Young Lakelanders successful at Future Challengers Gala in Lisburn
23 Mar 2025
Young Lakelanders successful at Future Challengers Gala in Lisburn
Ten junior members of Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club travelled to Lisburn on Saturday 22nd March to compete in the fourth meet of the Swim Ulster Future Challengers series at the Lagan Valley Leisureplex, Lisburn.
This gala series is for swimmers aged 10-14 and provides competitive racing opportunities at junior level.
Several medals and lots of new personal best times were secured by the young Lakelanders who displayed their continual improvement and commitment to the sport.
Team coach on the day, Aideen Speer, ably supported the swimmers throughout the meet, providing invaluable pre-race encouragement and post race feedback.
Leah Bannon (13) achieved two new personal best times (PBs) in the 100m individual medley and the 50m freestyle, placing 3rd in her age group in both events. Leah also swam well in the 100m breaststroke, placing 7th in her age group.
Holly Barkley (14) had three strong swims, achieving a third place finish in her age group in the challenging 200m IM with a strong -4 second PB. Holly also had a top five finish in her age group in the 50m freestyle and maintained her entry time in the 100m breaststroke.
Anna May Hill (14) had a great gala placing 2nd in her age group in the 50m freestyle where she secured a new PB. Anna May also placed 7th in her age group in the 100m IM, again achieving a new PB.
Joshua Hill (12) had two impressive swims, placing first in his age group in the 50m breaststroke. He also dropped 3.5 seconds off his PB in the 50m freestyle to achieve a second place finish.
Jakub Mikiewicz Lumayad (11) had a super gala winning two bronze time-banded medals, having placed 1st in his age group in the 100m freestyle and second in the 100m breaststroke. Jakub also maintained his entry time and placed second in his age group in the 100m IM event.
Ella Neal (13) had a successful gala placing 1st in her age group in the 100 IM, dropping 3.32secs off her PB. Ella also placed third in the 100m freestyle maintaining her PB.
Kealan Rice (12) placed third in his age group in the 50m freestyle and 10th in the 100m IM.
Maia Rolston-McAuliffe (11) had a super day with two second place finishes, in the 50m freestyle and 50m breaststroke, dropping over 5 seconds off her PB in the latter event. Maia also swam well in the 100m IM, placing 9th in her age group.
Natalie Swidani (12) had two super strong swims, winning a bronze time-banded medal in the 100m freestyle where she placed second in her age group. Natalie also won her heat well and placed fifth in her age group in the 100m breaststroke where she knocked almost 8 seconds off her PB.
Finley Walker-Leonard (14) had a great gala, dropping 10 seconds off his time in the 50m freestyle to finish 2nd in his age group. He also took 8 seconds off his time in the 100m IM to achieve a fourth place finish and dropped almost 4 seconds off his 100m breaststroke to place 6th.
The swimmers benefitted greatly from the support of the parent volunteers taking on a variety of roles to ensure a successful gala for the young athletes.
Many of these swimmers will make the journey to Dublin next weekend to represent their schools at the National Minor Schools Championships at the National Aquatic Centre and we wish them well.
As always, the club are very grateful for the support of Lough Erne Resort and Western Cars Enniskillen.
- 25 Oct 2026Enniskillen Lakelanders Sparkle at Home Gala in Omagh
Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club held their Autumn Junior Gala on Sunday 25th October at their temporary base at Omagh Leisure Centre, an event aimed at younger swimmers. This was the club’s first home Gala of the new season and there was much excitement among the swimmers from the outset with 40 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders taking part. They were joined by competitors from thirteen 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.
Swim Ireland referee Lars Behme oversaw 1027 entries from the 279 excited swimmers in attendance. Lars was supported by a strong group of over 30 parents and older swimmers volunteering from the Lakelanders club which helped ensure that the busy gala ran smoothly. It was a very 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 large haul of medals and an abundance of PBs on the day. - 18 Oct 2026Lakelanders Shine at three day Aspiring Champions Gala in Belfast
8 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club made their way to the Lisnasharragh Leisure Centre in Belfast to compete at Swim Ulster's Aspiring Champions Meet; the first Gala of the season for swimmers aged 13 and over. The event was held over three days, 16th, 17th & 18th October. Coaches across Ulster use this gala to assess and monitor swimmers' skills, providing the scaffolding for the building blocks for success in the coming season.
All the work so far on skills and technique resulted in a slew of Swim Ulster Awards, personal bests and many top ten finishes for the Enniskillen Lakelanders swimmers. - 11 Oct 2026Enniskillen Lakelanders make successful season debut at Lisburn Gala
Eleven young swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club travelled to Lisburn's Lagan Valley Leisureplex to kick-start the new swimming season at the Swim Ulster Future Challengers Gala on Saturday 10th October.
Accompanied by Head Coach Fionna Orr, the team took to the pool, ready to put their training into practice, challenge themselves and get the season off to a fantastic start. - 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.
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