Samantha and Mandy in the swim
A Blue Ocean Aquatics swimmer has been selected for the KZN Junior Elite Squad.
BLUE Ocean Aquatics swimmer Samantha Labuschagne has been selected for the KZN Junior Elite Squad. She is one of 20 swimmers in the province to be on this squad and the only swimmer on the South Coast to have made it.
Criteria for selection are based on FINA points and overall performance. She is paid a small amount of money to assist with her training and preparation of her training to get her to the best performance. This squad has also been offered a position in the Mare Nostrum Swim Tour to Monaco, France and Spain.
The swimmers are required to maintain an upward performance throughout the season and to attend team meetings, swim camps, specialist sessions and fitness tests. There are reports required every month on the swimmers’ performance, training session attendance and mileage swum. This is an outstanding achievement for Samantha and her coach, Mandy Koegelenberg.
Coach Mandy is back in the water doing some great swims after a long lay-off. Recently she swam at a masters’ gala in Durban and did very well, improving her times from the gala she swam in November. The club is very proud of Mandy’s achievements. She swam the following events and times: 50 free – 35.24; 100 free – 1.14.63; 400 free – 5.28.12; 50back – 38.32 and 100back – 1.26.81.
Mandy will swim at the KZN masters’ provincial championships on February 15 and 16, as well as Masters’ Nationals in Bloemfontein in March.
