The Brunei Age Group (BAG) 2009 was a blast and an excellent experience for our club swimmers. We had a total of twenty swimmers participating in the competition, including Daryl, Boon Chu and Ching Yee in the Open category.
Our Group 4 Boys (age 9-10) were Sean, Darren, Nazrin, Nathan and Akmal
In Group 5 (age 8&U), our boys were Aiman and James…
…and Jake and Shawn.
The girls representing BSC were Jia Yi, Dania and Ayesha in Group 5; Natalie in Group 4; Emily and Ting in Group 3; and Elaine and Jordine in Group 1.
For some it was their first time in a 50 meter pool, and at first sight it can be overwhelming. In preparation, we did manage to squeeze in a couple of training sessions at the venue before the competition day.
We also made some wardrobe changes and equipped them with their very own BSC swimcap to minimize water resistance and drag.
Random Pictures from the 3 days…
Meet the Meet Officials
...some record holders (retired)
...and the Visitors
Our Swimmers featured
The baby of the team
Tough competition in the Girls Group 1 category for Jordine and Elaine.
BSC’s most serious (when it’s race time, it’s concentration all the way)
…and his miniature (aka “the professional”). As of today, Aiman has improved a lot, especially his dives.
We managed to come away with a couple of medals in the Girls Group 1 and Open category. But what was more important is that our swimmers all improved their times, their technique, dives, and endurance. Surprisingly, some of our swimmers can suddenly swim butterfly.
The Challenge
It is always important to note that, at this developmental stage of their swimming, every swimmer has their own undesirable habits like turning over onto their front during the backstroke finish, touching the wall with one hand and flutter kicks during the breaststroke, etc. These habits ultimately lead to the dreaded disqualification (DQ).
As incentive, we promised that if every swimmer avoids being DQ'ed for all their events and improved on their best times, we would treat them to a day out at the movies, inclusive of popcorn. There were some close calls. But they did it.
Two Weeks Later
We took them out during the public holiday to catch Ice Age 3. Family and friends joined in to watch the movie. The movie was hilarious; the kids couldn’t help laughing out loud during the movie. Everyone had a good time.
Now, it’s back to the pool for more training.
