A total of 63 seven to 11-year-olds from Douglas and Southern swimming clubs recently took part in the Splash Off.

This is a brand new two-leg competition aimed at giving each club’s youngest members a taste of competition and some gala experience in a friendly and relaxed environment.

The first leg was held at the NSC on February 4, with the second leg at Southern swimming pool on March 11.

Swimmers were eligible to enter two individual races and each club also entered a number of relay teams. In the 7-9 year old category, events were held over 25 metres in each stroke, while the 10 and 11 years category raced 50m in each stroke.

The results were split into individual age groups with trophies awarded to the top boy and top girl in seven, eight, nine, 10 and 11 years categories. All competitors received a medal as recognition of their efforts in the pool.

Despite this event being the first experience of competition for many of the swimmers taking part, there were some impressive performances across all age groups with both clubs fielding strong teams.

While some age groups were dominated by individuals, there were some very close-run races in several categories, making for an exciting spectacle.

The atmosphere at Southern Swimming Pool for the second leg was electric, with swimmers on poolside cheering for their team-mates and support from spectators in the gallery threatening to lift the roof off, particularly during the very closely-contested relays at the end of the night.

The individual categories saw some strong and promising performances with many swimmers taking on strokes and distances which they had not previously competed over.Jacob Chadwick (D) produced consistent swims in the boys seven years category, scoring the maximum 12 points across both legs of the competition to take home the trophy.

The boys eight years category was won by Thomas McEvoy (D), with the boys nine years trophy going to Southern’s Seamus Hall. The boys 10 years trophy also went to Southern, with Charley Bevan scooping maximum points in front crawl and backstroke on both legs to top his category.

AJ Montgomery was winner of the boys 11 years, taking on the challenge of the 50m butterfly in both legs as well as the 50m front crawl.

The girls seven years category was won by Elise Reynolds (S) who, as the only seven-year-old girl, held her own against the older girls in her races. Southern swimmer Rebecca Parks took maximum 12 points in the girls eight years category with DASC’s Matilda Cretney coming second with eight points, six of which were gained in the 25m butterfly.

The girls nine years category proved to be a tight contest between Bella Quaye (D) and Ellie Rolands (S) who, with two first places and two seconds each, finished on equal points after both legs, taking away a top girl trophy each. The girls 10 years category also saw a tie for top girl with Southern team-mates Rhiannon Corrin and Jorja Hedley scoring 10 points each over the two legs, while DASC’s Grenya Head put in some strong swims in the 50m freestyle and backstroke on both legs to win the girls 11 years category.

Southern swept the board with wins in all three relays in the first leg at the NSC, but the second leg saw Douglas edge ahead to take first place by mere tenths of a second in both the 7-9 and 10 and 11 years mixed freestyle relays.

The spectacular cannon relay saw a clear win for Southern who finished 20 seconds clear of Douglas.

The successful running of the Splash Off was thanks to the support of volunteers from both clubs who helped with the organisation behind the scenes as well as assisting swimmers on poolside and providing officiating roles.

Volunteers ranged from older club swimmers to parents, grandparents and coaches. Notable among them was Southern’s Ian Harrop who acted as starter and referee in the second leg.

With more than 45 years of involvement with swimming in the island, Ian has seen many athletes progress through the ranks.

In his closing speech following the medal presentation, he highlighted the importance of events like the Splash Off in encouraging young swimmers and promoting swimming as a sport. With this in mind, both clubs are keen to hold the Splash Off as an annual event.

Results: Boys 7 years: 1, Jacob Chadwick (D); 2, Jacob Wright (D); 3, Henry Mackenzie (S). Boys 8 years: 1, Thomas McEvoy (D); 2, Callan Quayle (D). Boys 9 years: 1, Seamus Hall (S); 2, Thomas Mackenzie (S); 3, Oscar Garczynski (S). Boys 10 years: 1, Charley Bevan (S); 2, Jacob Garczynski (S); 3, Zachary Barlow (D). Boys 11 years: 1, AJ Montgomery (D); 2, Jai Shaw (D); 3, Hugh Osborn (D). Girls 7 years: 1, Elise Reynolds (S). Girls 8 years: 1, Rebecca Parks (S); 2, Matilda Cretney (D); 3, Bryher Veal (S). Girls 9 years: 1=, Bella Quaye (D) and Ellie Rolands (S); 3, Aydah Titley (S). Girls 10 years: 1= Rhiannon Corrin (S) and Jorja Hedley (S); 3, Darcey O’Rourke (D). Girls 11 years: 1 Grenya Head (S); 2, Hannah Smith (D); 3, Poppy Craine (D).