Congratulations to Fleur Lewis at Barnet Copthall swimming club for becoming 1,500m British Champion

It is always great to feature good news rather than bad in the Barnet Eye blog. Did you know that the country's best swimming club is located at Barnet Copthall? I do because my daughter Maddie was a National Swimming Champion who represented the club for ten years and still holds some of the club records (I'm a proud Dad and those memories I will always treasure). 

However there is a new kid on the block and she's taken a fair few of Maddies club records, which I think is wonderful. Her name is Fleur Lewis and she's not only got the club records, but she's won the British Championship gold medal at 1,500 metres. Given that she's had to train under thr constraints of covid, it is a wonderful achievement.

Fleur Lewis Senior National Champion at British Championships on the 1500 free 16.45.51. Great swim. Well done Fleur. @Barnet_Better @BarnetCouncil @Barneteye @gllsf @GLL_UK pic.twitter.com/C17ndfooLy

— Barnet Copthall (@BarnetCopthall) April 11, 2022

As that was Maddie's speciality, I know first hand what an acheivement it must have been. All of the mornings up at 4am, all of the shlepping around the country for swimming gala's. The 1,500m is a punishing race and you need to train for it remorselessly.

Out of curiosity I had a little shufti at the club records this morning. I shed a little tear when I saw the 50m Breaststroke record. It is still held by Shannon Powell. Shannon was a very talented swimmer and runner, who tragically passed away doing the Middlesex Cross Country running championships in 2011. The whole club was devastated and the moment when her little sister accepted her swimmer of the year award in her place was the only time I've blubbed in public for as long as I can remember. If any of Shannon's family and friends see this, she will not be forgotten.

I'd like to publicly put on record (once again) my admiration for the staff, vounteers and parents of this wonderful swimming club. It made my day to see that they are still up there and winning gold medals at Nationals and the British Championships. Well done to Fluer! And as to her parents, I know how proud you must feel, it's wonderful, enjoy the moment!

Shannon Powell Inquest - Lessons that must be learned

Perhaps the most awful story in the local press this week has been the inquest into the death of Shannon Powell, a talented 14 year old swimmer and athlete. My daughter swims for Barnet Copthall, the club Shannon belonged to. Earlier this year, we had the tragic event of the club championships awards ceremony, where Shannons little sister had to collect her club championship. It was probably the most heartbreaking thing I've ever experienced. Shannon was the 14 year old girls champion. My daughter was the 15 year old champion and wheras the awards ceremony is usually a highlight of the year for the swimmers and a chance for them to let their hair down, this year it was a rather sombre and muted event.

How ironic really that the club championships start the day after the inquest. Perhaps the most awful aspect of the whole thing is the coroners verdict that Shannons death might have been avoided, had she been taken to an A&E department immediately. I cannot possibly grasp how awful that news must be for Shannons parents. What is even worse is that it seems to be down to poor organisation of the event. Access for ambulances was locked, no one knew where the key was. Whilst a fit, strong teenager having a siezure is perhaps rather unpredictable, anyone organising a large event must cater for the possibility of someone needing an ambulance. Runners may slip and break a leg and so surely a modicum of planning should be made for such an occurrance.

It also seems that there were issues with getting Shannon to the ambulance when it did arrive, with paramedics refusing to carry her for health and safety reasons, over muddy and slippery terrain. Again, the same issue would have occurred. Clearly paramedics must consider their own safety, but I think that if you are not prepared to carry a very sick girl to an ambulance, in my opinion, you are in the wrong job. One of the most vivid memories of my youth, was my father (who was a WWII bomber pilot) telling about how a plane crashed on the runway, with a full bomb load, and the bravery of the station staff who got the crew out shortly before the plane went bang. In todays world, the brave crew of that plane would have been sacrificed at the alter of health and safety.

I think the emergency services need to take a long, hard look at what they do and re-appraise how they approach such things. If it had been my daughter (which it wasn't only thanks to a genetic lottery), I would most certainly have the utmost difficulty dealing with it all. I sincerely hope that because the coroners placed the blame at the door of the event organisers, that the London Ambulance Service don't think they've come out of this with any credit.

All I can do is pray for Shannon and her family. Her parents had a truly exceptional daughter, who was a star that shone brightly, if all too briefly. I've always believed that we should be judged on what we leave behind. In her short life Shannon achieied more than many achieve who live a normal lifespan. The legacy she leaves must be one where young people can attend such marvellous events in safety and if there is a problem, they can get treatment immediately. The tragedy of her passing cannot be something which is simply ignored and forgotten.

The summing up by the coroner is described here -
http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/9412208.Neglect_contributed_to_death_of_schoolgirl__coroner_rules/