Shropshire swimmer Bonnie into County top three
A Shropshire student has been ranked in the top three swimmers in county standings based on all strokes for her age group.
Bonnie Innes, 14, who has been a student at Concord College since last September, has recently beaten all her personal best times as well as being awarded the head coach performance squad award at Ludlow Swimming Club.
Coaches say Bonnie, who joined Ludlow Swimming Club in 2018, has progressed ‘remarkably’ over the past few years to rise from the development squad to the performance squad.
Her latest club testimony, which Bonnie has described as the ‘icing on the cake’, reads: “From the restart of swimming after lockdown this swimmer was leading the hardest working lane in the club.
“This lane was not necessarily the fastest, but the only lane to complete every set written on the training board.
“This work ethic has paid dividends as now this swimmer is the strongest all-round female in the club and is a ‘weapon’ at the 200m freestyle.”
Concord College’s sports hall manager Will Harrison said: “Winning the accolade of strongest all-round swimmer in the club and receiving a top 3 county ranking in every stroke is no mean feat.
“Just wow, Bonnie. The hard work has been paying off and it’s great to see such strong performances. The sports department is looking forward to helping her continue her development.”
Last September Bonnie, an Elite Sports Programme member at Concord College, took part in the Wolverhampton/Wyre Forest level four open meet and level X championships.
She ‘smashed’ her personal bests which saw her Shropshire rankings improve dramatically – third or fourth in all events.
Reflecting on balancing her academics and swimming commitments, she said today: “Juggling my daily school routine, prep and swimming training has at times been difficult and it has taken a while to find the right balance of organisation. But it is all worth it.
“In addition to my training at Ludlow, I am fortunate to be a part of Concord’s Elite Sports Programme and benefit from one-to-one gym-based training, advice, nutrition and strength as well as conditioning work.”
She added: “I look forward to continuing my preparations for a busy sporting year ahead and with the county championships looming I will be pushing hard to beat my personal bests once more.”
