Personal best for Dayspring

“YOUR greatest competitor is yourself.”
That was the message from Dayspring  Christian Primary and College team manager Paula Cokanasiga to his young swimmers, and it paid off.
Competing at the Fiji Primary and  Secondary Schools National Swim[1]ming Championships on Saturday, the 16-member squad may not have won medals, but they walked away with
massive personal bests and a renewed  sense of belief.
“We’re proud of what our swimmers  achieved,” Cokanasiga said.
“The goal was never about medals this year, it was about individual perfor[1]mance, and they delivered.”
The team was made up of seven senior swimmers and nine from the
primary school.
Many of the younger swimmers were new to competitive swimming, coming
through the school’s Learn to Swim program.
“Our journey started in January through our school swimming program.
Most of the kids here are a direct result of that effort. We focused on technique
because our training time was limited,” she said.
Dayspring returned to the national stage only last year after a four- to five[1]year break due to financial constraints.
This year marked their second ap[1]pearance since the comeback and with
more swimmers.
“Last year we had 12 or 13 swimmers. This year we had 17 but had to bring 16 because one was out with the flu,” he said.
Cokanasiga and the team’s coach are both teachers at the school, juggling re[1]sponsibilities to prepare the swimmers over one month training four times a
week, one hour per session.
“We’re grateful to the parents, for[1]mer students and sponsors who helped
us along the way. One parent even sponsored our uniforms,” he added.
Dayspring Christian Primary and College was one of 58 schools at the
two-day event at Damodar City Aquatic Centre, which featured around 700
swimmers.
Cokanasiga hopes the team con[1]tinues to grow and, in future, become
medal contenders