Swimming Gala
On Thursday 2nd February, the School hosted a Swimming Gala for the first time in three years, welcoming King’s Bruton for a fast-paced afternoon of even faster swimming.
The Wells Swim Squad have been hard at work in their training sessions throughout the year and were keen to use the Gala as an exercise to test their progress against some strong opposition ahead of larger upcoming competitions. Swimming captains Mia Coakes Santamaria and Lara Keirle (Upper Sixth) led the warm-up and before long, the excited group were ready to get underway. With 24 swimmers taking part in the Wells team alone, the poolside came with a supportive (albeit noisy!) atmosphere for both Schools, aided by the closeness of many of the races which led to raucous cheering.
The Gala began with the 100m Individual Medley which saw Ian Leung (Year 11) and Emily Trotman (Upper Sixth) take first place, settling everyone’s nerves and inspiring confident performances from our Prep pupils. Both the girls’ and the boys’ teams were quick to react to the whistle and executed some brilliant starts and turns, gaining the edge over the opposition for a 6 point lead at the halfway point.
The Seniors then set a fine example to their younger peers; the relay teams looked well drilled in some excellent performances, with swimmers achieving some huge personal bests including Maddie Wilkins and Justin Chan (Upper Sixth) breaking the 40 second barrier for the first time.
The Gala ended with Wells winning with 82 points to King’s Bruton’s 71, putting us in a strong position for the upcoming Bath Cup.
Mr Stephens, the School’s Head of Swimming, said; “The Gala was a brilliant event. Everyone enjoyed themselves and we saw some fast swimming. I look forward to hosting another Gala in the not too distant future.“
Well done to all of our swimmers on a fantastic performance.
The Wells Swim Squad have been hard at work in their training sessions throughout the year and were keen to use the Gala as an exercise to test their progress against some strong opposition ahead of larger upcoming competitions. Swimming captains Mia Coakes Santamaria and Lara Keirle (Upper Sixth) led the warm-up and before long, the excited group were ready to get underway. With 24 swimmers taking part in the Wells team alone, the poolside came with a supportive (albeit noisy!) atmosphere for both Schools, aided by the closeness of many of the races which led to raucous cheering.
The Gala began with the 100m Individual Medley which saw Ian Leung (Year 11) and Emily Trotman (Upper Sixth) take first place, settling everyone’s nerves and inspiring confident performances from our Prep pupils. Both the girls’ and the boys’ teams were quick to react to the whistle and executed some brilliant starts and turns, gaining the edge over the opposition for a 6 point lead at the halfway point.
The Seniors then set a fine example to their younger peers; the relay teams looked well drilled in some excellent performances, with swimmers achieving some huge personal bests including Maddie Wilkins and Justin Chan (Upper Sixth) breaking the 40 second barrier for the first time.
The Gala ended with Wells winning with 82 points to King’s Bruton’s 71, putting us in a strong position for the upcoming Bath Cup.
Mr Stephens, the School’s Head of Swimming, said; “The Gala was a brilliant event. Everyone enjoyed themselves and we saw some fast swimming. I look forward to hosting another Gala in the not too distant future.“
Well done to all of our swimmers on a fantastic performance.
