2014-2015 swim season

2014-2015 swim season (7)

2014-2015 swim season Monica Botha

2014-2015 swim season aged 7

2014-2015 swim season:

December 2013 the club we swim at close and we end up without a pool, a club, and a coach.  Monica is in tears as she fears she will not be able to swim anymore.  We assure her that it will not be the case.

Training at Amanzimtoti main beach

Training at the Saltwater pool in Amanzimtoti

After several attempts to find a pool where she could train (mostly local schools that reserve the use of the pool for their learners only), we end up at the saltwater pool at Amanzimtoti’s main beach.  It is a 35-meter salt water pool which fills up during high tide daily.

The lifesavers train at the pool in the mornings.  Mama Coach and Mica swim at the pool in the mornings.  It is such a great bonding exercise.  Monica also trains at the pool when the lifesavers do their swimming and she becomes quite well-known with the lifesavers.

2014-205 swim season Training at Lahee Park

Scouting trips to Pinetown

On days that mom gets tied up with work, Mica trains on her own at this pool.

Scouting Lahee Park to see if we could train with the swimming club

Mica and mom training at saltwater pool

Best swimming days with mom at the saltwater pool in Amanzimtoti

May 2014 we join a swimming club with permission to continue to train locally.  We do a couple of trips to the club’s swimming pool to see logistics involved, but the pool turns out to be too far.  Taking traffic into consideration the schedules will just not work out if we have to travel to Pinetown daily for training.

2014-2015 swim season: pre-season swimming

Mei 2014:  It is winter and we do not have a pre-season training solution.  We buy a wetsuit in the hope that it will help to keep her warmer in the cold water.  As luck would have it, we have an early and cold winter.  It becomes a standing joke to swim the first length fast in order to warm up.

For fear of falling in as winter closes in, we resort to the local gym where there is a heated pool.  A swim school operates from the gym which means we cannot swim during peak hours.  We sign up for an off-peak gym membership which allows us to train in the mornings.

2014-2015 swim season at local pool

We join a local gym to use the heated pool for training

The gym has a rule which does not allow us to practice starts as we are not allowed to dive into the pool.  The other rule stipulates that children under 14 are not allowed to swim without parents being present.  We train under these rules.  Mica will just have to do starts at the swim meets to practice her starts.  Turns, we, fortunately, can train in the 25-meter pool.

Finally, a club, a pool, and dad as a swim coach.

 

SSA L1 Regional Age group swim championship March 2015
Women 12 & U 4 x 50m relayWomen 10 &U:
100m Freestyle: 1:20:04
50m Backstroke: 44:Women 10 & U 29

———————————————————————————-
NDSA championships March 2015
———————————————————————————-

2015 Best 8 & U female NDSA

6 Gold & 2 Silver, with 6 Meet records

Girls 8 & U LCm:

  • 50m Butterfly: 43:50 (Gold & MR)
  • 100m Breaststroke: 1:54:91 (Gold)
  • 50m Backstroke: 45:85 (Gold)
  • 100m Freestyle: 1:25:31 (Gold & MR)
  • 100m Backstroke: 1:39:41 (Gold & MR)
  • 50m Freestyle: 38:47 (Gold & MR)
  • 100m Butterfly: 1:47:28 (Silver & MR)
  • 50m Breaststroke: 51:81 (Silver & MR)

———————————————————————–
SSA L1 Provincial championships – February 2015

SA L1 Provincial champs 2015

SA L1 Provincial champs 6 gold, 3 Provincial records

———————————————————————–
Women 10&U LCM:

  • 200m Freestyle: 3:01:20
  • 200m IM: 3:25:52

Women 8&U:

  • 50m Breaststroke: 52:06
  • 100m Backstroke: 1:40:79 (MR)
  • 100m Freestyle: 1:23:17 (MR)
  • 50m Backstroke: 49:70
  • 50m Butterfly: 44:87
  • 50m Freestyle: 37:84 (MR)

———————————————————-
Ushaka championships – January 2015
———————————————————-

Ushaka swimming champs

Ushaka champs 4 Gold 9 & Under with 3 meet records

Girls 9&U:

  • 50m Breaststroke: 53:66 (Gold)
  • 50m Butterfly: 44:40 (MR)
  • 50m Freestyle: 39:10 (MR)
  • 50m Backstroke: 46:06 (MR)
  • 100m Breaststroke: 1:56:75
  • 200m IM: 3:38:62
  • 100m Freestyle:1:27:98
  • 100m Backstroke: 1:40:78

—————————————————————–
KZN TYR Westville Sprints November 2014
—————————————————————–

Westville best 8 & Under

Best female 8 & Under & 1 meet record

Best 8 & under female swimmer (96 points)

  • 100m Freestyle: 1:25:62
  • 50m Butterfly: 44:06
  • 100m Breaststroke: 1:59:18
  • 50m Backstroke: 45:02
  • 200m IM: 3:29:50 (MR)
  • 100m Backstroke: 1:39:29
  • 50m Freestyle: 38:87
  • 50m Breaststroke: 54:09
BOA splash

BOA Splash best 7-year-old female swimmer & 5 meet records

—————————————————
BOA Spring splash fun gala 25 October 2014
—————————————————-
Best 8 & U female swimmer

  • Girls 8&U 100M IM: 1:34:85 (MR)
  • Girls 7 25m breast: 25:60 (MR)
  • Girls 7 25m fly: 18:75 (MR)
  • Girls 7 25m back: 21:08 (MR)
  • Girls 7 25m free: 18:20 (MR)

————————————————————
Seagulls SC winter champs 9-12 October 2014
————————————————————

Seagulls SC champs 2014

Seagulls SC champs 8 & U 50 free meet record

Placed 3rd in the Girls 14 & U trophy category

  • Girls 8&U 25M breast: 24:62
  • Girls 8&U 50M free: 38:04 (MR)
  • Girls 8&U 25M back: 21:35
  • Girls 8&U 100M IM: 1:40:75
  • Girls 8&U 50M breast: 55:01
  • Girls 8&U 50M back: 45:14
  • Girls 14&U 200M breast: 4:01:89
  • Girls 8&U 25M free: 17:82

—————————————————————–
Speedo KZN Junior SC Champs 20-21 September 2014
—————————————————————–

  • Women 8&U 50 fly: 44:83
  • Women 8&U 100 breast: 1:52:85 (PB)
  • Women 8&U 50 Back: 45:01 (PB)
  • Women 8 &U 100 free: 1:24:73 (PB)
  • Women 8 &U 100 Back: 1:42:09
  • Women 8 &U 50 Free: 38:92 (PB)
  • Women 8 &U 100 Fly: 1:44:05 (PB)
  • Women 8 &U 50 Breast: 1:52:85 (PB)

———————————————————————————-
Beavers SC championships 29-30 August 2014
———————————————————————————-

  • Girls 8& under 100 Backstroke: 45:12
  • Girls 8& Under 100 IM: 1:38:94
  • Girls 8& Under 25 Freestyle: 17:81
  • Girls 8& Under 50 Breast: 55:43
  • Girls 8& Under 25 Butterfly: 20:07
  • Girls 10& Under 200 Free: 3:07:98
  • Girls 8& Under 50 Freestyle: 39:07
  • Girls 8& Under 25 Backstroke: 20:67 (PB)
  • Girls 8& Under 25 Breast: 24:82
Glenwood Action fun gala

Action fun gala Girls 8 & Under 4 meet records

————————————————–
Action fun Gala 24 August 2014
————————————————–

  • Girls 8& under 100m IM: 1:40:95(MR)
  • Girls 8& under 25m Free: 17:52 (MR)
  • Girls 8& under 25m Breast: 25:24(MR)
  • Girls 8& under 25m Fly: 20:96(MR)
  • Girls 8& under 25m back: 21:19

——————————————————–
Arena KZN Prestige Gala 5-9 July 2014
——————————————————-

  • Girls 10&U 50 m back: 46:24
  • Girls 10&U 50m breast: 52:12
  • Girls 10&U 50m free: 42:06
  • Girls 10&U 100m back: 46:24
  • Girls 10&U 100m IM: 3:39:53
  • Girls 10&U 100m breast: 1:58:13
  • Girls 10&U 100m free: 1:31:42

———————————————————————————-
21 June 2014: KZN Seals winter gala 2 :
———————————————————————————-

  • Women 8&U 25 m free: 18:58 placed 2nd
  • Women 8&U 25m Fly: 20:66 placed 2nd
  • Women 8&U 25m back: 22:71 placed 2nd
  • Women 8&U 25 m breast: 24:97  placed first
  • Women 8&U 50 m free : 40:39 placed second

———————————————————————————-
7 June 2014: KZN Seals winter gala 1:
———————————————————————————-

  • Women 8&U 25 m free: 18:31 placed 2nd
  • Women 8&U 25m Fly: 19:89 placed 2nd
  • Women 8&U 25m back: 22:44 placed 2nd
  • Women 8&U 25 m breast: 24:18 placed first
  • Women 8&U 50 m free : 40:34 placed second

———————————————————————————-
June 2014: Register at KZNA as level 1 Swimmer
———————————————————————————-
End April / May 2014: Join Seagulls swimming club
———————————————————————————-