No snags at high class meet for Step Rock swimmers

Step Rock swimmers Rowan Geary, Finch Geary, Fraser Stewart, Anna Suttie, Sam Coull and Ellie Wilson

Held recently at the 50m Tollcross pool in Glasgow, the team had collectively accumulated over 60 swims which met the stringent times to even be considered for entry to this prestigious event.

Fraser Stewart, 15, led the way in the first of 15 sessions over the course of the five days with PBs in both his 100m backstroke and 50m butterfly events, and a first-ever long course swim in the 200m breaststroke.

Taking confidence from this start and demonstrating his versatility across all strokes, Stewart went on to qualify in for two finals, the 200m butterfly and 400m Individual Medley, with a highest-placed finish of sixth.

Qualifying for his events at SNAGs only days before the entry deadline, Rowan Geary, 15, contested three events: the 100m, 200m and 50m backstroke. Getting within a second of his PB in the 100m, he took over 13secs off his 200m time to take 23rd place, and shaved hundredths off his 50m time too.

Anna Suttie, 15, was the next to go, qualifying in 100m, 50m and 200m freestyle. Despite racing well in each event, she was fractionally off her PBs, with a best finish of 24th.

Step Rock had three swimmers in the 11-14 age group: Sam Coull, Finch Geary, both 13, and Ellie Wilson, 12, each qualifying in nine or more events.

Coull’s hefty schedule gained him six PBs, seven first swims, and one final, finishing eighth in a highly competitive 50m breaststroke.

Coull also entered the 1500m freestyle, a particularly challenging event to swim long course, gaining his highest placed finish of sixth.

From his 10 events, Finch Geary gained four new PBs, and two first swims - his best placing being 11th in the 400m IM.

Wilson’s SNAGs highlight was in the 200m freestyle on day five, where a composed heat swim saw her reach her first national final, finishing eighth in a new PB, one place below her best placing of seventh in the heat-declared 400m freestyle.

A Step Rock club spokesperson said it was amazing for a small volunteer-run club to have so many swims at the nationals this year where the swimmers had great fun.