Thursday, February 4, 2016 Winning Behaviours Key to Scottish Youth Development Squad at Derventio Excel Festival Gaia Alcaras of COAST will be competing at Derventio Excel February Festival as part of Scotland's Youth Development Squad "The level of competition will be high and we are looking for the swimmers to embrace this challenge and respond positively in the execution of their process plans and goals." Alan Lynn, National Coach A group of 25 swimmers from Scotland’s Youth Development Squad travel to the Derventio Excel February Festival in Sheffield as part of the 2015/16 programme of developing “winning behaviours”. As a theme running through squad camps and this competition, the swimmers and staff have been working on setting and responding to challenges in a positive and open-minded manner. The swimmers for the Meet have been selected based on evaluations carried out in September and December against a set of criteria drawn up in conjunction with external performance consultant StangerPro (Tony Stanger). All swimmers received feedback on their “winning behaviours” as displayed at the camps and the 25 selected swimmers were rewarded for their effort and application of a positive Mindset. The full Youth Development Squad will come together again to spend a day at the 2016 Olympic Trials in Glasgow and will also participate in the Stroke Development Camps at the end of April. National Coach, Alan Lynn said, “The Derventio Meet is both a reward and a challenge for the selected YDS swimmers. The level of competition will be high and we are looking for the swimmers to embrace this challenge and respond positively in the execution of their process plans and goals. The weekend will be a learning opportunity against opponents who will feature in the same Sheffield pool later this year at the British Summer Championships.” The Derventio Excel February Festival runs from 5-7 February at Ponds Forge in Sheffield and the results from the meet are available here: http://www.derventioexcel.org.uk/results/dx16ff/ Scotland’s Youth Development Squad competing are: Swimmers Alice Alcaras COAST Gaia Alcaras COAST Thomas Balfour Bellshill Sharks Stewart Brodie East Kilbride ASC Keir Buchanan East Kilbride ASC Jonathan Christie East Kilbride ASC Logan Eason Stirling Swimming Keir Edgar FIRST Marc Elrick FIRST Joe Ewing Warrender Baths Club Eilidh Grant Dundee City Aquatics Serena Iheagwaram City of Glasgow Swim Team Jenna Lafferty FIRST Richard Laird East Kilbride ASC Zoe MacDonald Milngavie & Bearsden Andrew MacIntosh East Kilbride ASC Kate MacPhee City of Newcastle Duncan McKinney City of Glasgow Swim Team Lauren Pirouet FIRST Niamh Ritchie Warrender Baths Club Lucy Ross East Kilbride Emma Scully City of Glasgow Swim Team Katy Smith Warrender Baths Club Katie Taylor Heart of Midlothian Jessica Thomson COAST Staff Alan Lynn National Coach Phil Potter Lead Coach Danielle Brayson Lead Coach Derek McGown Coach Mark Jaggs Coach Gordon Dyer Team Manager Derek Pirouet Team Manager Craig McLean Athlete Mentor