Enthusiastic swimmers, encouraging spectators and competitive teams joined in the positive ethos of ‘giving everyone a go at a gala’ on Saturday evening. The three allied clubs of Pocklington Dolphins, South Holderness and Beverley Barracudas created a spirit of friendly competition whilst enabling swimmers to demonstrate their very best skills in the water.
For some of the younger swimmers, this was their first gala experience. And they were brilliant! Parents and coaches alike were proud of their efforts. For some of the swimmers, that meant overcoming their nerves and digging deep into their determination to show off their unique talents. Well done!
It was certainly an all-inclusive gala and, Head Coach, Wayne Smith’s overall vision for the gala was to give every swimmer the opportunity to experience swimming competitively with an audience to cheer them on. The Beverley pool was alive with joie de vivre which made everyone smile. Spectators were treated to a great night of swimming and every parent was mightily proud of their child’s achievements.
There were so many individual successes to be celebrated at the gala. Well done to all the swimmers who achieved a personal best time. In a competition setting, clocking a PB is a great accomplishment. It was also a delight to see the club members working together in the team relays – it takes great skill and patience for teams to achieve first place in team relays.
Of course, our club fielded two teams. And we can celebrate some first places for the Beverley Blues: Ryan Powers (50m front crawl and 50m backstroke), Alex McNamara (50m front crawl – Happy Birthday!), Emilie Curran (50m front crawl). And first places for the Beverley Orange team were: Pennie Crossley (25m butterfly), Charlotte Sutcliffe (50m breaststroke), Kieran Gibson (25m backstroke), Imogen Reynolds (50m butterfly), Joseph Raye (50m butterfly).
The overall team scores seem insignificant compared to the individual successes of Beverley Barracudas’ swimmers. The final team scores: in 5th place, Pocklington Dolphin blues with 109, South Holderness in 4thplace with 117, Beverley Orange in 3rd place with 146, Beverley Blues in 2nd place with 161 and Pocklington Dolphins Whites in 1st place with 185 points.
We must say a special thanks to the referee, judge, officials, timekeepers, and scoreboard operators who worked tirelessly throughout the evening to collate scores and keep everyone on the right track – it was not an easy task. Thank you to all the spectators who cheered so encouragingly and, of course, our eternal gratitude and thanks to the coaches and poolside staff who made the gala possible.