Roffey Qualifies For Olympics
Heather Roffey
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Cayman Islands swimmer Heather Roffey qualified for the 2004 Athens Olympics
in the 800-metre freestyle event last Thursday at the Grand Prix Ultra Swim Meet
in Charlotte, North Carolina.
By taking more than three seconds off her personal best time in the event,
Heather became the Cayman Islands’ first female swimmer to qualify for the
Olympics. She swam the event in 9:01.41, bettering the FINA ‘B’ Olympic
qualifying time of 9:02.79 by more than one second.
The 17-year-old Heather joins fellow National Senior Swim Team members Andrew
MacKay and Shaun Fraser in qualifying for the 2004 Summer Olympics. Along with
track and field participants Cydonie Mothersill and Kareem Streete-Thompson,
Cayman will now have five athletes competing in Athens.
Representing the Cayman Islands in the meet, Heather traveled with her
school, the Bolles School of Jacksonville, Florida to Charlotte. Cayman
Assistant Coach Dominic Ross, on vacation in North Carolina, showed up at part
of the meet to support her.
The highly-competitive Grand Prix Meets are a series of meets designed to
give swimmers final opportunities to qualify for the Olympics or get in a couple
of high quality championship-level races before the US Olympic trials in
mid-July. Competition is fast and serious.
Heather called her mother, Annie Mae Roffey, with the big news, almost
immediately after climbing out of the pool. Meanwhile word spread rapidly around
the Cayman swimming community, as the ‘real time’ results were published at the
host club web-site.
Laurice Fraser, President of the Cayman Islands Amateur Swimming Assocation (CIASA)
was delighted by the event. “Heather’s determination to succeed internationally
in the sport of Swimming could be seen from the first time I saw her compete at
the CARIFTA Games four years ago,” she said. “Prior to this, she was already
doing very well at the many overseas meets our young swimmers must take to
enable them to compete in a 50 metre-pool. The strong support she has received
from her family and friends while pursuing her dream has been significant,
unwavering, and always very positive. I would like to take this opportunity to
congratulate her parents Annie Mae and Alan Roffey, and other members of her
family.
National Swim Coach Dave Kelsheimer received the news of Heather’s Olympic
qualification in Long Beach, California, where he was attending a meet. "I could
not be happier for Heather,” he said. “I am truly impressed with her relaxed and
positive outlook and toughness that was clear from the age of eight years old.
Heather has shown a maturity and resilience that has allowed her to ride through
some truly high-highs and low-lows. This roller coaster is not over for her, and
I know she has a lot left in the tank.”
Coach Dave said he was also very happy for the swim programme. “Swimming now
has the largest representation of any Olympic sport in the Cayman Islands,” he
noted. “In 2000, after turning down a chance to go with wild cards, we made the
promise that Cayman's swimmers can and would qualify as true competitors, not
mere participants. I am very proud of our entire team and look forward to seeing
them continue to do Cayman proud."
Minister of Sports, Dr the Hon Frank McField was also delighted with
Heather’s Olympic qualification. “I think it’s fabulous. I’m so happy for her,
for her mother and father, for the rest of her immediate family, and especially
for Miss Alice (Anderson) her grandmother. I congratulate Heather for her
accomplishment. She will serve as a major role model, not only for Cayman’s
athletes, but for Cayman’s women as well.”
Reader comments:
- Congrats, Heather! I have been watching your progress
over the years and take pride in watching you blossom. Swim fast, swim
well... all of Cayman is behind you! - LocalVocal
- Hey Roffey! Hope you remember me and read this. Congrats! I'll watch you
on TV! - Hanne Montag
- Well done Heather! Good luck! - Shauna
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