Manchester and District Vice President’s Annual Gala
Sunday 9 October 2011

Saracens stormed to victory for the third consecutive year when they won the 2011 Manchester and District Vice President’s Gala.  A team of thirty young swimmers aged 8-12 years competed against six other clubs from the area.

One week out from this competition we didn’t even have a team sheet on the board. (Just another one of those little jobs that Mavis handled).  Thanks to support of Phillippa Nuttall the two of us set to work trying to identify eligible swimmers and by Friday night, after lots of telephone calls and emails, we had finally got a team together, albeit a bit short in one or two age groups.

The coach was booked and off we went to Broughton on a very gloomy and rainy afternoon.  Win, lose or draw, we were all determined to enjoy the event and the team spirit and camaraderie made the day even better.

We scraped through the heats despite a few speeding tickets and disqualifications and to our total surprise and relief, secured our place in the final.   Every single swimmer gave their very best and performed outstandingly well – not one disqualification and not one speeding ticket in the final.   Amazing!

The final points were as follows:  
1st Saracens – 62 points
2nd Ashton – 53 points
3rd Romiley – 49 points

Thank you so much to everyone who supported the event: swimmers, parents, poolside helpers. It was my absolute pleasure to represent the club at this competition in place of Mavis and we did her proud.
 
The swimmers' behaviour, as always, was exemplary and the dancing wasn’t bad either!


Alison Nuttall
Chair of Saracens