Twelve Enniskillen Lakelanders made their way to Lisburn for the fourth Development Gala of the 2017/2018 season.
Tom Buchanan was the first Lakelander to take to the water and he got the club off to a great start, achieving a new PB in the 100m IM. 
The 9 year old swimmer continued the day as he started, with PB’s all round. He took almost eight seconds off in the 50metre fly; placing him sixth overall in his age group. 
Tom finished the day shaving a massive 13 seconds off his 100m freestyle and left feeling very pleased with his trip in Lisburn.
Luke Aiken represented the club in style with PB’s in all four swims. 
His first event was the 200IM where he achieved a fantastic PB; a whopping 38 seconds faster than his previous best time. Luke also swam 100m freestyle, 100m backstroke and 50m fly, placing in the top 10 in three of his finals; collecting a bronze medal in the 50m Fly. Proof that all his dedicated training is paying off.
11 year old Rory Keogh was delighted to achieve an excellent 30 second PB in the 200IM. In the backstroke, he shaved five seconds off his time to achieve another PB.
Rory went on to have a really successful afternoon in the pool. 
Wiping a huge 15 seconds off his time, he got a PB in the 100M breaststroke. Just like both morning races, he again came second in his heat. And he finished off the afternoon with another PB in the 100M freestyle, taking two seconds off his previous time.
Brother to Tom, 11 year old Frank Buchanan had a marvellous gala. 
Frank has worked extremely hard all season, and his dedication paid off with PB’s in all four swims. He placed eighth in both the 100m back and 100m freestyle shaving 10 seconds and 6.45 seconds off respectively. 
Frank narrowly missed achieving qualifying times in his backstroke and breaststroke and can look forward to obtaining these in the not too distant future.
Lauren Keaney and Molly Johnson worked hard today to get PB’s in all of their swims.
Lauren achieved personal bests in all four strokes. She swam fantastically in a very competitive age category.
Molly Johnston achieved a personal best in her 200IM, 50m butterfly, 100m freestyle and made amazing progress in her 100m breaststroke coming in 10th place. 
Molly also swam fantastically which she can attribute to her new morning training regime.
Eimear Magee had a terrific gala. She swam first in the gruelling 200IM and a marvellous swim from Eimear saw her reach her target of a qualifying time as she finished fifth, with a time of 2.58. 
Eimear’s favourite 50m butterfly, saw her produce a silver medal and a PB. Eimear’s last event was the 100m backstroke, where she did not disappoint achieving her final qualifying time, with a third place finish and a bronze medal. 
As we approach the last few weeks of the season Eimear can certainly be satisfied with what she has achieved this year, which is due reward for her hard work and commitment.
Abigail Boyd competed in four races in Lisburn. 
In a large field of competitors Abigail can feel proud of her performances in all races, gaining valuable experience. 
She knocked a fantastic 21 seconds off her backstroke, which placed her 11th place overall.
12 year old Cora Cassidy started with the 200m IM, knocking 13.5 seconds of her previous PB, and edging ever closer to the qualification standard. 
Cora then swam the 50m fly and gained another PB. In her 200m breaststroke, Cora was seeded to come in 13th, but got another fantastic time coming in 11th place. 
On the block for her last race of the day, the 100m free, Cora was delighted with her performance; seeded 21st, she stormed to finish eighth overall with a fantastic time of 1.22.
James Mongan began his races with the 75m free kick, placing second in the 10-12 age group, taking almost six seconds off his PB. 
He followed that with a new PB in the 100m Breaststroke aged 10 and over. 
His final race for the afternoon was the 100m freestyle aged 10 and over in which he took 6.47 seconds off his PB.
Ciosa McConnell swam in two events on the day.
 In her first event, the 100m breaststroke, she produced a fantastic swim of 1.33. This secured her a silver medal in the 13 and over category and an Irish Age Group Division 2 time, which means she has qualified to swim in the Irish championships in Limerick in July. 
In her second event, the 100m freestyle, she sliced five seconds of her previous best, finishing with a time of 1.18.
Hayden James swam in 75m free kick, 100 metre breaststroke and 100m Freestyle. 
He got a new PB for 100m freestyle by dropping 13.63 off his previous PB.
The swimmers competed under the watchful eyes of Coaches Rob Enyon and Fionna Martin, whose invaluable advice at the gala and ongoing commitment to the club were evidenced in the fantastic performances on the day.