Skye Munro (15) swam her first race in the Barberton Primary School pool and earnt the nick-name of Penny Haines. She has never looked back and has gone on to become an imposing swimming athlete. At the Winter Short Course Gala held at Curro in Nelspruit on the July 23 she broke four event records. She also qualified for six events at the SA Senior Short Course Nationals which will be held in Pietermaritzburg during August. Skye and Jordan Minifie (Uniswim) entertained all with the most exciting race of the day, the 100 m freestyle. It took true grit to win the race and it was riveting, nail-biting swimming at its best.

In March Skye qualified for the SA Youth Nationals and stood on the blocks alongside all the swimming greats like Karin Prinsloo, Chad le Clos and Cameron van der Burgh at the Senior Nationals held in Durban. 

“I was very pleased to make Youth Nationals this year, as it was a particularly inspiring gala being that it was the SA Olympic trials. Many SA swimmers that live and study abroad needed to attend the trails in SA and so the gala was very well attended.  My goal is to make Nationals again next March but with a Senior qualifying time rather than a Youth qualifier,” she said.

Skye will be on the team representing Mpumalanga at the Inter Provincial tournament on August 20 in Johannesburg. She trains an hour every morning and two hours every evening five days a week. On Saturday’s she trains for two hours.

With this punishing training schedule and the travelling time to Nelspruit twice a day, it is hard to keep up with school academics, yet she maintains an 85% average.
Quite a feat for an English speaking Barberton Daisy in an Afrikaans school.

Press Release submitted by Nelspruit Swimming Academy