County Disability Swimming Gala
Freemans Quay Leisure Centre hosted the inaugral County Durham Disability Swimming Gala yesterday organised by Durham County Council and the School Sport Partnership Inclusion Group. The event saw over 60 young people from special schools and mainstream schools come together to compete in front and back stroke races over 25m. All the young people had qualified from previous School Sport Partnership events. The swimmers were split into 2 categories depending on their disability and heats were ran in each category for girls and boys. The results were as follows:
Category B Boys Freestyle:
1st John Clerk (Easington SSP)
2nd Joel Raith (Sedgefield/Wear Walley SSP)
3rd Tom Peacock (Durham SSP)
Category B Girls Freestyle:
1st Holly Tait (Sedgefield/Wear Valley SSP)
Category C Boys Freestyle:
1st Ryan Baker (Sedgefield/Wear Valley SSP)
2nd James Tisdale (Durham SSP)
3rd Jake Robinson (Sedgefield/ Wear Valley SSP)
Category C Girls Freestyle:
1st Bethany Hind (Sedgefield/Wear Valley SSP)
2nd Rhiannon Coult (Derwentside SSP)
3rd Hayley Lamb (Easington SSP)
Category B Boys Backstroke:
1st Joel Wraith (Sedgefield/Wear Valley SSP)
2nd John Clerk (Easington SSP)
3rd Jamie Coxon (Derwentside SSP)
Category B Girls Backstroke:
1st Holly Tait (Sedgefield/Wear Valley SSP)
Category C Boys Backstroke:
1st Ryan Baker (Sedgefield/Wear Valley SSP)
2nd Cameron Fawell ( Durham SSP)
3rd Ryan Lovak (Easington SSP)
Category C Girls Backstroke:
1st Rhiannon Coult (Derwentside SSP)
2nd Bethany Hind (Sedgefield/Wear Valley SSP)
3rd Jemma Holmes ( Durham SSP)
Mixed Freestyle Team Relay:
1st Sedgefield SSP
2nd Derwentside SSP
3rd Easington SSP
For the majority of the young people taking part this would have been their first experience of a competitive swimming gala and they all performed fantastically well. Jo Barker, the Regional Development Coach for Disability Swimming, attended the event in search of potential talent and we hope a future paralympic star was amongst our competitors!
