Archived News

Calling New Swimmers

Following the new reorganisation of the Learn to Swim programmes, we are now able to announce we have places available once more for learners. Click HERE for more information on our programmes, dates and times. We look forward to seeing you there.

Fitness First has Dolphin's in a Spin

Havering Dolphins Swimming Club would like to say a big THANK YOU to Fitness First for allowing selected swimmers the use of the Spinning Class and instructor for free. The swimmers will gain a great deal of benefit and Fitness First's generosity is greatly appreciated. 

Click HERE to find out more about Romford's premier health centre.

Team Captain Announced

At the recent training and development day at Crystal Palace, the team captain was announced. The training day was a great success and squad members who attended really worked hard. The session started in the morning with a two hour session in the 50m pool. A break for lunch on the green in glorious sunshine was followed by track work in the formidable Crystal Palace stadium. With no rest for the wicked (so to speak) it was straight back in the pool for the final two hour pool session. Oh, by the way, during the lunch break,  Chari Senevirante was announced as the team captain. Should any member of the swim team have any issues, your new team captain should be your first point of call. He's there to help you.

Southend Easter Meet

A small squad entered the Southend on Sea Easter Meet Gala on 9th April 2004. Some excellent results were achieved with virtually all swimmers gaining personal best times, some even as high as 15 seconds.

The following swimmers gained medals at the meet.

Girls 100m Breast '93 Age group

Boys 100m Butterfly '86-87 Age group

Boys 100m Back '92 Age group

Boys 100m Breast '92 Age group

Boys 100m Breast '90 Age group

Congratulations to the rest of the squad who attended and achieved Personal Bests.

Emma Hernaman, Alex Rousou, Samara Senevirante, Emma Wilson

Waltham Forest Report

Brooke Turner was in winning form as Havering Dolphins produced some pleasing performances at the Waltham Forest meet last weekend (24-25 May). Turner won her 13 years 200m individual medley event and also celebrated a new personal best time of 1:02.20 in the 100m freestyle. 

Aimee Marshall reached the final of the 16 year 100m breaststroke and also swam well in the 100m freestyle and 200m medley. 

Samara Senevirante recorded a new personal best in her 11 years 100m freestyle race.

Robyn Turner carved four seconds off her previous best in the 200m backstroke. She finished sixth in the 200m butterfly.

Colin Burke reached the final of the boys 15 years 100m breaststroke and also set a new landmark in the 200m medley.

Gary Burke swam well in the 17 years 50m freestyle while Kevin Burke set three personal bests in the 50m and 100m freestyle and sliced five seconds off his previous best in the 200m individual medley.

The improvements continued throughout the meeting and in the 16 years butterfly, Chari Senevirante knocked off four seconds in the 200m and two seconds in the 100m.

Terrific Turner

Robyn Turner was in sizzling form as a small Havering Dolphin squad put up a good showing in the Essex Swimming Championships. Terrific Turner carved a massive ten seconds off her previous personal best on her way to victory in the 100m butterfly in 1min 27.16sec. She also added three more 'podium' places and two more huge personal bests to cap a wonderful weekend.

In the 200m butterfly, she shaved 13 seconds off her previous best time, clocking 2:24.16 to take third. Another 13 seconds came off her 200m freestyle mark and that second-place performance was matched in the 100m freestyle.

Also competing were Chari Seneverante who swam in both 100m and 200m backstroke finals in the 16 years and over age group, and there were best-ever times for Kevin and Colin Burke in their 100m medley swims.

Brooke Turner at British Swimming Championships 2003.

Havering Dolphin swimmer Brooke Turner qualified to swim in the British Swimming Championships 2003. The championships, held at Ponds Forge, Sheffield, also doubled up as the British Time Trials Qualifiers with selections being made for the forth coming World Championships. 

Brooke competed on Saturday morning in event 45, the 100m freestyle. She competed in the prelims but failed to make it into the finals. Given Brooke's age, she did fanatically well even to just qualify for the Championships. Brooke is becoming a recognised quality swimmer on the national stage and will no doubt be representing her country soon. Well done Brooke from all the Dolphins. 

You can follow the British Championships Here.

Havering Sports Council Awards

Havering Dolphins squad member, Alex Sell, secured runner-up spot in the ‘Junior Male Competitor of the Year’ category of the Annual Havering Sports Awards 2002, organised by the Havering Sports Council. On Monday 17^th February, numerous dignitaries such as the Mayor and Mayoress of Havering, Upminster MP Angela Watkinson and Romford MP Andrew Rosindell attended the award ceremony held at the Upminster Golf Club, where Alex was presented with a framed runner-up certificate for his achievements.

The under 15 year old finalists had been whittled down to the last three competitors and Alex, being the youngest finalist at just 11, was up against stiff opposition from young sportsmen dedicated to their chosen sport. Alex was quoted as being "the all-rounder" as a summary of his achievements was read out citing such sports as Football, Karate and of course, Swimming. Not bad considering these were his previous year’s achievements at the tender age of just 10. Alex said he aims to go one better next year and take top honour.

Alex would like to say a special thanks to Richard Burridge, Shuhari-Kai Karate Club Sensei, and Havering Dolphins coaches Bill Dyer, Julie Barnes and Lynette Dyer, for all their encouragement and support.

Essex Swimming Championships - Block A

Golden sisters Brooke and Robyn Turner kept success in the family for the dynamic Dolphins. Elder sibling Brooke was in sizzling form as she scorched to 13 years 50m freestyle victory in a new Essex Record of 28.58 sec. 

Robyn also set a personal best of 37.49 as she won the 10 years 50m butterfly. She was also a silver medallist in the 50m freestyle as well as taking fifth over the same distance at backstroke.

William Birch also improved his previous best times in both the 50m breaststroke and butterfly as he took fourth and fifth respectively. And he completed a clean sweep of pbs as he set new best times in the backstroke and freestyle.

Chari Senevirante produced another breakthrough performance as he improved his previous best times in the backstroke and freestyle.

There were also encouraging displays from Gary Burke, Kevin Burke, Colin Burke, Samara Senevirante and Aimee Marshall in a successful weekend for the Havering club.

Waltham Forest Results

A squad of Havering Dolphins swimmers took part in the Waltham Forest meet on 7th December. Some great swims produced some even better times with medals and Personal Best times in nearly every event.

Robyn Turner (Girls 10 yrs) 

50m Butterfly - 1st in 36.66 knocking 2 seconds off her PB.

50m Backstroke - 4th in 40.87 knocking 3 seconds off her PB.

50m Freestyle - 4th in 35.43

50m Breaststroke - 50.83

Samara Senevirante (Girls 11 yrs)

100m Butterfly - 1:45.87

Brooke Turner (Girls 13 yrs)

100m Backstroke - 3rd in 1:14.53

Aimee Marshall (Girls 16 yrs)

100m Butterfly - 1:20.68

100m Breaststroke - 1:31.56

100m Freestyle - 1:09.33

Chari Senevirante (Boys 15 yrs)

100m Butterfly - 4th in 1:07.71 knocking 1 second off his PB.

Will Birch (Boys 13 yrs)

100m Freestyle - 4th in 1:03.44 knocking 3 seconds off his PB.

100m Butterfly - 3rd in 1:11.18 knocking another 2 seconds off his PB.

100m Backstroke - 1:17.06

Colin Burke (Boys 14 yrs)

100m Backstroke - 1:13.67 knocking 1 second off his PB.

100m Butterfly - 1:18.66

Brentwood 200m Report

Havering Dolphins picked up a clutch of trophies at the Brentwood 200m meet.  Brooke Turner took third in the 14 years and under backstroke and came home fourth in the Breaststroke.  Chari Seneviratne set a new personal best as he took the runners-up spot in the 15 and under Backstroke and also finished sixth in the Butterfly. In the same age group William Birch carved 15 seconds off his previous personal best to take fifth in the Backstroke and also came fifth in the Breaststroke.  In the over 16 age group Aimee Marshall bagged a pair of third places in the Breaststroke and Freestyle, setting a new best time in the process.  Samara Seneviratne was fourth in the Butterfly while Robyn Turner set another huge personal best in her Backstroke race. 

Havering Dolphins Time Trials - Results

On 22nd November 2002, the 'Lengths Development' and 'B' Squad took part in Time Trials which were held at The Campion School. The event, which was sponsored by Crowlands LGV/PCV Driving School, was, for many swimmers, their first taste of competitive action and some excellent times were achieved. A large turn-out ensured the Time Trials event was a big success and many of the swimmers are looking forward to their next events. Click HERE for a full set of results.

ISA National Championships

A special mention here for Alex Sell who, the very next day, competed in the ISA National Finals held in Coventry. Although Alex didn't manage to achieve a placing in his two events, 50m Fly and 50m Breast, Alex's performances on the day led him to be included into 200m Free Relay. Alex swam the second leg in 43.53 (4 seconds up on his Time Trial)  pulling back the already established deficit  from 5th to 3rd to bring his team back into contention, but the remaining team failed to capitalise and slipped back again. Alex enjoyed his first competitive swims in a 50m Olympic pool and has learnt from his experiences in Coventry.

Ealing Long Course Results 16-17 Nov 2002

The Ealing Long Course Open meet held at Gurnell Pool on 16th & 17th November was the scene for some excellent swimming. A handful of swimmers from Havering Dolphins attended the gala, which for the most was the first gala of the new season, and produced some excellent results. The team came 21st overall out of 36 competing teams which is a great achievement considering the number of attendees. The highlights of the gala are as follows:

• Chari Seneviratne knocked a second off his 200m Free in 2.25.52 and came 4th in 200m Butterfly in  2.24.47. 

• William Birch knocked 5 seconds off his 200m Free in 2.24.10 in an excellent swim and also knocked 1.5 seconds off his 100m Free in 1.06.28. William came 5th in the final of the 100m Breast in 1.22.18 and 5th in 200m Breast in 3.02.1.

• Brooke Turner swam 200 I/m in 2.38.34 finishing 3rd, the 200m Free in 2.18.80 coming home in 4th place, and the 100m Free in 1.04.63 in which she finished 2^nd in the Final. 

• Robyn Turner knocked 3 seconds off her 100m Fly finishing 3rd in the final in 1.35.00, and  she knocked 2 seconds off her 100m Free in 1.21.33 finishing 6th.

• Aimee Marshall finished 4th in the 100 Back final in 1.22.59, and 6th in 100m Breast in 1.38.10

• Samara Seneviratne completed her only event, 200 Back in an excellent 3.33.29.

 Below is a set of the Havering Dolphins Squad individual results.

David Soall makes a splash!

Havering Dolphin David Soall achieved 3 Certificates at the Romford and District Cub Swimming Event helping his Cub Pack into third place out of 12 competing Packs. David took the honors in the 8-years Freestyle one-width and one-length Freestyle events and 9-years Backstroke event. It was neck and neck in the Backstroke event, but David won when the other Cub stopped to see where the wall was. Of course, David just kept going till the end to claim top spot, all due to his excellent training. David also took part in the one-length Breaststroke event but was not placed.   Due to his excellent performance he was asked to swim the final length in the relay race at the end of the competition. He tried very hard but unfortunately could not make up the distance that had been left by his team mates. 

David’s overall performance was excellent, considering the Cubs ages ranged from 8 to 11 years, David shone as one of the brightest stars competing. David’s parents said to the Dolphins Coaches "We were very proud and he was really pleased with himself. Thank you for all that you have done for David you deserve to know how well he performed. He looked fantastic in the water and was definitely a credit to the Havering Dolphins."

Alex Sell wins in ISA Area Championships 

Congratulations to Havering Dolphins swimmer, Alex Sell, who represented his school, Raphael Independent School, at the ISA London North Area Swimming Championships held on Tuesday 15th October at Fullwell Cross.. Alex entered in the maximum two allowable events, choosing to compete in the Breast Stroke and Butterfly events over 50m. Owing to his hard work and top quality Havering Dolphin training, Alex won both his events. He now goes on to represent London North in the ISA National Swimming Championships being held in Coventry on Saturday 23rd November. Best of luck to Alex.

Brooke Turner in Age Group Championships

ASA English National Age Group Championships. Brooke Turner 19th out of 67 in 13 yr 100m Freestyle. Follow Brooke's progress by visiting the ASA results site here: ASA National Age Group Results.

News

Brooke Turner qualified to compete in ASA English National Age Group Championships. The event held at Ponds Forge, Sheffield from 5-8 August 2002 allows only the elite swimmers from 11-14 years old to compete in their respective age groups. 

Brooke's achievement in being selected to compete underlines her dedication and ability and the progressive nature of the club. Brooke has now set the trend for the rest of the squad.

News

It's back! Swimming that is, it's back on. After the long summer break, swimming training kicks off again on Friday 6th September. For training times and venues, check the Training Sessions section on the Training Page. 

Unfortunately, due to an increase in pool hire charges, it has been necessary to increase our subscriptions. Details of the new charges can be found on the September Newsletter or by checking the Fees & Session cost on the training page.