A number of swimmers from City of Sheffield made the long journey up to Middlesbrough over the weekend Thursday 30th May to Sunday 2nd June, for a Senior Development/Age-Group national swim camp.

They were excellently supervised by Assistant Club Coach, Steve Cox and chapperones Sue Rutledge and Shirley Ravenhill (pictured above with our swimmers).

Shirley Ravenhill describes the trip in detail below...

"The children, some of whom had never been on a swim camp before, were all excited and had far more luggage than was necessary as they set off for Middlesbrough. I think Steve will have to pack for all of us next time as he sure knows how to travel light.

The question "are we nearly there yet?" occurred on sight of the transporter bridge that should have been in Arizona by now according to some of the swimmers.

Having Steve Cox as our coach was a great asset as his local knowledge of the area ensured we fitted in as much as possible when we had free time. This also made the children work harder knowing that the fun part would follow.

On our first day we went bowling and Steve gave us all a run for our money but revenge was sweet when we played rounders on the beach. After a short burst of shopping therapy for the girls it was back to the hotel for a well earned rest before the gala started. We got off to a good start with PB's for all the swimmers. It was hard to believe we only had a few swimmers when you heard the cheers and encouragement from the swimmers on the side and the end of the lanes. The team spirit continued through the weekend and I'm sure went a long way towards the end results produced.

Before we left the hotel the staff told me that the children had left the rooms very tidy. They had also been very well behaved and polite over the weekend. The staff said they looked forward to welcoming them back again in the future. For this I am sure that the children's parents would like to thank Steve. Even though he insisted on good time time keeping and committment at all times, he also ensured the free time was fun & enjoyable. I know the swimmers are certainly looking forward to their next swim camp away.."

Positions for each swimmer over the weekend ( NQT = National Age-Group Qualifying time)