VPHS Magazine 2014 | Page 174

VPHS Full Eastern Province Colours Provincial Colours in Open Water Swims Sundays River Mile (mens mile), 5th place Sundays River Mile (wetsuit mile), 5th place SA National Life Saving, 3rd place in the surf swim SA National Life Saving, 2nd place in the team swim Ocean Series, 2nd place the Open Water Swimming Championships held in Durban. As intimidating as it was, I managed a top 20 placing in my age group in both 3km and 5km swims. The experience brought mixed emotions, but I enjoyed it in the end. Although swimming in the “regular” competitions was enjoyable, I was elated to participate in the Irish Age Group Championships held in Dublin. Touring with my swimming club, PEASC (Port Elizabeth Amateur Swimming Club) began when we flew to Johannesburg, from Johannesburg to Dubai and finally Dubai to Dublin. It was not all hard work and dedication. We had a lot of fun at the Alex Toffee Gala in February and the Pearson Relay Gala in March The beginning of the second term saw our most dedicated swimmers in the gym to ensure a level of fitness out of season. Unfortunately, our regular indoor swimming pool where we train has been out of commission for quite some time, so we have made alternative arrangements to keep in shape. Touring through Dublin was an amazing experience. Sight-seeing and shopping was by far our favourite activity as we got to see the history of Dublin. Buying souvenirs and clothes at a discount was a bonus. Although we had fun, we needed to get serious for the next day too. Our upcoming 2014/15 season is looking promising with the swimming team growing in great numbers and looking amazing in their new kits. The season ended with two of our swimmers qualifying for the top 8 EP gala held in Uitenhage. Dale Kotze and Juan Henning both made the Eastern Province B squads. The morning of the gala was filled with mixed emotions. There were over 600 swimmers participating and the pres