News from Doncaster's Clubs, 2008
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The Stories behind the Headlines (from Doncaster's Clubs)
World Transplant Games -- Australia 2009
21 Dec Ben Pacey, a swimmer taught at Edlington Swimming Club from the age of 5 years old has been invited to swim for the United Kingdom Transplant team in the World Transplant Games to be held in Australia 2009.
You are probably wondering what the World Transplant Games are. Well it's kind of like the Olympics for people that have had a transplant organ/bone marrow. In Ben's case it was a bone marrow transplant. He was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia when he was 17, he was told that without a bone marrow transplant he would possibly only have 5 years to live. Ben had the most rigorous of treatments, he had total body irradiation. This is a week of chemotherapy followed by a week of radiotherapy and then more chemotherapy followed by the bone marrow infusion, and finally 8 weeks in total isolation. If he had caught so much as a common cold during this treatment it would probably have killed him.
It is now 3 years since Ben had his transplant and he is doing well. On one of his check-ups with his Consultant he was asked to represent Sheffield at the Transplant Games held at Ponds Forge. He swum 50 metres Backstroke and won a gold medal and was only a couple of seconds off the world record for these games. He is now part of the United Kingdom Transplant team. However, he has to raise the funds to be able to compete. It is truly an honour to be able to raise awareness of organ donations and transplants in this way. Ben is living proof that transplants save lives, as are all the other competitors taking part in these games.
We would like to invite you to pledge a donation for Ben via Diane Jeavons Secretary to Edlington ASC, Telephone 01302 859967.
Earlier this month we sent Coach Wallace to interview Ben Pacey who was also a member of the GB Water Polo squad at the time he was diagnosed.
Mega Performance from RASCALS -- Really Raising the Roof
7 Dec Picture this for commitment: six o'clock in the morning - the morning after the Annual Presentation Evening - cold and tired. This is what our brave swimmers faced on Sunday 7th December - but they did not shirk their responsibilities, they did not let down the club and they did perform like stars.
The swimmers involved were from all age groups: Jason, Andy, Jacob, Joshua, Isaac and Adam represented the boys, with Shannon, Chelsea, Farrah, Sasha, Jessica Gillatt (Ros), Lauren Pendlebury, Rebecca and Katie representing the girls. This was a strong team and although nervous all have high hopes of more personal bests and maybe some medals.
Once everyone was settled down at the poolside it was apparent that the swimmers meant business and they went about the warm up with Andy, Jason and Becky leading the way - Sandra and I didn't have to do much apart admiring their technique.
The first race was a sight for sore eyes: Andy (having no recorded 200m IM time) was swimming alongside Joshua and Isaac (after much grumbling about the embarrassment and the rest of the team ribbing him that he was going to come second or third behind his team mates!)
Obviously it was not that close but Andy did steam off like he had a point to prove and didn't want Joshua or Isaac to be in touching distance at the end of the first length.
The 200m IM times across the board were exceptional with up to 47 seconds being knocked off personal bests and four of our swimmers winning their age group (Joshua, Jacob, Adam and Sasha) - this was a sign of things to come.
For most swimmers this was their first all day event but they were not overawed by the experience and the training and commitment that they have shown this year came to the fore with personal bests being a regular occurence as well as positions on the 'podium'. The way that the event was laid out made it possible to swim many races whilst still turning out great swims - this comes down to the great organisation from DARTES and for this they should be commended.
The results of the events speak for themselves and I for one am proud of each and every one of the swimmers who got on with the job without batting an eyelid - once there was a realisation that some of them were in line for best boy / girl it seemed to spur them on to further success. It didn't come as a surprise that at the half way point Rossington Swimming Club were in second place overall and we were swimming against fifteen other clubs that included Rotherham Metro.
The morning session finished and it was time for lunch - what was great about this was the way that the kids stuck together, had a (moderately) sensible meal and joined up with Dartes star and Rossington team mate Heidi Smith (Ros) for team photographs. Heidi and parents Helen and Chris were doing a fine job of helping to run the event.
The afternoon started where the morning finished with the 200m IM, this time for the girls, and it seemed like we had taken over the event when we had a heat all to ourselves - Chelsea, Lauren and Sasha swimming together; the team and families must have been as exhausted as the swimmers at the end of the race, I for one was hoarse!
Time flew by and once Rebecca had finished her 100m Butterfly the troops wearily left poolside, amassing more cups than my mug tree can handle, picking up speeding tickets (a real treat showing you that you had moved up a grade) as well as collecting age group champion awards. The three age group winners were:
| Sasha Gaskell | Girls 12 years | |||||
| Adam Kendrick | Boys 14 years | |||||
| Girls 15+ |
1 Dec
Dearne Valley Swimming Squad were back in action this weekend at the Disability Sport Events (DSE) National Short Course Swimming Championships.
Swimmers Andrew Gould, Chloe Selman, Natasha Oates, George Gray and Laurence Whiteley worked hard and achieved some great performances.
19 Oct
It seems like an age ago today, but back in May, Armthorpe were the dominant club at the Dartes B grade and swum away with the top club prize.
| Club | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spa Askern | 32 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 7 | 8 |
| Adwick | 22 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 8 |
| Armthorpe | 12 | 23 | 21 | 25 | 16 | 14 |
| South Axholm | 4 | 12 | 15 | 11 | 17 | 10 |
| Thorne | 4 | 6 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 4 |
| Rossington | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 | ||
| Edlington | 1 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 4 |
| Don Valley | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ||
| Dearne Vall | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
What follows should not take away from Spa's achievements here this afternoon. In fact, it speaks volumes for the club's philosophy and the dedicated, selfless attitude of their coaches and club officials in their relentless quest to get the best for their swimmers.
As a rough guide, around 20% of Spa's membership is also training at Dartes and competing in top class competition against the best in the country; no other club comes close to that figure! Over the past decade, Spa has contributed as much to the day to day coaching of the Dartes programme as all the other clubs combined. That is set to continue, with Spa coaches Dave Cuthbert (Age Group Squad coach) and Kevin Nicholas (Development Squad coach) working along side Head Coach Andrew Wallace to provide the very best opportunities for all of Doncaster's swimmers. Coaches from the other clubs are more than welcome, but in recent years, very few have come forward (a huge thank you to those few that have).
For those who aren't aware, it's probably worth mentioning that Dartes is not a separate club. We're not trying to steal swimmers from anyone. Every single swimmer training at Dartes is also a member of one of Doncaster's clubs. They compete for those clubs in local leagues, then compete for Dartes, representing the whole of Doncaster, at County level and above. We are the town's training scheme with a full-time professional coach and sports science graduate leading the way, and a part-time assistant coach thrown into the mix for good measure. Beyond that, all our resources are provided by the DMASA and Doncaster's clubs.
Dartes belongs to the DMASA and through that, to each and every one of the competing clubs here today. Spa Askern understand that association, and has been supporting the Dartes programme to the hilt for a number of years (we're very grateful to Kevin Nicholas, Mick Gartside and the rest of the Spa team for their support). Last year their commitment helped them win division 1 of the Pocklington Times League; no other Doncaster club was even in division 1! Today they've won the DMASA 'MET' Championships.
Here at Dartes we're proud to have Spa's head coach, Kevin Nicholas, heading up our new development squad. His proven track record of producing top swimming talent completes the Dartes programme by filling the missing link in the chain. It's now time for all of Doncaster's clubs to start putting their young athletes first and support the Dartes programme again. Not just paying lip service to it, but actually doing it!
By working together as Dartes, Doncaster Swimming can reclaim its place as a swimming powerhouse, not just in Yorkshire, but at National level too. We've done it before, Doncaster can do it again!
Dartes is, and can only ever be, as successful as Doncaster's clubs make it. Encourage your club to support Dartes in the same way that Spa Askern do, and see how big a difference it will make to all our fortunes.
Congratulations Spa Askern, all your swimmers, coaches, and club officials. A very well deserved victory, and just reward for all your hard work.
Dartes Stars Shine Brightly at Mets
05 Oct: Doncaster's finest were out in force and racing for their clubs this afternoon with the usual suspects demonstrating their class.
Fresh from her two 4th place finishes at Nationals at the end of last season, Sophie Taylor (Arm) swam a relatively easy pair of 100m Br to annihilate the opposition and break the championship record in the heat, and again in the final. It was a masterclass of powerful Br that Doncaster's young swimmers should look to emulate.
More dominating performances kept coming from the girls. Emma Humphreys (Ros) and Laura Hirst (Edl) got their season off to a flying start pushing each other to commanding leads in the 100 Fly and 100 IM. While the older girls Katie Lindop (Spa) and Cherelle McPherson (Adw) won in their age groups by a similar expanse of clear water.
Not to be out done by the girls, Max Litchfield (Spa) performed his trademark 15m starts to win the Bc by a mile and smash the championship record along the way. In the open age 200m IM, the top 3 boys finished almost a full 25m clear of the others. Dartes boys Daniel Warrener (Arm), Niall Wainwright (Spa), and former Dartes swimmer Chris Watson (SAS) taking the medals.
In an ominous sign of things to come, the young Dartes boys Joe Litchfield (Spa) and Jarvis Parkinson (Tho) took the honours in style, with Jarvis smashing the previous championship record in the 50m Fr.
But the hard work of those a little further down the swimming hierarchy is starting to show through too. Still inside his first full year in the Dartes programme, Martyn Rushton (Spa) continues to make massive improvements. Winning both his 100m IM and 100m Fly in convincing fashion and recording huge PBs along the way.
His sister Leah Rushton (Spa) also swam exceptionally well in the 100m Fly. Neck and neck with team mate (and reigning Yorkshire champion at 50m Bc) Shannon Dodson (Spa) until the last few metres. Leah recorded a huge PB and a well deserved Silver medal; Shannon took the Gold.
And then, almost at the end, Mr Inconsistency, the boy who's pacing is usually all over the place, hit an evenly split 100m Fly straight out of the text books. Jamie Clarke (Arm) swam a superbly paced race and suddenly found himself in the lead swimming into the final turn. The last 25m was strong enough to earn Gold by a convincing margin.
Overall, a strong performance by the Dartes athletes looking good in their clubs' caps for a change. A good warm up for the upcoming Yorkshire County Championships.
Spa vs Armthorpe; Round 2
27 Sep:
Two weeks ago, reigning PL div 1 champs, Spa Askern, got their 2008 campaign off to a winning start.
But that was without last year's runners up, KuHull.
Hull narrowly won today, but Spa came a gallant 2nd.
Our other team in Div 1, Armthorpe, also battled hard.
view league ...
Spa vs Armthorpe; Pocklington Showdown
12 Sep:
Armthorpe's return to PL division 1 today saw them battling against Doncaster's reigning champions in this league, Spa Askern.
With the absense of previous winners KuHull, Spa showed their class and a clean pair of heels to the opposition.
view league ...