By Noelle Smith
Last year seemed a good year for the Dorado Speed Swim Club which continued to develop its swimmers on the local and international circuits.
Dorado swimmers made national teams the previous year representing Guyana at the Carifta Open Water events.
The club also hosted the inaugural Inter-Club pentathlon.
National swimmers Daniel Scott and Alex Winter made their debut in the open water discipline of the Carifta Games in The Bahamas.
The youngsters were also part of the team that participated at the Subway Maracas Open Water competition in Trinidad in 2016 where they came away with two trophies in the 2650m and the 5k events.
Scott was the lone Dorado swimmer representing Guyana at the Commonwealth Youth Games, also held in The Bahamas.
Lian Winter, younger sister of Alex, was one of the three-member team to earn a place in the pool of the same competition swimming in the girls’ 11-12 age category.
The Open water swimmers were accompanied by Coach Ewin Enmore.
Winter also swam at the Goodwill Swimming Championships, claiming a meet record in the girls 11-12 100m backstroke.
The club hosted the very first Inter-Club pentathlon meet at the National Aquatic Centre in September where, for a shot at the age group title, the swimmers had to swim five races, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, freestyle and an individual medley. The distance swam was determined by the age groups.
The host club emerged champions of the inaugural meet earning the highest points. Dorado took home the age group championships in several age groups including the girls 11-12 (Lian Winter) and the boys 15 and over (Daniel Scott).
In December, the young swimmers produced one of their better performances representing their club at the annual Amateur Swimming Association of Trinidad and Tobago (ASATT) Invitational Swimming Championships at the National Aquatic Centre. The ASATT Invitational, held in Couva, Trinidad, is open to swimmers from around the Caribbean and is used to qualify for upcoming meets in the new year.
Dorado’s 17 member contingent finished 11th out of 28 teams.
The younger members of the club performed well at the meet as they entered the top 10 in their races out of upward of 20 competitors.
Among the outstanding juniors was Monique Watson who finished eighth overall from 32 girls in her age group. Kyra Soares and Vladimir Woodroffe also performed exceptionally at the long course meet to aid in their club earning 11 place.
Guyana’s national swim team, which finished third at the Goodwill Swimming Championships, included eight swimmers from Dorado.
Teams traveled to Guyana from Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Barbados, St. Lucia, The Bahamas and Grenada in August to compete in the Development Meet. Trinidad and Tobago won the meet at the end of the four-day competition, with Suriname taking second and Guyana third. The Winters, Scott, Woodroffe, Watson, Soares, Donna Carter, Giselle Crane and Elliot Gonsalves were the Dorado swimmers on the team.
Apart from the swimmers, coaches Jaime Skeete and Shyka Gonsalves progressed to their Level Three Certification from the American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA).
The aim for the local swim club is to have more of their swimmers making national teams and to continue working hard. A member of the club told Stabroek Sport that this year the club will be celebrating its 25th anniversary as a registered club with the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) in March and they are going to be celebrating.
