Club News & Updates
Mini League - Round 1
On Saturday 25 of January, TASC hosted the first round of the mini-league in Torrington. There was much anticipation about this fast-paced format of team racing returning after a years’ break….and it didn’t disappoint.
The TASC team of 32 swimmers included a mixture of experienced swimmers as well as many who were competing for the very first time. The other teams were provided by Barnstaple, Ilfracombe and Tiverton, who will each also host a round of this competition over the coming months.
After 51 events (completed in a 1 hour 55 minute blur) TASC ran out convincing victors, winning 32 of the 51 races on offer. Amazing swimming by all in an electric atmosphere of noise and fast swimming.
TASC – 172 points
Barnstaple – 132 points
Ilfracombe – 111 points
Tiverton – 85 points
Mini League - Round 2
Sunday the 2nd of February marked the second round of the mini-league series which this time was hosted by Tiverton. A much changed TASC team travelled to the Exe Valley leisure Centre for a 4.30pm start, which this time also included an “All-stars” team which was made up of 8 swimmers from each club.
The 8 swimmers from TASC were assigned backstroke and competed alongside the 4 regular teams for fun only and for an opportunity to showcase their skills. Yet again, every member of the TASC team was exceptional with some incredible racing and exciting relays being played out. Head Coach Andy said that his heart rate must have been off the scale at some points such was the tension and excitement of the relays.
Yet again, after 51 events TASC were victorious for the 2nd time in two weeks and dominated proceedings from start to finish. This just goes to show that TASC has much strength in depth with an almost unrecognisable team from only 7 days before picking up the win by a healthy margin.
TASC – 166 points
Barnstaple – 141.5 points
Ilfracombe – 109 points
Tiverton – 92.5 points
Exeter Open - Lindsay Powell Memorial Meet
On October 21st and 22nd TASC took a team of 18 swimmers to the Lindsay Powell Memorial Level 2 Meet at Plymouth, run by Exeter Swimming Club.
There was fierce competition from other clubs with plenty of county, regional and even national standard swimmers competing. Our team were undaunted and performed well with some fantastic PBs and hard-won medals, and more of those all-important Devon times being achieved.
As always, our swimmers did their best both in and out of the pool, supporting each other and enjoying the traditional Saturday night team meal for those staying over. Well done everyone!
Tiverton Sparkler
On the 6th of October, TASC took a club record 42 swimmers to the Tiverton Sparkler gala at the Exe Valley Leisure Centre. This is a brilliant local gala over one very long day with 50 freestyle, 100’s and 200’s in all strokes as well as a 100 IM.
From the off TASC were very strong and continued to dominate the racing all day with phenomenal swimming from all of the age groups, both girls and boys.
Swimmers even won several “Hot heats” and picked up a goody bag in recognition of their hard work. The lure of chocolate and sweets is obviously the way forward to encourage faster swimming!
At the end of a very long day, TASC came away with the Top Club award which just goes to show the camaraderie and team spirit showed by our swimmers and was in recognition of the countless medals, PB’s and incredible swims throughout this great gala.
In addition to this, Will Figes won the Top Boy award with Fletcher Powe also collecting 3rd place. Hope Unstead was runner-up in the Top Girl competition.
Huge congratulations to this fun, committed and hugely talented young squad who continue to go from strength to strength
Will Figes wins Top Boy & club captain Hope Unstead collects the Top Team award on behalf of all the TASC swimmers
Exeter Sprints
On Sunday September 22nd we took at team of 32 swimmers to the Exeter Sprint Meet at Plymouth Life Centre. Nearly every swimmer was competing in every event – 50m in each stroke and 100m IM, so it was expected to be a busy day making sure everyone was in the right place at the right time.
The team had a good range of age and ability for a Level 3 event, with swimmers in the first and last heats of many races, and some swimmers competing at their first external gala. Everyone swam brilliantly, behaved beautifully, and supported each other well with the older swimmers in the team helping out the younger ones.
We ended the day hot and tired as usual, but with a host of medals and PBs, and smiling faces all round. Well done to all our swimmers. A great start to the competitive season!
Tiverton Junior Team Gala
On Sunday the 15th of September, TASC took some of our younger and less experienced swimmers to the inaugural Tiverton Junior Team Gala. This was a gala between Tiverton, Barnstaple, Wellington, Crediton and TASC that was aimed at our 9-12 year olds only (age on the day), and also precluded any regionally qualified swimmers from taking part.
The format was brilliant, with individual events over 50m in all strokes as well as both freestyle and IM relays which always get the crowd and swimmers excited. TASC swimmers were superb and won may races throughout the afternoon. In the end we had to settle for second place behind Barnstaple after a very close competition which could have gone either way right up until the end.
TASC goes from strength to strength with our younger age groups and the future is extremely bright.
Collecting our runners-up trophy on behalf of all the swimmers is Phoebe Cook and William Prouse.
Devonport Summer Sizzler
It was a very successful weekend at the inaugural Devonport Summer Sizzler where we took a strong team of 25 swimmers to represent the club across both days. This was a new gala and it was expected to be a fun experience for all swimmers with hot heats and disco lights adding to the excitement.
Our swimmers all put on an excellent display, gaining many PB's and medals which made for some very exciting viewing.
Overall, TASC came away with 34 medals and a host of top finishing positions.
A special mention must go out to Adam Lawton who won a total of 9 medals from 10 events finishing as runner-up in the top boy competition. More amazingly, he achieved lots of PB's in these races too which is no mean feat at 16 years old.
TASC finished in 6th place from the 21 clubs that were competing.
A great weekend, and one that is sure to become a firm favourite on our events calendar.
Severnside Tritons
By Helena Drawer
On June 1st and 2nd we took a team of 18 swimmers to the Severnside Tritons Open Meet in Weston-super-Mare. This is a regular fixture in our competitive calendar, and one we all enjoy going to.
It promised to be a long, hot weekend right from the start, with the air conditioning at the pool kept at a comfortable 30 degrees! Some swimmers were just there for 1 day, others were in it for the whole weekend, and we had a mixture of ages and experience in the team. We came away with lots of PBs, medals, and some of those elusive Devon times (if they don’t change too much!), so well done everyone. Our younger swimmers coped well with the whole competition experience, and as always, Tritons were “on it” with the marshalling, making team managing a whole lot easier!
It was a long, tiring and fun weekend with a team meal on the Saturday night for those staying over – thank you to the staff at Frankie and Bennys for accommodating our table of 20 at late notice.
Devon County Sprints
By Helena Drawer
On Sunday June 9th we took a team of 14 swimmers to the Devon County ASA 2019 Sprint Gala. This is a competition where every swimmer competes in all four 50m races, swimming freestyle, butterfly, breaststroke and backstroke. So no picking your favourite stroke here!
The team was mostly our younger, less experienced swimmers, so there were plenty of nerves at the start and some basics of competing to understand. Over 400 swimmers took part in the gala, making warm-ups, marshalling and general access around the pool challenging at times. A particular well done to our boys who were in an all ages warm-up and managed to keep swimming and smiling! We didn’t win any medals, but came away with lots of PBs and some valuable experience to take forward to the next competitions. Most importantly, everyone had fun and enjoyed the day.
Well done to everyone who took part, you were a credit to the club and we’re looking forward to seeing you progress. A special thank you goes to Claire Meech for stepping in as assistant team manager, and to our older swimmers Anna Drawer and Ellen Webber for helping on the day.
Two Counties Level 3 Spring Meet
By Anna and Helena Drawer
Over the weekend of the 12th - 14th April 2019, 28 swimmers represented TASC at the Two Counties Spring Open Meet held at Plymouth Life Centre. It was fantastic to see so many of our swimmers there, and such a range of ages and abilities. We had swimmers who are old hands and have competed for years, some who have returned to competition after time out, and others who are just starting out in competition.
A highlight of the weekend was the “skins” competition, where the fastest 8 swimmers from the 100m IM go through to a knock-out competition, raced over 50m with the stroke pulled out of a hat for each round. On Saturday we had Harvey Reeves representing TASC in the 13 and under boys. With the first 3 rounds picked out as backstroke each time, Harvey swam well and won a well-deserved 3rd place. On Sunday it was the turn of the 14 and over girls, where we were strongly represented by Paige Unstead, Hope Unstead and Libby Brown. All three girls swam well, with Hope and Paige coming in at 4th and 6th respectively. Libby made it to the final round, only just coming 2nd in a nail-biting 50m breaststroke.
Throughout the entire competition all our swimmers performed brilliantly, with too many medals and PBs to list (for further details see 'Results' page) . It was wonderful to see the breadth of talent we have in the club, and with some very good young swimmers coming through the future looks promising.
PL Long Course Level 1 & 3 Spring Meet
By Anna and Helena Drawer
Over the weekend of March 30th – 31st, the club took a team of 9 swimmers to the Plymouth Leander Spring Regional Qualifier. This was a Level 1 & 3 meet in a long-course pool, so it was a bit different to many of the galas we attend during the year, with some national level swimmers competing.
Our swimmers had a great weekend, coming away with 6 gold medals, 3 silver and 2 bronze, as well as several 4th places and lots of PBs – and no DQs! This was a particularly good achievement in such stiff competition, and with ages being grouped together into 2-year bands. The meet was a long one with races going on well into the evening on both days, but our swimmers coped well with this and stayed in good humour throughout the meet. For some of our swimmers it was their first time competing at a long-course gala, but they rose to the challenge and weren’t daunted by the distance.
Well done to all who competed, you are a credit to the club and we’re proud of your achievements. See you all at Two Counties!
Medallists
Level 1
Adam Lawton (16) Silver 100 Back, Bronze 50 Back & 200 Back
Level 3
Anna Drawer (15) Gold 800 Free, Silver 1500 Free
Adam Lawton (16) Gold 100 Free
Lauren Parker (16) Gold 1500 Free
Ashton Puddifoot (13) Gold 50 Free, 100 Free & 400 Free, Silver 200 Free
Devon County Championships 2019
TASC sent a team of 22 swimmers to compete in the 2019 Devon County Championships, our largest team for several years.
We had many top 10 finishes and Emily Tyrrell won the 50m Backstroke Senior Title, the first title to be won by a TASC swimmer. She also won multiple age group medals and reached several Championships finals.
A great start to 2019!
Dartmoor Sprints 2019
The annual Dartmoor Sprints meet at Okehampton marked the start of the 2019 competitions. For many of our younger swimmers, this is their first time competing for TASC.
TASC coach Suz Tyrrell was very impressed with everyone's performance, from the 9/10 year old taking part in their first licensed meet to the older swimmers who've come back to competing after taking a break. All the hard work on learning their starts and turns really paid off as they nailed them along with some great swimming.
Lots of PBs and medals but mostly some very happy smiling faces, friendships being built and just enjoying the experience.
Gold Medals
James Figes (14) 50 Fly, 100 IM
Rosie Forwood (11) 50 Fly
Georgia Parker (11) 100 IM
Jessie Parker (13) 50 Free
Fletcher Powe (13) 50 Back, 50 Breast, 50 Fly, 50 Free, 100 IM
Taryn Powe (13) 50 Breast
Juliette Reed (13) 50 Back, 50 Fly, 100 IM
Ellen Webber (14) 50 Fly
Silver Medals
Harvey Cooper (11) 50 Breast
Harry Fanson (13) 50 Back, 50 Breast, 50 Fly, 100 IM
James Figes (14) 50 Back, 50 Breast, 50 Free
Jessie Parker (13) 100 IM
Roxie Powe (12) 50 Fly
Taryn Powe (13) 50 Back
Juliette Reed (13) 50 Breast, 50 Free
Ellen Webber (14) 50 Back, 50 Breast, 50 Free, 100 IM
Bronze Medals
Olivia Boulton (9) 50 Breast, 100 IM
Harvey Cooper (11) 50 Back, 50 Free, 100 IM
Harry Fanson (13) 50 Free
Rosie Forwood (11) 50 Breast
Henry Gaton (10) 50 Free
Georgia Parker (11) 50 Free
Jessie Parker (13) 50 Breast
Roxie Powe (12) 50 Back
Taryn Powe (13) 50 Fly, 50 Free, 100 IM
Eloise Prouse (9) 50 Back
William Prouse (12) 50 Back
Archie Reeves (9) 50 Back
Thomas Williams (13) 50 Back, 50 Breast, 50 Fly
November & December Meets
The months of November and December have been a busy time for TASC swimmers, with many securing their county times before the December deadline. Below is a summary of the medal winners at the various meets:
North Cornwall Dragons Meet
Gold Medals
Emily Forwood (14) 50 Breast, 100 Breast, 100 IM, 100 Free
Evan Jenkin (11) 100 Breast, 200 IM
Silver Medals
Phoebe Cook (11) 100 Fly, 200 IM
Evan Jenkin (11) 50 Breast, 50 Fly
Lola Meech (11) 50 Fly, 100 Fly
Bronze Medals
Imogen Cook (10) 100 Fly
Anna Drawer (14) 100 Back, 100 Breast, 800 Free
Evan Jenkin (11) 100 IM
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Plymouth Xmas Meet
Gold Medals
Ashton Puddifoot (11) 100 Fly, 200 Fly, 400 Free
Emily Tyrrell (16) 100 IM
Silver Medals
Ben Coles (10) 200 Breast, 200 Fly
Ashton Puddifoot (11) 50 Free, 200 IM
Emily Tyrrell (16) 50 Free, 100 Breast
Bronze Medals
Ashton Puddifoot (11) 100 IM
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Taunton Deane & Street Millfield Meet
Gold Medals
Adam Clewer (21) 50 Breast, 50 Free
Adam Lawton (15) 50 Fly, 100 IM, 200 IM
Hope Unstead (14) 200 Back, 200 IM
Silver Medals
Adam Clewer (21) 200 Breast
Phoebe Cook (11) 200 Fly
Adam Lawton (15) 50 Breast, 100 Back, 200 Back, 100 Fly, 200 Fly
Lola Meech (10) 200 Fly
Hope Unstead (14) 50 Back, 50 Breast, 100 Fly, 200 Fly
Bronze Medals
Adam Lawton (15) 50 Free
Lola Meech (10) 50 Free
Harvey Reeves (13) 200 Fly
Maisie Stevens (10) 100 IM
Tiverton Sparkler 2018
It was success all round for Torridgeside Swimming Club at the Tiverton Sparkler Meet last weekend.
The team of 27 swimmers won 63 medals, finishing third overall, behind Tiverton and Exeter who had at least twice as many swimmers competing.
There were many highlights including 15 year old William Figes winning the Top Boy award, narrowly beating his thirteen year old brother James. Hope Unstead was third in the Top Girl award.
Eddie Mitchell won an impressive 6 Gold medals in his 6 races and Ashton Puddifoot won all 4 of his races. For several swimmers these were their first competitive swimming medals.
Head Coach Andy Unstead said it was a privilege to coach of such a hard working and enthusiastic team and that they were a credit to their club.
Medalists:
Gold
Libby Brown (14) 200 Breast
James Figes (13) 200 Fly
William Figes (15) 100 Fly, 200 Fly, 100 IM
Lola Meech (10) 200 Fly
Eddie Mitchell (14) 50 Free, 100 Free, 200 Free, 100 Back, 200 Back, 100 IM
Lauren Parker (14) 100 Fly, 100 IM
Ashton Puddifoot (11) 50 Free, 100 Free, 200 Back, 200 Fly
Poppy Rooke (12) 100 Fly
Olivia Sayer (18) 100 Free
Hope Unstead (14) 100 Free, 200 Free, 200 Back, 200 Fly
Silver
Libby Brown (14) 100 Breast
William Figes (15) 50 Free, 200 Breast
Billie-Jo Ford(17) 100 Breast
Billy Mitchell (12) 100 IM, 200 Free, 200 Breast
Lauren Parker (14) 200 Free, 200 Fly
Sam Popham (15) 100 Breast, 100 Back, 100 Fly, 100 IM
Eloise Prouse (9) 100 Back
Harvey Reeves (13) 100 Back, 100 Breast
Poppy Rooke (12) 200 Breast
Hope Unstead (14) 50 Free, 100 Back
Bronze
Libby Brown (14) 50 Free, 100 Free
Imogen Cook (10) 100 Fly
Anna Drawer (14) 100 Fly, 200 Fly
James Figes (13) 100 Fly, 200 Back
William Figes (15) 100 Free, 200 Back
Henry Gaton (10) 50 Free
Ellie May Johns (9) 100 Back
Billie Mitchell (12) 100 Free
Jessie Parker (13) 100 Fly
Sam Popham (15) 50 Free
Harvey Reeves (13) 50 Free
Olivia Seward (16) 100 Breast, 200 Breast, 50 Free, 100 Free
Hope Unstead (14) 100 Breast
Welsh Summer Nationals 2018
From Monday 30 July until Sunday 5 August, 13 year old Emily Forwood was invited to take part in the Welsh National Championships at the Wales National Pool in Swansea.
She competed in 9 events during the week, just missing out on a final qualification in both 50m butterfly (30.92s) and 100m butterfly (1:11.13s), but qualified for a final place in the 50m backstroke when she finished in 5th place (32.94s), came home with a bronze medal and a new PB in 1500m freestyle (19:37.76s) and silver medal and a new PB in 200m butterfly (2:33.38s).
She was presented with her silver medal by Rio paralympic breaststroke champion Aaron Moores.This was a great result for her first time attending this meet and is looking forward to even more success at next year's event.
A massive thank you to Head Coach Andy Unstead, for all his effort in preparing Emily for this competition, and despite not being present at the competition in Swansea, watched every race as it was streamed live and continued to provide advice via social media throughout the week.
Larry Hill rewarded by ASA
Our long standing and much loved coach Larry Hill recently attended a prestigious lunch at the University of Birmingham where he received the Amateur Swimming Association's (ASA) Silver award in the category of Services to Aquatics. The award was presented by Rio 2016 Olympic diving bronze medallist Dan Goodfellow and Rio 2016 Paralympic swimming gold medallist Ellie Robinson.
Larry has been involved with Torridgeside Amateur Swimming Club (TASC) for over 40 years and has inspired generations of young swimmers. Congratulations Larry, we're all very proud of you!
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