Muscat – The BSM Marlins recently welcomed swimmers to their end of season meet which focused on 200, 400 and 800 metre events. “The enthusiasm for the meet emphasized how Muscat’s competitive swimming community has developed over the past 12 months,” smiles David Rogers, Marlins Coach. “Swimmers from the Marlins and Oman Swim now compete with squads from across the capital on a regular basis. Today, we welcomed over 20 swimmers from the Oman National Team, including Khalid Al Khulaibi who has swum at both the Olympics and Asian Games along with swimmers from the Indian School Ghubra, the French School and Muscat International School. It’s great to see swimmers of all ages and abilities come together and compete against the best Oman has to offer. You see great team spirit and sportsmanship at events like this.”
Meets such as this one are, according to Rogers, vital for motivation: “In any sport, not just swimming, athletes need short-terms goals to work towards. This helps them assess their progress, set new targets and push their personal boundaries to make qualifying times for major events and there are several in the pipeline for our squad in the new season including the new UAE Swim League in which ten Marlin swimmers will compete.”
“Of course,” adds Rogers. “Meets like this wouldn’t be possible without the tremendous support we receive from the local business community. Today’s event was backed by the Park Inn, one of our strongest partners and Carrefour who have recently given us their backing.”
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
Stellar Performance from Marlins
Muscat – “The BSM Marlins Squad put in a stellar performance at the 3rd ECSSC Swim Meet in Doha,” laughs Coach David Rogers. “And that’s more than appropriate, as we were sponsored by Qatar Airways, the five star airline.”
The squad of 17, which was also backed by media company Orange Art, came away from the meet with a haul of ribbons, medals and trophies. “The results are excellent, especially given the top class quality of the field,” says Rogers. “In total we won 13 gold medals, 11 silver and 10 bronze. On top of that, five of our swimmers were awarded trophies for being placed in the top three overall in their age groups and that’s really something.”
The trophy winners were: Olena Kozak-King who came third overall in her group; Chloe Barrow and Brodie Smith who came second in their respective groups; and in the boys’ 13-14 age group Mohammed Khalil and Theodore Pender took first and second place.
“I won six golds and two silvers from my eight swims,” says a clearly delighted Mohammed Khalil. “These medals mean a lot to me because I trained very hard and competed in a tough field. That makes them very special.”
His team-mate Theodore Pender added: “The best thing about meets like this is that they really challenge you and that helps you develop as a swimmer. I learned a lot and that’s helping me focus my training for the next quarter.”
Seven year old Brodie Smith was competing at his first international meet and was not at all phased by the level of competition despite the fact that he had recently had a cast removed from his arm: “I just dived in when I heard the whistle and swam as hard as I could. I was determined to do well.”
But performance is not just measured in terms of medals and trophies says Coach Rogers: “The performance of our swimmers was stunning – 82% of all swims were personal bests and some of these improvements were dramatic. The competition certainly inspired everyone and this bodes very well for the future. What we’re looking at now is not so much who won what but what their times were and what we can do to improve on that. That’s the key to our continued success.”
The squad of 17, which was also backed by media company Orange Art, came away from the meet with a haul of ribbons, medals and trophies. “The results are excellent, especially given the top class quality of the field,” says Rogers. “In total we won 13 gold medals, 11 silver and 10 bronze. On top of that, five of our swimmers were awarded trophies for being placed in the top three overall in their age groups and that’s really something.”
The trophy winners were: Olena Kozak-King who came third overall in her group; Chloe Barrow and Brodie Smith who came second in their respective groups; and in the boys’ 13-14 age group Mohammed Khalil and Theodore Pender took first and second place.
“I won six golds and two silvers from my eight swims,” says a clearly delighted Mohammed Khalil. “These medals mean a lot to me because I trained very hard and competed in a tough field. That makes them very special.”
His team-mate Theodore Pender added: “The best thing about meets like this is that they really challenge you and that helps you develop as a swimmer. I learned a lot and that’s helping me focus my training for the next quarter.”
Seven year old Brodie Smith was competing at his first international meet and was not at all phased by the level of competition despite the fact that he had recently had a cast removed from his arm: “I just dived in when I heard the whistle and swam as hard as I could. I was determined to do well.”
But performance is not just measured in terms of medals and trophies says Coach Rogers: “The performance of our swimmers was stunning – 82% of all swims were personal bests and some of these improvements were dramatic. The competition certainly inspired everyone and this bodes very well for the future. What we’re looking at now is not so much who won what but what their times were and what we can do to improve on that. That’s the key to our continued success.”
Pool Rules! First BSME Swimming Championships a Great Success
Muscat – “The First British Schools of the Middle East (BSME) Championships was a tremendous success and a great day for swimming in Oman,” declares the proud organizer, David Rogers, Director of Swimming, British School Muscat (BSM). “We had over 150 swimmers take part, with representatives from every GCC country. There was a fantastic atmosphere throughout the competition and the participants truly excelled themselves with some top class swimming.”
The meet took place at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex: “It’s a real honour to be selected to host an event of the caliber of the BSME Swimming Championships and fortunately we had a venue to do it justice with the 50 metre pool at Bausher; it’s of Olympic standard and was great opportunity for the swimmers,” says Rogers. “It both challenged and motivated them, producing some top class results. I’d also like to thank the Oman Swimming Association for everything they did - their time-keepers in particular did a great job on the day. Also thanks to the BSM staff who helped and the Marlins members who worked behind the scenes sorting out the results and medals.”
It’s important to understand the quality of swimmer that the BSME Championships attracted explains Rogers: “Meets of this kind are the starting point for many household names of the future and the competition they offer is vital in helping swimmers raise their standards and develop their potential. They shouldn’t be underestimated and I’m pleased to say that the local business community appreciates their value and gave us a fantastic level of support – we were backed by: the British Business Forum, the Park Inn, DHL, Pocari Sweat, Al Turki Transport and Global Scuba.”
The results table shows that the BSM Marlins Swim Team achieved an excellent level of success at the Championships winning 25 gold medals, 14 silvers and 16 bronzes. On top of that, 47 school records were broken and 80% of the swims by members of BSM Marlins were personal best times. All of the gold medal winners are now BSME record holders.
“The BSM Marlins have a terrific haul of medals and records; that is, of course, outstanding and I’d like to congratulate all the medal winners and the Marlins who are now BSME record holders. However, I do think it’s important to recognize the achievements of each and every competitor, not just the medal winners – for many of the younger ones it was their first time competing in a 50 metre pool and in an international event – quite a daunting thing in itself. So special congratulations should go to them. Well done.”
Medallists at the BSME Swimming Championships -
Gold: Chloe Barrow 4, Olena Kozak-King 4, Mohammed Khalil 4, Emily Field 3, Theodore Pender 2,
Jeremy Filed 2, Sian Cogan 1, Sarah Holmes 1, Sam Woodward 1
Relay Teams 3
Total Gold Medals - 25
Silver: Hanna Kozak-King 3, Kieran Armstrong 1,
Amy Broughton 1, Sian Cogan 1, Emily Field 1, Sarah Holmes 1, Georgia Mahoney 1, Theodore Pender 1,
Sam Woodward 1,
Relay Teams 3
Total Silver Medals - 14
Bronze: Ryan Keelor 2, Lewis Whitelaw 2, Kieran Armstrong 1, Sian Cogan 1, Hanna Kozak-King 1,
Patrick Pender 1, Theodore Pender 1, Daniel Robb 1, C J van Dyk 1,
Relay Teams 5
Total Bronze Medals - 16
Personal Best Times: 80% (138 out of 173 swims)
BSME Long Course Records: As this was the first ever BSME Swimming Championships ALL winners established the BSME Record for their age group
School Records: 47 broken
The meet took place at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex: “It’s a real honour to be selected to host an event of the caliber of the BSME Swimming Championships and fortunately we had a venue to do it justice with the 50 metre pool at Bausher; it’s of Olympic standard and was great opportunity for the swimmers,” says Rogers. “It both challenged and motivated them, producing some top class results. I’d also like to thank the Oman Swimming Association for everything they did - their time-keepers in particular did a great job on the day. Also thanks to the BSM staff who helped and the Marlins members who worked behind the scenes sorting out the results and medals.”
It’s important to understand the quality of swimmer that the BSME Championships attracted explains Rogers: “Meets of this kind are the starting point for many household names of the future and the competition they offer is vital in helping swimmers raise their standards and develop their potential. They shouldn’t be underestimated and I’m pleased to say that the local business community appreciates their value and gave us a fantastic level of support – we were backed by: the British Business Forum, the Park Inn, DHL, Pocari Sweat, Al Turki Transport and Global Scuba.”
The results table shows that the BSM Marlins Swim Team achieved an excellent level of success at the Championships winning 25 gold medals, 14 silvers and 16 bronzes. On top of that, 47 school records were broken and 80% of the swims by members of BSM Marlins were personal best times. All of the gold medal winners are now BSME record holders.
“The BSM Marlins have a terrific haul of medals and records; that is, of course, outstanding and I’d like to congratulate all the medal winners and the Marlins who are now BSME record holders. However, I do think it’s important to recognize the achievements of each and every competitor, not just the medal winners – for many of the younger ones it was their first time competing in a 50 metre pool and in an international event – quite a daunting thing in itself. So special congratulations should go to them. Well done.”
Medallists at the BSME Swimming Championships -
Gold: Chloe Barrow 4, Olena Kozak-King 4, Mohammed Khalil 4, Emily Field 3, Theodore Pender 2,
Jeremy Filed 2, Sian Cogan 1, Sarah Holmes 1, Sam Woodward 1
Relay Teams 3
Total Gold Medals - 25
Silver: Hanna Kozak-King 3, Kieran Armstrong 1,
Amy Broughton 1, Sian Cogan 1, Emily Field 1, Sarah Holmes 1, Georgia Mahoney 1, Theodore Pender 1,
Sam Woodward 1,
Relay Teams 3
Total Silver Medals - 14
Bronze: Ryan Keelor 2, Lewis Whitelaw 2, Kieran Armstrong 1, Sian Cogan 1, Hanna Kozak-King 1,
Patrick Pender 1, Theodore Pender 1, Daniel Robb 1, C J van Dyk 1,
Relay Teams 5
Total Bronze Medals - 16
Personal Best Times: 80% (138 out of 173 swims)
BSME Long Course Records: As this was the first ever BSME Swimming Championships ALL winners established the BSME Record for their age group
School Records: 47 broken
Marlins in Dubai December 2008
BSM Marlins: Not Your Average Swim Team
Muscat - The Danway Long Course International Swim Meet in Dubai drew swimmers from three continents, amongst them were competitors who had swum at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, as well as European and Commonwealth champions. It was set to be an enthralling three-day event by any standard.
“There were some superb international swimmers taking part,” says David Rogers, Director of Swimming at the British School Muscat and Head Coach of the BSM Marlins. With obvious relish, Rogers adds: “It was always going to be a challenging meet but it was exactly the right kind of international exposure my squad needed at this point in the swim season. The team has been training hard since September and they’re putting in a lot of hours and metres. We were all keen to see how they would perform and see what sort of times they could post against their international counterparts. And let’s make no mistake – this was serious competition.”
Although the squad went for the experience of competing in an international meet, they delighted their coach by distinguishing themselves with a haul of personal bests, new school records and regular places in the finals. Two swimmers, Theodore Pender and Olena Kozak-King, brought home medals.
“I was over the moon to get a bronze in the 400 metres freestyle. Mr Rogers prepared us really well,” says 13 year-old Theodore Pender. He adds: “My sights are now firmly set on making the qualifying times for the 2009 British Age Group Championships.”
Still clearly delighted by her success, triple medal winner Olena Kozak-King agrees: “We were up against some very stiff competition but the whole squad was really motivated. I was particularly looking forward to the 100 metres butterfly and hoping to make the final in that but to get a silver medal was beyond anything I had hoped for. It was the last event of the meet and I already had two bronzes under my belt so it really was a dream come true.”
Olena’s sister, Hannah, is also enthusiastic about the meet: “This was something special for our squad. We were all very focused and I think that’s why we all did so well.”
Indeed, the mood of the squad after the competition was undeniably buoyant. “I swam in eight events in total,” laughs a proud Chloe Barrow, who at 10 years old is the youngest member of the BSM Marlins squad. Chloe adds: “I trained really hard and was determined to do my best. It was very exciting to compete against so many fantastic swimmers.”
“I really enjoyed my races. I can’t wait for next year because my aim is to get a medal then,” confides Mattie Knowles, who made the finals of the 10-11 age group 50 metres backstroke.
Sian Cogan comments: “I was so happy when I made the qualifying times for the meet and we all put in great performances in Dubai.” Her sister Roisin, a 100 metre backstroke finalist adds: “I think people are beginning to realize that the British School Marlins aren’t your average swim team.”
However, the biggest cheers were probably for the races of Lewis Whitelaw as he had fractured his wrist just before going to the Dubai meet: “I didn’t know if I’d be able to compete,” says Lewis, “but I was determined to swim.” And swim he did, setting a string of personal bests.
With training from 5:30am three mornings a week and four afternoons, two hours each session, the BSM Marlins have clearly been working hard. On top of the regular training sessions, they had a special week-long swim camp at the British School, not just for the swimmers who were competing in the Danway meet but also for the ones who hope to compete at next year’s meet. “We’re taking a long-term view here,” smiles Rogers. “There’s a lot of potential in the squad and I don’t just mean in terms of the domestic swimming scene. We’ve another six months of the season to run and there’s lots more we can achieve in that time. I’m confident you’ll be hearing more about these swimmers.”
The mood amongst the BSM Marlins is perhaps best summed up by Jack Staples and his brother Tom: “It just left us asking when we could compete in an event like that again! It was fantastic,” they said in unison.
Muscat - The Danway Long Course International Swim Meet in Dubai drew swimmers from three continents, amongst them were competitors who had swum at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, as well as European and Commonwealth champions. It was set to be an enthralling three-day event by any standard.
“There were some superb international swimmers taking part,” says David Rogers, Director of Swimming at the British School Muscat and Head Coach of the BSM Marlins. With obvious relish, Rogers adds: “It was always going to be a challenging meet but it was exactly the right kind of international exposure my squad needed at this point in the swim season. The team has been training hard since September and they’re putting in a lot of hours and metres. We were all keen to see how they would perform and see what sort of times they could post against their international counterparts. And let’s make no mistake – this was serious competition.”
Although the squad went for the experience of competing in an international meet, they delighted their coach by distinguishing themselves with a haul of personal bests, new school records and regular places in the finals. Two swimmers, Theodore Pender and Olena Kozak-King, brought home medals.
“I was over the moon to get a bronze in the 400 metres freestyle. Mr Rogers prepared us really well,” says 13 year-old Theodore Pender. He adds: “My sights are now firmly set on making the qualifying times for the 2009 British Age Group Championships.”
Still clearly delighted by her success, triple medal winner Olena Kozak-King agrees: “We were up against some very stiff competition but the whole squad was really motivated. I was particularly looking forward to the 100 metres butterfly and hoping to make the final in that but to get a silver medal was beyond anything I had hoped for. It was the last event of the meet and I already had two bronzes under my belt so it really was a dream come true.”
Olena’s sister, Hannah, is also enthusiastic about the meet: “This was something special for our squad. We were all very focused and I think that’s why we all did so well.”
Indeed, the mood of the squad after the competition was undeniably buoyant. “I swam in eight events in total,” laughs a proud Chloe Barrow, who at 10 years old is the youngest member of the BSM Marlins squad. Chloe adds: “I trained really hard and was determined to do my best. It was very exciting to compete against so many fantastic swimmers.”
“I really enjoyed my races. I can’t wait for next year because my aim is to get a medal then,” confides Mattie Knowles, who made the finals of the 10-11 age group 50 metres backstroke.
Sian Cogan comments: “I was so happy when I made the qualifying times for the meet and we all put in great performances in Dubai.” Her sister Roisin, a 100 metre backstroke finalist adds: “I think people are beginning to realize that the British School Marlins aren’t your average swim team.”
However, the biggest cheers were probably for the races of Lewis Whitelaw as he had fractured his wrist just before going to the Dubai meet: “I didn’t know if I’d be able to compete,” says Lewis, “but I was determined to swim.” And swim he did, setting a string of personal bests.
With training from 5:30am three mornings a week and four afternoons, two hours each session, the BSM Marlins have clearly been working hard. On top of the regular training sessions, they had a special week-long swim camp at the British School, not just for the swimmers who were competing in the Danway meet but also for the ones who hope to compete at next year’s meet. “We’re taking a long-term view here,” smiles Rogers. “There’s a lot of potential in the squad and I don’t just mean in terms of the domestic swimming scene. We’ve another six months of the season to run and there’s lots more we can achieve in that time. I’m confident you’ll be hearing more about these swimmers.”
The mood amongst the BSM Marlins is perhaps best summed up by Jack Staples and his brother Tom: “It just left us asking when we could compete in an event like that again! It was fantastic,” they said in unison.
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