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23rd
February 2008
OLYMPIC INSPIRATION
FOR LOCAL SWIMMERS
Talented young swimmers
enjoyed a taste of top level training at Grand Central Pools
recently with some of Stockport Metro Swimming Club’s Olympic
hopefuls.
More than 70 children
from local swimming clubs joined youngsters already in the
nationally acclaimed SM Coaching Programme for an early morning
Talent Camp on Saturday.
They had the chance to
work with Stockport Metro National Squad Swimmers Dan Vickers, 17,
Matt Verdon, 15, Liam Selby, 15, Jessica Powell, 15, and Ambah
Simpson, 13, all qualifiers for the Olympic Trials in March, and Tom
Moss, 14, National Age Group Silver Medallist 2007 and a prospect
for London 2012.
Swimmers were selected
for the camp based on their performances in the club’s Mini Meet
Series. These meets serve as an introduction to competitive swimming
and enable the award winning coaches at Stockport Metro to work in
partnership with local clubs to identify and nurture talent.
Head of Junior
Development, Lucas Connolly, explained, “Our aim is to help these
swimmers learn new skills which they can take back to their home
clubs and build upon. We want them to have fun and be inspired by
the achievements of swimmers who started out in the same way these
kids are doing now.”
Fired up by a video of
Metro Olympians Steve Parry, Graeme Smith, Adrian Turner and James
Goddard, the youngsters had the opportunity to improve their
technique through demonstrations by the senior swimmers, practice
and feedback from the coaches, culminating in some relay races to
hone their new skills.
Christopher Sanders, 9,
who swims at Saracens Club in Hazel Grove was full of enthusiasm.
“It’s been great. I now know how to do a faster backstroke turn and
it wasn’t boring lectures - all the coaches and swimmers made it fun
to learn”.
Sarah Metcalf, Press
Officer
Stockport Metro
Swimming Club
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