Quartet making big waves

The future of swimming in Barbados looks bright as four outstandingly talented juniors of Pirates Swim Club continue to impress individually and as a quartet in the relays, during recent competitions at the National Aquatic Centre in Wildey.

Heidi Stoute, Jaiya Simmons, Toria Alleyne and Fayth Jeffrey have all been amazing to watch during competitions held by the Barbados Aquatic Sports Association, and have developed a knack for writing their names in the record books.

Dave Farmer, coach of Pirates Club who works with this particular intermediate group, said he was extremely happy and pleased with their development so far.

During an interview with Barbados TODAY, Farmer spoke about the talent and capabilities of the four young women, noting he was especially thrilled with how they performed at the recently held Short Course National.

“They are a very good group, very positive. They work hard and they train hard and as a result, they are beginning to reap the reward. The athletes who work hard are generally more successful, so they are now beginning to reap some of those rewards,” Farmer said.

All currently 11-years-old, the four swimmers will become eligible to compete in the 11-12 age group next year. In fact, three of them will for the first time represent Barbados at the CARIFTA Championships scheduled to be held here next April.

However, Jeffrey, who turned 11 on December 1, will not represent Barbados as she is St Lucian and will swim for the country of her birth.

Putting aside that bittersweet fact, Farmer said the quartet had been inseparable at local meets and all possessed the qualities which were important.

“They are swimming well and attracting attention because they are doing well. It is good for them and they are very enthusiastic and encouraged as most people would be when they are doing well,” he said.

“There may be days when they may not do as well but we deal with that when it comes. But right now we have not had to deal with that.”

Each swimmer has displayed their own uniqueness. Stoute first stepped in the pool competitively at age six when she represented her St Winifred’s at the Primary School Swimming Championships in 2015. That year, she won the age group championship before moving on to join the Pirates Swim Club.

A fierce competitor in the freestyle and backstroke events, Stoute loves and enjoys the excitement of swimming a relay race.

Among her most outstanding achievements was representing Barbados and winning the age group championship at the 2018 Goodwill Games.

Simmons, meanwhile, said she was extremely proud of her achievements so far, revealing she used Olympic legend Michael Phelps as inspiration.

“I love swimming even though it can be a bit hard and tiring at times,” she told Barbados TODAY.

“My favourite stroke is breaststroke because I achieved my very first national record in the 50 metre breaststroke.

“My main motivation is Michael Phelps, he was an amazing swimmer and every time I watch one of his races it makes me feel as though I can be just as good as him one day.

“I believe my biggest achievement to date was my determination and perseverance, after two very disappointing disqualifications at the recent 2020 Short Course Nationals.

“My drive and focus resulted in me not only being awarded Age Group Champion but also Most Outstanding Junior Female Swimmer at this swim meet.”

Alleyne has only had three years experience in the pool but has already shown great improvement.

Her mother Kathyann Beckles said: “I am truly proud of her. When she first started swimming with the club it was a rough period with constant tears but with the help of coach Rolando and reassurance by him that she can do this was of great help and she stuck it out.

“Despite the language barrier, he understood her and her him. He has made a big impact on her swimming. Big thanks to him.”

Jeffrey, who has already qualified for CARIFTA 2021, will be a force to reckon when she represents St. Lucia based on her eight record-breaking national age-group records in the 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 200m breaststroke, 50m butterfly, 100m butterfly, 100m individual medley and 200m individual medley at nationals.

She also tied with Simmons for the top points in the 9-10 Age Group.

Jeffrey is inspired by Jamaica’s world-class breaststroker, Alia Atkinson, and hopes to someday achieve similar success.

morissalindsay@barbadostoday.bb