THE ISA JOURNAL CATS Cambridge (E)
JAMES ALLEN
Swimming the Channel – A tale of pupil resilience At the start of September 2020, as we invited pupils to attempt two qualifying swims which would enable them to join the school’s first English Channel Relay swim, I know that some of my colleagues thought the proposal was ridiculous. As I learned shortly after that more people have climbed Mount Everest than have swum the English Channel, I began to wonder whether they were right. However, as fifteen boys and girls committed to the training, and the months progressed, it became clear that this challenge was going to be about so much more than swimming. Launching in September, in the heart of the COVID pandemic, actually worked. Whilst others’ extracurricular activities were severely curtailed, and outside clubs halted entirely, our fifteen swimmers had a purpose and a goal and, properly managed, this meant that there was no competition with rugby training or gymnastics, trampolining or Scouts. Saturday swim training was able to continue in our own outdoor swimming pool, albeit with just two swimmers at a time, and a separating social distancing lane in between.
the most horrible sea-sickness, I was absolutely clear that this challenge is as much about the head, as it is the body. Yes, of course, we had to ensure that our swimmers were physically ready for the task ahead, and enable swimmers to manage the waves and wide expanse of the open sea, but they needed to be ready for so much more than that. Swimming in the middle of the night, in pitch black with just a couple of glow sticks to track the boat… Managing the cold water for an hour’s swim… Ignoring the stinging jellyfish... And all the while, you just had to keep going because if one swimmer in the squad failed, if one stopped before the hour was up, if one touched the boat - the challenge was over, and the team would
We were incredibly fortunate to have Nikki Pope, multiple Channel and Ice swimmer as our coach, which, together with my own experience of Channel and ice, meant our swimmers were in for a brutal training regime. Training in terms of technique was critical for all swimmers, to ensure that their stroke was as efficient in the water as possible. For everyone, it meant returning to the basics of swimming and relearning something quite new. Pupils started to understand weight in the water, and what happens when you shift that weight for forward propulsion. They accepted that kicking was worthless and a streamlined position was everything, especially if they were to overcome the inevitable waves of one of the most dangerous stretches of water, and the busiest shipping lane in the world! Swimming the English Channel is about so much more than swimming, and our youngsters needed to understand that. As someone who has crossed twice in relay, and experienced
Beech Hall School (N)
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