Dearne Valley Swimming Club

On 10^th July Natasha Oates (14 years) competed at the British Learning Disability Swimming Championships at Ponds Forge, Sheffield.

This event is a unique partnership between 3 major learning disability sports organisations – Mencap Sport, Special Olympics GB and the Down Syndrome Swimming Organisation (GB).

This event is open to anyone with an IQ of less than 75 and swimmers of all ages from 12yrs upwards compete against other swimmers in races that are arranged so that each swimmer is swimming against competitors within 10% of their entry times.  Each heat is then awarded medals.

Natasha was swimming for Dearne Valley Swimming Club, which is a disability inclusive mainstream swimming club.   Because of Natasha’s times she  qualified for  the fastest heat in all of her events.  This meant that she was mainly swimming against much older and (at 4 foot 8 inches tall) much   taller swimmers, all of  whom compete at national level and some who swim in the GB squad.

Natasha swam 6 races:

50 metres Breast Stroke – 5^th Place (PB)

100 metres Breast stroke – 5^th Place (PB)

50 metres Freestyle – 6^th Place (PB)

100 metres Freestyle – 4^th Place

50 metres Butterfly – Bronze Medal (PB)

100 metres Individual Medley – Silver Medal

She was one of the top 6 female swimmers at the event and had her photograph taken with the Sponsors Westfield Health for the Sheffield newspapers.

[Photo Courtesy of HR Media Ltd]