The Pirates Week Mike Lockwood Memorial Swim Meet took place November 19th — 22nd at the Lions Aquatic Centre; hosted by Stingray Swim Club (SSC) and attended by visiting international swimmers from New York, Agua and Texas, Team Fins; and local clubs Camana Bay Aquatic Club (CBAC), Seven Mile Swimmers (SMS) and Special Olympics of the Cayman Islands (SOCI).

Mrs Ella Kaye Lockwood was on deck at the start of the meet, watching the young athletes and commenting on how fitting a tribute this swim meet is to her late husband, Mike Lockwood who was the visionary and driving force behind both the Lions Aquatic Centre and the Pirates Week Festival. Also on hand to cheer on the swimmers and to lend his skills as a timer was Michael Lockwood (Mike’s son) who is also the Cayman Islands Amateur Swimming Association’s President.

“It was an excellent weekend of fun and good strong competition,” said Stingray President Amanda Roberts. “It was wonderful having visiting swimmers from New York and Texas to add some excitement to the wide range of races on offer over the four days – from long distance events to sprints. In my last meet as President, I am particularly proud of our Stingray swimmers who all swam their hearts out and won the Team Championship Trophy.”

Those familiar with Cayman’s swim scene will have recognised Coach Andy Copley (Stingray’s former head coach) who is at Agua Swim Club in New York City and who travelled here with a team of swimmers and parents. “It was great to have Coach Andy bring a team to the Mike Lockwood Memorial Pirates Week meet,” said Stingray’s Head Coach David Pursely. “Having outside competition from the United States helped to boost the level of swimming this weekend and played a tremendous role in the motivation of the swimmers. Stingray Swim Club hopes to have outside competition in each of their premier competitions moving forward.  The courtesy of the swimming community and the sportsmanship of the swimmers this past weekend was tremendous and will no doubt lead repeat visits from outside teams.”

The visiting team from New York had a great time and the parents are already insisting that the meet become a fixture on their club calendar — a great indication of the endless possibilities of swimming as a major player in sport tourism here in Cayman. And when Cayman has a 50m pool the sports tourism opportunities will increase exponentially.

In the overall points standings, Stingray Swim Club placed 1st with 813 points; Camana Bay Aquatic Club, 2nd with 632; Agua 3rd with 404; Seven Mile Swimmers 4th with 90 points and Team Fins 5th with 12 points.

High Points Winners Girls U6 — Lea Neveilova (SMS); Girls 7-8 Lila Higgo (CBAC); Girls 9-10 Allyson Belfonte (SSC); Girls 11-12 Emma Feld (Agua); Girls 13-14 Ria Plunkett (SSC) and Girls 15&Over Lauren Hew (CBAC).

Boys U6 Luke Higgo (CBAC); Boys 7-8 Phin Ellison (CBAC); Boys 9-10 Stefano Bonati (CBAC); Boys 11-12 Justice Carrenard (Agua); Boys 13-14 Matthew Somerville (CBAC) and Boys 15&Over Rory Barrett (CBAC).