Stingray Swim Club grabbed the attention of the Cayman Islands Amateur Swimming Association Selection Committee and of club rivals Camana Bay Aquatic Club and Team TI at the recent CIASA National Swimming Championships when they secured five new CIASA records, plus 12 new national records and seven new Stingray Club records.
Stingray’s head coach Andy Copley, along with coach Joanna Manderson, were on deck for the four days of the meet with swimmers ranging in age from 7 to masters and both were delighted with the team’s results.
Coach Copley said, “Our team didn’t rest going into this competition, so I wasn’t necessarily thinking we were going to get stellar results.
“The kids surprised me though and swam out of their skin. Our little guys and our seniors came together and pulled out huge swims. Some of them were as surprised as I was.
“Having 15 kids qualify for CARIFTA is pretty cool but I think it’s just a testament to how hard these guys work. I keep telling them to point their aim beyond CARIFTA and they have.
“For many of them, qualifying for this meet is great, but it’s only a step on the path toward qualifying for bigger, more challenging meets like Island Games, CAC Games and Commonwealth Games. I feel good that we’re on the right path but there is a long way to go still. Luckily we’ve got a group of swimmers willing to make the journey.”
There were multiple notable swims, but of particular note were those which broke long standing Stingray club records that were previously held by Cayman’s most successful swimmers, such as Brett Fraser and Lara Butler.
They included Corey Westerborg (9-10) who beat Fraser’s ancient SSC 100 meters freestyle record in a time of 1 minute, 14.22 seconds of 1:15:52 set in 2000 and also took down Brett’s Stingray 50m freestyle in a time of 33:17 seconds, also set in 2000 which was 33:28 seconds.
Miquela Montana improved Butler’s 11-12 200m breaststroke national record in a time of 3:08:74 which had stood for seven years and was 3:11:24.
Stingray club vice-president Peter Plunkett attended all four days of the nationals.
He said, “CIASA is to be congratulated for putting on an excellent meet. Our swimmers were proud to be recognized as national champions and to receive their medals in a ceremony – and I know that they are already looking forward to next year’s event.
“On behalf of our board and our members, I know we all want to thank Coach Andy and Coach Jo for everything they do for our club and for our swimmers.”
Stingray members travelled to Kingston, Jamaica for some long course swimming at the Walter Rogers Age Group National Championships last weekend. This week, they are back in the Lions Aquatic Centre to prepare for the rest of this year’s competitive season including the Consolidated Water Pete Ribbins Memorial, CARIFTA, the Ernst & Young Summer Burner and the Lions Sprint Meet.
Stingray’s head coach Andy Copley, along with coach Joanna Manderson, were on deck for the four days of the meet with swimmers ranging in age from 7 to masters and both were delighted with the team’s results.
Related Videos
