Southill Makes a Splash at the Swimming Gala

This afternoon, 16 pupils from Years 5 and 6 headed to Weymouth Swimming Pool to take part in a packed programme of individual and team events. From breaststroke to front crawl, backstroke to the ever-chaotic frog float relay, the children were certainly kept on their toes… or should that be their flippers.

In my 10 years at Southill, this is the first time we have entered this event, so expectations were cautious. With 13 schools competing, we knew it would be a challenge. That said, I could not be prouder of every single child who took part. Their determination, teamwork and enthusiasm were outstanding from start to finish.

Special mentions:

Eliza – 2nd place in Backstroke

Maxwell – 3rd place in Breaststroke

Elsie – 1st place in Any stroke

Eric – 2nd place in Any stroke

Noah – 3rd place in Any stroke

Y6 Girls Any stroke relay and the frog float relay team: Fleur, Eliza, Bella and Georgia

Overall, Southill finished in a very respectable 7th place, an incredible achievement for a small school making its return after many years to the gala.

Congratulations to Radipole for taking the top spot and a big thank you to Lucy from St Johns for organising such a fantastic event.

A huge thank you to Jade for helping transport the children to the pool, and to Kim and John for their expert coordination in making sure everyone was in the right place at the right time, no small feat when whistles are blowing and goggles are mysteriously disappearing.

Finally, thank you to everyone who came along to support this afternoon. I am sure you were as proud as I was of Southill’s never say die attitude and plucky spirit. We may not have won every race, but we gave it everything… apart from the getting changed race, where we can confidently say we finished last.

Tom