14 March 2023
The recent Bath and Otter Cup, which took place on Friday, has been the culmination of our swimming careers at Abingdon. After experiencing some injuries, Alex Cooper Marcos was unfortunately not able to swim, and so Chris Skelton, Joe Watkiss, Can Tugcetin and Ethan Richards-Knight were left to take on the nation. The team managed a 4th in the country in the 4×100 free relay, whilst breaking a decade old record, and going up two places from the heats. This put our spirits high, and left Chris and Joe to the last two swims of their Abingdon careers.
After a close heat, the final was incredibly tense. All of us swam with everything we had, and after putting out arguably the best swims of our lives, going faster than ever before, we placed second in the country, setting an unbreakable record and being the first swim team to ever receive a national medal.
I am so proud of our performance, and how far we have come as individuals and as a team. It has been an absolute pleasure to swim with these lads over the past few years. I often don’t feel like the sole captain of the swim team, as both Chris and Alex are so confident, incredible leaders themselves and are so passionate about both swimming and the team.
I want to thank these two for making my time at swimming, and at school, so enjoyable. I would also like to thank Mr Mason for being an incredible mentor. He is genuinely passionate about the sport and has helped us progress as a team. I also want to thank Amanda, she’s devoted, incredibly kind and is a fantastic coach who has helped us improve leaps and bounds since Third Year.
It is with great sadness that Chris, Alex and myself now have to hang up our Abingdon trunks. However, I know that I will be leaving our success in good hands, with the likes of Ethan, Can and many others. I know you will be a great captain Can!
Written by Joe Watkiss
