On Saturday the 7th December, we welcomed 34 of our 12 year old county swimmers to the Sunderland Aquatic centre for the first face to face session of the 2024/2025 Northumberland and Durham County Development Swimming Camps.
Once again, the camp was run by the same team as last year. Head Coach Katy Batley (Alnwick Dolphins) led the sessions, supported by skills coaches Callum Hall (Richmond Dales), Michelle Laverick (Middlesbrough), Suzane Cadge (Tynedale), Craig Wilson (BOSSS) and Adrian Holmes-Morris (Durham City). Team Managers Ian Dale (North Tyneside) and Jane Dilworth (Richmond Dales), kept everything running smoothly in the background.
This year, a special guest coach from another aquatic discipline joined the team. Lynne Brakaj from Gateshead Artistic Swimming Club joined the morning session to deliver some fantastic artistic swimming drills and skills and tips. It went down well with the athletes and coaches and they all had great fun. The other half of the pool session was around ‘streamlining’ and body positioning in the water.
After a lunch break, the athletes filled in their athlete pack, noting down what they had learnt, how they can improve and goal setting or the next year. Land training followed and the groups worked through some basic but very important stretches and mobility work that will improve their swimming and allow them to get into better streamline positions, allowing better rotations of their shoulders and bodies on other strokes.
Back into the pool for the final session of the day. Some IM work and turn skills. The athletes worked tirelessly throughout the day and really tried hard on the skills and listened to their coaches input to help them improve.
A great day was had, and I can’t wait for the next Face to Face camp in May 2025. Keep up the hard work, keep improving, having fun and stay in the sport!
Report by Ian Dale – Team Manager
Many congratulations to the following athletes who were selected onto the development camp this season:
Max Walls, Derwentside and Gateshead
William Oliver, Darlington Swimming Club
Mason Sainthouse, Tynemouth
Luke Dodds, Borough of Stockton
Zach Air, Morpeth
Tristan Pickard, Richmond Dales
Dexter White, Newcastle Swim Team
William Rostron, Derwentside and Gateshead
Dylan Mills, Middlesborough
Sebastian Carty, Durham City
Jensen Tate Screaton, Chester Le Street
William Amor, South Tyneside
Sebastian Baird, South Tyneside
Oscar North, Tynemouth
Remy Perkins, Morpeth
Samuel Brown, Tynemouth
Freya Tindale, City of Sunderland
Annie Falkous, Morpeth
Anya Babovic, Chester Le Street
Caitlyn McLean, Wear Valley
Chloe Jobson, South Tyneside
Sophia Duffy, South Tyneside
Matilda Wilson, Alnwick Dolphins
Jessica Chaytor, Middlesborough
Lily Eddon, City of Sunderland
Sophia Brown, Borough of Stockton
Millie Torre, Tynemouth
Rosie Grayson, Wear Valley
Isobelle Webster, Eston
Ida Spink, Borough of Stockton
Charlotte Wilson, Wear Valley
Olivia Gibson, Durham City
Charlotte Sugde, Peterlee
Zoe Tomlinson, North Tyneside
Emily Roberts, Chester Le Street
Tilly Smith, Wear Valley
