Dolphins outclass the opposition
Delting Dolphins Calum MacColl and Felix Gifford outclassed all at the Buckie championship at the weekend, winning 18 gold medals between them. Felix had the best swim of the meet.
The boys were part of an eight-strong team from Delting which took third place overall.
Calum’s main aim for the trip was to gain qualifying times for the Scottish national event in June, which he achieved in the 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle, 100m butterfly and 200m and 400m IM, smashing his PBs in the process and taking the gold medals in the 12-13 age group. He also won the gold in the 100m backstroke and 100m breaststroke and silvers in the 200m backstroke and breaststroke.
Felix won 10 gold medals and one silver in the 14-15 age group. He broke the age group records in the 100m backstroke with 1.03.21 and 200m with 2.14.13, the 200m butterfly with 2.11.23, the 200m freestyle with 1.56.07 and the 400m IM with 4.48.86.
He took the open record in all the events except the 100m backstroke which is still held by David Henderson. Felix also gained a British national qualifying time and a trophy for the best male swim of the competition.
Zevf Vessey, in the 10-11 age group, won the gold in the 200m butterfly, silver in the 400m freestyle and bronzes in the 100m backstroke (where he broke the Shetland age group record with 1.27.27), the 200m IM and the 100m butterfly.
The timekeepers miscounted Michael Southern’s lengths in his 200m butterfly so no time was recorded. Michael had to swim the event again and won the silver medal. He also took bronze in the 200m backstroke in the 12-13 age group.
Gregor Moore showed how much he improved to take the silver medal in the 100m freestyle and a bronze in the 200m freestyle.
Arwen Raikes gave a good all-round performance with PBs in most of her events and bronze medals in the 100m butterfly and 200m freestyle.
Lauren Hughson saw good improvements in all her times while Megan Perry swam very well in all her events, stepping up to this grade of meet with ease The Lerwick club took four swimmers to the event, beginning with Megan Nicolson, 14, who had an excellent 100m backstroke race to take the bronze medal with a PB.
She followed this up on Saturday afternoon with a PB and sixth place in the 200m freestyle. On Sunday Megan gained fifth place in the 100m freestyle and a time just outside her PB. In the 200 IM she came fourth and was very close to the bronze medal time.
In one of Megan’s best events, the 100m fly, she won a well deserved silver medal and finally she gained fifth place in the 200m backstroke.
Chloe Nicolson swam in the 12-13 years old age group. Her four-second PB in the 100m freestyle saw her win the bronze medal – this in a time which would qualify 14-year-old swimmers for the North District training pro-gramme.
In the 400m freestyle Chloe took nearly 30 seconds off her PB, in the 100m backstroke she took her PB down by five seconds and in the 100m breaststroke by four seconds. The last session saw her gain fifth place and a PB in the 100m fly and a PB in the 200 backstroke.
Twins Anne and Emmie Hutchison, 11, competed in the 10-11 year old age group and both saw new PBs.
Anne’s PBs came in the 100m breaststroke, 100m freestyle and 200 IM while Emmie’s PBs were in the 100m and 200m freestyle and the 200m backstroke. Both girls also saw a big improvement in their starts at this meet, only their second two-day event.
