Future North West swimming champions dive into Irish Olympian Shane Ryan Skills Clinic

Limavady Amateur Swimming Club experienced the privilege of welcoming Olympian and Irish record-holder Shane Ryan to Roe Valley Leisure Centre on Wednesday August 13, to lead a high-level skills clinic for some of the North West’s most promising young swimmers.

The eagerly anticipated session, which had Limavady ASC swimmers brimming with excitement, followed the club’s recent triumphs at the Irish Summer National Championships.

A total of 40 swimmers, aged between 12 and 18, from Limavady, Coleraine, Ballymoney, and City of Derry Swimming Clubs plunged into the masterclass, eager to learn from Shane’s wealth of elite insight and expertise.

Francis McAuley, Chairman of Limavady Amateur Swimming Club, articulated his pleasure at hosting the Olympic athlete and enabling the young swimmers to benefit from his exceptional experience.

"It was with great pride that LASC had the honour of welcoming Shane Ryan to our humble facilities at Roe Valley Leisure Centre,” he said.

“The swimmers were in awe of the three-time Olympian from the start of his four- hour skills session until the end and paid great attention to Shane throughout.

“Opportunities like this are very rare and a huge debt of gratitude goes out to our coach Paula Fyfe, who saw the opportunity to bring this legend to Limavady and put in tremendous effort behind the scenes to make it a reality.

“A brilliant experience for everyone who attended and hopefully this is the first event of many!"

Shane Ryan is an American-born swimmer who competes internationally for Ireland and whose illustrious career has included swimming at the Rio, Tokyo, and Paris Olympic Games.

He claimed bronze in the 50m Backstroke at both the 2018 World Championships and the European Championships, and currently holds the Irish records in the 50m and 100m Freestyle as well as the 50m and 100m Backstroke.

After representing Ireland at the World Championships in Singapore, Shane had a very different environment when he travelled to Roe Valley Leisure Centre to lead a specialist skills clinic focused on starts, underwaters, and turns.

Throughout the day, he shared personal stories from his career and passed out some of his medals, much to the delight of the young swimmers, inspiring a hope that they too will represent Ireland in the pool one day.

Renowned as one of the world’s best starters, Ryan spent four hours blending poolside instruction with in-water demonstrations and real-time feedback, coaching drills on backstroke and freestyle starts, underwater phases, and freestyle turns.

The day ended on a high with Shane challenging one swimmer from each club to a 50m freestyle showdown with a generous five-second head start, which propelled one or two to victory!

In a relaxed meet-and-greet after the pool session, Shane made many of the swimmers’ day through autographing caps and kit, posing for photos, and answering eager questions.

The event, hosted by Limavady ASC with the support of Roe Valley Leisure Centre staff and local sponsors, was hailed a resounding success, praised for its top-tier coaching, athlete engagement, and the spirit of collaboration across all four participating clubs.

This memorable day followed a stellar summer for Limavady ASC, whose athletes shone at both the Irish National Age Group Championships in Limerick and the Irish National Youth and Senior Championships in Dublin this July.

At the National Age Group Championships, Conor, Faye, Maia, Katie, Chloe, Lara, Bonnie, and Sienna Rose represented the club with distinction, competing across 24 events, achieving 12 personal bests and reaching six finals.

Seven LASC swimmers qualified for the Irish Youth and Senior National Championships, with six making the trip to Dublin’s National Aquatic Centre to take on Ireland’s elite and visiting competitors from the USA, Dubai, and Sweden.

Over five days and 24 events, Dearbhaile, Kevin, Ollie, Sam, Shane, and Joshua achieved 15 personal bests, 10 of which came in finals; another milestone saw LASC field their first-ever senior relay team, with Kevin, Ollie, Joshua, and Shane in the 400m Open Medley Relay.

The 2024/25 season marks another chapter of success for this small and dedicated club, which continues to punch above its weight at regional and national levels.

Adding to the club’s pride, Paralympian and international swimming star Dearbhaile Brady continues her rise on the global stage as she prepares for her next major challenge.

Limavady Amateur Swimming Club now invites young swimmers aged six to ten to join their ranks, offering the chance to develop skills, build fitness, and grow in confidence through competitive swimming.

Parents and guardians interested in fostering their child’s swimming journey can contact LASC via the club’s Facebook page for more details.