Casey TigerSharks, from left, Caitlin Collingwood, Shannae Etheve, Arnon Lodder and Bridget Bicsak all reached individual finals at last month’s Victorian 12 and 11-and-under Championships at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre. 25839By Marc McGowan
ARNON Lodder’s silver-laden performances led the Casey TigerSharks’ charge in last month’s Victorian 12 and 11-and-under Championships at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre.
Fellow TigerSharks Caitlin Collingwood, Shannae Etheve and Bridget Bicsak also reached individual finals, while the club’s boys’ 12-and-under medley relay squad finished sixth.
Etheve’s and Collingwood’s finals appearances were their first at state long course level.
Berwick resident and former Casey swimmer Matt Charlesworth, who recently joined Nunawading, won a gold and silver medal among three finals. Charlesworth’s points counted towards the TigerSharks’ total as he was still a member of the club when he registered for the competition.
Casey finished 13th overall behind runaway winner Nunawading.
But it was Lodder’s three silver medals in the boys’ 11-and-under 100m and 200m breaststroke and 200m individual medley that headlined the TigerSharks’ effort.
Casey assistant coach James Fox, who primarily mentors the club’s younger brigade, was full of praise for Lodder.
“Three silvers for him is a fantastic effort considering he was racing against guys who were twice the size of him,” Fox said.
“Arnon is not quite as developed yet and is not as muscular as the guys he’s racing against, but, for him, his skills are a lot better (than his competitors) and he relies on them to put him up there.
“When he does start to grow a little bit he’ll be right up there and is definitely a star of the future.”
Eight-year-old Jake Duggan – the youngest competitor in the state event – also produced two quality swims against competitors up to three years his senior.
He finished 31st and 61st in the 11-and-under 100m breaststroke and 100m freestyle respectively.
Fox was suitably impressed with the rising star’s display.
“I thought his 100m freestyle was probably his standout swim,” he said.
“Jake swam a fantastic time (1:18.74) and for him to do that at his age was remarkable.
“He’ll be up there in the future, but the main focus for him over the next couple of years is to keep improving his skills.”
Duggan was one of several TigerSharks experiencing the state championships for the first time.
“Those are the kids that made our team the largest we’ve had competing at a state championships and came along for the experience,” Fox said.
“Most of them went away with PBs (personal bests).
“For them, we are trying to achieve PBs and let them experience what states are about … a lot of them haven’t raced at MSAC a lot and it’s about getting to know the facilities and the process.”
The Victorian Age Championships for 13 to 18-year-olds began last Saturday and concluded yesterday (Wednesday).
Full results were not available when the News went to press.
