Congratulations to one of our coaches Joe Mallon who was First in the Lake Windermere Swim Run race! Well Done Joe!!!

A fantastic days swimming by Mid Ulster at Lisburn for Swim Ulster’s Development Gala 4. Jack Finn, Aine Young, Andrew Lipscombe and Ollie Morriss were all in action.

Aine and Ollie swam in their 1st competitive gala after gaining their Skills Passport. Both swimmers were nervous but it didn’t show with Aine getting a new PB of 52.71 in the 50m Butterfly taking 7+ seconds off her time, finishing 3rd in her heat.

Ollie got 3 new PB’s; 54.88 in the 50m Butterfly, 1.48.44 in the 100m IM taking 15+ seconds off his best time, finishing 3rd in his heat, and 1.36.44 in 100m Freestyle taking 24 seconds off finishing 2nd in his heat. Ollie finished 4th overall in the Freestyle event just missing out on a medal.

Jack Finn swam in the 200m Freestyle and recorded a new PB of 2.56.20…a fantastic result for Jack as this was the first time he had swam that distance. Jack displayed really good race craft and controlled his swim very well.

Andrew Lipscomb swam in 3 events; 200m IM, 100m Freestyle and 100m Backstroke. In the 200m IM Andrew swam a new PB of 3.09.26 taking 5.94 seconds off. In the 100m freestyle (45 mins after his 200 IM) Andrew swam a very strong race with a time of 1.16.52. In the 100M Backstroke Andrew posted a new PB of 1.21.68, taking 4.8 seconds off his time. Andrew came 1st overall taking home the gold medal, but he narrowly missed out on getting his first Division 2 Time by 0.3 seconds – a fantastic achievement to get so close.

We now look forward to seeing our swimmers at the Mary Peters Open, and the next Development Gala in Newry.

The Annual club gala on Saturday 15th June is the culmination of our 
season’s club swimming and we’re at the point where swimmers have the 
opportunity to qualify for this.

Heats for this will be held on Thursday 16th May. Learner Pool Swimmers 
do not have heats. Every learner pool swimmer swims in Learner Pool Gala 
on Gala Night

There are 2 separate sessions for these Heats:

6.00pm –7.30pm for Novice swimmers.

7.30pm -9.00pm for Team swimmers.

Please ensure your child attends the correct session— we will not be 
able to accommodate any swimmer if they attend the wrong session.

6.00pm Novice session is for swimmers who have not competed in either 
the Aqua sprint or PTL galas. Except for the Group A Aquasprint 
swimmers i.e. born 2010 they need to attend this session as they only do 
25m in the main club gala.

Novice swimmers will complete in all 4 strokes over 25m.

7.30-9.00 Team session is for any team swimmer from under 10 (i.e. 
born 2009 onwards) they will compete in all 4 strokes over 50m and the 
100IM

Please note this year all swimmers are expected to complete all 5 events 
on the one night.

The new rule has been introduced this year by the coaches to ensure 
fairness that swimmers do not have an unfair advantage if they reduce 
the number of swims they take part in one week and come back fresh the 
following week.

If a child is sick on the first night they can return the following week 
but will be expected to complete all 5 events.

It is also to reduce the time out from training.
Time trialling over 2 weeks means a lot of wasted training time. The new 
structure of 90 mins also gives us enough time to get all the swims 
completed on one night.

It is also to facilitate the people on the desk to record the times and 
prepare the lists for the finals. This is part of the gala preparation 
that parents and swimmers do not see and it takes a lot of time, effort 
and patience from the recorders.

If your child cannot attend for the Time Trial on Thursday 16th May can 
you please inform Gemma Lipscomb by text mob no. 07919251648 or leave 
your child’s name at the desk on Thurs 9th or Thurs 16th.

We will accommodate swimmers who cannot attend for the Heats by running
reduced lanes (over 3 lanes) Heats on Thurs 23rd May.

If you are unsure about your child’s session time for the time trials 
please check with their coach tomorrow, Thurs 9th or check the list at 
the desk.

Can all the Trophies pleased be returned by Thursday 16th May –PLEASE 
ENSURE THEY ARE CLEAN AND POLISHED.

We had 5 dedicated swimmers attend the Allsop Antrim Open gala in Larne on 4th/5th May. It was a superb, fast moving event with a chance to compete in a full range of events not available at most galas and learn from the very best local swimmers.

All our swimmers produced significant achievements:
Andrew Lipscomb got his first qualifying time, in the 100 BC. 
Hannah got another div 2 time – this time in 100m BC.
Orlaith shook off the rust from recent gaps In training and swam PBs in 100m BF and 200m BS. 
Annie took on the big guns in the 50m heats finishing one second outside a place in the 50 free skins final.
Highlight of the weekend was Jack Finn’s superb 200m BC time to give him a second qualifying time, well on the way to his next level.

We look forward to the next development gala and the Mary Peters Open at the start of June to push for more qualifying, Div 1 and Div 2 times.

Dates of some upcoming events:

Annual Gala – Saturday 15 June 2019
Heats for the Annual Gala – 16th and 23rd May 2019
800 metres Event – Thursday 2 May 2019

Easter Holidays – 20th to 27th April inclusive

Another great weekend at the Spring Qualifying Meet in Bangor last weekend. Annie Kilpatrick received a Div 2 time in the 200m Backstroke and a bronze medal and PBs in 100m Backstroke, 100m Free and 50m backstroke. Charlie Morris received a Div 2 time in the 200m Breaststroke, 50 metres Breaststroke and 50 metres Freestyle. Adding to his Div 1 time in the 100m Breaststroke!! Hannah Lipscomb also received a Div 2 time in the 100metres Breaststroke and PBs in 100m Backstroke, 100m Butterfly and 100m Freestyle. And Tara Bergeron also did PBs in 400m Freestyle and 50m Freestyle. Well Done all!! Onwards and Upwards!!

Fantastic swimming this weekend by Mid Ulster swimmers at the Bangor Open.

Michaela Malcolm came 2nd in the 50 metres Breaststroke and received qualifying times in the 50,100 and 200m Breaststroke for Limerick. ?

Charlie Morriss came 3rd in the 200metres Breaststroke and got a Division 1 time for The Nationals in Dublin in the 100 metres Breaststroke! ?FANTASTIC!! And so early in the season!

And Annie Kilpatrick received a Division 2 time in the 100 metres Backstroke!

Brilliant results by Mid Ulster. It was the first time all our swimmers swam long course at a competition! So, well done indeed!!

Onwards and Upwards!

Great swimming by Mid Ulster last Saturday at the Development Gala. Jack Finn was 3rd in his age group and swam 4 seconds faster than his PB and is very close to a qualifying time! Well Done Jack!! Also, Andrew Lipscomb swam brilliantly. He did 3 PBs in the 100m Backstroke, 100m Breaststroke and 200M IM. He came 2nd in the Backstroke and 3rd in both the Breaststroke and IM. One to watch in the future. Michaela Malcolm continues to perform brilliantly in the Breaststroke, taking almost one second of her PB and was FIRST in her age group. Well Done everyone!!!

Also at the Newry Gala the previous weekend – Hannah Lipscomb was 2nd in the 200IM with a PB. Michaela Malcolm also swam a fantastic 100 Breaststroke to finish first in her age group. Andrew Lipscomb took 8 seconds of his PB and Charlie Morriss got a Qualifying Time in the 100m Freestyle. Brilliant swimming by MUASC swimmers!!!