It was a brilliant weekend of racing from the New Hall Swim Academy at the ISA National Final in the London Aquatics Centre and the Swim England National Winter Championships in Sheffield. At the ISA National Final, fourteen New Hall Academy swimmers in Years 6-10 represented the East Region. The swimmers performed superbly to achieve 26 medals in total – 8 gold, 14 silver and 4 bronze.

Record-breaking performances came from Archie Tebbutt (new Year 7 record in 50m Backstroke and 50m Freestyle) and Michelle Shadipe (new Year 8 record in 50m Butterfly). Archie Tebbutt, Jacob Sugden and Austin Brook were part of the Year 7 relay team that broke both the boys’ Freestyle and Individual Medley record, while Ava Wilson and Lola Wonfor were part of the Year 9 relay team that broke the girls’ Freestyle relay record.

While our junior swimmers competed in London, our Swim Academy Captain Jack Skerry (Year 13) travelled to Sheffield to compete at the Swim England National Winter Championships. While Jack is still eligible to complete as a junior in the 18 and under categories, after he won an outstanding five events in the open age group at the East Regional Championships in Luton, Jack qualified for all open finals.

“I’m so pleased with my performance – by far my best result from a major meet. I’m really excited to get back to training with the long course season fast approaching. My next big competition will be the British Trials in April and, next time, I’m aiming for gold!” Jack said, enthusiastically. In the 50m Backstroke, Jack gained a bronze medal in the open final and a silver in the juniors. In the 100m Backstroke and 200m Backstroke, Jack came 4th and 5th in the open final and gained bronze medals in the juniors. Combined, these are the best results Jack has achieved so far in his swimming career, exceeding his expectations for the week.

Mrs Jennifer Rice, New Hall’s Head of Swimming and former international swimmer, commented, “I’m so pleased with the results from the ISA Final and the Swim England National Championships, with more medals gained than last year and multiple records broken. I’m very proud of everyone’s hard work leading up to the Finals and their fantastic performance. Jack has taken a huge step up this year and put himself on a senior stage nationally, gaining his first senior medal. He is truly an exceptional role model for his junior swimming teammates”.

Since her arrival to the team in January 2021, Mrs Rice has secured academy affiliation for the Swim Academy, meaning that swimmers can train at New Hall and compete parallel with their academic pursuits and education. The most committed swimmers train six times a week in the onsite Pool and Fitness Suite, with additional training during school holidays, such as the week-long swim camp New Hall swimmers attended in Tenerife, Spain, during October half-term this year.