Magazine Jul/Aug 2016

47 TH SINGAPORE NATIONAL AGE GROUP CHAMPIONSHIPS

Congratulations to all swimmers who competed at the 47 th Singapore National Age Group Swimming Championships that was held at the OCBC Aquatic Centre in March! The American Club was represented by 11 swimmers who competed with both local and international swimmers from Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, United States and Germany. Despite the overwhelmingly large number of competitors and high standard of competition, all the swimmers swam exceedingly well in their respective events.

Our Junior swimmers recorded an impressive 81% (or 34 out of 42 events) of Personal Best swims in their events and our Senior swimmers recorded an outstanding 73.7% (or 14 out of 19 events) of Personal Best swims in their events!

Junior Team Members: Liam Blakney, Avery Bretting, Sofia Bucey, Nicole Cheng, Megan Eyring, Payton Foster and Maile Sullivan

Senior Team Members: Anna Bierley, Emma Bierley, Kate Dalziel and Mia Lowery

Here are what some of our swimmers and parents had to say about the experience:

Nationals was an awesome experience and I'm so glad I did it again this year. I improved this year and it was great to see that improvement. One of the best days was when I made finals for my 100 backstroke; I came in dead last but I was so happy because I beat the PB I had made EARLIER THAT DAY which was the best feeling ever. I was dancing before my race and everyone (including the announcer) were amused by it and it was great to have a little bit of fun in such a serious competition. Overall I had so much fun and I can't wait to do it again next year! - Anna Bierley (Team Captain & Senior Swimmer) I had so much fun at Nationals! I think that it was a great experience for me and the rest of the team. I think that we all did so well and got so many new PBs. - Emma Bierley (Senior Swimmer) TheNationals swimmeet this year was my first one and it was a great experience. I made new friends and got to know my coach and teammates more. Before the swim meet I was so nervous that my whole body started to shake but when I got there it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Music was playing, people were dancing and laughing. My friends, teammates and coach helped me a lot, and in the end I got good results because I knew that people were cheering for me. - Nicole Cheng (Junior Swimmer) Going to the Singapore National Age Group competition was really fun!! At first I was really nervous, but once I got used to it, I had fun. Especially if you have a friend with you. If no one you know is going you could always just hang out with your team. Since this competition was a big deal, when I did small swim meets it made me feel more comfortable. This can really boost your confidence in swimming. - Megan Eyring (Junior Swimmer)

49 THE AMERICAN CLUB JUL / AUG 2016