Very few events on the swim calendar engender the same team morale as the Surrey County Championships. This year, the Spencer team was out in numbers, reinforced by some new and returning faces who were dusting off their competitive instincts as they returned to the blocks to support the club. It was absolutely brilliant to have them on the team, and the fact that some walked away with medals meant a vast amount to the team, and hopefully to them, too.
While there were some impressive performances in the pool, this was also the first competitive outing of the new Spencer kit, and the team’s poolside outfits were looking sharp, giving the team an even stronger sense of togetherness.
Those familiar with this meet will know that as club swimmers swim as many events as they can, in pursuit of individual points and a collective team total. This year, Spencer came in third with 908 points behind the winners Woking Swimming Club and Croydon Amphibians. A valiant effort against squads larger in number on the day.
There were too many excellent performances to mention each and every result, PB or medal. Some of the standouts were as follows:
Leo Murison’s return to competing saw him deliver a 200m freestyle in a time of 2:00.96, which was outstanding.
Barbara Halls had a great day in the pool, and the shock and elation on her face when she swam 100m breaststroke in a time of 1:21.92 was a priceless reward for a team that was putting it all out there in support of the club.
Alexandra and Holly deserve a mention for their excellent debutant roles in supporting the club’s relay performances.
Christine had some notable performances and really participated in a lot of events to get the team points. As did Jackie, who was amassing points with her great swims.
Alan Parkins seemed to be in the pool more than he was poolside and made a massive contribution to the team total by accumulating a total of 112 points on his own. A truly commendable effort that won the Victor Ludorum award in his age category, 65-74. This achievement was mirrored on the women’s side by Sue Lauder, who won the same award for the 75-84 years age group.
Some tremendous relay results were bringing in a clutch of medals of all colours, and the energy was superb. Thanks to John, Amanda and Claudio for rocking up to do a couple of relays and support the team.
Overall, it was a fantastic day and the team fully committed themselves to the event. Luca deserves a mention for encouraging people to sign up and take part, and then proving some excellent captaincy on the day to ensure we had good relay teams that played to people’s strengths…rearranging to accommodate last-minute injuries and withdrawals.
The team really pulled together, and the next day we kicked back in the park on a hot summer’s day for a picnic, a few well-earned refreshments, and some fun and games!
Bronze in 2025 was an excellent outcome for the Spencer team at this event, and we’re absolutely expecting to give this event even more focus next year and hopefully push ourselves up the medal table. The challenge has been set.