Titan Pride
Last Sunday’s closing ceremony of the 2009 Shropshire County Swimming Championships, held at Market Drayton, drew to a conclusion three weekends of intense competition. For the Titans it represented the further realisation of a dream.
Just ten months after setting up the Titans our swimmers took the 2009 Shropshire County Championships by storm, being awarded 2 overall best boy and girl trophies, smashing two all time County records; winning 24 individual gold, 29 silver and 14 bronze medals and 8 silver relay medals.
Swimming against the very best swimmers from all over the County, Titan swimmers recorded a total of 140 Personal Best times and 65 club records. Despite only having 17 swimmers and it being our first County Championships, the Titans finished well above a number of other local well established clubs such as Wellington, Market Drayton, Whitchurch, Newport and Court in the overall individual medal tally and have well and truly signalled our intent for the future.
A Truly Inspirational Tale
Titans Head Coach Jon Pardoe commented “what has been achieved is the stuff of dreams, except this is no fairytale. It is a truly inspirational tale of ambition, hard work and determination. A triumphant story about team spirit and courage in the face of overwhelming odds”
To celebrate their remarkable success, Titan swimmers were whisked away at the end of the final day of competition on Sunday 29th March in three chauffeur driven luxury stretch limousines to a celebration dinner at Chester Racecourse’s glamorous new restaurant 1539, where they were given the full red carpet treatment.
Chester Racecourse Chief Executive Richard Thomas said “At 1539 we have a reputation for welcoming some of the greatest sporting heroes and stars in the region. The achievements of these Titan swimmers are truly motivational. They are today’s sporting heroes and the stars of tomorrow.”
One of the Titan swimmers, Annie Jones, aged 13, said “that she had found the Limo trip truly motivational and that she was inspired more than ever to reach her goals”.
The School are Delighted
Ellesmere College Headmaster Brendan Wignell commented “when these swimmers first approached me about the possibility of using our training facilities I was taken aback by their sheer determination and ambition. Anyone who has listened to Olympic double gold medallist Rebecca Adlington will know how hard youngsters must work in order to achieve success. These Titan swimmers spend hours every week training in the pool and it is very rewarding when all that hard work pays off. The school are delighted to be able to share in their success”
British Sydney and Athens Olympic Breaststroke finalist Darren Mew, now a coach at the Titans said “what the Titans have achieved in such a short space of time could provide a great model for British swimming to use in the future. The set up and many of the coaching techniques are unique. I have seen nothing else like it outside of Australia. What these swimmers have demonstrated is that if you have the will and determination to succeed Britain definitely has the resources. It’s just a matter of seeking them out and thinking outside the box.”
Amongst the Titan Stars
Amongst the Titan stars were 9 year old swimming sensation Jessica Thomas who won the overall best 9/u Girl award by winning 9 gold and 3 silver medals in just 12 events.
Alfie Pardoe, aged 11 made it a “double whammy” by smashing two County records -the 200m Backstroke and the 400m Individual Medley (IM). In winning the overall prize for being the best 11/u boy of the Championships, Alfie bettered Michael Phelps Beijing Olympic medal tally in winning 9 gold and 2 silver medals out of 13 events.
Hannah Greene, aged 12, just missed out on being awarded the overall Best 12/u Girl award by winning a total of 5 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronze medals.
Other Titan finalists and medal winners included Annie Mellings (aged 12), Daniel Howell (aged 15), Lauren Bond (aged 11), Courtney Pickstone (aged 16), David Main (aged 16). Elliot Hughes (aged 12), Jamie Thomas (aged 11), and Helena Kocourkova. Also in action for the Titans were Annie Jones (aged 13), Isobel Mellings (aged 10), Natalie Greene (aged 10), Ottilie Fairhurst (aged 11), and Kate Parry (aged 13).