Dedication, dedication, dedication is what you need... if you wanna be a Record Breaker!

Wise words from the late Roy Castle – host of the BBC show “Record Breakers” – and something two young swimmers in Orkney have certainly lived up to given recent record-breaking performances!  

Alfie Price and Eve Wood both smashed two 43-year-old swimming records at the Orkney Age Group Championships held at the Picky Centre on 16/17 March.  

Alfie, 14, broke Jimmy Poke’s 100m butterfly record (1:05.40) with a time of 1:02.58 taking almost two seconds off his own personal best time, whilst Eve, 15, pipped Karen Hourston’s record in the 100m breaststroke (1.17:70) with a time of 1.17:45 – with Eve’s PB time being 120.25 prior to this meet.  

Both are Performance Development Programme (PDP) athletes – a scheme run through the Council and sportscotland. Through the programme support is given to athletes on the performance pathway which includes physical preparation, performance lifestyle support, nutrition support and physio guidance.  

Alfie was a water baby, loving being in swimming pools from just a few months old, and from a young age spent many hours travelling to enable him to train as often as possible.  

Alfie was born in Inverness, lived in Durness, Sutherland until he was six and then the family emigrated to New Zealand.  

Whilst in New Zealand Alfie swam with Breakers Aquatics and Blenheim Swim Club, beating and setting records in the Tasman/ Marlborough districts in his age groups (from age 8-11) for butterfly and freestyle. Alfie won the South Island Age Group Championships in New Zealand when he was 10 and 11 years old.   

Since moving to Orkney in 2021, Alfie has been coached by Inga Burton, of the Orkney Amateur Swimming Club and the Council’s Service Manager for Sustainable Regeneration and Arctic.  

Unfortunately, Alfie has been plagued by injuries since last September, but in the run up to the Island Games – Orkney's youngest competitor - he was training up to six swim sessions (around 9 hours per week) plus two strength and conditioning gym sessions every week.  

Alfie’s next big meet is Scottish National Age Group Swimming Championships in Aberdeen. He’s hungry for more records whether that be on the local or national platform.    

Eve was pretty shocked and delighted to have beaten the long-standing record given breaststroke is the stroke she finds most challenging.  

She’s got a busy competition schedule ahead, with the Orkney Open and Junior Inter-County, the Scottish National Age Group Swimming competition and competing for Scotland North in Portugal in June.  

Both are delighted with their record-breaking times and feel the PDP has helped with strength, power and flexibility.  

Inga Burton said: “For those that have been involved with Orkney swimming over the years the significance of Alfie’s and Eve’s performances will be understood well.  Both Jimmy and Karen were high performing swimmers and to have records that have remained for such a long time is a testament to them and also their coaches.  

“It’s great to see young swimmers coming through and setting some new records for the next generation of swimmers to focus on.  With both Jimmy and Karen setting these records at the same meet in 1981 there is something nice about Alfie and Eve breaking them at the same meet in the same year as well.”