A TALENTED TEENAGE swimmer from Saddleworth is setting new personal and club records – and already has his sights on more.
Lucas Jackson, 19, recently set a personal best (PB) of 25.41 for 50m front crawl at Saddleworth Amateur Swimming Club (SASC), breaking their record of 25.82 set by Paralympian Ben Procter in 2011.
Coaches Duncan and Dee explained: “We have the list up on our notice board of all the fastest time and Lucas clocked it on the night and said that’s the one to beat.”
Lucas’s future aims include breaking more PBs and getting below 24 seconds for his 50m front crawl.
He has been swimming since a very young age, first completing a mile aged three years old at Ashton pool (64 lengths).
He began competing aged four at various swim clubs before taking a break to revise for his GCSEs.
Jumping back into the pool after 12 months out, Lucas was struggling to swim two lengths without stopping as his stamina and strength had both diminished drastically.
Having lost his self-confidence, he joined SASC as it is so close to his home it is like having a pool in the back garden.
This sparked his determination to get back into proper training, and he now goes to the gym six times a week as well as swimming and attending university.
“It feels like a military training camp,” laughed Lucas, who is backed by very supportive parents and helped from the beginning by his dad who is a trained swimmer.
“Saddleworth Swimming Club have welcomed me with open arms and have helped my progression to eventually being able to attempt to challenge club records.
“I am very grateful to Duncan and Dee for their fantastic training program, continued support and now I’m looking to more club records.”
The Club has a monthly Points Gala in October to June, guiding children towards competitive swimming in a friendly, non-threatening environment.
The swimmers are timed on each stroke – butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle – with the aim of improving their time, with points being awarded for improvement.
- Saddleworth Amateur Swimming Club (SASC), based at Uppermill Swimming Pool, was established more than 30 years ago with the aim of developing local swimmers, getting more swimmers in the water, building and engendering a life-long love of the sport.
The club is part of the elite athlete pathway where talented swimmers are identified and encouraged to develop as far as possible and they have had a number of Olympic and Commonwealth games athletes as members of the club, including Jess Lloyd and Ben Procter.
Find out more on their website: www.saddleworthswimming.co.uk
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