Six years on from taking her first ever strokes, Dalgety Bay’s Eloise Barber is just weeks away from competing in a GB strip for the first time.

This week the Carnegie Swimming Club 15-year-old was confirmed as a member of the British team bound for the European Junior Swimming Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

“This is my first GB selection and it feels pretty good,” said Eloise.  “I had to make a qualification time at the British & Olympic trials in Sheffield this March, and also had to make the top four of my age group.

“In the 200m IM (Individual Medley) I swam 2:20:89 [more than seven seconds faster than her time a year ago], which was inside the time, and I came fourth in the race.  I’m going as a reserve for the 4x100m freestyle relay as well.” 

In being selected for the European Championships, Eloise extends the lineage of swimmers from the region, all supported by the Tayside & Fife Institute of Sport, who have competed in this event.

Dundee’s Ross Clark qualified for the Europeans in 2005, Dunfermline’s Andrew Rodgie followed suit in 2006.  Last year it was Glenrothes’ Daniel Scott who rose to the occasion, when Antwerp hosted the European Championships.  Scott has also been named in this year’s team.

Given that only five members of the British Europeans’ team come from Scotland, it shows the depth of swimming talent locally.

Carnegie coach, Gilbert Kirkwood has helped develop both Eloise’s and Andrew’s talents in recent years.

“Eloise’s individual strokes are all excellent and she doesn’t have a weakness,” he said.  “So we are concentrating on the 200m IM now and will aim at the 400m IM as she gets older. 

“She has made huge improvements in the last year. Part of it is down to her maturing a lot, and we’ve also upped her training.  We’re doing a lot more work in the pool and the Tayside & Fife Institute of Sport has helped with Strength & Conditioning training and by providing a psychologist.

“With the Tayside & Fife Institute there’s a whole team behind a swimmer.  Everybody specialises in their own area and we all pull together.  We all sit down together and discuss what we need to do to go forward.  It’s a real team effort.” 

Impressive as they are, the European Championships may not be the high point of Eloise’s 2008 season.  In October, Pune in India hosts the Commonwealth Youth Games, and Scotland will be sending up to 10 of its best junior swimmers.

“The qualification time for the Commonwealth Youth Games is 2:20:72 so with my time of 2:20:89 at the British trials I’m just off it,” said Eloise.  “I have two chances to achieve a qualifying time, in the European Championships and the Scottish Open.”

Having the opportunity to compete in these major events has obviously inspired an already highly motivated athlete.

“Getting closer to that European time has given her the ambition to go forwards,” said coach Kirkwood.  “She is only a fraction off the Youth Commonwealth Games time so that is a goal as well.  She has a lot of incentive and she is really working well in training.”

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Photography by Rob Eyton-Jones