26 May was the start of three amazing swim days in Hong Kong for the Husky swim team. 30 lucky swimmers participated in an extremely competitive meet at Hong Kong International School (HKIS). The school, situated in a beautiful area of the island, is surrounded by mountainous green hills. The pool was small - and was nowhere near as large as the excitement in the air! Everyone gave 110% in and out of the pool. It was such an exciting atmosphere, with groups of people standing at the end of each lane, cheering their team members on enthusiastically.

The CIS champion of this meet was 9-year old Ivan Martynyuk, who brought home 4 gold medals for the team. There were also numerous PBs (personal best times) achieved by all our other swimmers. As the heats progressed, I found the racing became more intense. Our swimmers returned back home with new timings and a valuable experience for future races.

Our coaches were a huge support throughout the weekend. Thank you Coach Helen for useful feedback after each and every race we swam, Coach Mark for all the encouragement he gave us between races, and Coach Geoff for filming the races and congratulating each and every one of us at the end of the races.

Overall, the Hong Kong invitational meet was an excellent experience which made early mornings, and all our efforts and training, worthwhile. We look forward to future overseas meets.