The Sir Henry Parkes Memorial Public School Year 3 student Zoe Petrie has enjoyed the trip of a short lifetime after securing a place on the North West swim team competing at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre on April 11/12.
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Fifteen students and their families from the school travelled to Armidale last month to compete in the NSW Primary Schools regional swimming carnival, with first and second-place winners invited to join the rep squad. Zoe earned her place by coming second in the 8 years girls 50 metres freestyle.
The Sydney trip was well worth the effort with Zoe eclipsing her personal best time by a massive 2.6 seconds. She swam the 50 metre freestyle in 47.23 seconds, placing her 34th fastest in the state in her age group. It has also whetted her appetite for more competition, and she hopes to return to Sydney.
“It was a bit scary,” she said, “but I’d do it again.”
Zoe competes in all four swimming strokes in Stanthorpe where she trains 2-3 times per week and competes on Fridays during the season. There she said she ‘goes well’.
Her competition philosophy resembles that of Dory in the movie Finding Nemo: ‘Just keep swimming’.
