A 38 year victory for the Scotch Swim Team

On Thursday, 9th of March, Scotch College achieved something that hadn’t been done for 38 years.

With a nail-biting battle against Christ Church the whole night, Scotch College won the 2023 PSA Swimming Carnival by 15.5 points, with Hale taking out third place. Over the last four years, Scotch has continued to establish itself as a school to watch at PSA Swimming Carnival. By consistently placing in the top three, the boys have seen a fundamental shift in culture, attitude, and belief in what the school can achieve. This belief was more evident than ever, led by Daniel Boshart and Mack Williams, and the swimming season started well with consistent numbers at training and a desire to improve. This was followed by solid performances at our first few meets, seeing the boys swim their best times. This momentum carried through the summer holidays and swim camp, with the boys working harder than ever. The team knew this might be our year from the start of the season. The school has never looked stronger from Years 7 to 12. However, following Scotch’s best performance at Quads, winning Division One and narrowly coming second overall to Christ Church, the attitude changed from this might be to this will be our year.

Going into the PSA Swimming Carnival, we knew we had to be perfect to win. Scotch couldn’t afford to be disqualified in any race, and we needed to bring the right intensity, purpose, and belief to the competition. At training, we established a zero-disqualification rule, and I am proud that Scotch achieved that on the night, which was an integral part of our success. Not only did the boys swim unbelievably well on the night with close to a 100% PB rate, but they also supported each other in every race. It was great to see the Year 12 boys chanting the names of every swimmer as they got on the blocks. It was indeed a culture and team spirit to be proud of.

Throughout the night, it was a close battle with Christ Church. Scotch got an early lead after the Freestyle and Breaststroke events only for Christ Church to regain ground in the Division Two relays. At the start of the Division One Medley Relays, Christ Church had a one point lead for the first time in the meet. This meant that over the final races, we had to see a strong performance by the Scotch relay team. Scotch won three out of the last six relays and placed in the top for the other three. It was an incredible achievement for the boys and one I know they will keep with them for life.

A fantastic effort on the part of all the swimmers and a particularly emotional victory for those fathers who were also part of the Scotch PSA Swim Team that won back in 1985. Multi-generational Scotch champions –what an extraordinary feat indeed!

Ryan Steenkamp, Head of Swimming