The morning of the Wotton Swimming Pool Gala dawned ominously grey, and there were fears that it would be a repeat deluge, like that of the Wotton Triathlon back in June. A gala doesn’t just appear, and the morning preparations included a small fight with a large gazebo, the heating of a barbeque and the drawing up of the results board. As the congregation of teams grew, the nerves and anticipation escalated too. It was a mix of prepared and well structured, tactical teams; and hopeful individuals, doing their best to look athletic and speedy, wishing to be picked for a team (myself among them!). The Scout team certainly seemed an ominously organised opponent, and I began to loose hope of being adopted by a friendly team, like the last goldfish in the tank at the garden centre; but as the sun came out, bathing the pool in sunshine, I was at last picked by a funny looking gang, calling themselves the Triathlon Team. The races began, and competitive times kept appearing on the results board. The heats took place with kids vs kids, familes taking on families, and the infamous Lead Weights challenged the Triathlon Team. A strong competition certainly helps to focus the mind, and suddenly there I was, stood on the edge of the pool, with a bloke brandishing a whistle and stopwatch… One minute and thirty six seconds later, the mad splashing was over, and to my delight, we had won! It was also an impressive time, which looked hard to beat, and proved to be so, as the motley Triathlon Team were crowned the fastest team, proudly picking up a trophy at the concluding the award ceremony. Other highlights of the gala included the plucky family swim from the Hulls, the strength of the younger swimmers, and the ladies beating the gentlemen, not forgetting the fabulous bacon rolls, and huge selection of delicious cakes and biscuits. Thank you to all those who were involved with the preparations leading up to the gala, and the execution on the day, all of which made it a wholly enjoyable event. Miss Minnow.