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KZN Junior Winter Championships 2016

KZN Junior Winter championships

September is an important month to all swimmers as the annual KZN Junior Winter championships takes place during this month.  In our household, it is not just the Junior championships month, but also a month where the following happens:

  • September is the beginning of Spring – normally warmer weather although this year, there was still snow on the mountains, so cold, rainy days followed.
  • Monica visits the pediatrician for her annual checkup – we are ecstatic with a predicted 2-year waiting period before Mica’s asthma medication will be reduced.
  • We swim the KZN Junior championships.
  • We support the Gold in September childhood cancer awareness project – 100 gold cancer awareness ribbons distributed to swimmers at the championships.
  • Monica’s godparents traveled from far to attend the championships – it means a lot to Monica as it is normally just mom and dad as the support team.

Why are KZN Junior championships important?

The KZN Junior championships are the official start of the next season.  We are now officially swimming the 2016/2017 season.  It is also a test for age group swimmers aged 8 & Under to 13-years-old to see where they rank in their age group.

It is, furthermore another opportunity for age-group swimmers to set new meet or national age group records.  This year, 12-year-old Sune Liebenberg traveled from Gauteng to swim the 100-meter Freestyle and she set a new National age group record in a time of 59:69 (2015 record stood at 1:00:60).  The inland swimmers benefit from altitude change when swimming at the coast which makes new records possible, besides the amount of training it takes.

KZN Junior Winter championships 2016 results:

KZN Junior Winter championships 2016

Seagulls 9 & U relay team: Left to right: Noah Botha (9), Anthony Clayton (8), Monica Botha (9), Jessica Carmody (8)

  • Monica placed first in the overall points scored with 116/120 possible points.  This earned her the best 9-year-old female trophy with a second place in the Victrix Ludorum trophy.
  • She placed second in the 10 & Under 200 LC meter Freestyle and 200 m individual medley – (timed finals in the preliminary events).
  • A total of 6 personal best times with 8 gold medals
  • She took the lead in 2 mixed relays (4 x 50 m freestyle and mixed medley relay) with both teams winning gold in the events.

50 meter freestyle @ 34:97 (Gold)
100 m Freestyle @ 1:15:78 (Gold & PB)
50 m Butterfly @ 38:95 (Gold)
100 m breaststroke @ 1:43:18 (Gold & PB)
50 m backstroke @ 41:39 (Gold)
100 m backstroke @ 1:28:59 (Gold)
50 m breaststroke @ 46:21 (Gold & PB)
100 m butterfly @ 1:32:14 (Gold & PB)

Girls 10 & Under:

200 m IM @ 3:07:93 (Silver & PB)
200 m Freestyle @ 2:42:89 (Silver & PB)

We love the 200 m Freestyle – what an exciting race amidst 10-13-year-old swimmers!

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