Jan 2014 Winner – Alannah Leonard

FERMANAGH swimmer Alannah Leonard has been selected as the January ‘personality of the month’.

 

The seventeen year old Arney girl swims with the Slieve Beagh swimming club in Monaghan, where she also goes to school.

 

A pupil at St Louis Convent in Monaghan Alannah is in fifth year (sixth year equivalent) and has just started working towards her Leaving Cert.

 

Alannah said she has been swimming with a club since the age of eight, so for about the last nine years and trains in Monaghan almost every day of the week.

 

Alannah recently picked up three Ulster titles at the Ulster Secondary Schools competition – where she won 100 metre backstoke, 200 metre individual medley and 400 metre front crawl.

 

“On Monday morning I train two hours before school in the pool. Then I do one hour training after school. Tuesday it’s one hour in the morning and two hours training after school.

 

“Wednesday is a rest day but it’s back to training on Thursday and Friday both before and after school.

 

Alannah said she does sets in training, a warm up and then distance work – maybe 4800 metre sets.

 

And at the weekend she was in the pool in Magherafelt where she swam 12k.

 

The Fermanagh swimmer said she has taken part in several competitions this year already including the Scottish GP and Ulster Secondary Schools competition.

 

And there is the Irish Long Course meet to look forward to later in the year.

 

Asked if there is a competition season during the year, Alannah jokes that it’s competition season ‘all the time’ for swimmers.

 

“I also train with the Ulster senior squad and the Irish junior squad – and have to attend training in Bangor and Dublin respectively often for a week at a time.

 

As well as Alannah’s success at the Ulster Secondary Schools competition, where she picked up those three titles during January, she also currently holds an Ulster 400 metre IM (individual medley) title, which she won in Bangor in December.

 

Alannah said after her leaving certificate she hopes to go to university and is hoping to go to America on a sports scholarship, if all continues to go well for her.