Sixteen enthusiastic Lakelanders made their way to Armagh last Sunday for the Swim Ulster Development Gala.
The Boys 100m Individual Medley was the first event with Tom Buchanan, Oliver Mooney and Jamie Lannon competing. 
Tom competed in a very difficult heat but showed great strength; Oliver also swam well showing great promise and Jamie swam a great time with only one second off a qualifying time with such a technical event the boys gained great experience. Next up was Frank Buchanan, age 11, for the boys 200m IM who swam very well showing great potential and placing him ninth in the age 12 category.
The girls were on the blocks next for the 200m IM, a competitive and technically difficult event with tough judging from the Swim Ulster team. However, this did not deter the Lakelander girls Carla Jardine (seven second PB), Emilie Reihill (five second PB), Niamh Cassidy swam (five second PB), Cora Cassidy (three and a half second PB) and Ciosa McConnell gaining a four second PB. Annabel Morrison who swam this event for the first time swam a great time of three minutes 38 seconds and Eimear Magee (14) swam an amazing IM with a nine second PB.
The next event for the boys was the daunting 50m fly. Tom Buchanan gained a two second PB while Rory Keogh swam well gaining great experience. Jamie Lannon showed great determination achieving a three second PB, a qualifying time and also a silver medal.
The Girls 50m Fly was well attended by the girls with Carla Jardine swimming a time of 55.63 seconds and gaining a five second PB. Niamh Cassidy secureda time a 54.15 seconds showing great technique while Cora Cassidy stormed her way to the end with another PB placing her third in her heat. Ciosa McConnell swam well and showed great promise while Annabel Morrison came third in her heat. Eimear Magee was the star on the butterfly with a fantastic swim that gained her a bronze medal and a new PB.
The next event was the 100m backstroke. Swimming for the boys was Jamie Lannon who came home in sixth place with a great time of 1 min 44 seconds. Oliver Mooney gained a huge nine second PB and was delighted with his performance. Frank Buchanan placed in the top ten with a time of 1 minute 42 seconds. 
The girls 100m backcrawl started with Georgia Maravelakis who swam well with a 10 second PB. Emilie Reihill was having a very successful day and gained an 8 second PB pacing her second in her heat. Niamh Cassidy also swam well showing great technical ability. Annabel Morrison who was swimming 100m backcrawl for the first time was happy with her performance and looks forward to tackling this stroke again. Ciosa McConnell also proved strong in this event. Eimear Magee was delighted to finish top ten in this event.
After the lunch break, in the 75m freestyle kick, James Mongan who was attending his first development gala swam with great enthusiasm. 
Georgie Maravelakis showed great strength with a massive PB and placed her third in her heat. Austin Cassidy who was also attending for the first time showed great potential in this very difficult event.
Next up was the 100m breaststroke with a great swim from Oliver Mooney who was placed fourth overall gaining a massive PB. Tom Buchanan placed seventh with a great time of 2 mins 31 seconds. 
Austin Cassidy, James Mongan and Rory Keogh also swam well in this event. Frank Buchanan showed great strength in his breaststroke placing him ninth overall.
The girls 100m breaststroke was next with Georgie Maravelakis taking a massive seven seconds of her previous time and was delighted with her performance. 
Niamh Cassidy also gained a huge PB shaving 12 seconds of her previous time. Carla Jardine gained an eight second PB while Cora Cassidy was delighted to come home second in her heat to finish in the top ten overall. Emilie Reihill again shaved seconds of her time placing her sixth overall. 
Annabel Morrison swam a fast swim and was delighted with her performance and managed secure a silver medal.  Ciosa McConnell also showed that breaststroke is her favourite stroke storming home in 1 minute and 40 seconds. 
The last event was the 100m freestyle with Jamie Lannon swimming an amazing race as he kept a fast-steady pace to achieve an impressive time of 1 minute 27seconds to win a bronze medal. 
Oliver Mooney, Austin Cassidy, Tom Buchanan and Rory Keogh all produced impressive swims with Rory gaining a massive 18 second PB. Frank Buchanan also had a great swim coming in at 1 minute 29 seconds.
Georgie Maravelakis and Carla Jardine both swam a great freestyle - Carla once again shaving seconds off. Emilie Reihill dropped an impressive 9.69 seconds off her time placing her seventh overall. 
Cora Cassidy was also delighted with her swim, gaining yet another PB. Eimear Magee was delighted to be placed in the top ten for this event.
A great day was had by all swimmers with plenty of experience gained. Many thanks to coach Rob for his advice during the event.