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News
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| Medals for Ladies Water Polo Team |
20 May 2012
Congratulations to our Ladies water polo team, Devon County League Runners-up in only their second season.Pictured here are those members of the team who were able to collect their silver medals at the Devon County ASA AGM.
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30 April 2012 (updated 14 May 2012)
A group of us have set up a social committee to try and encourage a more sociable side to DRSA. If anyone has any ideas for fund raising or social events please speak to Denise Ward, Sarah Dodds or Jackie Murphy. All ideas welcome!
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Ladies night out
We are having a girly night out on Saturday 19th May 2012. Meet 7:30 -8:30pm
Change of venue: We are now meeting at The Treasury, Catherine Street, Royal Parade, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 2AD. Tel: 01752 672 121.
A chance to meet new people and let your hair down!
All ladies welcome.
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Boat Trip
We are looking into organising a family boat trip in early September.
More details to follow very soon.
Running Group
Lastly a group of us have started running while our children are training. We meet at the life centre cafe at 6:30pm on a Monday, Tuesday and Friday. We have just started out and currently run for about 20mins, hopefully this will increase as we get fitter! Come and join us or speak to Sarah Dodds or Jackie Murphy.
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| Cornwall & West Devon League Round 2 – 26th May |
14 May 2012
Please see the Members area for a list of swimmers who have already indicated their availability for the next round of the Cornwall & West Devon League on Saturday 26th May.
Could all swimmers / parents please review the list and if your name does not appear on the list and you are available and would like to be considered for selection, please inform the Chief Coach by Wednesday 16th May. Similarly if you are not now available, please also inform the Chief Coach.
Team selection will take place on Wednesday evening and the team list, along with reserves, published on the Members area of the Website.
Volunteers are also required for time keeper, judge, team manager(s). Again please contact the Chief Coach if you are available to assist.
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| National Masters – 4th - 6th May 2012 Sheffield |
13 May 2012
Whilst the senior boys used their qualifying times to compete in the Regional Championships in the Life Centre, Caroline Ball and Derek Bidgood took to the road and headed north to Ponds Forge in Sheffield to compete in the National Master Long Course Championships last weekend.
The competition was busy, fast moving and entertaining.
Derek chose to swim in the longer distances, 1500m (2nd), 800m (3rd) and 400m (3rd) whilst Caroline decided on the sprint events of 50m Back (2nd), 50m Fly (3rd), 50m Free (3rd), 100m Back (3rd) and 200m Back (3rd).
Both swimmers swam extremely well with good times for their events and hope that next year they will be joined by a few more of the enthusiastic masters squad.
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| ASA South West Region Youth Championships |
10 May 2012
ASA South West Region Youth Championships
DRSA senior swimmers were in action in the ASA South West Regional Championships over the May Bank Holiday weekend at the Plymouth Life Centre with some positive results. The group of Lee Cobb, Ian Chalmers, Neil Hamp and Tom Mermagen all swam well against the regions and nation’s best - coming away with season best times for all their races.
The competition, which was held as a long course event (50m), pushed the swimmers to their limits and proved that the long course training introduced since the move to the Life Centre is starting to pay off.
Leading the way was Iain Chalmers who made Championship finals in three events over the weekend. Even more pleasing was the fact that Iain was able to swim quicker in all his finals than in his heats earlier in the session. In the 50m Breaststroke final Iain narrowly missed out on a medal placing finishing 4th in a very close race, dipping under the 31 second barrier for the first time.
Strong swims were also seen by Neil Hamp in the 50m and 100m Freestyle, Lee Cobb in the 50m and 100m Freestyle, 50m 100m and 200m Backstroke. Not to be outdone, the weekend saw Tom Mermagen claiming new season best times for the 50m, 100m, 200m and 400m Freestyle events.
All swimmers enjoyed the weekend’s competition and found it a solid foundation on which to progress forward. Well done to all.
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| Errors Prove Costly in Round One |
9 May 2012
Saturday 28th April saw DRSA taking part in the first round of the Cornwall and West Devon League at Exeter Riverside. With late withdrawals and unavailability of swimmers for this round it was always going to be a tough task to compete well against the other clubs. In the final analysis, a 10% DQ rate, 5 out of 51 races, proved costly in terms of points leaving DRSA trailing in 6th spot.
There were some good individual performances with wins for Isobel Abernethy, Caroline Ball, Iain Chalmers and Tristan Vearncombe. New Personal Best Times (PBTs) were also set: Isobel Abernethy (50m freestyle), Nathan Gallagher (50m Butterfly), Rebecca Hingston (100m Freestyle), Beth Hughes (100m Butterfly), Ellen Murphy (50m Freestyle), James Murphy (100m Freestyle) and Hannah Smith (50m Breaststroke).
Thank you to all swimmers that took part, especially those called upon at the last minute – literally!
Also to all those parents and swimmers who helped time keeping, officiating, marshalling etc. As ever your contribution was greatly appreciated.
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| The Plymouth Summer LC Open 2012 - 13, 14, 15 July |
3 May 2012
Plymouth Leander will be hosting the The Plymouth Summer LC Open 2012 on 13, 14 and 15 July at the Life Centre. Click here for further details.
Entries need to be submitted to Karen Ball by Monday 28th May with cheque/money made payable to DRSA. If no fee is received, there will be no entry. There will be absolutely no late entries.
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27 April 2012
Goods can now be ordered from our Swim Shop online. From today Sarah Ward can be contacted via the e-mail address shop@devonportroyal.com.
Click here to visit the shop.
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| Bronze Medal at European Triathlon Championships |
26 April 2012
Congratulations to our Masters swimmer Shaun Keen on his Bronze medal at the European Triathlon Championships.
Here is Shaun's race report:
Race day conditions were dry with strong wind and temperatures around 21 degrees. Perfect conditions for racing
Mass start from shoreline decking area saw 2 Age Groups waves start together with a very easy to navigate 'out and back' route. I came out the water in 5th place overall with a swim time of 11.39sec which is a PB for me and a real credit to the work I have been doing at Devonport Royal and also with my swim coach Paul Brew having knocked off nearly 3min 30 sec from my Beijing time.
The bike route was again a very simple out and back along a dual carriageway with closed roads. This wasn't a particularly challenging course however the strong headwind on the 'out' leg of the course meant it gave the opportunity for stronger cyclists to make up time. Once on the turn and heading home I was flying along and estimate and average speed in excess of 40mph. My bike split was 34.04 and was the 4th fastest which put me into a good position going into the run.
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The run route was mainly along the road with a short off road 'dusty track' section with a turn around to come back to the start point. The run consisted of 2 laps and although only 5k was very had going in the strong hot windy conditions. My run split was 19.53 and although not my fasted 5k time it was the 6th fastest in my Age Group
Consistency throughout the 3 disciplines was key to me getting third and shows the importance of being strong across the swim bike run.
My overall time was 1.09.47 and good enough to secure Bronze medal. Although a massive personal achievement this result is down to the support and help I have received from my sponsors at Extreme World Races and my thanks to everyone for helping me to achieve my dream.
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| DCASA Sprint Gala – 15th April 2012 |
18 April 2012
Sunday 15th April saw 20 swimmers from Devonport Royal taking part in this year’s Devon County Sprints Gala at the Life Centre, with each swimmer having to compete in all four strokes over a distance of 50m.
Click here to read the full report.
Our girls who took part in the Sprint Gala (taken while the boys were warming up)
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| Senior Boys Podium at County Relays |
16 April 2012
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DRSA Senior Boys took to the water on Saturday 14th competing in the Devon County Relay
Gala at the new Life Centre in Plymouth. The first event for Devonport was the 4 x 100m
Championship Freestyle Relay which saw Tom Mermagen, Neil Hamp, Lee Cobb and Iain
Chalmers all in action.
Lead off swimmer Tom Mermagen completed his leg in a fast time, putting the team in 3rd
position behind Plymouth Leander and Exeter. Fast swims from Neil Hamp and Lee Cobb
maintained Devonport’s 3rd place and although Iain Chalmers on the final leg was making up
ground on the teams ahead the distance was just too much. In the end Devonport finished a
very creditable 3rd behind the two Devon performance clubs of Plymouth Leander and
Exeter.
With only a short break before the 4 x 100m Championship Medley Relay the team of Lee
Cobb, Iain Chalmers, Tom Mermagen and Chris Philpot all swam well, this time just missing
out on the medals and finishing in 4th place.
Overall a pleasing day’s relays, as this was the first time the Senior boys had stepped up to
compete in the 4 x 100m relays. A solid foundation on which to improve in future events.
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| Members for Social Committee |
13 April 2012
The Committee has discussed the idea of setting up a Social Committee. If you would like to help the club by helping to arrange social events, please contact Denise Ward (deniseward@devonportroyal.com) if you have any queries.
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13 April 2012
The latest batch of club T-shirts have arrived. If you have ordered a T-shirt, please see Andrew Sewell to collect.
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| Bethany Ward Makes the National Talent Development Squad |
2 April 2012
After a successful trial weekend, Bethany Ward has been accepted on the National Water Polo Talent Development Programme. Bethany is Devonport's third and youngest player to be accepted at this level. She will now attend monthly training sessions at the Millenium Pool in Cardiff with her colleagues.
Head Water Polo Coach, Roger Bossom: "Bethany is a very determined person who always gives her best in training and in matches. She deserves to be accepted onto the programme."
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| Devon County ASA Inter-Club Gala |
2 April 2012
Sunday April 1st saw the first swimming competition in the new Life Centre facility in Plymouth. The Devon ASA Inter-Club gala pitched 15 teams against one another over 37 events.
A larger than normal Devonport Royal team, some 28 swimmers, meant that those swimmers that were available to compete were given a chance to swim in the very first gala at the new pool.
After the parade of teams, Devonport Royal being represented by the Senior Club Captains Charlotte O’Halloran and Lee Cobb, the event did get off to a slow start – there being a number of faults and issues with the new timing and scoreboard facilities. These having been rectified, the Devonport Royal swimmers swam well in their events with a number of Personal Best Times being set along the way.
With a larger than expected number of changes having to be made to the team sheet because of absentees due to holidays, injury, other events, etc this did mean that the team started with a points deficit - a handicap which was carried right through the gala.
However, the swimmers gave their best and supported other team members to the full. A number of swimmers were experiencing a large gala atmosphere for the first time, which can be a daunting experience. In the end Devonport Royal finished just below half way in the table, which was a great effort given the points handicap at the start.
All the swimmers are now aware of what to expect in future Life Centre galas and can say in future years that they took part in the very first swimming competition in the new Life Centre!
Many thanks to all swimmers, officials and helpers who made for a great experience for everyone.
Martyn Stacey
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| Royal Navy Masters Gala Report |
29 March 2012
By Paul Russell
Last year I enjoyed the RN masters but I was rather lonely on my lonesome. Enjoyed
this one a lot more with 4 other Devonport swimmers, oh and one ex Devonport
swimmer who swam with Exmouth and sadly Olly couldn’t make it. The masters is
divided into age groups 18-24, 25-29, 30-34 etc. Those that were there did brilliantly
and enjoyed themselves so next year lets double our team and have a go at the
team championship. With so few we came 9th out of 51 teams- a fantastic result.
It all started at Millfield near Street 09.00 Sunday 25th March so our bodies were
telling us it was 08.00. Not sure what time Stuart thought it was as he was still jet
lagged after coming back from USA on Friday night, so you get the swimmer of the
team award Stuart! I was the only one mad enough to do the 400 FS and came
second knocking 7 secs off my PB. Then in the 100 Fly Nicola Stepp came third,
Stuart (I haven’t done this for decades) Cooper also achieved a bronze and I came
first by a whisker. In the 50 BR Hannah Ball came second, David (warm up later
Smith) obviously had the right idea not only did he come first but he beat the event
record which was set in 2006 by over 2 secs- well done David! I managed second
place. On to the 50 FS where Hannah came second, Nicola third, David was second
by 0.18sec and I came third. Then it was the 200m medley relay we hoped to have a
men’s team as well as a mixed but due to Olly’s work commitments we only did the
mixed. The mixed team needed to have a combined age of 72 which we almost
doubled, so a bit of a challenge against the other much younger teams. Nicola
started on the Bk, Hannah Br. David Fly and Stuart Fs and we finished third. Then
lunch and more events, starting with 100 IM Stuart third, David first this time
breaking the meet record by almost 5 secs and I came second. Then 50m Fly I and
Hannah came second. In the 100m BR I came second and in the 50m Bk Hannah
came second. David came first in the 50m Bk smashing the meet record by 2 secs. I
won the 100FS by less than a whisker as second place had exactly the same time.
Lastly the 200m FS relay where Nicola, Hannah, Stuart and David came a brilliant
second. Amazingly I was delighted to win my age group and had a mug to prove it.
It was a great day and a big thank you to the RN for organising a superb event.
Thanks team you were great and at least Olly tried! I think Davis should get a special
mention for BREAKING THREE MEET RECORDS - I have never seen that before. Next
year who knows – over to you!
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| Sessions Times in the Life Centre |
22 March 2012
The session times in the Life Centre have now been finalised. Click here to view the session times.
To view swimmers list per session by day - please select the relevant link below.
If you have any queries please contact the Chief Coach.
Monday List
Tuesday List
Wednesday List
Thursday List
Friday List
Swimmers and parents are reminded that sessions have been specifically allocated.
If swimmers need to alter sessions in terms of times or frequency - this must be done through the Chief Coach.
Swimmers arriving for sessions that they have not been allocated to may be refused entry depending upon lane space at that time.
Priority will be given to those swimmers allocated to that session.
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| ASA Recruiting for a Data Administrator |
19 March 2012
The ASA is currently recruiting for a Data Administrator. Click here to view the job description.
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| Session and Fee Information |
15 March 2012
Please take the time to read the attachments relating to the move to the Life Centre.
Session Fees
Pricing Review
Life Centre Movement
Please contact Barry Wilkins if you have any queries.
If you have any spare time on Sunday 18 March between 5.45 and 6.15pm, please come along and say farewell to the swimming pool before we move to the new and exciting Life Centre on 26 March.
All members and parents are welcome to share in this occasion along with the pool staff.
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13 March 2012
Latest update for migration to the Life Centre. Please keep watching the website for latest updates.
Timetable, training groups etc. will be published in the coming days both in the News and Members area.
If you have any queries regarding timetable sessions, groupings, please do not hesitate to contact the Chief Coach.
Please click here to view the latest update.
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| Devon County Championships - Latest Update |
5/12 March 2012
Latest update from the 2012 Devon County Championships. Championship winners, Age Group finalists & Medalists. Please click here to view the latest report update.
For a list of Results so far - please see Members area.
Please click here to view the videos from Sunday 4 March.
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27 February 2012
Another entertaining, friendly junior gala was held on Saturday at Exmouth. The
teams competing were Exeter City, Kingsbridge, Sid-vale, Exmouth A+B teams and
Devonport. The swimming events comprised of the 10, 11, 12 and 13 years old age
categories.
Devonport came within 4 points of winning the gala; being narrowly pipped to the
post by Kingsbridge who consistently nurture a very strong junior squad. Devonport
indeed gained 17 first places out of the 54 events. These came from a wide variety
of swimmers: James Murphy, Jacob Keogh, Isobel Abernathy, Emily Carrick,
Bethany Ward, Dominic Dodds, Rebecca Hingston, Jamie Bailey, Rhiannon Davies
and the 10 and under quartet of Francis Murphy, Dominic Dodds, Alex Christie and
Jacob Hingston.
The vast majority of the team produced strong personal bests and it was so
encouraging to see the palpable team spirit exuded by this young squad. The whole
squad deserves the applause of the club. Special mention should go to Alex Sells,
Alex Loveridge, Francis Murphy, Dominic Dodds and Hannah Smith. They were all
asked to swim 6 races each including competing at a higher age group due to
swimmer illness and non-availability (including Liam Ward who broke his arm the day
before!!). When asked, there was no reticence whatsoever and they showed a
fantastic collective team ethos. Finally, real coaching joy in seeing the young novices
Olivia Abernathy, Jacob Hingston and Lois Phillips swimming with such enthusiastic
endeavour. It made missing the Wales vs England second half worthwhile……well
almost!!!
Thanks to Kieran Loveridge (non-swimming Junior team captain) and mum, Karen Ball, Caroline
Ball, Tracey Bailey, Mark Gallagher for all their hard work in making this gala such a
success for the children and parents.
Tony Davies
The times are now available in the Members Area.
Robert Coleman
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| Launceston Gala Sunday 19th February |
20 February 2012
Devonport took a very youthful swimming squad down to Launceston for a friendly gala. Indeed 8 swimmers were undertaking their very first gala. The competition included the race categories 9, 11, 13 years and under as well as open age group. There was a wonderful welcome from the home club and a thrilling atmosphere was generated. Indeed Launceston and Devonport have established close training links over the last two years.
Launceston won the gala with Devonport finishing a highly creditable second place with Wadebridge third. The real joy was watching the youngsters revel in the excitement. They dived in with energy and a level of skill that was a pleasure to watch. Real coaching satisfaction came when one of the other team officials complemented us on our technical skills in the turns. Reassurance that the extra turns based training is paying off!!!
Personal Best times were seen in abundance and the whole squad appeared to exude self-confidence. The star turn perhaps was from our youngest competitor James Coleman who ignored the physical size of his competitors and swam his heart out for the team. Well done to one and all. Results will be posted shortly in the members section.
Finally thanks to Barry Wilkins, Karen Ball, Denise Ward, Andrew Sewell and Robert Coleman without whom we would not have been able to conduct this fantastic event. If any other parents want to help out with events please let us know since a volunteer club is only as good as the enthusiastic base of its members.
Tony Davies
The times are now available in the Members Area. Click here to view videos of the Cannon relays and the 9 & Under relays on our YouTube channel.
Robert Coleman
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11 February 2012
From today you can view our News items on Facebook. Click here to view the official Facebook page of Devonport Royal Swimming Association.
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| Alex Wilson Selected for the ASA S West U15s |
10 January 2012
Alex Wilson has been selected for the ASA S West U15s to play in the Inter-Regional Championships in March.
Water Polo Head Coach Roger Bossom was delighted with his latest achievement: "Considering Alex wasn't playing only 12 months ago due to a shoulder injury sustained playing rugby, this is a fantastic achievement and just reward for the progress he has made." |
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18 December 2011
Our "About us" page has been updated with a pictorial history of DRSA.
Around 20 years ago the then Chairman, Robin Ferris, handed me a scrapbook with photographs going as far back as the 1920s so that a couple of the images could be photocopied and included in a newsletter I was preparing for the club's prizegiving. When I became the Webmaster, I thought it would be a good idea to scan the photographs in this scrapbook so that they could be shared by all. What I did not realise was that the club's archives actually comprised 20 scrapbooks, dozens of old programmes and minutes of meetings going back decades.
Reg Bossom, the 1962/63 President of Devon County ASA and father of our current Treasurer, Water Polo Secretary and Welfare Officer Roger Bossom, had collected hundreds of photographs and newspaper reports spanning seven decades. These were later catalogued in the scrapbooks by Robin Ferris.
After scanning these archives, I approached several members about old photographs and reports. Sally Dean, whose father Ed played over 1,000 water polo matches for the club, broke the Devon County 200 yards Breaststroke record in 1948 and went on to become the President of the ASA, provided another fascinating scrapbook with several decades of material. Further valuable contributions were made by Roger Hore, Beryl Pritchard, Helen Kelley, Michelle Potter and Katherine Clarke.
If you have any further photographs or reports which you would like to share with us, I would be delighted to hear from you (robcoleman@devonportroyal.com)
I hope you enjoy the presentation. It will be temporarily available on the "News" page, but will be a permanent feature on the "About us" page.
Robert Coleman
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| Masters Time Trial December 2011 |
8 December 2011
Devonport Royal were represented at this Friendly event by the following swimmers: Hannah Ball, Caroline Ball, Lyndsay Walke, Nicola Stepp, Paul Russell and Stuart Cooper.
Gallantly supported by Rick Stepp, Joanne Stepp, John Ball and the vocal support from young Joshua Ball.
Three officials assisted in the names of Karen Ball, Maureen Wilkins and myself.
We all made the long journey (well for some) to Saltash Leisure Centre in Cornwall just in case there are some who don’t travel far. The swimmers and officials had a mini team talk about which pub we should visit when the gala was over. That decided, we got down to identifying a suitable handicap to give Caroline for her events; it was difficult as some were saying in the minutes, but it came down to 20 seconds. When Caroline found out what had been decided she intimated that she would meet us in the pub. Click here to read the full report.
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| ASA National Masters & Senior Age Group Championships |
15 November 2011
Lindsey Walke and Derek Bidgood both successfully competed for DRSA at the recent ASA National Masters & Senior Age Group Championships.
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Derek competed in 3 events, the 400m freestyle where he finished 4th in a time of 7:34.57 (40.03 seconds under the time he entered), the 800m freestyle where he finished 5th in a time of 15:47.78 (12.22 seconds under the time he entered) and 3rd in the 1500m freestyle in a time of 29:40.45 (19.15 seconds under the time he entered). Derek modestly commented: “Only one medal but quietly pleased with the times.”
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Lindsey: “I'm back from Sheffield where I raced in the 1500, 800 and 400 freestyle events. In my age group I came 5th in the 1500 with a massively improved time, 1min 45secs faster than my last timed 1500m race this year. I came 6th in the 800m with a 7-second improvement and I came 7th in the 400m with the same entry time. I raced over three days in this order so by the time I did the 400m I was pretty tired, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and may do more. My splits were amazingly even, apart from the first and last 50m! Looking at the programme I moved up several places overall, but on the day I think many pulled out so I was very average, not the worst, but I gave it a go.”
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| Fine Performances at the City of Plymouth Championships |
28 October 2011
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Last season Devonport recorded 54 top three place finishes, this season that improved to 31 gold medals, 32 silver and 21 bronze, along with a relay gold and silver to take the top three finishes to 86 for 2011, a huge improvement in a tougher field of competition. Click here to read the full report. |
| Devonport Girls on Road to International Honours |
21 October 2011
Connie McGregor and Rachel Ward have been selected for the Water Polo National Talent
Development programme, which is the first step towards playing for Great Britain. Following
a successful selection weekend, the girls have been invited to join the programme. Over fifty
girls were at the selection, and thirty nine were successful. They now have to travel to Cardiff
at weekends for the next six months.
Head Water Polo Coach, Roger Bossom stated: "This is a tremendous achievement for the girls,
they have just completed their first year in Water Polo, and at the selection weekend were up
against girls with far more experience then they have. We will continue to offer them our full
support, but it is now up to them to prove their worth. Their selection also recognises the work
put in by our Coaching team, to bring them to this level so quickly."
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| Meet Our New Masters Swimmer Paul Russell |
28 September 2011
Paul Russell on his recent experiences with Devonport Royal:
“I joined Devonport Royal in May after leaving Dinnaton where I had swum for many years after the
collapse of Port. So far I have swum in four Masters events this year– the Royal Navy Open in May,
SW Masters in April then, as a Devonport swimmer, the Devon Masters and the ASA SWR both in
September. I also competed in the Devonport Sprint Gala, so a busy September for an old man! It is
obvious that Martyn’s training regime is paying off as, despite having 6 weeks off in July/August, I still
achieved five firsts (albeit that 2 of them were unopposed in my age group!), two seconds and a third.
More importantly for me I achieved three PBs, knocking over 2 seconds off my 100 FS and milliseconds
off my 25 and 50 FS. Sadly my favourite event, the IM, was the opposite, but I had the excuse that it
was only a few minutes after two other events and quite frankly I was cream crackered! Thank you
Devonport, especially the swimmers who put up with an old man in their lane and the Barry, Martyn combo.
Next?- November 20th swim for Devon in the SWR Masters, hopefully with Denise if she is free, all 50m
swims so better listen to Martyn re my terribly slow start- thanks for the FB pic the Chalmers! I gave Martyn
my SMART swimming goals on Monday 26th September, I haven’t given my goals to a coach for 4
decades so I must be serious.” |
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