Ben Captain's England North Team at School Games

16 Year old Pioneer 79 Swimmer, Ben Martin was selected to represent England North at the recent School Games, held in Loughborough.  The School Games is a multi-sport event aimed at the UK’s elite athletes of school age which take part at a different venue each year, last year’s being held in Manchester.

The event seeks to create an inspirational and motivational setting that not only provides our elite sports people with the opportunity to thrive and perform at the highest levels, but encourages more young people to take part and succeed in sport.  The Youth Sport Trust developed and organised this year’s School Games, which were supported by National Lottery funding from Sport England.

This year’s games consisted of 12 sports, each of which, bar swimming were held on site at Loughborough University Campus, the swimming was held at Ponds Forge International Swimming Centre, Sheffield.  Around 1600 of the nation’s finest young sports stars were competing, and Ben was not only ‘selected’ to compete in the swimming, but he was also given the honour of being the Boy’s Captain at the Pool.

The event took place over 4 days, kicking off with a spectacular Opening Ceremony where Olympic Gold Medallists, Max Whitlock and Alex Danson were on hand to welcome the next generation and officially ‘open’ the games.

Day 1 saw Ben compete in his favourite event, the 50m Freestyle.  The splash and dash event at any competition, and Ben definitely knows how to deliver.... finishing in a fabulous time of 24.30, winning the gold medal for England North in the process!  Later he accompanied Myles Stirk, Connor Joyce and Matthew Pomfort to form the Mens 16yrs/under 400m Freestyle Relay, with a spectacular anchor leg of 53.70 for his 100m, Ben touched home in 5^th position.

Day 2 was the 100m Freestyle Individual for Ben, where at 50m he turned in 3^rd position, unusually for Ben, he was able to accelerate up the final 50m where he finished 2^nd, taking a silver medal for England North in a time of 54.21!

Ben’s final event was also the final event of the competition, it was the Mixed Mens/Womens 16yrs/Under 400m Freestyle Relay.  This time, Ben teamed up with Connor Joyce, Maddie Crompton and Emma Whittingham, this time, his anchor leg time of 53.65 saw him touch in a very close second position, just 0.14 of a second behind the winners ‘Ireland’, earning the team a well deserved silver medal. 

When the final points tally was confirmed, England North were announced overall winners with 252 points, some 25.5 points ahead of second placed England South.  As Boys Team Captain, he lifted the cup with the Girls Team Captain for England North.

Great Results from Ethan at NE Region Disability Championships

13 year old Pioneer 79 Disability S9 Swimmer, Ethan Naisbitt had a very successful day today in Harrogate at the North East Regional Disability Championships.  In his 100m Freestyle, Ethan set himself a new personal best time, and in his first attempt at the 200m Individual Medley, he excelled, taking the bronze medal against much older competitiors who were swimming in the S10 up to S14 categories.  

Ethan's coach from the Regional Para Squad and Para Pathway's Officer, Chris gave him some valuable feed back straight after his swims, including commenting on his excellent technique in the water and exceptional effort.  Today was the day where selectors were watching to see for potential swimmers to be part of the Pathway for 2016-2017, we sincerely hope that from todays results, Ethan has been able to put himself into the spotlight, and secure himself a position on the Pathway. Tomorrow, sees Ethan travel to Sheffield's Ponds Forge International Swimming Pool to train with the Para Squad.  

This opportunity is a result of Ethan's hard work over the past season and his determination to compete at such a high level, the input and experience will prove to be invaluable for his ongoing athletic development.  The Coaches and his fellow swimmers here at Pioneer 79 wish him the very best of luck.

Pictured (left to right) - Luke, a Bolton Metro Swimmer, and Pioneer 79's Ethan Naisbitt

2015-2016 Season was the best yet!!

We all thought the 2014-2015 season was great, however, over the last 12 months, Pioneer 79 Swimming Club has gone from strength to strength, exceeding all expectations with no fewer than 16 swimmers from our top two squads being invited this year to compete at three of the top National events of the swimming calendar.  To put the Club’s achievements into perspective, just 5 years ago in 2011, we, as a club, had just 1 national qualifier, today, the club is thriving.  This success is due to not only due to the dedication of our swimmers, but also credit must go to the great work of the coaching staff.

Pictured are the majority of Pioneer 79's National Swimmers for 2016

2016 ASA Open Water Festival

The first of the 3 National events this summer was the Amateur Swimming Association’s Open Water Festival, held at Rother Valley Country Park in Rotherham, Pioneer 79 had 4 swimmers competing.  This event was previously known as the ‘ASA Open Water National Championships’.  

For swimmers to qualify, they must compete in their respective Regional Open Water Championships – of which, the North West was held in June.  From these results, the top 3 placed swimmers in each age group were then invited by the ASA to compete in Sheffield at the Open Water Festival.   

Beth Hartwell qualified for the 12 year girls 1.5k event, where she finished 20^th in a time of 22 mins 07 seconds.  

Ben Makin qualified for the 14 year boys 1.5k event finishing 4^th in 18 mins 36 seconds, just 5 seconds behind the bronze medallist. 

In the 16 year category, Olivia Nicholls completed the 3k event finishing 18^th in a time of 43 mins 51 seconds.  

Meghann Leaver competed in the 17 year age group 5k event, but due to an u



nfortunate incident at the start of the race, she was forced to retire for safety reasons.  

For each of these swimmers it was their first experience at this level of competition in an open water event, they each did themselves and their club proud.

Pictured: (Left to Right) Beth Hartwell, Meghann Leaver, Olivia Nicholls and Ben Makin

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2016 British Summer Championships

4 further swimmers were invited to compete at the British Summer Championships, held at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, Sheffield - Elodie Smallwood (200m Fly/400m IM), Ben Martin (50m Free/100m Free), Tom Gilroy (50m Back) and Niamh Robinson (50m Back, 50m & 100m Fly, 50m, 100m & 200m Breast, 200m & 400m IM).  For swimmers to be invited to compete at the British Summer Championships, they must achieve a top 24 place in the Great Britain Rankings for each event in their age group within a 2 month qualifying window.  At the end of the qualifying window, swimmers are invited to attend in each event they qualify for, this means they will be one of the top 24 swimmers in the country.  Ben Martin, Ben Turland, Ewan McKavett and Ben Makin were also invited to compete in the boys 14-16yrs 4x100m Freestyle Relay.

Elodie Smallwood swam in the 15 year age group, her first event was the 400m Individual Medley where she finished 13^th overall, just missing out on the final in a pb of 5.10.94.  Her second event, the 200m Butterfly was on Day 3 of the competition.  In her heat, she swam another pb of 2.23.24, where she finished 10^th, qualifying for the final later that day.  In the final, she improved both her time and placing, finishing 9^th in another pb of 2.22.52.

Niamh Robinson competed in the 17/18 year age group, swimming as a 17 year old, the split age group was always going to be a challenge for her.  Niamh’s first event was the 400m Individual Medley, finishing 17^th overall.  On Day 2, in the 50m Breaststroke her time of 33.73 placed her 14^th.  Day 3, in the 200m Breaststroke, she finished 11^th, making her first reserve for the final in a time of 2.38.30.  In the 200m Individual Medley, her time of 2.20.27 earned her a long awaited place in the final where she went on to improve her time and place from 7^th to 6^th in a time of 2.19.00.  On Day 6, Niamh finished a disappointing 12^th overall in the 100m Breaststroke and finally in the 100m Butterfly she finished 17^th.  This season has been a difficult one for Niamh, juggling her GCSE examinations and training so it was always going to be a year where success could go either way for her.  Although disappointed with her results, she is looking forward to working hard over the next 12 months where she will be able to concentrate on achieving her new goals and raising her level of fitness.

Ben Martin competed in the 16 year age group, his first event was the 100m Freestyle, after a superb swim in his heat, he finished 5^th fastest and secured a place in the final with a new pb of 53.06.  In the final, he finished in a marginally slower time of 53.10, finishing 6^th.  In the 50m Freestyle, Ben’s time of 24.19 placed him 4^th overall, in the final he maintained his position, just missing out on a medal, but finished in a slightly faster time of 24.12.

On Day 5, Ben was joined by Ben Turland, Ben Makin and Ewan McKavett to compete in the 14-16 years 4x100m Freestyle Team event.  The team had qualified to compte in this event due to their fabulous results where they finished 3rd at the 2016 North West Regional Championships in Manchester in a time of 3.48.23.  Times from all teams competing in this event throughout the country at their respective Regional Championships, are collated and placed in time order.  The fastest 30 teams in the country are then invited to compete.  The first swimmer for Pioneer 79 was 16 year old Ben Martin finishing his leg in a time of 54.18, 15 year old Ben Turland swam the second leg in a time of 55.19, next in was 14 year old Ben Makin who finished in 58.48 and Ewan McKavett’s time of 56.86 brought the team into a fantastic 17^th position overall in a time of 3.44.71.

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2016 ASA Summer National Championships

The ASA Summer National Championships is run over 5 days of competition and is also held at Sheffield’s Ponds Forge pool, Pioneer 79 had a huge presence this year, with an astonishing 11 swimmers’ invited to compete.  This event is for swimmers who are eligible to compete for ‘England’, and selection is done by choosing the next fastest 20 ‘English’ swimmers in the Rankings after the top 24 overall fastest swimmers in the UK were invited to compete at the British Summer Championships.  Running alongside this event, the Welsh, Scottish and Irish National Championships, all held under the same conditions.

Ethan Naisbitt, Pioneer’s 13 year old Disability Swimmer has had a phenominal season, he was the first Pioneer 79 swimmer to compete on Day 1, competing in the 100m Freestyle.  Ethan swims in the Multi-Classification event, in the MC events, positions are determined by swimmers achieving points for their swim, the World Record in each event in each disability class is worth 1000 points, so as a swimmer finishes, their time is given a number of points which is respective to the world record in their disability class.  Ethan competes in the S9 category and finished in a new personal best time of 1.18.97 (39^th overall).  His next event was the 50m Freestyle, is pb time of 36.46 earned him 36^th position in the Multi Class competition.  His final event at this competition was the 400m Freestyle, his swim earned him is 3^rd pb time and he finished 25^th overall.  Ethan competes in an ‘open age’ competition, so he swims against people within his classification who may be of any age.

Joe Murray (17 years) competed in both the 50m and 100m Breaststroke.  His first event was the 100m where, in his heat, he set himself a new personal best time of 1.08.09.  This time qualified him as 7^th fastest for the final where he bettered his time further to 1.07.57, finishing 7^th.  In the 50m Breaststroke, Joe’s time of 30.79 was once again a huge personal best time, his time placed him 3^rd fastest for the final.  The final was very exciting, however, although improving his time once again, unfortunately Joe dropped a couple of positions, finishing 6^th overall.

Ellie Ward, aged 15 years, qualified for her first ever National Championships this year  Just 18 months ago, upon returning from a swim camp, Ellie had decided to quit swimming, however, after a couple of months’ total rest and break from the pool, she returned and has improved dramatically over the past 12 months.  Once a backstroke swimmer, she has turned into a strong breaststroke swimmer, qualifying for both the 50m and 100m Breaststroke.  Her first event was the 100m event, in the heat she swam a new pb of 1.17.76, qualifing for the final in 8^th position!  Although going on to improve her time further to 1.17.63 in the final, she unfortunately dropped a place to 9^th overall.  

On day 4, Ellie competed in the 50m Breaststroke, having achieved a fabulous result in her 100m, she was extremely determined to continue her success.  Ellie’s heat time of 35.19 was over a 1 second faster than her previous pb time and once again, she successfully qualified for the final, this time in 4^th position!  Returning that evening for the final, Ellie’s fabulous reaction off the blocks followed by excellent underwater work gave her a strong start, there was almost a blanket finish, where Ellie touched in yet another fantastic pb of 34.79, taking the bronze medal!  Ellie’s time was not only a personal best, but she literally missed out on taking the silver by just 0.1 second!

Eleanor Collin (16 years) competed in the 50m, 100m and 200m Breaststroke and 100m Backstroke.  Her first event was the 100m Breaststroke, where she qualified 3^rd fastest for the final setting, a new pb of 1.16.27, Eleanor went on to produce yet another pb in the final of 1.15.68, unfortunately, dropping into 5^th position.  In the 200m Breaststroke, Eleanor had an exceptional heat swim, finishing as fastest qualifier for the final in a new pb time of 2.43.84.  In the final, Eleanor was determined to give herself every possible opportunity to take the gold medal, however, although once again hitting a new pb time of 2.43.29, she was touched out by the smallest possible margin of just 1/100^th of a second putting her into the silver medal position.  50m Breaststroke was Eleanor’s next event, in the heat, she qualified 8^th fastest for the final in a time of 35.74, unable to improve her time but maintaining her 8^th position in a time of 35.81.  Eleanor’s final event was the 100m Backstroke, her time of 1.08.19 was yet another pb, qualifying 8^th for the final, but although yet again improving on her time in the final to 1.08.14, she dropped into 9^th position.

Tom Gilroy competed in the 18+ years age group.  Although qualifying for the 50m Backstroke in the British Summer Championships, he was unable to compete due to having been also selected to compete at the European University Games in Croatia, being held at the same time!  Tom however, swam in the 100m Backstroke at the ASA Summer Nationals, his time of 59.35 was slightly off pace for him, however, he qualified 6^th fastest for the final.  In the final, Tom swam a time of 58.52 which was equal to his previous pb time, maintaining his position in the process.

15 year old Elodie Smallwood, was invited to swim 5 events at this Competition.  Her first event was the 200m Freestyle, she finished as 1^st reserve for the final in 11^th position, marginally off her pb in 2.11.38.  On day 2, Elodie swam the 100m Butterfly, her heat time of 1.06.03 was a new pb and also qualified her 4^th fastest for the final.  Her final was an outstanding swim, smashing the pb she set in the heat finishing in a time of 1.04.74, winning the bronze medal.  Next was the 400m Freestyle, in her heat, Elodie finished 10^th overall, successfully securing a place in the final, her time of 4.37.06 was slightly off her pb, however, Elodie, renowned for her determination, came back later that evening and produced the swim of her life, finishing in a time of 4.32.11 setting herself a new pb, taking another bronze medal in the process, pipping the 4^th placed swimmer by just 1/100^th of a second!  In the 200m Individual Medley, Elodie’s time of 2.29.01 placed her as first reserve for the final, finishing 11^th.  Her final event of the week was the 800m Freestyle.  This event was run as a heat declared winner, which means that due to its length, it is swam just once, with no finals.  Elodie’s time of 9.26.95 was yet another phenominal new pb which earned her a credible 5^th position in her age group.

Another 1^st time National Swimmer was 16 year old Ellie Perris.  Ellie qualified for the 400m Individual Medley, an event that some may say, is not an event for the feint hearted!!  Ellie had a very strong swim and finished as 1^st reserve for the final (11^th overall) in an incredible new pb time of 5.21.36.  A fabulous result for her first time at a competition of this level.

Meghann Leaver, having already swam in the Open Water Festival, turned to the pool, she competed in 2 events, the 400m IM and the 800m Freestyle.  Meghann’s first event was the 400m Individual Medley, having set herself a new personal best time in the heat of 5.06.74, she qualified 6^th fastest for the final.  In the final, she finished 8^th in a slightly slower time of 5.08.81.  Meghann’s 800m freestyle was on the final day of competition.  With absolutely nothing to lose, she put on an amazing swim, finishing in a huge new pb time of 9.18.11, just missing out on the medals, finishing 4^th.

15 year old Ben Turland was again invited to compete in his second National Championships, this year, in 2 events, the 100m Freestyle and 50m Backstroke.  Ben had a breath taking swim in the heat of the 100m Freestyle, finishing in a new personal best time of 56.55, qualifying 10^th fastest for the final.  In the final, he went on to yet again better his time to 55.94 and improved a place, finishing 9^th.  In the 50m Backstroke, although achieving a new pb of 29.75, he was unable to qualify for the final, finishing 15^th.

Ben Martin (16) was invited to compete in the 50m Breaststroke and 50m Butterfly.  In the 50m Breaststroke, he qualified 10^th for the final in a new pb time of 30.79, he went on to yet again improve his time in the final to 30.74, climbing 4 places, finishing 6^th.  To finish off what has been the most successful National Championships for Pioneer 79 Swimming Club, Ben’s final event was the 50m Butterfly.  His time of 26.33 in the heat was a new pb, qualifying fastest for the final.  Not phased in any way, the final was incredible, Ben’s time of 26.02 was not only another new pb time, but he finished over half a body length ahead of his nearest rival taking home a well earned gold medal.

Pioneer 79 swimmer, Natasha Rogan (15) who was competing for Millfield School due to a move she made for studying a couple of seasons ago, competed in 4 events in Sheffield.  Natasha finished 11^th overall in the 50m Backstroke in a time of 32.21 and qualified for finals in the 100m Backstroke and 200m Individual Medley.  Having had a season of injury, she was disappointed with her results, however, with the new season soon upon us, we hope she is able to pick up the pieces and return to top form over the next 12 months.

At the end of the Competition, out of the Top 60 Clubs, Pioneer finished 33^rd overall (90 points) and in the women’s club, we finished 22^nd overall with 61 points, a huge achievement against some of the country’s top city squads and clubs.

Pioneer 79 Swimming Club is going from strength to strength, the catchment area is now the biggest its ever been, spreading from Rochdale, Bury, Bolton, Chorley, Preston, Clitheroe, Yorkshire and beyond, swimmers and their parents are seeing the club’s success as an incentive and are wanting to be part of it.   With over 600 members, we are becoming known around the UK as an ‘up and coming’ club.  If you are interested in finding out more about us, please feel free to have a look at our new website – www.pioneer79.org.uk, or visit us on Twitter - @PioneerASC or via Facebook – Pioneer 79 Amateur Swimming Club – Training Groups – Accrington Academy or just drop us an email: pioneer79lts@gmail.com

Meghann & Olivia Selected for 'England Talent Open Water Programme 2016'

Are you cold?  Feeling chilly at all?  If not, I'm sure you will be after hearing about two of our Open Water Swimmers, Meghann Leaver (16) and Olivia Nicholls (15), both of whom train in our 'A' Squad.

Back in June, in the middle of the swimming season, these two girls were invited to train alongside some of the best open water swimmers in the North West, all being challenged by the most professional coaches this country has to offer - it was a day jam packed full of hitting, kicking and racing in the deep, cold waters of Salford Quays.

The Pioneer 79 Girls were selected to participate and then join in as part of the England Talent Open Water Programme.  They had been selected by the top England Coaches due to their performances in long distance events, both in the pool and their open water competitions over the past 12 months.

The day started with the swimmers enduring an hour's lecture from the Head Coach of England Talent Squad, he informed them of the dangers of open water swimming, how to use their opponents to assist in their racing techniques, and how to race in the varying conditions that open water swimmers can face.  After this, it was the swimmers' chance to show what they had to offer and finally having the opportunity to swim in the freezing temperatures of the Quays.

The day concentrated on practising mass starts, pacing and tough finishes; it was imperative they got the small details right as the Regional Championships were being held the following weekend.  The swimmers, ranging from 15 to 18 years old, had plenty of bruises and battle scars to show off after the hard work, proving that Open Water Swimming is not for the feint hearted!

Pioneer 79 are extremely proud of both Meghann and Olivia on their selection for this discipline as it is one side to swimming that the club has perhaps not spent much time in the past concentrating on.  This year alone, the club has seen a huge increase in swimmers being interested in Open Water Swimming and their results in the coming years may prove to be encouraging to our younger swimmers.

Pictured are Meghann Leaver (Left) and Olivia Nicholls (Right)

Connect Health & Wellbeing announced as sponsors of our Mini League Team for the 2016-2017 Season

Pioneer 79 Swimming Club are proud to announce that Connect Health & Wellbeing will be our Mini League Team Sponsors for the 2016-2017 Season.....

Connect Health & Wellbeing is a newly formed company who provide 1:1 and small group swimming coaching, personal training, sports conditioning, mindfulness and stress management for competitors.

Click on the link below to direct you to their website:
http://www.connecthwb.co.uk

Marshalls Mercedes Benz of Bolton announced as sponsors of our Arena League 2016-2017

Pioneer 79 Swimming Club are proud to announce that The Marshalls Group, Mercedes Benz of Bolton will be sponsoring our 'Arena' League Team for the coming 2016-2017 season.

Marshalls Mercedes Benz of Bolton offer a wide range of new and used Mercedes-Benz cars as well as offering aftersales services and incredible offers.

visit their website now:  http://m.mercedes-benzofbolton.co.uk/content/united-kingdom/retail-marshall/mercedes-benz-of-bolton/en/desktop/passenger-cars.html

Baylie wins 'Hyndburn Young Achiever Award' 2016

Congratulations to 12 year old Baylie Seery-Kelly who has tonight been awarded with the title of 'Young Achiever of the Year' at the 2016 Hyndburn Sports Awards.

The Hyndburn Community Sports Awards is a celebration of local sporting achievements from athletes, coaches, volunteers, teams, clubs and schools across Hyndburn and is organised by Hyndburn Leisure, this year is the 13th year.  This year's event took place this evening at Accrington Town Hall.

Baylie swims in Pioneer 79's 'B' Squad and her achievements over the past 12 months have been recognised by the judges.  The award 'Young Achiever of the Year' is awarded to the most talented performers across the district, who show exceptional dedication to their sport and have the potential to perform at the highest level.

As a category winner, Baylie will now progress onto the Lancashire Sports Awards where all the winners from every Community in Lancashire will congregate, the judges will then award the most outstanding the title of 'Lancashire's Young Achiever of the Year'.  We wish her the very best of luck.

Updated Competition Calendar

Please find below the latest version of Pioneer 79 competition calendar as set out by our Head Coach.... This info is also available on the notice boards both at QEGs and the Academy...

Blythe finishes 5th in the World!

16 year old 'A' Squad Pioneer 79 Swimmer, Blythe Fourie competed for Great Britain at the ITU World Triathlon Grand Finals in Cozumel, Mexico last week.  Competing in the 16-19 year age group, she finished in and outstanding 5th position overall out of 50 competitors, this is despite having a further 3 years to compete in the same age category!

Sure you'd agree, this result was fabulous, and everyone here at Pioneer 79 Swimming Club are extremely proud of your achievements Blythe!  Congratulations and Good luck in your next competition!   http://wts.triathlon.org/results/result/2016_itu_world_triathlon_grand_final_cozumel/305967

Pioneer Swimmers selected to represent Lancashire

Two Pioneer 79 Swimmers have been formally invited to represent Lancashire at the forthcoming Inter-County Championships which will be held in Sheffield next month.

(Pictured P79 Head Coach, Mike Wilson with Niamh and Ben)

For 16 year old Ben Martin this came as a total surprise to him - knowing that his age group for this year is joint 16-17 years, he was delighted to receive the unexpected news last week.  Ben represented Lancashire last year for the first time in 2015 where he competed in 3 events; in the 14/15 years 4x50m Medley Team, Ben did the butterfly leg and the team finished 1st overall.  In his individual event, due to slipping on the blocks at the start, he finished 13th, in a slightly disappointing time, however his final event was the mixed 6x50m Freestyle Team Relay, bringing the team home in 1st position with his final leg swim of 23.85!

17 year old Niamh Robinson was also extremely pleased to receive the news last week, this year will be her 3rd successive call up and her final one as next year, being 18, she will be too old!  Last year, Niamh finished 3rd in the 100m Breaststroke, less than 1/4 of a second behind Georgia Coates who represented Team GB this year in Rio at the Olympic Games!  Niamh also competed in the 4x50m Medley Relay where the team finished 2nd overall.

Lancashire will have a lot to prove this year in Sheffield, as for the past 14 consecutive years, they have brought the A Division Title back home with them, so fingers crossed they can make it 15!  We wish them both the very best of luck as they take on 19 other counties.

 

Pioneer 79 finish 4th at Mini League Final

During the last season, our younger swimmers aged 9-12 years have been busy competing in various Leagues, however, last Friday night saw a group of them compete against 5 other teams at Horwich Leisure Centre in the Bolton and District Mini League Final.  

This event is only open to teams affiliated to the Bolton & District Swimming and Water Polo Association, it consists of a number of prelimiary galas with the final usually being held around the second weekend in September.  Swimmers compete in events in their respective age groups, age is classed as 'age on day' as oppose to other competitions where it is 'age as of 31st December'.  This being the case, allows many more swimmers to take part throughout the season, unfortunately, with others having to miss out on the Grand Final due to being too old on the day.

The final points were:

1st:  Warrington - 154 points

2nd: Worsley - 118 points

3rd - Horwich - 101 points

4th: Pioneer 79 - 93 points

5th: Ramsbottom - 91 points

6th: Wigan - 61 points

 

Team Manager, Andy Armstrong commented on social media about the success of the team,  Andy, and the rest of the coaching staff couldn't be more prouder of the swimmers who conducted themselves with pride both in and out of the water.  Many swimmers were also swimming 'up' an age group and holding their own against the older swimmers.  Friday's final was all about performing the best we could, the team had no disqualifications at all during the event which is a fabulous achievement!

After the final, swimmers and their parents were invited to attend the Plough, Oswaldtwistle for an 'after gala party' where the Pioneer 79 Social and Fundraising Committee put on a bit of food and soft drinks for all.  

Over the past few years, Pioneer 79 have seen an influx of new swimmers - many of which are female, therefore, to ensure we can give as many of our girls a taste of competing in a team environment the swimmers chosen varies considerably from gala to gala.  We currently have many less young male swimmers able to compete for us, being the reason why many of our younger lads do appear repeatedly in many more galas than the girls.  So if you know of any young male swimmers especially who are decent in the water, or would be interested in swimming, please do not hesitate to contact the club for more details!

Well done to everyone and here's to next year's Mini League, which I can now confirm will be sponsored by Connect Health and Wellbeing.   http://www.connecthwb.co.uk. 

Connect Health and Wellbeing is a newly formed company who provide 1:1 and small group swimming coaching, personal training, sports conditioning, mindfulness and stress management for competitors.  We would like to thank them for sponsoring our Mini League for 2016/2017.

Ben is awarded a place on England Talent Phase 1 Camp

Pioneer 79 Swimmer Ben Makin was invited to attend the ASA England Talent Phase 1 Camp, which took place today at Accrington Academy's swimming pool.  A small number of the region's top swimmers aged between 11-15 were invited.  Selection is awarded to swimmers throughout the country due to their success over the last 12 months, their rankings or by discretionary identification, with just 35-40 swimmers in each Region given the opportunity each year.

Successful swimmers are invited to attend 2 separate clinics, one pool based, the other a more 'educational' day.  The aim of the camp is to develop skills and improve stroke efficiency on all four strokes, to collect swimming data to allow a greater informed view of swimmers' future potential, and to ensure technical swimming concepts are implemented and understood.

Pioneer 79's Head Coach, Mike Wilson was also nominated as the lead coach on the program today where the main focus was working on turns, breakouts and racing finishes.

Pioneer 79 are extremely proud of both Ben and Mike on their selection onto the programme and look forward to seeing them reap the benefits.

New Pioneer 79 Kit - available to order for 2 weeks only....

IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO ALL SWIMMERS/PARENTS FROM SWIMZI, PIONEER 79's NEW CLUB KIT SUPPLIERS........

Pioneer 79 SC Shop Is Now Open!

Great news!! You will now be able to order your P79 kit from:

http://www.swimzi.com/club-shop/pioneer-79.html

We will also be adding leggings to the shop on Monday so don't forget to check them out!

You have onlt 2 weeks to order your kit before the shop closes on Thursday 29th October. This will also be your last chance to order kit before Christmas!

Orders placed after this time may delay the whole kit order and therefore will not be accepted. So to avoid disappointment, please place your order now.

Delivery is expected 6-8 weeks time after the shop has closed.

Checkout options:
Please choose CLUB SHOP ONLY: Your kit will be individually packed and delivered to the club.

7 Working Days: We are unable to remove this from the website due to our retail range. Please choose the club shop option as you will not receive your kit any sooner by choosing this option.

If you require name personalisation on your kit, please add the
Sweat Personalisation or Shirt Personalisation product to your basket and then contact: sam@swimzi.com - with the name required.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to get in touch.

Many thanks,

Swimzi
Direct Link to Club Shop, click HERE

Niamh moves to Mount Kelly School

Well, Saturday morning's A Squad training session proved to be an emotional affair, as Pioneer 79 Girls Club Captain, 16 year old  Niamh Robinson swam her final session before venturing off to continue her swimming career and begin her 'A' Level studies at Mount Kelly School, Tavistock, Devon.

For those of you who don't know Niamh, she has been a competitive member of the Club since a very young age, achieving County, Regional and National honours every year since the age of 11.  In 2014 Niamh was invited to represent Lancashire at the Inter-County Championships, an honour she repeated last year and has recently been informed that she has been successfully selected again this year. In 2014 at the age of 14, Niamh was selected to compete at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow for Team IOM, where she achieved 2 semi-final placings, then in 2015 she was selected to compete in Italy for the England Talent Squad, before travelling to Samoa where she competed again for Team IOM, this time in the Commonwealth Youth Games.  These results have been achieved by a number of factors, the fabulous coaching staff at Pioneer, especially Michael, Niamh's hard work, her determination, her many strong friendships within the club, this coupled with the continuous support by the committee, families and friends, through the good times and the bad.  Niamh has also received sponsorship from:  TP Properties Ltd, Grace Cole Ltd and Kozii UK with which she is extremely grateful. We all hope the success you have achieved so far continues as you move on.

Your successes whilst at Pioneer will hopefully spur our younger swimmers on, by showing them what can be achieved through persevere and determination.

On Saturday evening, Niamh had a final farewell party/birthday bash, where she was overwhelmed by the number of people who turned up to see her off, she was delighted to receive a particular present by two members of A Squad a present that was provided with donations from all her fellow Pioneer 79 friends, an IPad, this will come in useful for her to maintain contact with everyone, along with many other lovely presents too....

I am sure Niamh will be solely missed by all her friends at Pioneer, this has been shown by the many moving and emotional comments in her memories book, I'm sure she will miss everyone here too.  However, all is not lost! Niamh will continue to be a member of Pioneer, training during school holidays and odd weekends when she is home, so on that note, in my position not as her mum, but as Pioneer 79's Press Officer, may we wish you all the very best as you move into sunnier climates, and we look forward to seeing you again when you return to not so sunny Accrington! From EVERYONE at Pioneer..... GOOD LUCK !

Launch of Pioneer 79's new kit - by Swimzi

Liam Tancock, World Record holder and multiple World Championships, European Championships and Commonwealth Games medalist descended onto poolside at Accrington Academy yesterday.  He spent 1.5 hours with our top group, 'A' Squad during their training session, giving tips both on poolside aswell as various demonstrations in the pool.  Liam Tancock is current World Record Holder for the 50m Backstroke so the emphasis during the session was therefore on his favourite stroke.  His input and advice was extremely well received and the swimmers responded well.  After the session, Liam, as the face of 'Swimzi', spent time with the swimmers, having photographs with them , signing various artefacts and then did the official 'launch' of Pioneer 79's new kit, designed by Swimzi.  The kit will be available for ordering via Swimzi.com (Club Shop) in the next few weeks and will be gradually rolled in over the next 12 months.

Pioneer 79 would like to thank both Liam and Chris (Swimzi CEO) for their time and enthusiastic interaction with our swimmers.

Liam Tancock, video footage @ Accrington Academy