Swimmers at the Lions 31st annual Meet were presented with medals after their hard
work in the pool battling for top honours.

The primary schools showed off their best talents in the pool on Saturday, 3 May at the government swim pool with many close races and outstanding swims by individuals such as Martha Rivers, who swam in a higher age group than her current age and still managed to win each race she entered and won Champion Girl in the Primary section.

Martha is the Brac’s most prolific swimmer this year and is slated to take to the pool in Sarasota, Florida on Friday, 16 May along with a contingent of other swimmers from the Stingray Swim Club of Grand Cayman. She is able to compete overseas thanks to the generous support of the International Olympic Committee and the Sports Association of the Sister Islands.

Eleven-year-old Jacob Scott of Spot Bay School was named Primary Champion Boy & George Anderson Memorial overall trophy winner. Other primary school swimmers of worthy note were Anitha Velusamy, Carlie and Haylie Tibbetts, Eryn Ritch, Andre Mena, Erbin Tibbetts and Jacob Scott. The primary school policy of making sure that swimming stays an important part of the Physical Education Programme on Cayman Brac really paid dividends, as it would have been impossible to maintain the quality of swimmers without the year-long commitment of the schools and Sports Department providing the type of educational opportunity to the younger students in the Learning Community.

The high school portion saw the usual variety of pure talent in Hayley Grizzel and Mya Dunkley contrast with the sheer guts of finishers like Dannie Conolly, Graham Martin and Amelia Gillespie. It was sad to see the curtain call on the quality of swimming, and seeing the lights of Felix Ebanks and Geoffrey Grizzel who now can only participate in future Lions meets as adult veterans. According to Michael Hundt, the swimmers will be dearly missed and as they left great memories of close finishes, camaraderie and good sportsmanship that goes way beyond the pool, it is hoped that these may continue.

The adult swimming saw some major families facing off against each other, such as Ann Jackson mother of Martha Rivers; Erbin Tibbetts Snr, father of Erbin Tibbetts Jr., Haylie Tibbbetts and Carlie Tibbetts; Gregory and Mekita Ebanks, father and sister of Felix Ebanks, who went head to head. The men triumphed and set the stage for next year vowing to repeat the feat again.

The best swimmers will travel to Grand Cayman where they will compete in the Lions National Championship Swim Meet on Saturday, 31 May. With the added impetus of the sponsorship being offered by the Olympic Committee and the Elite Programme of the Sports Association of Sister Islands, Cayman Brac swimmers now have the best chance ever, to proudly compete for the Cayman Islands, in the future. The last major hurdle to this end is the construction of the much-anticipated 25 metre pool to be built next door to the recently laid football field on the Bluff.

If Saturday is any indication of the swimming fervor on the Brac, then a long way went into convincing the powers that be, that the Brac is ready for this facility.

The swim committee would like to express their appreciation to PWD for the bleachers stand and tents, Barry Morgan for excellent pool conditioning, Lions Club of Grand Cayman, Lions Club of Cayman Brac, District Administrator Mark Tibbetts, Volunteers who contributed their time, EMS, Royal Cayman Islands Police, DEH, Cayman Net News, Coaches, Parents and Swimmers.

Day’s events

Primary School
50 swimmers competed
Champion School: Creek and Spot Bay Primary School (362 Points)
First Runner Up: West End Primary School (268 points)
Second Runner Up: Little Cayman Education Service (4 points)
Best Effort Girl: Leshontae Missick
Best Effort Boy: Simon Watson
Champion Girl: Martha Rivers
Champion Boy: Jacob Scott

High School
24 swimmers competed
Best Effort Girl: Tishel Watler
Best Effort Boy: Dannie Conolly
Champion Girl: Mya Dunkley
Champion Boy: Felix Ebanks
George Anderson Memorial Outstanding Swimmer of the Meet: Jacob Scott.