Eight local swimmers from three prominent clubs will depart the island today to grace the Amateur Swimming Association of Trinidad & Tobago (ASATT) Invitational Championships as they go in search of improved performances to achieve Carifta qualifying times.

The four-day meet, scheduled for December 15-18 at the recently upgraded National Aquatic Centre in Couva, is expected to provide the swimmers with high-quality competition and fast times.

The Aquatic Centre is designed with a level of comfort, convenience and service consistent with International Federation for Aquatic Sports (FINA) requirements for international events.

In addition to the indoor competition pool, the facility comprises a 50-metre outdoor warm-up pool, diving well, a fitness room with sauna, Turkish bath, as well as a cold-water pool.

The site has the ability to permanently seat 700 spectators and is outfitted with state-of-the-art scoring and timing, as well as above-ground and underwater audio and video systems.

The team — which comprises five swimmers from Y-Speedos in Sage Sinclair, Kyle Sinclair, Jordane Payne, Samantha Selvon and Zaneta Alvaranga; Kara and Raina Hutchinson from Sailfish in Montego Bay, and Karci Gibson as the lone Marlins representative, is upbeat about surpassing their tally of four gold, one silver and one bronze last year. That performance placed the then seven-member team 14th overall on the 39-team table.

Alvaranga, who accounted for four of those medals and a national age-group record on last, is once again expected to be a brute force in the sprints, along with the Sinclair siblings, who will be making their sixth outing at the championships.

Payne and Gibson will carry the team’s chances in the middle- distant events, while Selvon and the Hutchinson sisters will be making their debut at the meet.

Manager Georgia Sinclair, though anticipating a great showing from the country’s rising stars, pointed out that the campaign is more about exposing the swimmers to overseas competition.

“We are prepared heading into the championships; this will be the first time Sailfish will be competing at the meet, so the aim is for more exposure than trying to make a Carifta cut. But I am expecting better performances than last year and we are looking forward to good things, because it is the new aquatics centre in Trinidad and we understand they will be getting fast times there,” she told the

Jamaica Observer.

“I think breaking a record is going to be very difficult, though, because Trinidad swimming is far advanced than Jamaica, so we are more focused on giving of our best and hope that our best will be good enough. “Last year Zaneta broke a national record, so in terms of our record, there is a possibility of her doing it again. and Kyle Sinclair has already made several cuts for Carifta, including an AAA time, so we are expecting fast times, but not so sure about the records,” she noted.

Sinclair added that with coaches Gillian Millwood of Y-Speedos and Rory Alvaranga, father and coach of Zaneta providing assistance, the level of motivation for the team members will not be lacking.

“The coaches are at the point now to ensure that they peak at this meet. So coach Gillian and Rory have been working with their swimmers to ensure that they will be at their best and their presence augurs well for the rest of the team in terms of keeping the swimmers motivated,” Sinclair said.

The team is sponsored by GraceKennedy and Nestlé.