All Stars

During the last year this swimmer has improved tremendously, she has great technique and the ability to learn from all of her coaches coupled with the discipline to become an outstanding swimmer.
She is friendly and always willing to help other swimmers and support them not only in competition but also in training. All Stars Female swimmer of the Year is Kavita Sharma.

This Young man has always been keen to train and learn and has a great commitment to his swimming. He is a very conscientious and disciplined swimmer who very rarely missed a training session. He loves to compete and although he doesn't like to lose he is gracious when he does, always acknowledging the other swimmers whether they are faster than him or not. He has a natural feel for the water, especially Butterfly and Frontcrawl. All Stars Male swimmer of the Year is Ross Kennedy.

Junior County

This young lady has been with me for the whole of 2008. She started the year in All Stars, and part way into the year, she went through a stage of not knowing whether she wanted to continue with swimming. She had seen friends move to other squads, and had got very disheartened. Then she moved with me to Junior County. The difference in her demeanour was noticeable to all. She almost bounced into training, and smiled throughout the sessions. Her commitment to training improved, as she had others to swim up against. This young lady is a joy to be around. Her smile is infectious and she is so bubbly. She always supports our Club galas, and has seen improvement in her times this year. She is not the fastest in the group, but her technique is fantastic, and she jumps with joy when we do a Fly set!!! I can’t wait until she grows a bit to see what she can do in the pool. As Jamie King says, she is my little Polly Pocket, and I am really pleased to award the Junior County squad swimmer girl of the year to Jasmine Kutassy.

This young man has had a roller coaster year this year. Earlier in the year, it would be fair to say that his attitude and behaviour was not where it should be. When I joined the coaching team, I was concerned about how he would react to my style of coaching, even though I had coached him before. I need not have worried. He has been a joy to coach. He is fully aware of what he needs to concentrate on in regards to his technique, and is not afraid to ask if things that he needs work on can be included into the session. On one occasion before the Club Championships he asked if we could do work on Backstroke turns, as in his words “mine need some more work”. During the Club Championships, he absolutely wowed me. Some of the times and PBs that he produced were outstanding, and I hadn’t expected them. His technique has come on so well over the year, and I am extremely proud of the year that he has had. It gives me great pleasure to award the Junior County swimmer boy of the year to Benjamin Edwards.

Senior County

This swimmer is a very popular member of squad and the club. He has been with Tigersharks for many years and always gives his best. He is supportive and helpful to fellow squad members and always supports the club at galas when he is selected. He has also represented the club for many years at Wiltshire and Regional level. Senior County Male Swimmer of the year is Kris Langley.

This young lady is a very propeller member of Tigersharks and of her training squad. She has suffered some problems with her knees this year but has always comes back fighting. She never lets the club down when selected for leagues and is a supportive and enthusiastic supporter of others. She is a consistent qualifier for Wiltshire competitions and sets a great example to younger swimmers. Senior County Female Swimmer of the Year is Faye Millin.

Junior District

I have chosen this swimmer to be Junior District Boy swimmer of the year because he has been an I exemplary club member. He has tried very hard to improve for a number of years now, always being a role model on how to behave and represent the club, always swimming in galas where needed never moaning about what we ask him to do .He has seen many swimmer move on to other squads but has never moaned once. Always having had a great technique it is great now to see him reaping the rewards of his hard work in achieving 5 Wiltshire times and numerous PB in the last Gala. Junior District Male Swimmer of the Year is Elliot Willoughby.

This young Lady always swims to the best of her ability .Her attendance is excellent and she always does what she is asked. She Always swims in galas that she is asked and always has a quirky sense of humour to go with it. This year she has 9 Wiltshire times, unfortunately she did not manage to swim in the last gala to gain more times as she was quite Ill. Putting that behind her we look forward to seeing what she will deliver this year. Junior District Female Swimmer of the Year is Luisana Toner.

Senior District

The nomination for Senior District Boy was a difficult choice as there were a number of good candidates but the winner is seen as someone who always gives his best at want ever you ask him to do and encourages others to work harder by pushing the pace throughout all he does. He has over the last few years achieve multiple County times, swims in both the summer and winter league teams and attends as many of Club open meets. He has also enrolled in the Young Volunteers programme which has placed a lot of extra commitment on such young shoulders bearing in mind his other interests outside of swimming he has with Football Refereeing and Air Cadets. But what really made him stand out is his attitude to training and the way he challenges others around him to step up their game to achieve the best they can in training and at competitions. His attendance at training is one of the best in the squad and even makes most of the early mornings! So for all these reasons I am please to award Andrew Hitchcox Senior District Boy Swimmer of the Year.

The choice of Senior District Girl goes to someone who not only has achieved a lot consistently for a number of years but is also willing to do things to help the Club. This person has she achieved multiple county times for a number of years and has achieved Regional qualifications for the last few year to. She has represented the club in both Summer and Winter League teams and is also a member of the Sx3 teams in the National Swimming League. Attendance in training has always been outstanding and very seldom is heard complaining when asked to do another demonstration of her “Super quick reactions” from the starting blocks for the juniors. She has also joined the Young Volunteers programme and has help out with the Learn to Swim sessions on many occasions. This year she has also taken and passed with easy the Life Rescue course. All of these things go to show that not only does she want to be part of a great Club like Tigersharks but also wants to give something back. So for these reasons I am please to award Steph Millin Senior District Girl Swimmer of the year.

Junior Potential
The winner of the Junior Potential Male swimmer of the year has worked hard this year. He has an excellent attendance record, rarely complains and is a fun member of the squad. His hard work has paid off and he has recently moved from Junior Potential to Junior National. He has been a strong member of the winter and summer leagues and also the SX3 Southern Junior League. He is currently on the brink of his first Regional qualifying times, which I feel sure he will achieve. Junior Potential Male Swimmer of the Year is Sami Donmez.

The young lady is one of the smallest, though not the youngest, of the squad but she does not let this stand in her way. Her determination and good attendance have proved that she was worthy of selection to the SX3 Southern Junior League team, and she has been selected this year for the Winter League. She has only been with the club for 18 months and in that time has rocketed through the squads proving what a great swimmer we feel she will be. Junior Potential Female Swimmer of the Year is Tayla Howie.

Junior National

Our Swimmer of the Year was identified as an improving swimmer last year and she has continued to go from strength to strength by her efforts, sheer determination and high attendance rate. The results from our Club Championships confirmed her selection as she proved just how versatile a swimmer she is by winning her age group in the 200m & 400m Individual Medley; 50m, 100m & 200m Backstroke; 200m Breaststroke and 50m & 200m Frontcrawl. I look forward to watching her compete in the forthcoming Wiltshire and hopefully Regional Competitions and have no hesitation in nominating Ella Luffman as the Junior National Girl Swimmer of the Year.

Our Boy Swimmer has not been with the squad very long but showed his potential in long distance swimming at the Wiltshire Competition in Salisbury early last year. He has worked extremely hard since moving into the squad and together with an extremely high rate of attendance has continued to improve in both technique and stamina. I look forward to seeing him fulfil his potential in the forthcoming Wiltshire and possibly Regional Competition in 2009 and have no hesitation in nominating Chris Chapman as the Junior National Boy Swimmer of the Year.

Senior National

The next nomination was not a difficult decision for me. This swimmer has been awarded my nomination because of the following reasons. She went through a period where swimming and training had become quite difficult for her and she found herself struggling with ill health and a loss of strength and endurance. However she has never stopped trying or striving to achieve her goals. Her personality, drive and ambition consistently shines even when she is feeling disappointed. She never lets herself or her coaches down and is a very special member of the National Squad and of our club. Despite being ill for the about six months of 2008 she still managed to qualify for the Regional BagCat Competition and Regional Championships where she swam really well. Senior National Female Swimmer of the year is Lauren Jones.

This young man has in my opinion got what he deserves in 2008. He is a quiet character but he supports and befriends all of his team-mates. He has a great talent and works very hard to achieve his goals. He has worked tremendously hard this year and has easily achieved Regional Qualifying times for 2008 and already gained time for 2009. He does not shy away from training or racing and his determination and natural talent has paid dividends. Senior National Male Swimmer of the year is Jacob Roberts

Open Water Girl

This young lady is one of the hardest working swimmers in the club and never shy’s away from difficult and challenging races. She has qualified twice for the National Age Groups at distance events but this year was her first National Open Water competition. She never complains and is always one of the first to recognise others achievements. At this years National Festival of Open water she swam what was only her third open water event to finish in 7th place in the 13/14 year age group. A great achievement for her and Tigersharks. Open Water Female swimmer of the Year goes to Rosemary Broad.

Open Water Boy

This young man joined Tigersharks just 24 months ago and has made startling progress over this period, especially in distance swimming. This year he swam very well in the 3,000m FC at the end of the National Youth Competition. However his best achievement came at this years National Festival of Open water where he narrowly missed out on a bronze medal in the 15/16 year age group. He has also been selected onto the ASA South West Region Open Water Talent Development programme. There is no doubt that this years Open Water Male award should go to Kieron German.

Most Improved Girl

This swimmer has shown huge talent since joining our club from another Wiltshire club 24 months ago. What a great loss to them and wonderful gain for us. I cannot tell you that all has been plain sailing…… In the early months there were times where both she and us questioned how good she could be. However the past six months have shown us just how good she can be and will be. Powering through Regional Qualifying times she is now on the brink of National Qualifying times, which I feel sure she is capable of achieving in 2009. Her personality is sparkling and her genuine pleasure in her team-mates achievements should be emulated by more. She has definitely made huge improvements over the past few months and I am delighted to present the Most Improved Female Swimmer of the Year award to Emily Weston.

Most Improved Boy

This young man has made dramatic improvements over the last year and is starting to show signs of being a really good swimmer and a massive asset to Tigersharks ASC. His training and learning ability is fantastic with an attendance rate consistently in the 90-95%. He finds qualifying for the Regional competitions relatively easy and must now be setting his sites on National Qualification. He has to train with swimmers older than him but his affable character allows him to fit in well with them all. He is a quiet and intelligent young man who takes his swimming seriously but enjoys every moment of his success and has also learnt to deal with defeat well. His improvements this year have been massive where he has gone from being a good swimmer in Wiltshire for his age to in my opinion the best swimmer in Wiltshire for his age. Most Improved Male Swimmer of the Year award to Tom Howitt.

Tigersharks Female swimmer of the Year

This young lady came into swimming relatively late in swimming terms, she was still in armbands when she was 9 years old. She has once again been quite startling this year achieving many of her goals and surpassing them. In 2008 she qualified for British Championships, National Championships and National Youth Competition. She was Champion at the ASA South West Youth competition at 100m FC and at the ASA South West Regional Championships she was Junior Champion at 50m, 100m & 200m FC. Her campaign at the National Youth Competition saw he competing in six events as part of Sx3. This year she has broken three Wiltshire County Junior records in the 50m and 100m FC and 100m Individual Medley. At our recent Club Championships she broke 22 Age Group Best Times taking her overall total to 52 records and she has also broken seven Club Records in 2008. Her attitude is wonderful and her commitment to our club and her team-mates is outstanding. Tigersharks Female Swimmer of the Year is Sophie Hawkins.

Tigersharks Male swimmer of the Year

This young man has also had an outstanding year of competition. He qualified for British Championships, National Championships and National Youth Competition. Where he swam outstanding races. He broke the long standing 200m Butterfly Wiltshire record at the National Youth Competition and more recently he also broke the 800m FC Wiltshire record. At the Regional Youth Competition he was champion at 50m & 200m Butterfly and 50m Breaststroke and at the Regional Championships he was 200m Butterfly Champion. In recognition of his achievements this year he was also voted by Wiltshire as Male Swimmer of the Year 2008. At the recent Club Championships he broke 13 AGBT and has broken 7 Club records this year. He currently holds 74 Club AGBT across different strokes and distances. He is in his second year as Club Captain, a job he does with great commitment and his attitude to Tigersharks and its members is outstanding. He has an incredible drive to win but also has a wonderful attitude to winning and loosing. Tigersharks Male Swimmer of the Year is Dean Williamson.

Tigersharks Role of Honour

This is the most prestigious and difficult award to receive as a Tigersharks swimmer. The award demands that you have achieved outstanding results and have been a shining example to other swimmers in our club. The Role of Honour was started 16 years ago and only holds 11 names. The next swimmer to be awarded this accolade has been one of the best Butterfly swimmers Tigersharks & Wiltshire has ever had. Winning the 200m Butterfly at the Wiltshire Age Groups for six consecutive years and breaking the AGBT each time is a huge achievement and not an easy one. She has represented our club every year since she was 10 at the Regional Competions and has competed at National Level for 5 years. This swimmer has served our club, since she was four years old, with dignity and pride. She is in her 2nd year as our Female Club Captain and in my opinion she is the best Female Club Captain we have ever had as she supports and encourages all of our members. Our 12th Tigersharks Role of Honour is awarded in 2008 to Stacey Wood

Existing Holders of the Honour

1        Martin Warnes                  1992
2        Sally Hudson                    1992
3        Gary Tanner                    1992
4        Paul French                     1993
5        Joanne Millard                 1994
6        Nick Hudson                    1995
7        Jaime King                       2000
8        Grant Turner                    2005
9        Jazmin Carlin                    2005
10      Alexander Jones                2006
11      Dean Williamson                2007