On Sunday the 11th of December, English Schools Swimming Association held their 67 th National Diving Championships
at the renowned London Aquatic Centre home to many Olympic divers. The South West entered a
team of 22 Divers aged between 10 and 17 representing eighteen different schools in the region.
Medals were secured in all age groups and the South West should be proud of the talent being
developed in the region. Primary competitors, Isla Applin (Montpelier Primary) secured a silver
medal with Teagan Mousley (Oreston Community) a worthy 5 th . Harry Westbury (Stoke Damerel
Primary) missed out on a bronze by just one point and Isaac Ide (Morley Meadow) came an
honourable 6 th .
Last month Isla and Isaac competed in the Swim England Talent Games. Selection
alone for this competition is an honour and is an indication of their potential to do well in a
challenging sport in the future.
The Juniors gained points with Will Heath (Plymouth College) and Oscar Westbury (Devonport High)
coming 5 th and 6 th respectively. In the girls Ava Cowper (South Dartmoor Community College)
finished with an impressive hard fought bronze just 8 points from a gold. Intermediate, Ollie Heath
(Plymouth College) dived impressively for his silver. The intermediate girls faced fierce competition.
Scarlett Colbourne (Stoke Damerel) achieved points which were on par to a 5 th place finish in the
boys section. For the seniors, Katie Martin (Tor Bridge High) and Archie Waines (Lipson Community
College) both achieved bronze medals.
The day ended with mixed synchro. It transpired that the South West were a force to be reckoned
with. A new event for Will Heath and Ava Cowper who were just edged out of gold to finish with a
silver and brother Ollie Heath with Maia Pearson (Devonport High) also concluded the competition
with a silver medal.
Other divers who contributed towards the South West winning the Team Trophy included; Alice
Jones, Sophie Hamlin (Bournemouth Girls), Poppy Jones, Louie McCue, Noah Underwood, Alex
Whittaker, Ben Hall, Erin Healey, Lexi Davies and Ellie Pearce. To win overall out of the eight regions
was a triumph for this talented squad of divers, the South West and Plymouth Diving. A tremendous
achievement made possible by the schools that supported the divers along with the hard work of
coaches and volunteers, all of whom the Club would like to thank. Coaches on the day were Fito
Gutierrez, Harry Mason and Josh Freeman supported by Team Managers Bridget Heath and Emma
Waines.
