Island Games 2015
The Isle of Man Swimming Association will be sending a team of 13 swimmers to compete at this summer’s NatWest Island Games in Jersey in under 2 weeks time (Swimming events 29 June - 2 July).
The team is a mix of experience and those who will be making their Island Games debuts and includes five members of the team that competed at the last year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow who are delighted to have another opportunity to represent the island.
Current Isle of Man under-21 Sportswoman of the Year and Youth Olympics silver medalist Charlotte Atkinson will compete in her third Island Games and hopes to add more gold medals and Games records to her CV, with her focus being the butterfly events.Breaststroke specialist Laura Kinley also hopes to add to her gold medal and IG records collection as she too attends her third Games. Steph Brew will also be attending her third Games and the experience of 2011 and 2013 should definitely be a benefit to her as she aims to join Kinley in the breaststroke finals once again.
Guy Davies won a breaststroke silver medal in 2013 on his Island Games debut and now, with the experience of Glasgow behind him, he hopes to go one better this time around. Tom Bielich competed in the 2009 and 2013 Games as well as Glasgow last year and will focus on the sprint freestyle events. Alex Bregazzi was the youngest male member of Team Isle of Man in Glasgow and makes his Island Games debut in Jersey where he will have a busy programme covering all four strokes, demonstrating his versatility.
Ciara Cassidy and Mark Copparelli will both be attending their second Games having debuted in Bermuda. Cassidy will be focusing on the butterfly and freestyle events while Copparelli’s attention will be on backstroke and freestyle.
Five others will make their Island Games debuts in Jersey. Brody Hewison is hoping that this will be the start of a busy summer for him, as he also aims for Commonwealth Youth Games selection along with Bregazzi, and will be targeting the butterfly and sprint freestyle events. Still 16 years old, Ben Kebbell is the youngest male on the team and is another with a wide range of talents and will take part in the breaststroke, backstroke and individual medley events.
Amy Kinley joins older sister Laura on the team and will compete in backstroke events. Emma Hodgson will be the youngest member of Team IoM at just 13 years of age and will be competing in backstroke and freestyle events. Kazia Whittaker, also 13 and who has only been swimming competitively for a couple of years, completes the team and will compete in butterfly, backstroke and IM events.
In addition all of the swimmers will be involved in the relay programme.
The swimmers will be supported by head coach Lee Holland, physio Ruth Cooil and team manager Leonie Cooil, all of whom have a wealth of Island Games and Commonwealth Games experience.