News

Chris Bassi Gala

Monday 3rd October 2011

Saturday 24th September saw the Ojays travelling to St Johns Pool Tunbridge Wells for this gala hosted by RTW Monson. Competing teams were : Sevenoaks, Bromley, Gravesend and Northfleet and Monson’s. The team made a sound start and after the first 12 events were lying in 3rd place pulling themselves up into joint second place with Monson’s after 24 events. Things got very exciting towards the end of the gala with the final event (men’s freestyle relay) providing a nail biting finale ! PB’s were gained by many swimmers and first places were gained by : Girls 15 & under freestyle team, Lily Snell 50m fly, Michael Jacobs 100m backstroke, Jack Dickerson 100m breaststroke, Anthony Wilson 50m Freestyle, David Johansen 100m Freestyle, George Walker 100m Breastroke, Girls 13 and under 50m freestyle relay team, Boys 13 and under 50m freestyle relay team, Girls 15 and under medley relay team. Ojays finished in a very respectable 2nd place and of course the evening would not have been complete without the now traditional team cry of “give us an O………” ! Many congratulations to all swimmers – you put in a fantastic performance and should be very proud of yourselves.

Medals and PBs for Stewart & Jacobs at The Nationa

Tuesday 26th July 2011

Two of our swimmers, Sebastian Stewart and Michael Jacobs swam at the National Age-Group Championships in Sheffield between the dates of 21st and 24th July. Sebastian swam in the 11 year old boys 200m Breaststroke event and produced a nine second PB in the heat, which qualified him comfortably for the Final. He secured 2nd place in this event which was fantastic. On Sunday 24th July, Sebastian swam in the 100m Breaststroke event and once again, produced a PB in the heat which qualified him for the Final (in 3rd position). It was a nail-biting performance as the top 3 swimmers all sat at virtually the same qualifying time with only tenths of seconds between them. Sebastian went on to secure 3rd place in the final whilst also producing another PB. Congratulations Sebastian. On Saturday 23rd July, Michael Jacobs swam in the 12 year old boys 200m Backstroke and whilst seeded 19th in this event, Michael shone in his performance as he produced a 4 second PB, won his heat and managed to secure 8th position, qualifying for the final. Michael went on to secure 10th place in the final which was entirely commendable. We are very proud of our National boys and congratulate them on their application to training and commitment to their swimming which has been so visible in the last few months. Well done! You are an outstanding example to the Club and to all of our swimmers. Thank you also for all the support which your parents and family have shown to you to help you achieve your dreams.

Alton Towers takes Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum

Sunday 24th July 2011

18 Club members from 5 different squads headed North last week for three days of fun, fear and frolics. Starting off with a 30 meter sheer drop into a dark steaming hole may not be everyones idea of fun but we can safely say all of our members survived and came out the other side to tell the tale - Oblivion certainly lives up its name! Nemesis with its twists and turns was another close favourite followed by '13' - a rollercoaster with a difference - but we can't say more as it has to stay a secret! The day ended with Battle Galleons - kids v parents in a giant water-fight - after two trips around the islands we can safely say it was a draw with everyone soaking wet. The following day the Waterpark was a big attraction as you would expect for our swimmers and parents - Masterblaster for the younger members and the warm jacuzzi for the old(er) ones. A brilliant time was had by all and something we hope to repeat next year.

National Success ~ Sebastian Stewart takes Silver!

Friday 22nd July 2011

Congratualtion to Sebastian Stewart from everyone at the Ojays. On 21st July Sebastian competed in the 200m breastroke at the British National age group championships in Sheffield. He came second in the heat stages in the morning and then had to wait until the evening to compete in the final where he swam a fantastic race coming in second place to win the Silver medal - a truly remarkable achievement - well done Sebastian. Also congratulations to Coach Richard - what a team.

Race Night

Tuesday 19th July 2011

We had a very successful Race Night on Sunday 3rd of July giving our younger swimmers the opportunity to experience the racing scenario whilst also enjoying themselves. We had many PBs and good times and it was lovely to see our older, more experienced swimmers helping out with our up and coming talented athletes. Thank you to all who helped out on the day to ensure the smooth running of the afternoon. We hope to have another Race night in the autumn and will let you know a date as soon as available. Results and some photos are available from the menu.

5th June at London Region BAGATS Championships

Monday 20th June 2011

Sunday the 5th June was the 2nd day of the London Region BAGATS Championships and another successful one for Orpington Ojays. Those who competed were Michael Jacobs, Oliver Randall, Joseph Gaster, Amy Chick, Isabelle Minter-Paye, Georgia Harris, Kate Ridley, Chloe Ashley, Lily Snell, David Johansen, Sebastian Stewart and Lewis Groombridge. There was a great atmosphere as the day developed with Michael Jacobs' silver medal in the 400 mtr freestyle. Finalists on the day also included Lily Snell in the 100 mtr freestyle, Lewis Groombridge and Sebastian Stewart in the 200 mtr breaststroke with David Johansen just missing out in the final of this event by a tenth of second. As the day drew to a close the final of the boys 11 years 200 mtr breaststroke proved to be a fantastic race, with Sebastian Stewart winning gold in this event; great swimming Seb. Well done to all those who participated, and apologies for the delay in getting this posted.

The final sessions of BagCats

Thursday 16th June 2011

Saturday afternoon was another great swim session with Orpington Ojays with most swimmers achieving pb's in their events swam. In addition we had 2 finalist David Johansen and Michael Jacobs in the 200 mtr freestyle, David finishing 4th and Michael 8th, it was a very exciting race. Well done lads. Those who swam on the day:- David Johansen, Michael Jacobs, Joseph Gaster, Lewis Groombridge and Oliver Randall Sunday the 12th June was the last day and once again swimmers did themselves and the club proud at the end of a championships that had proved to be very successful. There were some fine individual swims in the morning from David Johansen, Oliver Randall, Michael Jacobs, Lily Snell, Georgia Harris and Sebastian Stewart and yes once again there were finalists; Georgia Harris in the 200 mtr butterfly, Michael Jacobs in the 100 mtr backstroke and Lily Snell in the 100 mtr breaststroke. The afternoon was a fantastic spectacle with for team evens; girls 200 medley and freestyle relays and the same for the boys. All very exciting with top 8 finish in each relay. The boys 10/12 Individual Medley team just missed out on 3rd place in a race that was very closely competed for. Those who competed in the teams were:- Amy Chick, Charis Mills, Isabelle Minter-Paye, Kate Ridley, Fay Gibson, Oliver Randall, Josh Bedford-Eatwell, Sebastian Stewart, David Johansen and Michael Jacobs. Congratulations to all who attended these championships you were fantastic

11 June 2011 BagCat Age Group Championships 2011 @

Monday 13th June 2011

We had another successful day at the BagCat Championships on 11th June. Sebastian Stewart won Gold in the Boys 11 Years 100m Breaststroke. Congratulations Sebastian! PBs were also achieved by Lily Snell (100m back) and David Johansen (100m breast). Georgia Harris, Lewis Groombridge, Isabelle Minter-Paye, Kate Ridley and Chloe Ashley also competed. Well done.

Day 1 (June 4th) - BagCat Age Group Champs 2011 @

Monday 13th June 2011

We had a very successful Day 1 at the BagCat Championships on 4th June. Michael Jacobs achieved his National Qualifying time in the 200m Backstroke which was superb. Congratulations Michael! PBs were also achieved by Lily Snell (400m free), Sebastian Stewart (100m free and 200m IM), David Johansen (100m free and 200m IM), Joseph Gaster (100m free), Michael Jacobs in the 200m IM and Charlotte Gregory in the 200m Breaststroke. We had Final places for David Johansen and Michael Jacobs in the 100m Free, David Johansen in the 200m IM, Lily Snell in the 100m Butterfly and also for Michael Jacobs in the 200m Back. Georgia Harris was 1st Reserve for the final of the 100m Butterfly. Amy Chick, Oliver Randall, Lewis Groombridge, Isabelle Minter-Paye and Kate Ridley also competed. Well done!

Black Lion Open Meet (Day 1)

Monday 23rd May 2011

We had a very successful 1st day at the Black Lion Open meet held on Saturday 21st May. There were PBs for Joseph Gaster in the 200m Fly; Alice Bennett, Kate Napier, Isabelle Minter-Paye, Sophie Livett, Emma Burt-Johnstone and Jessica Page in the 50m Backstroke. Louis Goff and Toree-Andree West-Agboola also swam PBs in the 50m Back. In the 100m Breaststroke we had PBs from Jessica Sellar, Fay Gibson, Isabelle Minter-Paye, David Johansen, Sebastian Stewart and Joseph Gaster. This concluded the morning session! On Saturday afternoon, we had the 200m Freestyle with PBs from: Kate Napier, Charis Mills, Emma Burt-Johnstone, Kate Ridley, Sophie Livett,,Josh Kitchener, Toree-Andree West-Agboola, Louis Goff, Sebastian Stewart, Joshua Bedford-Eatwell, David Johansen, Theo West-Agboola and Joseph Gaster. In the 100m Back there were PBs for Jessica Sellar, Daniella Shipley, Isabelle Minter-Paye, Fay Gibson, Toree-Andre West-Agboola, Louis Goff and David Johansen. This was followed by the 50m Breast which had PBs for Alice Bennett, Kate Ridley, Fay Gibson, Isabelle Minter-Paye, Joshua Bedford-Eatwell and Sebastian Stewart. The final event of the day was the 200m IM for Girls and both Charis Mills and Holly Baronti rounded off the success streak by both swimming PBs. Well done everyone! First places were awarded to Sebastian Stewart in both the 100m and 50m Breaststroke (boys 11/12 years) and David Johansen in the Boys 11/12 years 200m Free. 2nd places were gained by Joseph Gaster in the Boys’ 13/14 years 200m Fly, Jessica Page in the Girls’ 13/14 years 50m Back, Fay Gibson in the Girls 11/12 years 50m Back, David Johansen in the Boys 11/12 years 100m Breaststroke, Rebecca Shipley in the Girls 15 and over 200m Freestyle and David Johansen in the Boys 11/12 years 100m Back. 3rd places were awarded to Isabelle Minter-Paye in the 50m Back, Kate Ridley in the 11/12 years 200m Freestyle and Joseph Gaster in the Boys 13/14 years 50m Breaststroke. Well done all swimmers on your excellent performances!

British Biathlon Championships

Monday 9th May 2011

Four Ojays swimmers took part in the British Biathlon Championships this weekend. Jessica Sellar, Jake Potter and Oliver Randall all competed in the Youth D category. Jessica ranked 38th in the swim and 22nd in the run and finished in 33rd position out of the 59 qualifiers in the girls event. Oliver ranked 21st in the swim and 12th in the run and finished in 14th position overall and Jake ranked 30th in the swim and 6th in the run finishing in 15th position overall out of the 52 who qualified for the final. These results are even more amazing if you consider the fact that they will compete in the same age group next year! Christopher Miles competed in the Youth A category this year in which he finished 8th last year. There were 26 qualifiers for the final. After a very tough run he found himself in 2nd position, 42 points behind the leader and 36 infront of the athlete in 3rd. In the swim he recorded a time which was just outside his PB which secured him 2nd place overall. Another great day for Ojays!

Day 1 of London Region Youth Championships at Crys

Monday 2nd May 2011

We had five swimmers participate in Day 1 of the London Region Youth Championships, Sam Harvey (200m Back), James May (100m Free, 200 IM, 200m Free and 50m Free) Esme Swaffield (50 Breast and 100m Breast) , Holly Baronti (200m Fly and 50m Fly) and Christopher Miles (200m Free and 50m Free). Christopher Miles secured a place in the 200m Freestyle final and was ranked 5th in the 17 years age-group. Holly Baronti swam a long-course PB for her 50m Fly and James May swam a long-course PB in his 50m Front crawl race. Well done to all our swimmers who had challenging swims against some very tough competition.

Orpington Ojays Open Meet 2011

Thursday 28th April 2011

The Club hosted and our Swimmers participated in our Open Meet at the Medway Park Leisure Centre/Black Lion Pool, Gillingham on Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th April last. We were delighted to welcome in particular Molse Zwemclub Antwerpen (Mozka), a Belgian swimming club from the town of Mol. We hope to have a return Meet with them in their home town in June 2012, when they will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the foundation of their Club. Our swimmers did themselves proud with over 30 personal best times during the course of the two days. First places were gained by James May (400m Free), Holly Baronti (200m Butterfly), David Johanson (400m IM), Sam Harvey (200m Butterfly), Michael Jacobs, (100m Backstroke), Lily Snell (50m Fly , 50m Back and 50m Free), Joshua Bedford Eatwell (50m Free and 50m Breast), Lewis Groombridge (100m Breast), Charis Mills (50m Free) and Shauna Hancock (100m Breast). Silver Medals were gained by Joseph Gaster (400m Free, 100m Back, 100m Fly and 200m Back), Lewis Groombridge (200m Breast), Charis Mills (100m IM and 50m Back), Esme Swaffield (200m Breast), Christopher Miles (200m Fly and 200m Free), David Johansen (200m Free and 100m Breast), Lily Snell (50m Breast), Charlotte Gregory (50m Breast and 50m Fly), Joshua Bedford Eatwell (50m Back and 50m Fly), Sam Harvey (100m Back), Amadea Picciau (100m Fly), Holly Baronti (100m Fly), Michael Jacobs (100m Free and 100m Fly), Sophie Livett (100m Back), Georgia Harris (50m Free) and Holly Baronti (50m Free). Bronze Medals were won by Amadea Picciau (200m Fly), David Johansen (200m Breast and 100m Free ), Georgia Harris (400m Free), Rebecca Shipley (400m Free and 100m Back), James May (200m Free), Kate Ridley (100m Free), Chloe Ashley (100m Free and 200m Free), Holly Baronti (100m Free), Esmee West Agboola (100m Free), Christopher Miles (100m Back and 100m Free), Emma Johnstone-Burt (100m Back), Christopher Lee (50m Fly) and Sam Harvey (100m Fly). We were also delighted to bring home the Trophy for the Top Club of the Meet. Well done! Congratulations to all on your fantastic swims and thank you once again to all the officials, helpers and parents whose enormous contribution ensured we had a very enjoyable and successful Meet. Martha Dean and Matt Perkins

Bexley Open 9th and 10th April at Crystal Palace

Tuesday 12th April 2011

Saturday morning started bright and early with some excellent performances and long course personal best times by David Johansen in the 200m FS, Charis Mills in the 200 BS, Anthony Wilson and Joseph Gaster in the 200m IM, Fay Gibson, Katie Napier, Charis Mills, Emma Johnstoneburt and Jessica Page in the 50m FS. After a few technical hitches the afternoon session progressed with more personal best times for Anthony Wilson and Louis Goff in the 50m FS, Charis Mills and Fay Gibson in the100 BK, and again for Charis Mills in the 200m FS, David Johansen in the 200m BS, Michael Jacobs and Joseph Gaster in the 100m BF. Sunday morning was a little less manic with Ojays swimmers still performing very well with yet more personal best times from David Johansen in the 200m FS, Fay Gibson in the100m BS, Charis Mills and Esme Swaffield in the 100m BS and 200m IM, Anthony Wilson and Joseph Gaster in the 200m BK. Even though Sunday afternoon was the final session our swimmers were still producing exceptional times with an 11 second personal best time from Charis Mills in the 400m FS and an equally amazing performance by Fay Gibson in the 200m BK. David Johansen achieved a PB in the 100m BS, Joseph Gaster in the200m BF, Esme Swaffield and Charis Mills in the 100m FS and Lewis Groombridge and David Johansen in the 100m FS. Well done to all our swimmers. Happy Birthday wishes to Michael Jacobs who celebrated his birthday this Sunday by going into the older age group! It has been a pleasure to coach all the Orpington Ojays swimmers this weekend as they were polite, responsible and well motivated. Thank you to all the parents for your support. Alison Nye

Head Coach Announcement

Saturday 9th April 2011

It is with great pleasure that the committee would like to announce the appointment of Ms Martha Dean and Mr Matt Perkins as Head Coach for Orpington Ojays from Monday April 11th. Both have historical links with the club and are looking forward to working with swimmers, coaches and parents in the future. We would like to wish them a happy and successful career with Orpington Ojays. May we take this opportunity to thank Committee member Steve May, Club Captains Katie Davis and Sam Harvey, and independent coaching expert Roy Kilbey, for their valuable time in order to interview and observe the candidates throughout the last two weeks.

Final weekend, Kent County Champoinships

Monday 14th March 2011

The final weekend of the 2011 Kent County Championships at Medway Park allowed the Orpington Ojays swimmers to finish their individual events on a high and compete in the hotly contested relay events. All swimmers showed little sign of fatigue after competing during every weekend for a month and continued to exceed expectations with some outstanding swims. Many personal best times and plenty of medals and a further 9 county titles! Highlights from Saturday 5th included 10 top six place medals for; Charlotte Gregory, Georgia Harris (2), Jessica Frankland, Holly Baronti, David Johansen, Lewis Groombridge, Oliver Coe, James May and Sebastian Stewart Bronze medals were awarded to; David Johansen (100m IM), Oliver Coe (Open 50m backstroke) and Amy Chick (100m butterfly). Silver medals were awarded to Sebastian Stewart (2 – 100m & 200 IM), Michael Jacobs (3 – 100m & 200m IM, 50m butterfly) Gold medals and county titles were awarded to Sam Harvey (3 – Age group, junior & open 200m butterfly) and Oliver Coe (4 – Age group & junior 50m backstroke both in event best performance times and age group & junior 100m freestyle) To round off the Championships Sunday the 6th was given over to the relay events. Clubs from across the County are invited to pit their best girls and boys freestyle and medley relay teams against each other in 5 age groups; 12 years & under, 13 & 14 years, 15 & 16 years and 16 years & under (Junior). Both boys and girls teams for the club performed well with 11 of the 14 entered teams reaching the finals (top 6 teams). These were; Girls 15/16yrs Medley (Rebecca Shipley, Emily Davison, Esme West-Agboola & Katie Davis) 6th Girls 15/16yrs Freestyle (Rebecca Shipley, Emily Davison, Esme Swaffield & Katie Davis) 6th Girls 12/u yrs Medley (Kate Ridley, Charlotte Gregory, Georgia Harris & Isabelle Minter-Paye) 5th Boys 12/u yrs Freestyle (David Johansen, Josh Bedford-Eatwell, Toree West-Agboola & Michael Jacobs) 5th Boys 15/16 yrs Freestyle (James May, Jack Dickerson, Sam Harvey & Oliver Coe) 5th Girls 12/u yrs Freestyle (Isabelle Minter-Paye, Amy Chick, Georgia Harris & Kate Ridley) 4th Girls 13/14 yrs Freestyle (Katie Coad, Sophie Livett, Holly Andrews & Holly Baronti) 4th Boys 12/u yrs Medley (David Johansen, Sebastian Stewart, Michael Jacobs & Josh Bedford-Eatwell) 3rd Boys 16/u yrs Freestyle (James May, Jack Dickerson, Sam Harvey & Oliver Coe) 3rd Boys 15/16 yrs Medley (Oliver Coe, Jack Dickerson, Sam Harvey & James May) 1st Boys 16/u yrs (Junior) Medley (Oliver Coe, Jack Dickerson, Sam Harvey & James May) 1st Medals were awarded to top three placed teams and the Boys Junior team were awarded a winners trophy. This year’s performance by Orpington Ojays at the County Championships has been very impressive by all swimmers. We were also well represented in the final Bagcat point positions with Top ten positions for Sebastian Stewart (2nd), Antony Wilson (7th), Lily Snell (7th) in the 10yr years category. In the 11 yrs Michael Jacobs was 2nd and Amy Chick 8th . In the 12 years Georgia Harris was 7th and David Johansen 8th. In the 13years Joseph Gaster was 10th. Special congratulations must go to the five swimmers and 2 relay teams who between have won 23 events (more than double last year!) over the four weeks including 3 event best performances; Sebastian Stewart (1 title + 1 event best performance), Jessica Frankland (1 title), Junior & 15/16yr Boys Medley team (James May, Jack Dickerson, Sam Harvey & Oliver Coe), Michael Jacobs (2 titles), Sam Harvey (3 titles) and Oliver Coe with a truly unbelievable 14 titles and 2 event best performances! A fantastic performance by all swimmers during this year’s championships and thank you to the coaches for preparing the swimmers so well. It has been a wonderful finish to my role as Head Coach and I am proud of what YOU the swimmers and US the coaches have achieved together. Simon Coe

Weekend 3, Kent County Champs - 45 more medals won

Friday 4th March 2011

Orpington Ojays swimmers showed off some fantastic performances during the third weekend of the Kent County Championships held at Medway Park. Again swimmers performed well beyond expectation and delivered many personal best times and picked up a further 45 medals and a further five county titles! Highlights from Saturday 26th included 10 top six place medals for; Emily Coe, Lily Snell, Charlotte Gregory, Georgia Harris (2), Jessica Frankland, Sebastian Stewart, Katie Davis, Amy Chick and Joseph Gaster. Bronze medals were awarded to; Sam Harvey (200m backstroke), Oliver Coe (Open 200m backstroke) and Lily Snell (50m butterfly) Silver medals were awarded to Oliver Coe (2 – Junior 200m backstroke & Open 100m Breastroke) and Michael Jacobs (200m butterfly) Gold medals and county titles were awarded Michael Jacobs (50m backstroke) and Oliver Coe (3 - Age group 200m backstroke, Junior & Age group 100m breaststroke) Sunday the 27th was equally successful with top six place medals being awarded to; George Walker, James May, Christopher Miles (2), Lily Snell (3), Emily Coe (2), Emily Davison (2), Antony Wilson, Georgia Harris, James May, Sam Harvey and Oliver Randall. Bronze medals were awarded to Sebastian Stewart (200m backstroke), James May (400m freestyle) and Emily Coe (2 – 100m breaststroke and 50m breaststroke) Silver medals were awarded to Fay Gibson (50m backstroke), Oliver Coe (Open 100m IM) and Michael Jacobs (2 – 200m backstroke, 400m freestyle) Our final gold medal of the weekend was won by Oliver Coe for the junior age group, in an exhilarating 100m individual medley final! Congratulations to all swimmers for your continuing success. Let’s all try and maintain our fantastic performances up until the end of the championships. Simon

Week 2, Kent County Championships - Further succes

Tuesday 1st March 2011

The second weekend of the Kent County Championships continued in a similar vein to the first weekend with further successes for Orpington Ojays. On Saturday the girls 800m event held at Crystal Palace with Georgia Harris and Jessica Frankland competing. Both girls paced their race well gaining large pb’s and both 5th place medals! During the Sunday events held at Medway Park, as with the previous weekend all swimmers performed extremely well achieving numerous personal best times, medals and a futher county title. Highlights included; Top 6 finalist medal places have been achieved by Sam Harvey (2), Lily Snell, Georgia Harris, Emily Coe (2), Antony Wilson, David Johansen, James May (2) and Oliver Randall. Bronze medals were awarded to; Oliver Coe (3 – Junior and Age Group 100m butterfly and Open 200m IM), Sebastian Stewart (200m freestyle) & Christopher Miles (200m IM) Silver medals were awarded to; Sebastian Stewart (2 - 50m breaststroke, 400m IM), Michael Jacobs (200m freestyle) & Oliver Coe (2 – Junior and Age Group 200m IM) Finally (at the end of the day) Michael Jacobs won the gold medal and became county champion in the 400m IM! Well done to all swimmers for their continued success. Let’s all try and remain focused and maintain these high standards of swimming through to the second half of the championships. Simon

Week 1, Kent County Championships; Medals & Titles

Friday 25th February 2011

The first weekend of the Kent County Championships was very exciting and successful for Orpington Ojays. We got off to a cracking start with all swimmers performing extremely well, many competing in their first County Champs. There have been numerous personal best times, medals and county titles. There were also some exciting finals and very close finishes! With so many excellent swims it is difficult mention everybody but highlights have included; Top 6 finalist medal places have been achieved by James May (2), Georgia Harris, Jack Dickerson, Lewis Groombridge, Charlotte Gregory, Amadea Piccau. Bronze medals were awarded to; Sam Harvey (2-200m freestyle & 100m backstroke), Jack Dickerson (50m Breaststroke), Lilly Snell (200m butterfly), Oliver Coe (open 100m backstroke), Anthony Wilson (50m freestyle) and Michael Jacobs (50m freestyle) Silver medals were awarded to; Holly Andrews (100m backstroke), Georgia Harris (200m butterfly) County champions and gold medals were awarded to; Sebastian Stewart (200m breaststroke with an event best performance time), Oliver Coe (5-Open, Junior and age group 50m breaststroke and age group and junior 100m backstroke) and Jessica Frankland (200m butterfly). All in all and excellent start to the Championships! Well done to all swimmers that have competed so far and good luck to those till to compete. Simon