Top females lead TT splash team

Ayeisha Collymore and Samantha Rahael, two of Trinidad and Tobago’s top female swimmers, will lead a 30-member Trinidad and Tobago swim team that will compete in the 2005 Carifta Swimming Championships that are scheduled to take place in Curacao from March 31 to April 3. The 30-member contingent was ratified by the Amateur Swimming Association of Trinidad and Tobago (ASATT) council Tuesday at the Flying Fish Swim Club in Federation Park after the ASATT first selected the squad through their technical committee. Collymore broke five national records at the recently-concluded National Short Course Swimming Championship that ended at the Centre of Excellence 25-metre pool in Macoya last weekend.

Among those records was an 11-year old mark in the Girls 15 and Over 200-metre butterfly set by former Olympian Siobhan Cropper. Rahael meanwhile smashed several records for her 11-12 age group during the Short Course meet including a five-year old mark in the 100 metres butterfly event that was set by Collymore. The team, which will be defending the Carifta title, also includes record-breaker Christian Homer. Hazel Haynes, a Level Five American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) certified coach will serve as head coach of the delegation while Shirla Lyons will serve as manager. Erica Collymore will serve as head chaperone.

TT SQUAD:
Girls-11-12: Samantha Rahael, Shanice Mohammed, Rae Ann Mc Carthy, Renee Gordon, Kadija Phillips.
13-14: Brittany Stewart, Raenelle Carrillo, Kimberly Thornhill, Malika Walker; 15-17-Ayeisha Collymore, Kimba Collymore, Zahra De Four, Rene Pouchet, Donna Wickham.
Boys-11-12: Cadell Lyons, Christian Homer, Ryan Rigues, Christopher Buffong; 13-14-Walter Romany, Joel Sankar, Anthony Edwards, David Edwards, Derron Samlalsingh; 15-17- Stuart Gillette, Abeeku Phillip-Forde, Pierre Carmino, Stefan Mader, Jarryd Gregoire, Jules Graham, Joseph Ryan. Officials-Shirla Lyons (manager), Erica Collymore (head chaperone), Merlene Mohammed, Maria Rahael (assistant chaperones), Hazel Haynes (head coach), Edmund Pouchet, Pedro Haces, Terry Ann Evelyn (assistant coaches). CMC