Dedication and hard work paid off for Largs synchro swimmer Ailidh Brobyn as she claimed a silver medal at the Scottish National championships in Glasgow.
The 12-year-old joined North Ayrshire teammate Erin Patten in the duet competition, making it two years in a row the club has achieved a podium place at the prestigious event against teams from across the UK.
“Ailidh and Erin have made big improvements in the last year and they put in many extra hours practising in their own time,” reveals their coach, Emma Miller. “It’s paid off handsomely and we’re absolutely delighted for them.”
Both girls also made big improvements in the individual events. Ailidh finished 4th in both figures and solo, while Erin climbed further up the field with a 7th place finish in both. Having passed her Grade 3 earlier in the season she was eligible to swim a solo.
Grace Thom finished just out of the top ten in 11th place in figures after achieving her Grade 2 in May. “She should be really proud of that,” says Emma. “She’s only 10 so she’s got another two years in the age group and I’m looking for her to be putting in the work and keep making improvements, so she’ll be able to swim a solo next year.
“It’s given us a good basis for next year because Erin will still be in the 12 years and under group, so her experience will be an added value to the team and she’ll most likely be paired with Grace for the duet.
In the 13-15 age group, Danielle Ternent jumped 20 places in figures from 31st to 11th.
“That’s an amazing improvement. She’s worked really hard this year to gain her grade 4 and next year she’ll be going up an age group,” says their coach.
“She swam with her sister, Kerry, in the 19 and under recreational duet, finishing 6th overall, and the top Scottish pairing. They don’t usually swim together but some of the team weren’t able to compete in Glasgow because of prior commitments, so a month ago we decided to put them together and they worked really hard to perfect their routine and swam it very well.”
“The whole weekend was a great success for the club. Last year was our first nationals, and to have two 12-and-under girls qualifying for their solos, and for Danielle to have made such a big improvement, shows we’re going in the right direction as a club.