The Isle of Man will have three representatives in the British National Para Swimming Championships which are being held at the Commonwealth Pool in Manchester next month.
The three inspirational competitors to have qualified for the prestigious event are 15-year-old S9 swimmer Tom Callister, 11-year-old Letisha Ellis who competes in S15 and 12-year-old Ben Grainger who is an S10 athlete.
Ben, the most experienced member, has been swimming for a number of years and won five medals at last year’s British Para Swimming Championships in the under-14 age category, including two golds.
The then 11-year old won both the 50m and 100m freestyle events and has since continued to dominate the para swimming scene as well as winning the 2014 Disability Sportsperson of the Year at the Isle of Man Sports Awards.
Inspired by Ben’s story, Letisha was very keen to take up the sport and, after only 18 months in the water, Letisha is set to gain a national ranking after the championships in December.
She will follow in team-mate Tom’s footsteps who already ranks second and third in his age group in Britain for his favoured breaststroke events, as well as being top 10 in the men’s category.
The trio are part of the newly-established Isle of Man Para Swimming Team which is being supported by Microgaming’s PlayItForward scheme. Looking ahead, the long-term goal for the newly team is to compete in the Paralympics in Tokyo 2020.
Providing the opportunity for everyone to compete in the sport of swimming, Microgaming has become title sponsor of the team which will assist the team with pool costs, coaching and travel on and off-island to compete.
Lee Holland, Isle of Man Swimming head coach, commented: ‘We are thrilled to have on board such an influential supporter in Microgaming. The athletes are so excited that their progress and performances have attracted such a credible and enthusiastic sponsor.
‘Everyone involved in swimming in the island are so proud of these inspirational young people and their dedication to their sport.
‘With Microgaming on our side, we are hoping to develop a framework and structure similar to the performance pathway we have built for able-bodied swimming team, which has had amazing success over the years.
‘Furthermore, we hope that other sports will follow suit in the quest to assist disabled people to achieve the high levels of performance that we as a nation have come to expect from able-bodied sports.’
Claire Coleman, head of Microgaming PlayItForward, says: ‘Getting to know Lee and hearing the para team members stories over the past few months has been inspiring.
‘It is our pleasure to support this flourishing team; we hope that this announcement will encourage more youngsters living with disabilities to get involved in this enjoyable sport.
‘We wish Ben, Tom and Letisha the best of luck for the British Para Swimming Championships next month – we are all routing for you!’
To drive awareness of the new Isle of Man Para Swimming Team, there will be a series of taster sessions held at the NSC over the coming months on Saturdays between 5-6pm.
These are open for all physically disabled people who can swim a minimum of 15m unaided, or have the potential to do so.
For anyone interested and for more information, contact Lee Holland on iomswimcoach@gmail.com