RECORDS continue to tumble as the Mount Isa Heat swimming squad enter the early stages of their season.
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After only three weeks back in the water, head coach Brian Rodriguez initiated the “Friday Fast Finishes” program.
Isa swimmers have limited competition opportunities compared with coastal clubs such as Brisbane and Townsville, so every Friday night they race to achieve as many junior excellence, state age, state sprint and national age qualifying times.
“This early in the season it is all about hard work, and improving efficiency,” Rodriguez said.
Last week, 20 out of 23 swimmers swam personal bests.
On top of that, 14-year-old Louis Hutchinson swam a national age time for the 50 metre freestyle (26.2 seconds), the first by a Mount Isa swimmer in 10 years.
Louis now qualifies for April’s Georgina Hope Swimmers Foundation Australian Age and MC Age Swimming Championships in Sydney.
Louis also swam two state qualifying times, and 13-year-old Jamie Grainger did the same in the 50m freestyle and backstroke, with Sydneh Corrigan and Ethan Cernoia also qualifying in the 50m freestyle.
Of the 28 junior swimmers on Friday, 22 of them swam personal bests in the 50 metre freestyle.
Apryl Ford, 16, swam the 50m freestyle in 27.6 seconds, qualifying her for April’s Georgina Hope Swimmers Foundation Australian Age and MC Age Swimming Championships.
Apryl also achieved a state qualifying time in the 50m freestyle.
It is not just the older swimmers hitting new PBs, with the younger swimmers also beginning to move up the ranks.
The Swimming Australia Junior Excellence program is a pathway of qualifying times aimed at getting swimmers to reach the state championships for swimmers aged 9 to 13.
In two weeks alone, swimmers such as Mitchell Corrigan, Baylie Katoa, Jemma Chatham and Grace Ngaronoa are achieving close to tier 1 times (equivalent to their state age qualifying times), with others achieving tier 2, 3 and 4 times.