2009 CSSN Swimming Championships
The Covenant Warrior competitive era officially began last Thursday 26th March, with our first Year 7-12 representative squad travelling to Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre to challenge for the 2009 CSSN Swimming Championships.
There were over 20 schools competing on the day, but within the Medium Sized Schools Division Covenant College were up against 8 rival schools from around the Melbourne area. All these schools were familiar competitors, with Covenant College having faced them in 2008 in both CSSN and WCSSA Tournaments.
But none had yet faced the Covenant Warriors.
It may have been a placebo effect, but this Warrior team felt stronger than its 2008 pre-Warriors predecessor. The team was indeed larger, with more competitors both qualified enough and ready to compete than in 2008. And more numbers means more strength. More strength, more confidence. More confidence, more success.
It seemed like a shaky start in the Medley Relays and the Individual Medley’s, yet it’s important to note that only three schools in our Division were able to submit Medley competitors. We were one of them. With taxing events such as 200m Individual Medley, it’s a credit to the students who stepped and took on the challenge.
Brendan Knol was one of them. Stepping up to replace his brother Ryan in the 200 IM, Brendan claimed our first 1st Place finish; a precursor for things to come.
After this point, it was all Covenant. Over the next 41 events, the Warriors placed in the top three 31 times, including twelve 1st Place finishes. The team was led by Dianna Todd and Nationals hopefuls Ainsley Guidolin, Hamish Lawrence and Cassie Brown who amongst themselves alone accumulated eight 1st Place finishes to go alongside their 18 total top three finishes. But while these four were impressive enough, it quickly became a common occurrence amongst the entire team to claim such honours with Tane Rabbas, Nicola Gordon and Ryan Knol all swimming 1st place in their respective events, with David Baird and Josh Varcoe adding 2nd Place finishes in their Freestyle events (50m & 100m).
Leading into the final round, the 4×50m Freestyle Relay events, the Covenant Warriors sat in 2nd Place on the overall leaderboard, only 15 points behind the leaders, Belgrave Heights. Covenant College was on the cusp of claiming it’s first ever CSSN Championship, knowing full well that a strong output in the Freestyle Relay would move the team both into the lead and into the history books.
But it was not to be, and inwardly, the result was known before the relays even took place. It was inevitable. Due to the team missing four swimmers on the day meant that half the proposed Covenant Relay teams couldn’t swim, leaving the available teammates to merely look on in vain as their rivals swam unchallenged by the Warriors in the pool below.
By the time the relays were complete, the Covenant Warriors had dropped to 3rd Place behind Kings College and Belgrave Heights. It was frustrating, and the team definitely felt the sting of coming so close yet being denied by what was an avoidable circumstance. But this wasn’t a time to mourn the lost chance at glory but rather revel in what was achieved: In 2008, Covenant College finished with 225 total points. In 2009, the Covenant College Warriors accumulated 353, as well as walking away with the title of Under 13 Champions thanks to the dominant efforts of Hamish Lawrence, Ainsley Guidolin and Tane Rabbas. The team as a whole had performed with confidence and optimism, and had set themselves a new standard to be matched in years to come.
The era of the Covenant Warriors has not merely trickled into existence. It has begun with significance. Next stop; WCSSA Autumn Tournament 2009.
