Representing Hythe Aqua, David Staveley competed in the National Masters Swimming Championships held at the Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield at the end of October. It proved to be his most successful Championships yet - achieving his best times for several years and winning one gold, three silver and one bronze medal. In his principal event, the 100 metre Individual Medley, he led from the start with one of his strongest strokes, the Butterfly, and was never seriously challenged by the rest of the field finishing a comfortable winner by over three seconds.

He also obtained second place in each of the three Backstroke events (50, 100 & 200 metres) and his strong performance in the 200 metre event, close behind the eventual winner, pushed them both to the second and third fastest times in the UK this year in this age group.

The annual ASA S. E. Region Masters Short Course Championships were  also held recently in Guildford  with leading Masters swimmers competing from as far away as East Anglia, the Channel Isles & Birmingham.

Two Hythe Aqua swimmers competed this year – Graham Ling and David Staveley (both in the 65-69 yr age group) and both achieved medal winning performances. Graham was involved in one of the closest races of the day touching only 0.23 seconds behind the winner of the 200 metre freestyle event and had to be content with the silver medal. He also achieved a bronze in the 100 metre freestyle and a fourth in the 50 metre freestyle.

David won gold in the 200 metre individual medley as well as silvers in the 50 and 100 metre backstroke and bronze in the 200 metre backstroke.