169 SWIMMING This year, our swimming season kicked off with a pre-season training camp held at the College. There was tremendous interest from the juniors but unfortunately a lot of the senior swimmers were unable to attend due to other commitments. The boys were put through a rigorous training programme in preparation for the season. Our first two galas were unfortunately disrupted by inclement weather. The Westville Invitational Gala, now known as the Nestor Pierides Memorial Gala, saw the team perform below par and tie 10th in a field of 12 schools. The team then participated in the annual Alan Burt Gala which was hosted by Glenwood at Crawford La Lucia due to the Kings Park Pool being out of commission. The swimmers showed determination and consequently improved to a credible 5th position. This gala was followed by the top competitive local galas; The Independent Schools Gala, The Top 8 Gala and Durban & Districts Gala. The Kearsney team held their own in each of these galas positioning 2nd, 3rd and 3rd respectively. Special mention should be made to the Under 15 and Under 16 age groups, as they were regularly placed in the top three at all the galas. As the Under 17 and Open age groups had limited team members, the boys were called on to swim more events than usual and all did so in a sportsman-like manner. Congratulations must also go to Ruben Fourie who spent endless hours training in the pool and was rewarded with selection to the KwaZulu-Natal Aquatics team to participate in the SA Schools meeting in Gauteng in the December holidays. His achievement inspired other boys to join swimming clubs which augers well for Kearsney swimming. For Kearsney to remain competitive in swimming, the boys need to remain committed to training sessions involving hard work, effort and self-discipline. My thanks go to our 2019 swimming captain, Oliver Kenny, our supportive parents and Director of Sport, Mr Keith Thompson, for their ongoing encouragement. Mr Marco Botha MIC Swimming SWIMMING TEAM Back Row: Kevyn Meyer, Menzi Mhlungu Third row: Adam Gibson, Saint John Thomson, Tom Carmody, Xavier Andrews, William Young, Ruben Fourie, Luke du Toit Second row: Rocco Klomfass, Josh Woolven, Ryan Denekamp, Marnus du Toit, Ethan Reay, Lance de Kock Front row: Brent Gibson, Luke Franz, Oliver Kenny (Captain), Mr Marco Botha, Luc Le Clézio, Josh Muller, Dean Gibson Swimming
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