been posted and are available under the galas link - please check the times as they are faster than 2008. Warriors of Warrington L3 Licensed Meet - well done to Adam Lauren & Serena on their individual performances in this meet - some excellent times posted and several Q/Ts achieved for the Lancashires. Club Chamionship Finals 23.11.08 & 30.11.08 - results available under members' section. Congratulations to Rachel Turton for smashing the freestyle record set 8 years ago by nearly a whole second! M&D League Gala 3 Crosby. Well done to the Otters who won their home gala, finishing first by a margin of 25 points. There were several impressive individual performances and a good crop of PB's. The girls relay teams warrant special mention finishing first in 7 out of their 9 races. After three galas Otters are 20 points clear at the top of the division but with a long break before the league resumes in March we need to remain focused. Results available on members page on SCM - see Eric's post below below. SwimClub Manager is now live and kicking and open to all members who have supplied an email address. You will shortly be receiving an email generated from SCM advising what to do and what's available. To all of you out there that have not supplied an address , please send it to me asap ( eric.turton@btinternet.com) and I will get you logged on and you will then be able to access all your childs swim times/awards and see how they are progressing as a member of Otters. Otters completed the final TADOLES gala in style on Friday 14/11, with each of the nine individual swimmers recording Personal Best times. Special congratulations to Anna Hulme who finished third with a fantastic time in a very close 200m f/s event. When taken together with her other successes over the series, Anna finished first in the 9yr girls BAGCAT competition. To crown a very successful league our 9/10 girls IM relay team won gold beating A, B & C teams from rivals Southport to the top spot on the podium. A huge well done to all our swimmers who have taken part in what have been the best league series results for the club for several years. 9/10 girls IM relay gold winners Serena Rimmer, Lucy Maher, Rebecca Thompson & Anna Hulme TADPOLES LEAGUE Week 5 - another succesful gala for the club with four finalists out of a total of nine individual swims. Anna Hulme followed Harry Thompson's lead to claim first place in the 50m Breaststroke to add to her previous first for the 200m event. Rebecca Thompson was awarded second place in 200m Back; Annabelle Hartley third in 50m Back & Tom Hartley 6th for 50m Back. Everyone else registered PBs in their swims. RACHEL PLUNDERS HARROGATE MEDALS - 13 yr old Rachel Turton returned from Harrogate's October open meet with an amazing haul of four medals - 2 Golds for 50m fly & 50m freestyle; Silver for 50m backstroke & Bronze in 100m freestyle. Rachel was pitched against some of the best swimmers in the country and achieved lifetime bests in all five of her entries at this top level meet and now has next year's National Championships firmly in her sights. ECHO CUP FINAL - times available under members section M&D LEAGUE - Connah's Quay gala - Saturday 18 October - a strong senior squad put in a sterling performance to win the gala by 18 points and close the gap on Woodchurch from gala 1 (Otters are now only 5 points adrift of Woodchurch). There were some excellent individual performances with lots of PBs achieved. Prior to the start of the Gala the club was finally united with the Division 4 winners trophy from the 2007/08 season after its mystery tour of Merseyside. If the squad continue to perform as they have in this gala there is no reason why it shouldn't be joined by the Division 3 trophy in May next year. Results available in members section M&D Trophy - home at last! Head Coach Kevin Walsh & Team Captains James Breen & Rachel Gill TADPOLES GALA 4 - HARRY DOES THE DOUBLE - 11 yr old Harry Thompson completed a clean sweep of the Breaststroke events gaining first place in the 200m event with a time of 3.21.17 adding to his first place pennant for the 50m distance. TADPOLES LEAGUE - Gala 3 took place on 3 Oct & our swimmers put in some great individual performances with several PBs. A huge well done to Anna Hulme who won the 9yrs 200m Breaststroke with a stonking time of 3:41:67. Other finalists included Sean Quirk - 2nd 50m Br/s; Hannah Kelsall -2nd 50m Fly; Adam Phoenix - 2nd 50m Fly; Becca Thompson - 4th 50m Fly; Anna Howarth - 4th 50m Br/s. Please note the warm up times for the last three remaining galas has been moved forward to 6.00pm The first gala of the M&D league for 2008/2009 took place at St Helens on Sunday 21st September. Otters got off to a strong start competing against five other clubs in a restuctured division and finishing second on 211 points, 23 points behind winners Woodchurch (who have dropped down a division from last year) & 15 points ahead of nearest rivals Runcorn. The senior squad put in a strong performance with several members swimming up and holding their own against older competitors in a 33m pool. Well done to everybody who took part.The times are available under the members' section LANCASHIRE COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS - The 2009 County Championships will be held on the weekends of 14th/15th & 21st /22nd March 2009. They are open to swimmers aged 9 & upwards on 22/03/09 who have achieved a Qualifying Time at an appropriate Licensed Meet from 1/10/08 onwards. Details of which Licensed Meets the Club are planning to attend to give our swimmers the opportunity to achieve their QT's are contained in the Galas Section together with the Qualifying times for the 2008 County Championships and NW Region Age Group Championships. Otters got off to a flying start in the first 2008 Tadpole League fixture on Friday 5th September. Ten swimmers took part competing in eleven individual swims with nearly a clean sweep of nine PBs. Congratulations to all our swimmers especially Harry Thompson, competing in his first ever Tadpoles event & beating a field of 22 swimmers to finish first in the 11yrs 50m Breaststroke. Also Serena Rimmer - 2nd in 10yrs 200m Fly & Rebecca Thompson - 3rd in 9yrs 50m Backstroke. Full results are available on the Darkstar site (under links on the left). Round one of the ECHO CUP was held at Everton Park on Saturday 6th September. Seven teams were competing and Otters finished a comfortable third, on 234 points ahead of fourth place Crosby (198 points). Thank you and well done to everyone who took part. The times are now available in the members section. Diane Jameson at recent coaching session The Club Calendar for September to December 2008 has been updated and is available under the "dates" link on the left - September & October are busy months for extenal galas/competitions, Squad swimmers please have a look at the calendar and try and keep the dates free for selection. CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS - The qualifying entries and times for the first final on Sunday 23 November (comprising Breaststroke, Backstroke & Individual Medley) can be found in the members section. The line up for the remaining final (F/S & Fly) will be posted after Gala 5 in October. If for any reason you are unable to swim in either of the finals and so that you don't deprive another swimmer, who would otherwise qualify in your absence, please let Gala Sec Bob Thompson know as soon as possible. The Micro League galas concluded at Clitheroe on Saturday 12 July with Otters beating Blackpool to second place by 2 points! A strong Carnforth team won the gala and finish top of the table. Ormskirk finish a very comfortable third in Division B - 54 points ahead of fourth place Lancaster and just outside the promotion swim-offs All credit to the junior squad who have put in excellent performances throughout, both individually and in the relay teams. The club has consolidated its position in its first year in this division and our junior swimmers have every reason to be proud of their achievements. Well done to all who swam at the City of Liverpool Summer Sprints meet @ Wavertree. Some excellent performances across the board & with many new PB's having been set - all the more remarkable when it was the first time in a 50m pool for several of the children. Rachel Turton merits special mention winning a full set of medals - Gold 50m f/s; Silver 50m fly & Bronze 50m back. Thanks also to all the parents and poolside volunteers who supported the event. Cannot find the news you want? Please see Older News
