Time Trials June 2019

Titans Take Top Club

Competing in the iconic London venue, our Titans took the Top Club spot and nearly 100 medals.

‘That’s Titan’.

Mark Hale

Mark Wells

Billy Pettit (2019) Hector Pardoe (2019)

Titans ready ahead of their major championships

Commenting on the squad’s overall preparations Alan Bircher says,

"We have such a large number of swimmers racing over the summer at National Championships, European Junior Championships, European Junior Open Water Championships and World Championships that we needed a competition to refine everything we've been working on over the last forty weeks.”

Assessing the performance of the individual swimmers, Alan went on to say, “Every swimmer who raced looked ahead of the curve and in a great place heading into the summer meets. Some of our younger Titans also look to be progressing really well."

Adam Metcalf (2019) Titans in Action (2019)

Top Club ‘By the Numbers’

Two days of intense competition against some major city programs, as well as one of the other major school programs, saw:

• 36 Qualifiers, taking … • … 1st place to win Top Club, scoring … • 1246.50 points earned, which was … • … 250 points clear of second place • 97 medals won by … • … 25 medallists • 6 swimmers, breaking … • … 13 Titans Squad records • 3 swimmers with a … • … 100% medal to event return

Overall the squad looked very competitive despite the hard training. Charlie Hutchinson NMD looking relaxed and in good shape (2019) The focus of the NMD swimmers was elsewhere this weekend, with many of them selected

to represent Team GB in one meet or another. For Ellie Southward and Anna Smail, it

was also their last competitive weekend as a Titan before they either head off

to university or well-earned time away from swimming.

Despite this, Hector Pardoe, who only has one swimming mindset,

which is to win, delivered a couple of valuable gold medals to

the team’s battle to top the medal table with Sheffield.

Further golds were added by Pia Murray, Jono Adam

and Shannon Dalligan in a race that went right to the wire with the City of Sheffield squad.

Congratulations to Maia Hall, who

set a new 16 YO 200BR record with a

time of 2:33.98.

Profile of a Titan – Ellie Southward

Name Ellie Southward Original Club Copeland ASC Joined Titans 2011 Squad NMD Destination Missouri State University Bears Best Strokes Backstroke and Individual Medley Representation at the 2015 Energy Standard Cup (Italy) Team GB at the 2015 EYOF (Georgia) England at the Marseille 2017 Team GB at the European Juniors 2017 Three Shropshire County Caps; Team Captain 2018 Current Club 17 Long Course Age Group Records Records 12 Short Course Age Group Records Career English Studies Direction Fave TV Show Orange is the New Black

Coach’s Ellie’s a great role model for our younger Comment swimmers and has coped brilliantly with all of the highs and the lows of our sport.

She now leaves us full of enthusiasm for the next chapter in her swimming career and should be so proud of what she's already achieved.

She has given us some amazing memories along the way and it only seems like yesterday when she qualified for the European Youth Olympics!

Ellie Southward (2019) Profile of a Titan – Anna Smail

Name Anna Smail Original Club Teddington SC Joined Titans 2015 Squad NMD Destination Retired Best Strokes Freestyle and Individual Medley Representation Teddington Club Captain England at the 2015 Energy Standard Cup (Italy) England at the Marseille Golden Tour 2017 Shropshire County 2018 Current Club Records 2 Long Course Age Group Records (15 at her original club) 2 Short Course Age Group Records (14 at her original club) Career Direction Graphic Design / Astronomy Other Interests Triathlon / Running Coach’s Comment I’ll always remember the smile on Anna’s face when she won her national title swimming under Marc’s guidance. It was fantastic to see.

Although Anna’s decided to stop with her journey in swimming for now, everyone within the Titans family wishes her well as she pursues a career in graphic design or astronomy.

Still reaching for stars!

Anna Smail (2019) Hettie D’Ammassa (2019)

Age Performance Girls – Hettie looks ready

The 14 YO girls were in dominant form this weekend, taking 11 gold medals between them. Hettie D’Ammassa is clearly ready for the British Summer Championships and looked in imperious form, summed up in a stunning 400IM (5:06.13). It looks like being a golden summer for her. Evie Floate continues to show her determination and to push herself in readiness for the Nationals. Always excellent in breaststroke, Evie is really pushing herself in IM and Freestyle. Katie Hale had a quiet weekend, but still managed to medal in every event that she competed in and a quick 400FR to open her account on the Saturday will boost her confidence ahead of the Home Nations.

Emily Farr (15) is settling into the squad really well and earned a full set of medals over the weekend. In doing so, Emily put in a couple of outstanding breaststroke performances to set two new Titans Squad (14) records; 50 BR (33.85) and 100 BR (1:16.02). Having qualified for her first Nationals, Lola Oke continues her fine form in Butterfly to take silver in the 100FL. Having ‘broken through’ we could see some fireworks from her in Sheffield.

Bryony Lowe also put her name onto the medal table by taking bronze in the 800FR in preparation for seeking a place in this summer’s Open Water nationals.

Age Performance Boys – George looks impatient

2018/19 is surely George Smith’s year. Looking very strong and also forward to joining NMD full time next season, he took either first or second place in every event that he completed. Only a DQ in the 100BR stopped him making a clean sweep of golds in the breaststroke and his pair of IM golds show his all- round quality. Having qualified for an amazing 8 British Summer Championship events, George will be hard to beat in a few weeks’ time.

Alex Rosser-Barnett medalled in 80% of the events that he contested and struck gold in the 200BR to contribute 44 points to the team effort. With 5 National events coming up, he’ll be hoping to carry this form forward to and Sheffield.

Isaac Hall always puts in a spirited performance and this meet was no different. Along with Oliver Covill and Harrison Marc Foster (2019) Aspinall, they all medalled and collectively earned 73 vital points for the team’s push for Top Club.

George Smith (2019) National Sprint Squad

Only three members of the squad were competing over the weekend and it was Stephen Taylor that stood out.

Stephen medaled in all of the Breaststroke events with his Gold coming in the 50m event in a new PB (29.87).

Ayotobi Laguda and Huw Hillson were also in action and Ayotobi’s 100m Butterfly was his best performance at the Aquatics center.

Stephen Taylor (2019) Age Development’s Millie Wells scores 100 Points!

With only five members of the team travelling to London you could have been forgiven for thinking that

we had left the whole squad at home. However as always when called upon this select group of swimmers never let the Titans down. Contributing 373 points between them over the weekend certainly helped us achieve the Top Club award in the Capital. This group of swimmers have excelled all season and London was to prove to be no exception, all swimmers scored over

50 Points, all swimmers won at least one Gold medal and they smashed 10 Titans Records between them.

The two boys were both in scintillating form, Jake Hutchinson’s pool season has now come to an end but not before he set an incredible five new Titan’s records, 50 Free (27.10), 100 Free (58.91), 50 Fly (28.49), 50 Back (31.59) and the 100 back (1.08.80). Jake took gold in the freestyle and fly events whilst picking up silvers in all of the backstrokes, a weekend. James Raw was again dominant in the longer freestyle events taking the gold’s in the 200, 400, 800 and 1500m events and also secured a Titans record in the process with his 800m freestyle performance (9.46.74).

Brooke Illingworth and Eleanor Broughton are both getting ready for summer nationals and both look in a good place. Brooke’s 50m Fly was a new PB and shows that she is in good form in this event before she heads to Sheffield next month. Eleanor Broughton who will also be heading to Sheffield in the longer distance freestyle also showed she was in good form with gold’s in both the 800 and 1500m (18.53.44) events setting a Titans record in the latter.

However, with very little pressure on her shoulders it was our youngest member of the squad that took the headlines. Millie Wells was our top scorer at the event (100 points) and set three new Titans records over the weekend whilst also medaling in every event.

Millie’s records came in the 400IM (5.29.89), 50 Back (34.30) and the 50m Fly (31.64). Millie also added a Titans record to her collection at last month in the 200m fly (2.33.60).

Millie Wells (2019)