This entry was posted on Monday, July 28th, 2014at 3:13 pm by zoe.leahy@activenation.org.uk

Diving Stars Of The Future Make A Splash

A member of the GB Junior Team inspired more than 100 pupils as they took to the boards at Active Nation’s Quays Swimming and Diving Complex to battle it out in the eleventh annual Southampton Schools’ Diving Competition.

The competition was opened by Sarah White, a member of the GB junior team for the last 3 years, treating the crowd to a demonstration dive from 10m. She then stayed on to coach and judge for the morning’s events.

At lunchtime spectators and competitors were treated to a dazzling display by divers from all levels of Southampton Diving Academy choreographed by Mollie James, another of the Elite divers and accompanied with a running commentary from Olympic coach, Lindsey Fraser.

For many of the entrants this was their first competition experience and some have only been diving for a few weeks. Stage 1 divers opened with two rounds of jumps from the bath side and concluding with one skill from the 1m springboard, the most complex dive executed being a back dive tucked.

Stage 2 divers went on for a further two rounds, the first on the 1m springboard and the final round on 3m springboard. Many of the divers entering Stage 2 of the competition were members of the “TID-13” programme: divers who entered the sport after talent identification during the summer of 2013. There were events for both boys and girls from school years 1 – 8.

For the third time the competition included divers from “Divability”, the diving programme for young people with disabilities, who  dived in their own special event.

Gold medalists were: Katherine Baker (12), Kate Baxter (10), Jasmine Brooks (10), Alfie Dudson (11), Matthew Harrison (10), Lucie Hill (12), Dylan Hills (13), Maya Kutty (9), Robbie Lee (9), Joshua Lucas-Fitzgerald (9), Alex Marcus (10), Connie Mason (9), James Nicholson (7), Ben Prewer (7), Callum Seaton (7), Abigail Tompkins (7).

The Primary School team trophy was taken by Shirley Junior, who also boasted the highest number of members in the talent programme this year.

The highlights of the competition included scores of 9 and 9.5 awarded to Robbie Lee, Olive Ullyatt, Oliver Cazaly and Holly Hopgood for their forward line up from the 3m springboard.

On the poolside station the most outstanding skills were shown by Maya Kutty, who scored a total of 37.8 points on her forward jump with tuck and 35 points on her back jump with tuck, the highest marks of any diver in the meet for these two rounds of competition.

Diving Development Officer for Active Nation and Olympic Coach, Lindsey Fraser was delighted with the standard of the competition and the number of competitors.  She said: “The children’s performances were of a high standard overall.

“I was particularly struck by their composure and focus.  These results have been achieved with hard work and commitment, which is clearly paying off.”

Results:

Divability:

Boys Y3&4: Joshua Lucas-Fitzgerald, Heathfield, gold

Boys Y5&6: Alex Marcus, Potterspury Lodge, gold

Stage 1:

Girls Y1&2: Abigail Tompkins, Bitterne CE Infant, gold; Millie Groth, Crofton Hammond Infant, silver; Imogen Friel, Sholing Infant, silver; Anjali Kutty, Shirley Infant, 4^th; Daisy Cutler-Brown, Oakfield Primary, 5^th; Emily Jacobs, Gomer, 6^th

Boys Y1&2: Callum Seaton, Ludlow Infant, gold; Oliver Wignall, St Mark’s Primary, silver; Jay Brighton, Oakley Infant, bronze; Bailey Radcliffe, Moorlands Primary, 4^th; Oscar Clarke, Leesland Infant, 5^th; Ethan Collins, Manor Infant, 6^th; Harry Maynard, Crofton Hammond Infant, 7^th; Ethan Spiers, Steep Primary, 8^th; Billy Thomas, Marchwood CE Infant, 9^th

Girls Y3&4: Connie Mason, Lymington Junior, gold; Hattie Platt, The Crescent Primary, silver; Sydney Burke, Sholing Junior, bronze; Rachel Cleal, The Crescent Primary, 4^th; Abby Crew, Park Gate Primary, 5^th; Chloe Mansfield, Lockerley Primary, 6^th; Sophie Bradley, Orchard Junior, 7^th; Jessica Nicholson, Crofton Hammond Junior, 8^th; Charlotte Fry, Kings Copse, 9^th; Lyla Rose Coe, Netley Abbey Junior, 10^th; Francesca Wyse, Netley Abbey Junior, 11^th; Freya Knox-Jonston, Locks Heath Junior, 12^th

Boys Y3&4: Ben Prewer, Hamble Primary, gold; Liam Richards, Corpus Christi Primary, silver; Finley Blackburn, Stoke Park Junior, bronze; Harris Oldroyd, Netley Abbey Junior, 4^th; Max Blake, Park Gate Primary, 5^th; Cayden Guyett-Smith, Crofton Hammond Junior, 6^th; Peter Stewart, Halterworth Primary, 7^th; Oliver Groth, Crofton Hammond Junior, 8^th; George Robbins-Natalias, St Patricks RC Primary, 9^th

Girls Y5&6: Jasmine Brooks, Shirley Junior, gold; Natalya Smith, Orchard Junior, silver; Emma Burnage, Rownhams St Johns Primary, bronze; Zoe Harris, Bitterne Manor Primary, 4^th; Millie Nijjer, Beechwood Junior, 5^th; Diana Zaletova, Shirley Warren Primary, 6^th

Boys Y5&6: Matthew Harrison, Orchard Junior, gold; Callum Buckler, Foxhills Junior, silver; Michael Taylor, Harefield Primary, bronze; Tommy Younger, Hythe Primary, 4^th; Nyle Crocker, Orchard Junior, 5^th; Luca Foyster, Prince’s Mead, 6^th; Joseph Clark, Sholing Junior, 7^th

Girls Y7&8: Katherine Baker, Sholing Tech College, gold

Stage 2:

Boys Y1&2: James Nicholson, Crofton Anne Dale Infant, gold

Girls Y3&4: Maya Kutty, Shirley Junior, gold; Olive Ullyatt, Downton CE Primary, silver; Millie Newman, Leaden Hall, bronze; Poppy Chandler, Oakwood Prep, 4^th; Simone Habben, Wellow Primary, 5^th; Mutyat Anibaba, Shirley Junior, 6^th; Sara Elgammal, Otterbourne CE Primary, 7^th; Daisy Yeats, Harefield Primary, 8^th; Amelia Connelly, Bitterne Manor Primary, 9^th; Erin Friel, Sholing Junior, 10^th; Meadow Way, Crofton Hammond Junior, 11^th

Boys Y3&4: Robbie Lee, The Kings, gold; Leon Baker, Shirley Junior, silver; Samuel Stevens, Shakespeare Junior, bronze; Bryn James, Langrish Primary, 4^th; Kai Lanham, Hiltingbury Junior, 5^th; Oliver Covell, Wykeham House, 6^th; Jamie Akerman, Hook with Warsash CE, 7^th; Henry Meadows, St Nicholas Child Okeford, 8^th; Isaac Brown, Berrywood Primary, 9^th; Freddie Bushnell, Bitterne Park Primary, 10^th; Owen James South, Knightwood Primary, 11^th; Thomas Gilson, Wellow Primary, 12^th; Ryan Spiteri, Lee-on-the-Solent Junior, 13^th; Kai McDonald, St Mark’s Primary, 14^th

Girls Y5&6: Kate Baxter, Awbridge Primary, gold; Olivia Perera, Durlston Court, silver; Holly Hopgood, Foxhills Junior, bronze; Ciara Sturrock, Fairisle Junior, 4^th; Jessica Tompkins, Bitterne CE Junior, 5^th; Mia Santana-Martin, Foxhills Junior, 6^th; Chloe Bradley, Orchard Junior, 7^th; Megan Lees, Portswood Primary, 8^th

Boys Y5&6: Alfie Dudson, Stroud, gold; Oliver Cazaly, Shirley Junior, silver; Oakley Clarke, Leesland Junior, bronze; Thomas Macfadyen, Ludlow Junior, 4^th; Joshua Boneham, Shamblehurst Primary, 5^th; Angus Macready, Winterslow CE Primary, 6^th; William Newman, Sholing Junior, 7^th; Sam McKenzie, Orchard Junior, 8^th; Isaac Beard, Weeke Primary, 9^th; Adam Alexander, Abbotswood Junior, 10^th; Benjamin Barber, Shirley Junior, 11^th

Girls Y7&8: Lucie Hill, Swanmore College, gold; Libby Hoare, King Edward VI, silver

Boys Y7&8: Dylan Hills, Bitterne Park Secondary, gold; Justin Slater, Trafalgar, silver