Enniskillen Lakelanders Host Junior Gala
12 Nov 2023
Enniskillen Lakelanders host their first Junior Gala of the Season
Thank you Mary Ann Salcedo for the photos :-)
Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club held their first fundraising Gala of the season on Sunday 12th November, with an event aimed at younger swimmers. Joining competitors from the local club were 13 visiting clubs from around the Ulster region. For many of the 8-14-year-old competitors, this would be their first taste of individual competition, that all important first step for every sportsperson.
Swim Ireland referee Lars Beheme oversaw the 226 excited swimmers in attendance. Lars was supported by strong group of 50 parents and older swimmers volunteering from the Lakelanders club which helped ensure that the busy gala ran smoothly. It was a successful event for the Lakelanders raising much needed club funds and giving swimmers the chance to put their training into practise and show off their talents with a haul of 54 medals and over 100 PBs on the day.
Gold medals were achieved by Mollie Kate Brewster (8) 50m Breaststroke, Michael Carron (10) 50m Breaststroke, Darragh Collins (12) 50m Breaststroke, Sophie Hanna (11) 50m Backstroke, Jakub Mikiewicz Lumayad (9) 50m Backstroke, Butterfly, Breaststroke and Freestyle, Crea Mullen (11) 50m & 100m Freestyle, Ava Neal (13) 50m & 100m Breaststroke, 100m Backstroke, Erin Salcedo (13) 100m Freestyle, younger sister Keira Salcedo (11) 100m Breaststroke and Emma Speer (12) 50m Breaststroke.
The medals continued to flow with Silver positions awarded to Mollie Kate Brewster (8) 50m Freestyle, Butterfly & Backstroke, Daire Burke (11) 100m Breaststroke, Darragh Collins (12) 50m Freestyle & 100m Breaststroke, Emmett Coyle (11) 50m Breaststroke, Finn Coyle (8) 50m Backstroke & Freestyle, Lorcan Doherty (14) 100m Breaststroke, Sophie Hanna (11) 100m Backstroke, Nimah Howell (9) 50m Backstroke, 50m Butterfly, Myleene Leonard (12) 50m Freestyle, Tori Lilly (13) 50m Breaststroke, Martha McCreesh (12) 50m Butterfly, 100m Backstroke, Joseph McKenna (8) 50m Breaststroke, Anton Neal (12) 50m Breaststroke, Ava Neal (13) 100m Freestyle, Erin Salcedo (13) 50m Butterfly, 100m Backstroke, 50m Freestyle & 100m Breaststroke, Keira Salcedo (11) 50m Breaststroke, Emma Speer (12) 100m Breaststroke.
Bronze medals were secured by Enda Burke (13) 100m Freestyle & 50m Breaststroke, Michael Carron (10) 50m Backstroke, Josh Cassidy (13) 50m Backstroke, Emmett Coyle (11) 100m Breaststroke, Finn Coyle (8) 50m Breaststroke, Clara Leonard (10) 50m Backstroke & 50m Breaststroke, Martha McCreesh (12) 100m Freestyle, Russell Mikievicz Lumayad (13) 100m Backstroke, Ryan Mongan (13) 100m Breaststroke and Tori Reid (13) 100m Breaststroke.
Not only did the local swimmers top the board on the medals count but many impressed their coaches by their strong swimming and new PBs including Charles Armstrong (11), Holly Barkley (12), Shannon Brennan (12), Rebecca Curran (12), Anna May Hill (12), Katie James (13), Maddie Maguire (11), Gavin Man (12), Tiana Mbeulani (10), Holly McCabe (12), Olivia McCaffrey (13), Katie McGowan (11), James McSorley (10), Luna Murphy (12), Tadhg Murphy (12), Ella Neal (11), Kealan Rice (10), Maia Rolston-McAuliffe (12) & Finley Walker- Leonard (12).
A large number of our young swimmers were competing at an individual meet for the first time – some of whom have only joined the club in the past three weeks including Leah Bannon (11), Domhnall Burke (9), Ella Rose Carron (8), Maria Clifford (9), Conor Collins (10), Tara Collins (8), Rachel Curran (10), Joshua Hill (10), Orlaith Howell (8), April Huang (9), Emily Irvine (8), Ciara Kennedy (10), Ellie Kennedy (9), Elin O’Donohue (9), Daithi Owens (10), Erin Quigley (11), Natalie Swidani (10) and Tori Veitch (10).
Chairperson Aideen Speer expressed her thanks to a wide range of people who all came together to make the Junior gala a success - praising all club members for their help and support, events like these can only run with the help and hard work of the volunteers. Thanks are also expressed to the staff at the Fermanagh Lakeland Forum for facilitating our event. The club are indebted to the generous sponsorship provided by local businesses (FM Metals, Enniskillen Tyre Centre, Mullen Domestic, Campbell Contracts Ltd, Cassidy and McCreesh Orthodontic Practice, SCH Construction, Encirc and Lisdergan Butchery). We are also very grateful to all local businesses and parents who donated and sourced a large number of wonderful raffle prizes and donations to our gala cafe.
Aideen praised Michelle Reihill, gala secretary for her trojan work behind the scenes and for the smooth running of the gala. She also thanked all the coaching team made up of mostly volunteers for their commitment to all the swimmers. The support of the coaching team ensured we had a competitive event which was also an enjoyable learning experience for all. The Lakelanders Club endeavours to make swimming fun for everyone and that happened today, it was clear to see from all the smiling faces of our own swimmers and our visiting competitors. We now look forward with renewed confidence to a great year of swimming.
The Senior swimmers are in action next weekend with the Ulster Short Course Championships at Lagan Valley Leisureplex Lisburn, good luck to all our competitors.
- 27 Jul 2026Lakelanders Shine at the National Championships in Dublin
Swim Ireland's Irish Youth and Senior Summer National Championships 2026 took place from Tuesday 21st to Saturday 25th July at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre, Dublin. The five-day event saw 1125 swimmers from over 120 clubs compete from all over Ireland to as far afield as Dubai. The path to nationals is paved by hundreds of hours in the pool so to qualify for this prestigious competition is a huge achievement for the swimmers. There was high excitement among the Enniskillen Lakelanders swimmers who had qualified to compete. - 12 Jul 2026Lakelanders Sparkle at National Championships in Limerick
Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club were well represented on the National stage at the 2026 Irish Age Group National Championships at the University of Limerick Sports Arena last week. Two young Lakelanders’ swimmers joined almost 700 swimmers from over 100 clubs competing over four days of exciting competition, bringing home a National title to Enniskillen. - 03 Jul 2026Enniskillen Lakelanders will be well represented at Summer National Competitions
With the 2025/2026 swimming season coming to an end, the finale for the competitive swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders is the Irish Summer National competitions. These competitions will take place across two meets in July with Age Group Championships will take place in Limerick, followed by Irish Summer National Youth & Senior Championships in Dublin. There is great excitement among the 7 local swimmers who have qualified to compete at these events. - 28 Jun 2026Lakelanders Deliver Outstanding Results at Swim Ulster Swim Festival 2026
A squad of 21 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders showcased their talent at the Swim Ulster Swim Festival 2026, held at Lagan Valley LeisurePlex, Lisburn, on Sunday 28 June, delivering a series of outstanding performances against strong competition.
The Lakelanders rose to the occasion in style, returning home with an impressive haul of medals and personal bests (PBs), highlighting the hard work, determination and commitment of these talented young athletes. - 27 Jun 2026Enniskillen Lakelanders Celebrate Season Successes
Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club held their annual End of Season Gala on Saturday 27th June. This marked the end of the club's 10 month season, and their first year training in Omagh Leisure Centre. The gala was an opportunity for swimmers across all training groups to compete side by side and a fun relay rounded off the event. - 07 Jun 2026Lakelanders Deliver Outstanding Results at Swim Belfast Invitational 2026
A squad of 20 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders ASC made a big splash at the Swim Belfast Invitational 2026, held at Lisnasharragh Leisure Centre, Belfast, on Sunday 7th June, delivering a series of outstanding performances against strong competition.
The Lakelanders rose to the occasion in style, returning home with an impressive haul of medals and personal bests (PBs), highlighting the hard work, determination, and commitment of these talented young athletes. - 06 Jun 2026Medals and PBs for Lakelanders at Banbridge Open
Banbridge Open Long Course Meet took place in Craigavon’s South Lakes Leisure Centre on Saturday the 6th of June.
A squad of 11 Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers, along with Head Coach Fionna Orr, made their way to the fabulous South Lakes Leisure Centre long course (50m) swimming pool for the final club meet of the season for the older swimmers. This meet provided the final opportunity for competitive swimmers to qualify for Swim Ireland's Irish Summer National competitions. As a bonus Banbridge swimming club had extended their invitation to clubs from all over Ireland. The chance to achieve qualifying times and compete against the best in Ireland was too good to miss. - 31 May 2026Lakelanders' successful weekend in Bangor
Seven Enniskillen Lakelanders' swimmers travelled to the Aurora Complex in Bangor to race at the Ian Wright Memorial Gala at the weekend. - 03 May 2026An Ulster title, a slew of medals and PBs home to Enniskillen from Ulster Champs
A squad of 9 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club attended the Ulster Age Group and Senior LC Championships at the Bangor Aurora Leisure Complex on 1st, 2nd & 3rd May. Competitors from across 32 clubs in Ulster met the tough qualification standards to take part in this key meet over three days, targeting Ulster podium spots, and those important Summer National qualification times. - 26 Apr 2026Lakelanders top the medal board at Spring Gala
Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club held their Spring Junior Gala on Sunday 26th April, an event aimed at younger swimmers. As the Lakelanders approach the first year complete at their temporary base at Omagh Leisure Centre and there was much excitement among the swimmers from the outset with 41 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders taking part. They were joined by competitors from eleven other Ulster swimming clubs. For many of the 8-14 year-old competitors, this would be one their first experiences of individual competition, that all important first step for every sportsperson.
You need to log in to Twitter/X to see this feed.
Follow Us
