By Mikayla Van Loon
Lilydale Swimming Club walked away winners from the inaugural Yarra Ranges Cup, a friendly competition with Monbulk and Healesville swimmers last week.
Bringing together swimmers from under eight to over 16 years old at the Yarra Centre on Sunday 15 October, various heats were drawn, with points awarded for each race.
“We ran 50 backstroke, 50 butterfly, 50 breaststroke, and then 50 freestyle. So in the short pool, it was good, that was up and back for everyone,” Lilydale Swimming Club president Andrew Lynch said.
“There were some great competitions and really close calls on some of the races. The closest one was 0.6 of a second between first and second.
“So some of the races were really tight and it looked like all the spectators got involved. The kids were yelling and cheering. It was pretty, pretty loud at some points but it was really good to see that.”
This was the first time the three clubs have competed in a friendly sense, despite Lilydale and Monbulk doing a cross club event and sometimes getting to verse each other at larger competitions, as well as Lilydale’s own tournaments.
“Every month, we run our internal club competition, where they get to compete in two different strokes and then we do different ones for the year. We then gather points and award the best swimmers for the year,” Lynch said.
“But this one was definitely just a fun environment for the kids to just get in there and have a go.”
Pleased with how the event ran and the social interaction it gave the participants, as well as the competition, Lynch said was encouraging and hopes the clubs can continue the tradition each year.
“It was good, especially for the younger ones who haven’t competed in any district events to actually have a go at what it feels like,” he said.
“But also, even for the older kids who do local district events and then the state events to just come somewhere that the pressure is not really on, you can just have fun.
“Normally in a state event it’s all regimented, there’s people up in the stands, it’s a little bit less personal and less friendly. This was a great chance, especially for Healesville who don’t compete very often, to see what that’s like.”
