Events Highlights
Menzieshill Whitehall Swimming and Water Polo Club
Tenerife Top Training, T3, was this year’s destination for Menzieshill Whitehall Swimming and Water Polo Club’s training camp. Despite team building trips to Aberfeldy and Alton Towers in the past, this was the Club’s first training camp abroad as the joint Menzieshill Whitehall Club. Twenty five swimmers, ranging from 9 to 23 years, together with 5 coaches and some adult volunteers, took the opportunity to join the training camp.
The camp took a year of planning, and involved hard training sessions by the swimmers to ensure they got the maximum benefit from it. The club undertook a range of fundraising endeavours, including quiz and bingo nights, BBQ, scratch cards, Tesco bag pack, sponsored Aquathlon and the very impressive Bridge to Bridge swim, all of which in total raised nearly £5000 for the club, which was partly used to fund the trip.
Nineteen of the Club’s swimmers completed the Bridge to Bridge swim in August, which is organised annually by Ye Amphibious Ancient Bathing Association (YeABBA).
Monday 8th October 2012 finally arrived and, having all successfully met at Menzieshill High School, all looking very smart in our new club kit, red hoody and azure blue t-shirt, as well as a red breathable t shirt for training and swim cap packed safely in our bags, which was all kindly sponsored by Care Electrical Ltd and supplied by Allison Stiven, both local Dundee companies, we set off for Edinburgh Airport.
After the 4 ½ hour flight, we arrived on Monday evening to a heat of 28oC and were transported to our Hotel, Jardin Caleta, a short 20 minute journey away.
The accommodation was of an excellent standard, and we were provided with a buffet style for breakfast, lunch and dinner, which were always stocked well with a range of foods. For breakfast, we had a huge choice between cereal, pastries, traditional cooked breakfast, fruit, cheeses and ham. For lunch and dinner, we were offered meat, fish, pasta, fresh salad bar, and desserts.
The T3 complex, located in La Caleta, Costa Adeje, and only a 15 minute walk up hill from our hotel, was absolutely outstanding, incorporating a 50m Olympic outdoor pool, a 25m outdoor pool, a 330m, 3 lane athletics track, 3 fully equipped beach volleyball courts, 2 clay tennis, 2 squash and 7 glass paddle courts, 2 fully equipped gyms, an indoor flume channel, natural and artificial grass pitches for football and rugby, both FIFA approved, a beach soccer field, a wellness area, training equipment, teams and trainer changing rooms, physiotherapy and equipment rooms. Not only are they first class facilities, the staff were extremely welcoming and very helpful.
During the training camp, we trained in the 50 m pool each day for 2 hours, and spent 1 hour land training, utilising the athletics track, one of the grass areas and beach volley ball courts. We also made use of the indoor flume channel with 3D videosystem and underwater observation window.
The swimmers were all remarkable in getting up, especially as we had some early morning rises at 6.15 am and, on the final day, started training in the floodlit pool before sunrise!
We did manage to have some time in the afternoons to have some fun and enjoyed the Eden catamaran whale and dolphin watching trip, Siam Water Park, and, on our last day, made use of the very nice pool facility at the hotel.
The trip was a huge success, enjoyed by both the swimmers, coaches and adult volunteers, and we hope to start our fundraising campaign soon to enable us to visit the complex again in the near future.
Success for Dundee Wildcats
British Taekwon Do Championships, Kidderminster.
6 Dundee Wildcats Taekwon Do Club students competed at the British Taekwon Do Championships in Kidderminster and returned home with a total of 23 trophies. Every member of the team contributed to this impressive haul of trophies. The team was joined on the trip by many family and friends who provided fantastic support. The team members were Nicole Dowdles, Zoe Hutcheson, Gill Hutcheson & Jim Prevost (all Blackbelt) and Kane Stone & Lyn Bryceland (Colour Belts). Congratulations to the whole team!
Clean Sweep for Dundee Gymnasts
Young Dundee Gymnasts competed yesterday in the Gordon Foster Memorial competition in Bell’s Sports Centre in Perth. The competition was in memory of Mr Foster’s contribution to Gymnastics in Scotland and the competition proved to be an excellent forum for gymnasts at the development and elite levels to exhibit their talents.
Development and Performance Clubs from all over Scotland came together to compete for accolades and Dundee Gymnasts Club (DGC2K) did not disappoint. The level 6 competition was won by team DGC2K: Abbie McDonald, Maia Ramzan, Ruby Hutton, Caitlin McAuley, Rebecca McComack and Alisha Moran. The girls stormed ahead of the rest of the field and attained Team Gold with the individual performances of Abbie McDonald and Ruby Hutton showing expressive artistic prowess.
It was then on to the elite competition where the big guns were coming in from Glasgow, Largs, Westlothain and Aberdeenshire. Jordan Archibald, who was suffering from a back injury, was determined that she would compete along with her team members: Kirsty Campbell, Hayley Bell, Jennifer Brankin, Sarah McKenzie, Sophia Ramzan and Rosa Holm-Huxley. The girls held their grit throughout the competition and demonstrated their technical abilities which resulted in team Gold.
DGC2K is absolutely delighted and are looking forward to moving into the new purpose built Dick McTaggart Gymnastics Centre.
Head Coach Beate Petersen said that the club will now have the opportunity to build on the success as they will now have the appropriate facilities conducive to the overall technical development of gymnasts wishing to aspire within the performance arena. The Commonwealth Games are also drawing nearer and the facility will play a crucial role in relation in the preparation for selections for Jordan Archibald and Kirsty Campbell who are Senior Scottish Gymnasts .