SWIMMING
There is never much time for training after the summer break , with our first competition in early September . The Kent Schools ’ Relays are also our regional qualifier for the English Secondary School Team Relay Championship finals . Historically , we have done very well at this event and did so again this year . We secured four golds and four silvers across three age groups of boys and girls . The junior boys and senior girls achieved an outstanding result winning both of their events . With the rest of the country still with qualifiers , we have to wait until mid-October for the finalists to be unveiled . This resulted in qualification for three teams out of 12 , again over two age groups of boys and girls – a brilliant achievement !
As a result , final preparations could begin with the team for the ESSA Team Championships held in November at The Aquatics Centre in Stratford . The swimmers had an excellent trip , with the senior girls securing fifth place and seventh place in the finals , comprised of the top 30 teams from over 200 schools in each age category . The senior boys swam very well , securing 23rd place , improving on their ranking position from the qualifying rounds .
Swimming at Sevenoaks continues to improve every year with the addition of new competitions mixed in with our regular inter-school , county and national galas .
From October half term , our inter-school competitions ran through until February half term . The team swam well in both boys ’ and girls ’ galas or our larger mixed events against schools , such as Reigate Grammar , Lingfield and St Olave ’ s . There were some great performances . With some illnesses and last-minute cancellations , it was good to see other swimmers stepping up and taking their chance to compete , putting on a show of dedication and teamwork which is essential for all our school sports to progress .
Christmas was soon upon us , but after the holidays , the first weekend back saw the team heading off to compete in the Kent Secondary Schools Individual Championships in Tunbridge Wells . The boys came away with one silver and two bronze medals . There was an outstanding performance from Chengze Duan , taking one silver and one bronze medal . The girls ’ competition was very strong this year ; they achieved
94 SPORT REVIEW