Right time to cause a splash

SEVERAL big events are taking place in the schools swimming calendar in the coming weeks with Scottish Schools Swimming Association (SSSA) president Ann Dickson hopeful that the forthcoming Olympic and Commonwealth Games will see a boom in numbers taking part in the sport.

A number of districts are hosting events from which the winners go through to the Scottish Schools Championships in early 2012.

Before that, the renowned Nancy Riach Schools Championship takes place in Dundee this Thursday evening.

The event brings together the best school swimmers from the region with pupils from Strathallan School, Grove Academy, Forfar Academy, Websters High School, Perth Academy and Perth High School and others set to be involved.

Dickson, who is a PE teacher and swimming coach at Perth High as well as carrying out the presidential role with the SSSA, said: “The Nancy Riach is always a good event and hopefully Thursday will be no exception. It is good to get so many schools together for one meet.”

Nancy Riach, whom the event is named after, was a member of Motherwell Amateur Swimming and Water Polo club and was described as the finest swimmer in Britain as a youngster. In 1945, she held an extraordinary 28 Scottish and British records while in 1946 she was British champion in the 100 yard, 220 yard and 440-yard freestyle, but sadly died shortly afterwards at the tragically young age of 20.

Last year Perth Academy’s Camilla Hattersley won the 100 metre freestyle to pick up the Nancy Riach Trophy, while Paul Adamson of Grove Academy won the boys event.

Youngsters gaining swimming success have hit the headlines recently with some impressive performances at the UK Schools Games and the Commonwealth Youth Games and Dickson agrees that now is the perfect time to try and get more children and more schools engaged in swimming.

“Recent success as well as the fact that the Olympics are in London next year and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 means that there are more youngsters starting to take up swimming now,” she said.

“The big problem schools have in terms of swimming is facilities.

“Many of the private schools have pools of their own, and while some other schools are lucky enough to have one, for the others it is a case of transporting the schoolchildren to the local pool. The way swimming works, with the need to train most days this leads to most youngsters being involved with clubs, but schools can build up good links with local clubs and this is something that we have to try to encourage.

“I think children still love representing their school and it is great when you get to the Scottish Schools Championships and the school’s team is made up of perhaps two club swimmers and two swimmers who maybe haven’t swum so regularly on a competitive basis.

“The latter often learn a lot from the former and this is a great way to grow the sport with the help of schools.”

There is a change of venue for next year’s Scottish Schools Championships, which are usually held at Tollcross in Glasgow.

With that venue currently out of action, the 2012 event has been switched to East Kilbride.