The Cooktown Amateur Swimming Club team in Darwin.
With six medals already in the bag and personal bests getting smashed, Cooktown’s swimming team is kicking goals at the Darwin Country Championships.
The group of 10 youngsters from Cooktown’s Amateur Swimming Club, accompanied by coach Donald Macmillan, club president Mel Hegamaea and parent John Habermann, flew into Darwin on Friday for four days of competition.
“The Country Championships is a national level event for clubs based outside of the metro centres like Brisbane and Sydney, and there will be an expected 500 competitors attending,” Mr Macmillan said.
“The kids are doing really well, working on focus and hydration and rest in between their preliminaries and finals.
“I’m really proud of their attitude and commitment, and they’re smashing last year’s performances (at the Country Championships) which is a testament to their winter training commitments.”
Sam Ryder bagged three medals during Saturday’s finals, taking second in the 200m individual medley, and third in 50m backstroke and 100m breaststroke, and two more medals on day two, with a second in 100m butterfly and third in 50m breaststroke.
Rudi Habermann also had a podium finish on Saturday, with a bronze in the 50m backstroke event.
The group also enjoyed a Junior Excellence coaching clinic with Australian Olympian Chelsea Hodges, with young Cooktown swimmer Lakea Hegamaea even swimming against the star during the 200m freestyle relay.
