The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
South Lincs Competitive Swimming Club talent Luke Elliott has spoken of his pride after captaining Lincolnshire at the ASA National County Team Championships.
Elliott, who is 17, was named as boys’ skipper at the Sheffield event, which is held at the Ponds Forge International Swimming Pool, and represented the county at the opening ceremony.
As with previous years, the event saw teams from England, Scotland and Wales battle for position with lots of noise, body-paint and plenty of good natured spirit.
More than 900 swimmers from 36 counties competed in two back-to-back pools, racing two divisions at the same time.
Last year, Lincolnshire were just six points shy of promotion, finishing fifth with 439 points. And, having not competed in Division One since 2006, this year’s team was desperate to go at least one better.
Unfortunately, this was not to be, as Scotland West claimed the Division Two title with a very impressive total of 554 points. Lincolnshire came ninth out 16 with 372 points.
Elliott said: “It was an honour to be boys’ captain.
“This was my last year, as I will be too old for selection to the event in 2017.
“I know we didn’t get the overall result that we would have liked but the whole team put in maximum effort during their individual and relay team events.
“Win or lose – it’s always a fantastic event to attend. It’s a good team environment and everyone supports each other.
“Get training Lincolnshire – next year the battle is on!”
- South Lincs recently welcomed Phil Gray, BSc MRes nutritionist, sports therapist and personal trainer, to work with some of their competitive swimmers for a day.
Throughout the day he looked at gym programming for top squad swimmers, pre-pool warm up and then let the swimmers have a go at their own video analysis.
He also looked at nutrition and hydration, including what they should eat and drink before and after training, how to recover and how best to refuel. Gray also introduced breathing techniques to help the swimmers relax after training.
The swimmers gained so much knowledge throughout the day which will be invaluable to their continued successes in the pool.
- SLCSC always welcomes new membership. You can visit their website www.slcsc.co.uk for more information.
