Category: Swimming

Sport Results, Swimming

On a beautiful Wednesday morning, 5 March, Union High School proudly hosted the much-anticipated 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗦 𝗚𝗔𝗟𝗔, bringing together the Karoo, Albany and Amathola districts for an exciting day of competition.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘥, 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘮𝘱𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘒𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺.

Congratulations to all swimmers who participated, especially those from Union who secured impressive placings:

● 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁: 1st in 50m Backstroke, 3rd in both 50m Breaststroke and 50m Butterfly

● 𝗚𝗲𝗺𝗺𝗮 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘆: 1st in 50m Freestyle, 2nd in 50m Butterfly

● 𝗧𝗮𝘆𝗹𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗯𝘀: 1st in both 50m Freestyle and 50m Backstroke

● 𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝗞𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮-𝗞𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘇𝗮: 3rd in 50m Backstroke

We’d also like to extend a shoutout to 𝗠𝗮𝗰𝗞𝗲𝗻𝘇𝗶𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻 and 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝗮 𝗠𝗰𝗘𝘄𝗮𝗻, who played vital roles in the winning relay teams, contributing to the team’s overall success.

Sport Results, Swimming

On Saturday, 19 October, the Newton Park Swimming Pool in Gqeberha became a hub of excitement as it hosted the highly anticipated B Age Schools Gala.

This year, the event drew participation from 31 Eastern Cape schools, spanning from the Inland areas to East London, and featured an impressive total of 1 001 entries.

A special 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗢𝗨𝗧 goes to all the swimmers from Union High School, Graaff-Reinet who took part in this gala.

𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺, 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘛𝘰𝘱 10 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘢.

𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀 made an impressive mark by securing:
• 5th place in the 50m Breaststroke
• 7th place in the 50m Freestyle, achieving a personal best time of 30.64 seconds.

𝗞𝘆𝗹𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗲𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗴 competing in his first B Age Gala, demonstrated remarkable skill with:
• 6th place in the 50m Breaststroke
• 8th place in the 50m Freestyle.

𝗘𝘀𝗲𝘁𝗵𝘂 𝗠𝗮𝗯𝘂𝗹𝗮 also displayed commendable performance, achieving:
• 6th place in the 50m Butterfly
• 9th place in the 50m Backstroke, with a time improvement of 2.22 seconds
• 10th place in the 14 & Over 100m Freestyle
• 4th place in the 14 & Over 100m Breaststroke
• 10th place in the 50m Breaststroke for 15 & Over
• 15th place in the 50m Freestyle for 15 & Over.

𝗚𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗮 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲 contributed to the team’s success with her strong finishes, including:
• 9th place in the 50m Butterfly and 13 & Over 100m Freestyle
• 10th place in the 50m Backstroke
• 4th place in the 100m Breaststroke
• 12th place in the 50m Breaststroke
• 13th place in the 50m Freestyle.

𝗭𝗼ë 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 rounded off the exceptional performances by clinching:
• 3rd place in both the 14 & Over 100m and 50m Breaststroke
• 4th place in the 50m Backstroke, 50m Freestyle, and 14 & Over 100m Freestyle
• 5th place in the 50m Butterfly.

Additionally, 𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝗞𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮-𝗞𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘇𝗮 showcased her talent with:
• 6th place in the 13 & Over 100m Breaststroke
• 7th in the 50m Backstroke
• 9th in both the 50m Fly and 50m Freestyle
• 10th in the 100m Freestyle
• 13th in the 50m Breaststroke.

Newcomer 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝗮 𝗠𝗰𝗘𝘄𝗮𝗻 impressed with her outstanding performances, notably:
• 1st place in the 100m Breaststroke, a phenomenal achievement
• 6th in the 50m Fly
• 7th in the 13 & Over 100m Freestyle
• 8th in the 50m Breaststroke
• 16th in the 50m Freestyle.

𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝗹 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 also made waves, finishing:
• 2nd in the 50m Fly
• 2nd in the 13 & Under 100m Freestyle, with a time improvement of 9.54 seconds
• 3rd in the 50m Backstroke and 13 & Under 100m Breaststroke
• 4th in the 50m Freestyle
• 5th in the 50m Breaststroke.

𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨!

Sport Results, Swimming

𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗝𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗢𝗥𝗦 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗮𝘁 𝗞𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗼 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗮

The annual Karoo Gala was held in the Hoër Volkskool swimming pool, on Wednesday afternoon, 22 February.

In events ranging from u/9 through to the Open swimmers, 104 events in total, our swimmers made a difference by seeing that the Union lanes were filled where ever possible.

Congratulations to Union’s juniors, who claimed the win for Union in the Primary Schools’ section with 457 points, followed by Laer Volkskool in second place (335), Gill Primary in third place with 157 points, the Homeschoolers in 4th place (49) and Cradock Primary in fifth place (18).

𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 to Union Preparatory School, Graaff-Reinet Grade 4 learners, Taylor Jacobs and Mateo Schoeman, who were announced as the 𝗝𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗢𝗥 𝗩𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗫 and 𝗩𝗜𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗥 𝗟𝗨𝗗𝗢𝗥𝗨𝗠, respectively.

Their superb solo swims saw Taylor setting a new 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗 in the Girls u/10 4x25m Individual Medley, Girls u/10 50m Freestyle and the Girls u/10 50m Backstroke, while Mateo broke the 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗𝗦 in the Boys u/10 50m Breaststroke and the Boys u/10 50m Backstroke.

The UPS u/10 Girls’ relay team, comprised of Taylor Jacobs, Klara van Jaarsveld, Allison Gilfillan and Catie Davenport, also added to Union’s point tally, improving the Medley Relay 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗 time with 7 seconds! They also claimed the win in the Freestyle Relay.

The UPS u/10 Boys’ relay team, comprised of Mateo Schoeman, Michael Finlaison, Dan Davenport and Grant Murray, also didn’t hold back, smashing the 𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗥𝗗 time in the Medley Relay by 10 seconds and winning the Freestyle Relay comfortably.

(𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘝𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘴𝘬𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴, 𝘑𝘑 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘡𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘯 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘸𝘺𝘬, 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵.)

With regards to the 𝗦𝗘𝗡𝗜𝗢𝗥 𝗦𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡, Union extends its congratulations to Hoër Volkskool, on coming out victorious.

Here, Volkskool’s Kate-Lynn Kruger claimed the title of senior Victrix Ludorum, while Marlow’s Hennie Snyman won the Victor Ludorum title.

Union claimed second place in the senior girls’ section, with the boys coming in third in theirs.

𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗟 𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗘 to all our swimmers who competed in this event! You were 𝗔𝗠𝗔𝗭𝗜𝗡𝗚 and we look forward to the announcement of the Karoo team in the next couple of days.

In closing, we’d like to extend our thanks to our coaches and parents for all they do, and to our friends from Volkskool on a well run gala and for being excellent hosts

Sport Results, Swimming

On Friday evening, 28 February, seven Union High School swimmers participated in the Top 8 Invitational Gala at the Newton Park Swimming Pool in Port Elizabeth.

The Top 8 Gala is the culmination of the season’s ‘B’ Age Group Galas where the region’s top 8 swimmers in each age group and each stroke are selected to participate.

The atmosphere at the pool was, as always, very festive, with great camaraderie, friendly rivalry and good sportsmanship prevailing among the different schools.

Sport Results, Swimming

Congratulations to the following Union High School swimmers who have been selected for the Karoo team that will be participating at the Inter-Districts Gala in Grahamstown on Thursday, 5 March:

Grace Kemp, Brogan Koeberg, Callum Jacobs, Daisy Sears, Matthew Paxton, Hayden Pienaar and Daniel Marais.

Sport Results, Swimming

Several Union youngsters took on the 96th River Mile at the Sundays River Cannonville Slipway this past Sunday morning, 23 February, joining hundreds of other swimmers who competed in this year’s edition of Africa’s oldest open-water swimming event.

• Seven Unionites were among the 200 participants in the Men’s River Mile.

Sport Results, Swimming

The annual Interschools swimming gala between the Union Schools and Laer and Hoër Volkskool was held on Wednesday afternoon, 19 February.

A THRILLING performance by the swim stars of these two schools treated spectators to an exhilarating show of athleticism.

Union is indebted to Hoër Volkskool who, once again, made their fantastic facilities available for the event.

Sport Results, Swimming

On Tuesday afternoon, 11 February, the Union High School pool witnessed a very exciting Interhouse Swimming Gala that contained an abundance of enthusiasm, physical effort and polished swimming strokes.

This was the first gala hosted by Union in the school’s swimming pool since it was revamped last year and the Houses rallied their swimmers for this long-standing friendly competition between Daly and Arnott.

While all the races were closely contested, a dedicated team of timekeepers stood poised with their stopwatches at one end of the pool, with house supporters and teams cheering enthusiastically from the sides.

Sport Results, Swimming

Eleven Union High School swimmers participated in the ‘B’ Age Group Gala at the Newton Park Swimming Pool in Port Elizabeth on Saturday, 1 February, competing in 24 events in total.

It was a debut meeting for swimmers Grace Kemp, Matthew Davenport, Daniel Marais and Luc Railton.  These swimmers did very well and will now be able to compete to improve their times at future meetings.