Well done to all swimmers who competed in this year’s Newington Age Swimming Championships. A new record was set this year with the greatest attendance of swimmers from previous years. As the newly appointed head swimming coach, it is encouraging to see the great potential Newington has to offer. Many tough races were won by hundredths of a second. This truly displays the depth we have at Newington. Vice-Captain Miles Parhash (12/MA) noted the great sense of camaraderie at the Championships. ‘I enjoyed the racing and the spirit of the carnival. It was great to see so many boys swimming in all age groups. I especially enjoyed spending time and racing with my mates who I’ve swum with since Year 7,’ he said. 

After tallying up the point scores for each event, our age group champions are as follows:

• 12 Years Newington Age Champion:  Joel Zipeure (7/FL)
• 13 Years Newington Age Champion: Sebastian King (7/MA)
• 14 Years Newington Age Champion: Sebastian Parhash (8/MA)
• 15 Years Newington Age Champion: Thomas Oates (10/JN)
• 16 Years Newington Age Champion: Karl Kovarik (10/LE)
• 17 Years Newington Age Champion: Samuel Lye (11/LE)
• Opens Newington Age Champion: Lachlan Sheehy (12/JN)

Congratulations to each age group champion, many of whom won multiple events during the night. Mr Moar and I will have some tough decisions to make when selecting the Newington Swim Team this year. I look forward to assisting all swimmers at our training sessions in preparation for the upcoming AAGPS series. I am confident that we will be strong contenders for this year’s title.

Jared Goldthorpe
Head Swimming Coach