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Editorial
Editorial As the last dregs of summer head towards the meteorological plug-hole, I invite you, with this issue, to remember sun-kissed days a little longer... COVER: Luke Gunning at the Swim England National Summer Meet by Allan McKenzie of SWpix.com Swimming Times editorial office Pavilion 3, SportPark, 3 Oakwood Drive, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3QF phone 01509 640230 email swimmingtimes@swimming.org Editor Peter Hassall Art editor Melanie Pollard Subscriptions/editorial Keely Downend, Laura Young Photographers Simon Wilkinson, Alex Whitehead, Alex Broadway, Rogan Thomson @SWpix.com Advertising sales Maxine Smith 01509 640231 email advertising@swimming.org HOW TO SUBSCRIBE Annual UK subscription £29.00; £26.00 by Direct Debit; Club rate (min three copies) £22.00; Europe £48.00; Rest of the world £53.00. Single copy £3.20 plus p&p. Contact ST office as above or via web: swimming.org/swimmingtimes
For Swim England: Chief executive Jane Nickerson Swim England HQ phone 01509 618700 web www.swimming.org Institute of Swimming website www.swimming.org/ios IoS web and courses 01509 640640 IoS membership 01509 640746 Order books and awards Swim England Distribution Centre, 42 Brisco Ave, Loughborough, Leics, LE11 5HB freephone 0800 220292 web http://shop.swimming.org email salesawards@swimming.org
October 2017, Volume XCIV, Number 10. The official magazine of Swim England and the Institute of Swimming. Views expressed in articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the editor, the Board of Directors of Swimming Times or Swim England or the IoS. ISSN 1750-581X
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ainly because we feature two outstanding open water swims to linger over.. First of all, Andrea Andrews takes to the River Avon in the renowned Bantham Swoosh in south Devon, and then Bob Holman describes a swim around Lulworth cove in Dorset. As Bob says in his piece, ‘Swimming with good friends in a cathedral of natural beauty, it really doesn’t get any better’. However, I doubt that Aussie Chloe McCardel was thinking the same after the abandonment of her attempt to do an incredible non-stop four-way English Channel swim - see our news pages. We round up the last of the major championships of the season: world student games in Chinese Taipei; world junior swim champs in Indianapolis; European junior open water in Marseille; European junior water polo in Serbia; the Deaflympics in Turkey and, of course, the Swim England National Summer Meet – in sunny Sheffield. The world masters championships in Outstanding open Budapest provides one water swimming of our feature articles, a good focus on the multi-medal-winning British contingent. How times have changed in masters swimming. This year’s venue had four 50m pools in concurrent use. I remember when the ASA’s Inter County competition began using two x 25 pools concurrently – and that took some initiating, but four 50m pools. Very impressive! Our archive article follows closely on from last month’s reminiscences by Olympic bronze medallist, Andy Jameson; this time, we spoke to his sister, Helen, who went one better than Andy and won Olympic silver in the medley relay back in 1980. She has an amazing tale to tell of that medal win. Meanwhile, I was saddened to hear from our occasional contributor, swimming teacher Yvonne Foster – as you can read in our letters pages. Her life has taken an unexpected turn and just goes to show that you never quite know what is around the corner. As with this issue, just bathe in competitive juices; make use of, enjoy and remember those sun-kissed days of swimming involvement for as long as you can.
Printed by Warners Midlands plc, Bourne, Lincs Peter Hassall, editor
October 2017
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Contents News, Opinions, Reviews
OCTOBER 2017
Features
THIS LIFE
4
BACK ON TOP
Just some of the many medal-winning highlights of the Swim England National Summer Meet
City of Oxford topped the medal table at the Swim England National Summer meet
LETTERS
MEDAL BONANZA
8
From the perils of a new racing suit, to school swimming and restoring Clevedon Marine Lake
NEWS ROUND-UP
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British competitors brought home a multitude of medals from the World Masters Champs
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THE MIGHTY QUIN
48
English junior divers at the Mediterranean Cup, World Junior Swim Champs and the Deaflympics
The Paralympic silver medallist shares his thoughts on a stellar year and what comes next
IOS TRAINING AND MEMBERSHIP
ADVICE AND GUIDANCE
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IoS course on aquatic fitness instruction teams up with Hydro-Actif to attract more people
Important governance recommendations for Swim England affiliated clubs
FAST LANE
JOYOUS EXPERIENCE
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Jimmy Rogers flicks through his scrapbook to take us on a trip down memory lane
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
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Andrea Andrews tells her tale of joining her first open water swim event, the Bantham Swoosh
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Three copies of The Mindful Art of Wild Swimming are up for grabs in our book review
Regulars PEOPLE WHO SWIM
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Deryn Johnson followed in the family footsteps and shares her love of swim teaching
Final Five REFLECTIONS
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GREAT PLACES TO SWIM
Former backstroker Helen Jameson shares an inspiring story from the 1980 Moscow Olympics
Bob Holman and friends take a dip at the picturesque Lulworth Cove in Dorset
MASTER BLOGGER
AWARDS & CELEBRATIONS
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Last minute preparations got underway as Binge navigates Budapest and four competition pools
This month’s round-up features, amonst others, the Swim England National Summer Meet
EXTREME READING
HONESTY BOX
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Swimming Times is in the mix when Bondi Rescue meets a Southampton water safety class
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Terry Lambert, the former secretary of Cumbria ASA, on open water, synchro and boozy trifle
WIN IT!
48 28
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TRIUMPHANT Daniel Chada wins the 16yrs 100m back at Summer Meet
The ASA
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26 Swimming Times
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this
life SUMMER SWIMS The Swim England Summer Meet was the highlight of the year for many, and the swimmers featured here were all among the medals
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This life
Facing page: Stockport’s Amy West did well in the 12/13yrs age group including winning gold and silver in the 400m and 100m free respectively. She also made the ďŹ nal of the 200m free and the 50m breaststroke; left: Elena Dewhurst of Anaconda SC, takes gold in the 14yrs 100m freestyle; below: Nathan Wells, Loughborough Uni, won four individual titles in the 18yrs and over including the 50m and 100m backstroke.
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live
it!
Left: Beckenham’s Luke Gunning is all smiles after winning the 18yrs and over 100m fly; above: James Cooper, Basildon Phoenix SC, races to gold in the 15yrs 400m freestyle; rt: Harry Wellington took bronze in the MC 100m butterfly final.
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Dear Sir! Mark letters ‘Sir!’ and email to swimmingtimes@swimming.org or post to Swimming Times, SportPark, 3 Oakwood Drive, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 3QF. The Letter of the Month writer will receive kit worth over £100 courtesy of Newitts, while every letter printed gets a pair of MARU goggles DIVE INTO COLOUR
* contents may vary
LETTER OF THE MONTH SUITED AND BEAUT-ED! I am a slim 5’7’’ female, 63 kgs. 36 chest/ 37 hips - ie not overweight or fat, and am entering the 60+ age group next year. After five years out of competitive swimming, I have decided that’s enough and begun to dip my toes back in. That’s the scene – I order a sale price racing suit. I expected it tight. That was a given with any zips or not. Time to try it on. By the time the suit had reached the buttocks, I was sweating so much that I was looking for the scissors. Taking the skin off my fingers tips, already with nails cut to the quick, was expected. Now to get it to the bust; I was well and truly stuck - the more one tries, the more one perspires and the more impossible the task. Maybe it’s ok for those with a willing partner to assist- I was on my own in the house. Oh the days when you used to relish choosing someone to help zip up a racing suit! After many more struggles of painful proportions, I eventually managed to get straps to shoulder level before collapsing exhausted on the bed and glancing at the clock - 45 minutes so far and nowhere near ’on’. The last part reminded me of the days when it required a wire coat hanger to get demins done up (if you don’t follow, this will take some explaining ask your Mum). In desperation, it was now or rip it off. So, millimetre squeezing an arm, then after a rest, two in and it was finally looking as it should but I was in no state to be able to race - feeling like I’d already
DEAD ZONE I am glad Swim England is, at long last, examining the dead zone of school swimming. About a month ago, The Times newspaper published a letter from a head teacher who asked ‘whether the public really understands the disruption to education caused by swimming lessons.’ This says it all - as if such a basic life skill as swimming is not part of a child’s education! To find the reason for the many thousands of children not able to swim, we need to determine where the problem lies and it has been evident for decades now that it lies in the total lack of concern in the state schooling system for progress in water sports. 8
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done a work out to get a costume on - and bruised all over. 49 minutes! Imagine my then disappointment to see that it still wasn’t tight around the neck- so I know there’ll be drag and yet, no way could I get my womanly figure into anything tighter. So I decided that it’ll have to do. After all, I’m hardly likely to break any records or even get close, just compete with a few old friends at a level playing field. Then to get it off - after serious exfoliation of shoulders, both straps down, I was stuck. Boobs painfully displaced and no one to help. Deciding whether I knew my new next door neighbours well enough to waddle round for assistance, I had one final exasperated attempt with a ‘don’t care now if it does rip’ attitude, my exhausted body melted into ‘ahhhh’ as I peeled it painfully off my thighs and collapsed onto the bed. Is this what swimming has come to? Those with pre-puberty figures get to wear the fast costumes and the rest of us don’t? I would need to get into one at home, with the help of a bed for contortions, hours in advance. Accept that I would have to warm up in it as there wouldn’t be time to get into it or recover from the effort, before any race. Even then, it gapes at the neck. Still after five years, I fail to see what advantage zips in costumes made and why they were banned, when all they did was allow an even playing field and decency for women with figures. Lesley Zimmermann By email
My experience of observing school swimming lessons is one of educational catastrophe and missed opportunity - the grossly too large classes, the (generally speaking) poor quality of the swimming instructors and the total lack of support from the school staff in attendance. If a school is not going to take swimming seriously, and to do it well, then don’t do it at all. The current approach is, far too often, nothing more than an expensive and wasteful splash about in the pool. A few badges and some extra money as described in your article will achieve nothing. Bruce Clark By email
Reply from Steve Parry, Chair of the Curriculum Swimming and Water Safety Review Group: Mr Clark is not alone in his concern about curriculum swimming lessons. Swimming is such an important life skill that we have to support all primary schools with the resources required to ensure all children are taught swimming and water safety skills. For some children, school is the only place they will have the opportunity to learn how to swim so we can’t let them down. That’s why the swimming and education sectors have come together to provide Government with 16 practical recommendations on how to improve the situation. Now is the time for us to stop the cycle of young people leaving school without the skills to keep themselves safe in and around water. The full Swim Group Review of Curriculum Swimming and Water Safety Lessons can be read at: swimming.org/SwimEngland
SUB-STANTIVE CORRECTION I was delighted you published my letter and even made it letter of the month in September’s issue. However, it has a mistake in it - no doubt mine. It refers to the future of women on 800m free claiming a sub 9-minute time. This, of course, should have read 8 minutes. I even coached a number of sub nine-minute female swimmers in my time before retiring, sorry about that. I would further like to add that I am pleased that the town of Egham will start building a new sports centre this month which will include the borough’s first ever public pool, an eight lane, 25m pool and a 10x10 small pool with both having movable floors. I have been pleased that advice I have given on the plans is being included in the design and I look forward to seeing national swimmers develop from whatever programme the centre puts in place. Malcolm Staight By email
RESTORATION PROJECT I read in the August issue, the feature on Cleveland Pools near Bath (see picture above) and thought readers may like to know about another restoration project, the Clevedon Marine Lake. The lake was in danger of being demolished and the late Arthur Knott formed MARLENS, the Marine Lake Enthusiasts, a pressure group to maintain, restore, renovate and improve the facility. MARLENS gathered support and the objectives were achieved. MARLENS promotes a range of activities. However there is a sub-committee, Marlens Open Water Swimming (MOWS) of which I am a member, which October 2017
Letters
promotes swimming exclusively. The lake is now used regularly by swimmers training for solo and relay English Channel swims. Qualifiied open water coaches and triathlon coaches are also using the lake. MOWS have organised a number of events for 2017. An annual long swim from Ladye Bay to Clevedon Beach was organised by the Clevedon Amateur Swimming Club from 1928 until 2014 when the last organiser retired. MARLENS took over the swim in 2016. The trophies, first presented in 1928 have been passed to MARLENS. In the 30s, 40s and 50s Clevedon ASC (CASC) was a dominant club in Somerset based at the lake.
Membership dwindled to about a couple of dozen in the 70s when indoor pools opened in the district. As a result of the efforts of another pressure group, The Clevedon Swimming Pool Association also headed up by the late Arthur Knott, a new 25m, 6 lane indoor pool with learner pool opened in Clevedon in 1986, and for the past decade Clevedon has been a leading club in Somerset producing national swimmers. I joined CASC in 1972 and served as a secretary, president and chairman and, in 1999, had the honour of being appointed president of Somerset ASA. Apart from teaching swimming, I became a national official and served as lead referee at district level, also sitting on tribunals at district, national and international level, and subsequently the Independent Disciplinary and Dispute Resolution Panel. I am now retired, just helping out with local schools’ competitions. Finally, you may have seen some of our open water swimmers on one of the BBC links on Clevedon beach with our celebrated Victorian pier in the background. John Merritt By email
TEACHING DAYS ARE OVER I was pleased to be the winner of August’s Extreme Reading and to win the Lumie Body Clock! Since that photo was taken (in Australia), I have been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease so my days as a swimming teacher are over. But I look back on my teaching years as one of the best things I did in life. I must have taught over 1,000 children and adults to swim during the 40 years I spent at the poolside and I wonder how many lives may have been saved? Learning to swim is such an important skill, especially as we live on an island surrounded by water! So, as I say farewell to a long and happy career, I would love to encourage others to take up the challenge and be a swimming teacher. Yvonne Foster By email Yvonne Foster
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GOLDEN GIRL Freya is world junior champ
News
SEAL-ING IT Bonnie mascot for Glasgow 2018
KEEPING YOU INFORMED OF ALL THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
18 In Depth
Leon Taylor to host Swim England National Awards Leon Taylor
Swim England is pleased to announce that Leon Taylor will be hosting the Swim England National Awards 2017 on November 11 at The Great Hall, Birmingham University, the second year at this iconic venue. Finalists are invited from across the country to come together and celebrate another year of success and fantastic achievements.
Olympic medallist, presenter and commentator, Taylor is well known in the world of aquatics. His diving career lasted for more than 20 years, with 16 of those spent as part of Team GB. Leon competed in two Commonwealth Games and three Olympic Games. Taylor’s highest accolade was securing a silver medal in the 10m Synchro with diving partner Peter Waterfield at the Athens 2004 Olympics. This was Britain’s first medal in the sport for 44 years. Many will also know Leon as having been a Judge on ITV’s Splash! and part of the BBC Olympic Games coverage team. He said: ‘I’m incredibly excited to be a part of this year’s Swim England National Awards. ‘There are some really deserving finalists whom I can’t wait to meet and celebrate all of their aquatic achievements!’ The awards will be taking place
from 11:30am until approximately 4:30pm. All finalists receive a number of complimentary tickets to attend. Tickets are now on sale and you do not have to be a finalist in order to attend the event. If you would like to come and celebrate with our finalists, all are welcome! Prices are £49 per adult (12 and over), £26 per child (11 and under) or £450 for a full table of 10 which offers a discount per ticket. • Go to swimming.org to purchase your tickets, or if you would like to purchase a table of 10, contact nationalawards@swimming.org. If you, or your company, would like to feature an advert within the National Awards programme used on the day, a small number of spaces are available. Contact email: vicky.clueit@ swimming.org.
> Parents and Swim Schools to benefit from ongoing partnership Parents will continue to be able to easily follow their child’s swimming progress thanks to the ongoing partnership between Swim England and CAP2. Swim School members new to CoursePro will also benefit from a 10 per cent discount on their license fee. This will apply throughout the duration of the partnership. Over 1,400 facilities across the country use the CoursePro system, which provides parents with digital access to their child’s progress and helps them better understand and celebrate their child’s swimming achievements. The system also gives swimming teachers easy access to the latest Swim England Learn to Swim Awards requirements ensuring that every swimmer is working to the right outcomes. The partnership deal follows the launch of the updated outcomes for the Swim England Learn to Swim Programme. The updates make it easier for swimmers to learn their basic water skills and then develop new aquatic skills. It also coincides with the launch of the new CAP2 brand. Katie Towner, Swim England Head of Learn to Swim, said: ‘We are really pleased to extend our partnership with CAP2.
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It will enable us to continue our work together to improve the delivery of swimming lessons across the country. ‘Reward and recognition is a huge part of learning to swim. CoursePro makes it easier for swimming teachers and parents to celebrate a child’s achievement.’ Daniel Haywood, CAP2 General Manager, said: ‘We’re delighted to be renewing our long term partnership with Swim England. We want to help more swim schools benefit from our software. This helps to reduce their admin worries whilst improving the interaction, engagement and overall retention. We’ll be working together to help drive participation, but it also means that we’ll continue to automatically upload Swim England Awards into CoursePro. ‘We are also delighted to be able to offer a new, exclusive discount for Swim England Swim School members.’ The partnership between Swim England and CAP2 began in 2014. The current deal will see this continue until the end of 2018. For more information about the discount, Swim England Swim School Members should contact swimschools@ swimming.org.
UNI GAMES
British medals for Jay and Joe
> British reps for FINA FINA has announced their new committees and five British representatives feature on five different committees. David Sparkes has been named a member of the FINA Bureau after a career in swimming that has spanned 45 years – 23 of which were as CEO of British Swimming. ‘I am delighted to join the FINA Bureau and I look forward to working with my colleagues to improve our sport and to build strong governance in FINA,’ Sparkes said. Craig Hunter, who is a member of the British Swimming Board, now sits on the Technical Swimming Committee. Hunter has a wealth of swimming experience having worked as Team Manager for the 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games and was Chef de Mission for ParalympicsGB for London 2012. The British representative on the Technical Open Water Committee is Sam Greetham Sam Greetham who has dedicated most of his life to swimming and is the chairman of the Scarborough Swimming Club and former British Swimming board member. For diving, Melanie Beck has retained her place on the Technical Diving Committee and is the Technical High Diving Honorary Secretary. Beck’s family was involved in diving so she has spent her life working in the sport and continues to push the sport forwards. Kevin Boyd has been named Medical Committee Honorary Secretary. He used to be a competitive swimmer before becoming a doctor and has a wealth of sports medical experience.
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In Depth News
Left: Keanna MacInnes and Emily Large; above: Annabel Guye-Johnson
Emily and Freya take gold at world junior swim champs The British team won two gold and two bronze medals at the World Junior Swimming Championships in Indianapolis to finish ninth on the medal table behind the dominant USA who won 32 medals, including 12 gold. Japan and Hungary were second with 16 medals, while Canada was second in the gold medal table with seven gold and 15 in total. Britain’s medals came from Emily Large (Newcastle) who triumphed in the 200m butterfly and she was joined on the podium by team-mate Keanna McInnes with the bronze. Emily (16) led from the start and touched in a new personal best of 2:07.74. Heart of Midlothian’s McInnes (16) took the bronze with a best for her of 2:09.64. Freya Anderson, 16, (Ellesmere) dominated the 100m freestyle. Anderson, the current European junior champion, set a new personal best time and world junior championship record of 53.88 to take the gold. 12
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The world title caps an impressive season for the Ellesmere College Titans swimmer after she made her senior British debut at the world championships in Budapest. Annabel Guye-Johnson won the last medal for the British team when she took bronze in the 200m breaststroke. She produced a good final 50m to fight back from fourth place and finish in a new best of 2:27.42. Amy Bell also got a new personal best finishing in 2:28.40. Emily Large finished her campaign on a high setting a new personal best in the 100m butterfly. She just missed the medals after touching in 58.62. Brodie Williams set a new PB in the 200m backstroke after touching in 1:59.68 while Elliott Clogg equalled his. Jacob Peters lowered his standard to 1:58.40 when finishing seventh in the 200m butterfly final. This was also a British 17yrs age group record as was his time in the 100m fly heats - 53.32. Elliott Clogg, 17, (City of
Sheffield) did lower his best in the 200m freestyle to 1:49.02 while Newcastle’s Nicholas Pyle (16) swam to 55.38 to lower his best in the 100m backstroke. Cassie Wild (Ellesmere College) lowered her 50m backstroke best to 28.45 whilst Amy Bell (City of Sheffield) also set a personal best in the 200m Individual Medley after she touched in 2:15.24.
The British team: Elliot Clogg - City of Sheffield; Nathan Hughes – National Centre Loughborough; George Clough – Warrender; Brodie Williams – Millfield; Cameron Brooks-Clarke - City of Sheffield; Nikki Miller - East Kilbride; Anna Maine – Woking; Harrison Coulter - Stockport Metro; Annabel Guye-Johnson - Royal Tunbridge Wells; Alexandra Waller - Heart of Midlothian; Freya Anderson - Ellesmere College Titans; Nicholas Pyle - Newcastle Swim Team; Luke Turley - Hatfield SC; Emily Large - Newcastle Swim Team; Keanna MacInnes - Heart of Midlothian; Cassie Wild Ellesmere College Titans; Amy Bell - City of Sheffield; Callum Smart - City of Oxford; Jacob Peters – Poole; Katie Robertson South Ayrshire; Ciara Schlosshan - City of Leeds; Lewis Burras Southport / Hamilton Aquatics (Dubai).
Freya Anderson with her gold medal
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Bronze for open water youngsters in Marseille The British quartet with their medals
The young British marathon swimmers competing at the European Junior Championships have returned home with a bronze medal. It came in the 14-16 years relay and featured Hector Pardoe, Millie Sansome, Ioan Evans and Maisie Macartney. They finished just behind Russia (gold) and Hungary (silver). Ellesmere College’s
Phoebe Griffiths secured the best individual finish of the competition with 10th place in the 7.5km event. The top 10 were some 2 ½ minutes ahead of the rest of the field, with Griffiths finishing in 1:28:12.80. Macartney (1:31:50.60) and Sansome (1:31:52.30) both secured top 20 places in the same race, finishing 17th and 19th respectively. Meanwhile, Beckenham’s
Tiegan Child (1:03:29.0) was 18th in the 5km and Newcastle Swim Team’s Georgia Darwent (2:13:12.00) and Northampton’s Rose Foden (2:13:52.20) came home 20th and 22nd in the 10km. Pardoe was the pick of the English boys in individual events, placing 24th in the 7.5km with a time of 1:25:41.70. Hatfield’s Max Jelfs (1:26:51.10) and Royal Wolverhampton School swimmer George Barber (1:29:25.90) were 30th and 35th in the same race. In the 10km, Ellesmere’s Gordon Mason (1:59.37.60) was 27th while Cockermouth’s Tom Millburn (2:00:09.40) came home 31st. Griffiths, Mason, Foden and Jelfs combined for the U19 5km mixed relay on the final day, placing 11th in 1:03:03. The British team: George Barber - Grimsby Aquatics; Tiegan Child – Beckenham; Georgia Darwent – Newcastle Swim Team; Ioan Evans – City of Cardiff; Rose Foden – Northampton; Phoebe Griffiths – Ellesmere College; Max Jelfs – Hatfield; Maisie Macartney - Thanet; Hector Pardoe Ellesmere College; Gordon Mason – Ellesmere College; Thomas Millburn – Cockermouth; Emilia Sansome – Wycombe District.
> Tragic death during Channel swim A man has died during an attempt to swim the English Channel as part of a gruelling triathlon. Douglas Waymark, 44 from Cheltenham, got into difficulty about half way across, 12 nautical miles from Dover. The swimmer was airlifted to hospital in Ashford, but he later died. He had been taking part in the Enduroman Arch to Arc triathlon, which connects London and Paris by running (87 miles from London’s Marble Arch to Dover), swimming (across the Channel) and cycling (181-miles from Calais to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris).
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Paying tribute on its website, Enduroman said: ‘Our friend Douglas Waymark sadly passed away swimming to France during stage two of his solo Arch to Arc. He touched our hearts with his strength, organisation and quiet humour. ‘He had gained massive respect amongst all who knew him. The Enduroman community will miss him and will never forget him.’ The Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation facilitated the swim. Secretary Kevin Murphy said: ‘He was a supreme athlete, pushing himself
to the absolute limits. He knew the dangers, but he was doing what he absolutely loved.’ Mr Murphy, who has swum the Channel 34 times, said everything was done to mitigate the risks. ‘My understanding is that he was speaking to the people on the boat and then suddenly rolled over, inert in the water, and was pulled out. ‘Everything possible was done to try and revive him. ‘It happened suddenly, there was no opportunity to persuade him to come out of the water.’
> Lap 3 finish for Chloe in Channel At the end of August, Aussie Chloe McCardel, 32, attempted an audacious English Channel swim first: a non-stop quadruple crossing – but she was, unfortunately, forced to concede defeat early into her third crossing due to severe breathing difficulties as a result of salt inhalation. Chloe started at 3.35am on Aug 27 and made the first crossing in 10hrs 26 mins. Her second crossing time was 10.08 giving her a total time 20.34 for the double, in itself an amazing achievement. However, soon into lap 3, she had to stop, later commenting: ‘My support crew and I are overwhelmed by (the) kindness, generosity, well wishes and encouragement. While I am disappointed to have not been able to complete (the four legs) on this attempt, I am so incredibly proud to have completed my third double crossing and 23rd crossing of the English Channel. I began to notice numerous symptoms as I turned into my third lap, including severe difficulty breathing, which forced me to stop. There are so many factors that can impact a swim – physical, mental and the infamously unpredictable conditions. I have always been humbled by the Channel’s inhospitable conditions, which continue to draw me back to Dover’s shores. In 2015, after completing my triple crossing, I began to believe a quadruple crossing was possible. Over the last 12 months, I have endured a torturous training schedule, which nobody has considered or attempted previously. It was a schedule that would cripple most. So few swimmers have reached this level of endurance and so little is known about the mental and physical challenges that are faced at this level. And while I was unsuccessful in completing this feat, I will still continue to push the boundaries of marathon swimming, and push the boundaries of the human spirit. I am determined to learn more. I still believe that it is possible. I would like to thank my support crews throughout preparation, training and the swim. I cannot express how grateful I am.’
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In Depth News > New head coach of Plymouth Diving Alexandre Rochas is the new head coach of Plymouth Diving. He is due to take up his position with Everyone Active at the Plymouth Life Centre in November. It is a prestigious recruitment with Alex having held the position of head coach at the National Elite Training Centre in Paris for the past five years. During that time, he has coached at the highest international level, leading France to fourth place in the men’s 10m platform at the Rio Olympic Games. Under Alex’s leadership, Laura Marino and Matthieu Rosset also achieved a gold medal in the mixed team event at this year’s world championships, and France again finished fourth at the 2017 European Diving Championships after two gold and one bronze. The Plymouth Life Centre is a talent development centre for Great Britain’s diving team. Alex will be responsible for overseeing its entire diving programme, including the progression of upand-coming athletes and mentoring Plymouth’s top squad to success on the world stage. Andy Banks had been the head coach of Plymouth Diving for the past 20 years, leading the likes of Tom Daley, Dan Goodfellow and Tonia Couch from novices through to international champions. In May, Andy announced that he would be leaving to join Diving Australia as national coach in Melbourne. Everyone Active’s contract manager in Plymouth, David Greenwood, said: ‘Alex is a genuinely world-class coach and will be a huge asset for the team. ‘It is essential that we continue to build on (Banks’s legacy) by allowing athletes to benefit from the knowledge and experience of an outstanding mentor.’ Kim White, British Diving’s performance manager, said: ‘We are extremely fortunate to have Alex as part of the GB diving team and look forward to the knowledge and expertise he will bring. Alex has diplomas in sport psychology and strength & conditioning, together with a degree in sport and training. This, combined with his international diving experience, makes him the ideal person for the role in Plymouth.’
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Evie Summers (left) and Amelia Connolly with their medals from the 3m
Divers on top at Mediterranean Cup Ben Cutmore and Amelia Connolly won their second golds as the English junior diving team finished the 2017 Mediterranean Cup on a high note. Crystal Palace diver Connolly retained her group B Platform title before Luton Diving’s Cutmore won the group B 3m crown, having won gold in the same event in the group C age group at last year’s event. City of Sheffield diver Richelle Houlden also won her third medal of the event as the English squad finished on 15 medals for the four-day meet in Bolzano, Italy. ‘The whole team had a fantastic competition,’ said team manager Connie Ford. ‘The addition of Russia attending the event really stepped up the quality from last year so I’m really pleased with how we performed. ‘There were a couple of performances which didn’t go our way, but the divers were able to constructively reflect on these and take some valuable lessons forward to help them in the future. ‘The divers who move up an age group next year will be looking to learn some new dives
for their lists. ‘I hope to see some of them aiming for selection to the British team for the European Junior Championships next year.’ Cutmore had already reached the podium twice in Bolzano, winning silver in the platform and gold in the 1m. The Luton diver was pushed close by Greece’s platform champion Athanasios Tsirikos, before eventually prevailing on 421.50 to Tsirikos’ 416.70. Connolly’s gold was also her third medal of the meet, having also won 1m silver and 3m gold. The 15-year old scored 289.80 to finish more than 30 points clear of Italy’s Delfina Calissoni in second on 259.30. Houlden had already won 3m springboard bronze and 1m synchro silver on the first two days of the competition. The Sheffield diver scored 246.75 to with bronze in the individual 1m event. Russia’s Elizaveta Kanso won gold on 274.40 while Italy’s Virginia Tiberti scored 251.20 for silver. Having won 1m synchro bronze on the opening night with Robbie Lee, Southampton’s Milo French secured his second medal of the meet with the same result in the
group C platform. French scored 303.75 to finish narrowly ahead of Southampton teammates Robbie Lee (301.65) and Leon Baker (265.65) in fourth and seventh respectively. ‘I thought that went really well,’ said French. ‘My requireds could have been better. Even though I came third, there was room for improvement with them. ‘But overall I’m really happy with how it went.’ Callie Eaglestone and Summer Radcliffe won silver and bronze in the group C platform. City of Leeds’ Eaglestone scored 232.90 while Plymouth Diving’s Summer Radcliffe scored 215.80. Other medals went to Crystal Palace’s Evie Summers – silver in the group B 3m; Callie Eaglestone and Richelle Houlden won silver in the C 1m synchro; Lucy Sefton (Dive London) won bronze on B 1m.
Top: Ben Cutmore with one of his gold medals; above: Richelle Houlden
October 2017
> Death of former ASA president
British girls sixth at European water polo juniors Great Britain’s 2017 European Junior Water Polo Championship campaign came to an end with defeat to Italy in Novi Sad, Serbia. Competing in their seventh match of the tournament, Nick Hume’s side lost out 16-5 (4-1, 5-2, 3-2, 4-0) to the Italians. The result means the British women finish sixth overall – a jump of three places from last year’s U19 event in the Netherlands. Italy have long been one of the top six women’s water polo nations in Europe, and started the stronger of the two teams, scoring the first two goals of the game. Katy Cutler grabbed one back for the Brits in the first quarter but the Italians added another two before the first interval. Cutler scored a penalty in the second, while Lily Turner also found the net for GB, but another five Italian goals left them six clear, leading 9-3 at half-time. The British girls enjoyed their best quarter of the game in the third. Turner and Emily Pyper both scored on man-up for the Brits. Another three Italian goals kept momentum on their side and October 2017
they completed the victory with a 4-0 shut out in the last. Prior to this match, the GB girls had lost to Greece 11-13 then beat Romania 14-6 but went down to Holland 8-20. This set up an exciting tie against Slovakia which they won 8-7. In the quarter finals, they lost to Hungary 7-13 but they then defeated Serbia in a dramatic penalty shoot out (4-2) after the scores were tied at 6-6 after the four quarters, which led to the Italy match. Spain won the tournament after a thrilling final beating the Netherlands 11-10. Hungary came
third winning a similarly exciting match over Greece. The British team: Sophie Jackson (Co Leeds); Annie Clapperton (Co Manchester); Emily Pyper (Woolton); Lily Turner (Crawley SC); Steph Whittaker (Co Manchester); Molly Boniface-Ashton (Co Liverpool); Katy Cutler (Salisbury Stingrays); Amy Potter (Co Bristol); Emmie-Rose Eastwood (Co Manchester); Robyn Greenslade (Paignton; Lauren Dundee (Stirling); Milly Wordley (Exeter); Niamh Campbell-O’Donnell (Co Manchester)
John Russell, the ASA president in 2009/10, passed away on September 3. John was involved in swimming and aquatics for most of his life, joining Stratford-upon-Avon SC in 1976 and working as a teacher, official and administrator. He held many roles at club, county, district, regional and national level, and was a member of the Midland District Executive from 1989. Following this, John became a West Midland Regional Management Board Member, regional officials coordinator and the regional licensing officer. In 2003, John was president of the Midland District, then in 2009 he was also elected ASA president. Due to his outstanding commitment and dedication to the sport, John was awarded a life membership with the West Midland region in 2015 upon his retirement. He was also appointed as an honorary life member, and later honorary life governor, of the Commonwealth Royal Life Saving Society. Swim England and the wider swimming community offer condolences to John’s family and friends.
> Greece win world polo juniors Greece defeated Croatia via a penalty shoot-out to clinch their second World Men’s Junior Water Polo Championships title in Belgrade. The Greeks, champions in 2001, won 5-3 on penalties after the match ended in a 7-7 draw. There was heartbreak for Croatia who conceded a goal with just 1.3 seconds left on the clock to ensure penalties would be required. Hosts Serbia recovered from their semi-final defeat to Greece to win the bronze medal. The defending champions beat Hungary 12-11 to ensure they gained a place on the podium. Montenegro beat Spain 13-9 for fifth place with Italy seeing off the United States 14-8 for seventh. Hungary’s Kristian Manhercz was named as the tournament’s most valuable player. He also ended as the top scorer, netting 26 times.
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In Depth News Bonnie the seal pictured with gymnast Max Whitlock
>QUICKDIP > TV’s Davina McCall has admitted that her guilty pleasure is that she likes ‘swimming naked, even when it’s not appropriate. I’m very blessed to have a pool at my house so I do strip off and go for a swim. There’s nobody there so I think: “Why not?”’
Seal of approval for Glasgow 2018 Bonnie the seal has been unveiled as the new face of the Glasgow 2018 European Championships. There is less than a year to go until the new event which will see more than 3,000 of the best athletes on the continent compete in a range of venues in Scotland. Around 160 excited children provided the famous Glasgow welcome to the pup seal mascot
at the Scottish Events Campus (SEC). With lots of energy and a sense of adventure, Bonnie doesn’t always get things right on the first try but knows the most important thing is to at least have a go and try her best. True to form, after watching Glasgow 2018’s new sporting ambassador, double Olympic gold medal winner and three-time European Champion gymnast Max Whitlock, demonstrate a
series of moves on the pommel horse, Bonnie joined in with a dance troupe’s routine on stage. The mascot was developed following consultation with around 100 children aged seven to 12 from three primary schools. Aileen Campbell, Minister for Public Health and Sport, said: ‘The mascot’s fun personality is ideally suited to encourage children to try their hand at new activities and sports. ‘This fits perfectly with 2018 as the Year of Young People, and also our priority to increase active and healthy lifestyles. I’m sure Bonnie will become a muchloved face‘ www.Glasgow2018.com
> First female BSCA president passes away Lyndsay Powell, the first female president of the British Swimming Coaches Association, has passed away after suffering a heart attack whilst on holiday in St Lucia. Lyndsay was assistant head coach at Exeter SC as well as part of the Institute of Swimming (IoS) tutor workforce. A tribute from the Exeter club read: ‘Lyndsay’s passion was coaching swimmers to reach their full potential, having regularly been selected to manage and coach national squads at home and abroad. In her long and productive career, Lindsay worked
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with numerous clubs throughout the country, coaching and developing hundreds of swimmers using her large resource of swimming knowledge, wisdom and relentless work ethic. ‘The club has been inundated with such lovely, heartfelt messages of condolence from all over the UK and abroad, demonstrating just how well regarded, respected and loved she was and the impact her loss has made on everyone she has worked with.’ Previously, Lindsay was assistant head coach at Portsmouth Northsea, head coach of City of Oxford, head coach of Haslemere, area head coach
of Glasgow and assistant coach at Millfield. She worked with many age group swimmers who went on to represent Britain on the European, world and Olympic stages. Lyndsay tutored for the IoS for four years delivering to a great number of Level 1, 2 and 3 coaches across the south of England. Her passion always shone through in her work. Many coaches have benefited from her expertise. She was dedicated to providing learners with the best experience possible and her knowledge of, and involvement in, the aquatics industry will be sorely missed.
> Athletes heading to next year’s Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast will be liable to early testing by a pre-Games anti-doping taskforce drawing on pooled intelligence in order to detect competitors doping before they reach the arena. For the first time, every single sample taken during the Games will be stored for possible re-analysis in the light of testing advances under the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF). > Prince Charles will officially open next year’s Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast in place of The Queen. The Prince of Wales will be tasked with reading out a message from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II which is carried in the Gold Coast 2018 Baton. It has also been confirmed that Prince Edward, The Queen’s third son and a vice-patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation, will attend the event. > Victoria have been encouraged to target the 2030 Commonwealth Games after they were forced to drop their bid for 2022. The Government in British Columbia announced that they would not support it, leaving the city without the necessary financial backing to continue. > Best-selling author Deborah Moggach (‘These Foolish Things’ which became the film, ‘The Best Exotic Marigold hotel’) is inspired by nude bathing at Hampstead Heath Ladies Pond. ‘I’ve been swimming there all my life,’ she says, ‘I’ve climbed over the fence, stripped naked and swum in the moonlight with bats flitting above my head. Swimming there, legs brushed by weeds, is deeply sensual and contemplative. It’s here I think up my stories.’ October 2017
Gun-power: Adam Peaty impresses the local children
Marshall and Peaty complete Zambia challenge Mel Marshall and her team of 12 have taken on 50 hours of sport over five days in August to raise money to bring sport to young Zambians. They have a target of £50,000 to be used, in part, to create a residential sports training facility for young people in Zambia. All of the money raised will go towards projects funded by the Perfect Day Foundation with the intention of enhancing the lives of young Zambians through sport. Marshall had help from Olympic champion and double world record holder Adam Peaty and 10 other British athletes - Anna Zair, Rob Day, James Lovatt, Ryan Lovatt, Abbie Clayton, Abbie Hymas, Katrina Gilbert, Mel Berry, Chris Tidy and Mollie Pearse. They were joined by hundreds of Zambians to compete in netball, basketball, football, triathlon and volleyball. Marshall has been raising money and volunteering in Zambia for years. She said: ‘On my previous visits, I have seen how valuable sport can be in enhancing the quality of life of young people who have next to nothing. October 2017
‘I promised to return every Olympic cycle so they can enjoy sport and learn valuable life skills. Every donation makes such a big difference to the lives of these young people.’ To donate, visit: theperfectdayfoundation.org or text ‘MELZ17 + £10’ to 70070. The venture was featured on BBC East Midlands Today with Adam Peaty kicking up dust on a football pitch, and taking plenty of satisfaction in flexing his muscles with a push-up routine, but with every action he was acutely aware what being there in person would mean to changing the circumstances of those around him. ‘This is who I am, I love to give back,’ he said. ‘When I was first here, aged 17, it was a massive learning curve. It was great to get a perspective of the real world and how the real world is. ‘That is especially important when you start winning medals and breaking world records - it can get out of your head a bit. ‘Yes, you do like fast cars and nice clothes, but it is a fine balance. That is equilibrium at the end of the day. ‘It is great to come back here and give back to so many people.’
And it went far beyond fun and games in a park, as money raised for The Perfect Day Foundation a charity for which Marshall is an ambassador – also went towards helping fit out the girls’ dormitory at an orphanage in Lusaka. Getting 30 girls off the street, away from the threat of abuse, was the group’s immediate concern on one of their many stops. ‘Girls here have a really hard time, they are just not treated the same - their childhood is
filled with rape and with abuse. It is just accepted. They have no voice, no nothing,’ said Marshall, one of Britain’s top coaches, who has had Peaty under her tutelage for a number of years. ‘The girl side of it really means a lot to me. No female deserves to be less, to accept that they are lower in the pecking order.’ While it may have been as far away as Peaty could possibly get from the glistening pools of swimming’s elite, Marshall insists every moment the ‘British lion’ spent in Zambia was just as important as any training regime conceivable. ‘This is why I coach,’ she said. ‘If I don’t teach him about life as well as sport, then what am I to him in his life? ‘You see a lot of superstars, they don’t know what to do with the fame, they get this reality distortion. In sport, it is a false world, it is not real. ‘Making sure you are surrounded by the real world is important. ‘I call him the lion because he is a figurehead people look to, he is the result that people rely on.’ This fundraising campaign coincided with the 12th year of the ‘Volunteer Zambia’ project. The project sends dozens of students from the Wallace Group universities each year. The students that volunteer in Zambia help to deliver coaching sessions, build new sporting facilities and undertake sports development programmes. Images courtesy of the Wallace Group.
Mel Marshall (left) and Adam Peaty in Zambia
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In Depth News the Sheffield Hallam University swimmer. ‘I’m chuffed really, the medal was a bonus, I wanted the Commonwealth (qualification) time which was 1:59.7, so that was really the main goal and then to finish on the podium is fantastic. ‘It’s great, it’s not just a medal representing GB, but also Sheffield Hallam. ‘I’ve got to give a shout out to them because they have been a great support for me, they’ve given me a huge chunk of money to be here, so it’s great to represent Hallam and GB.’
Bronze for Joe Litchfield
Water polo
Medals hard to come by at University Games Medals proved hard to come by for British swimmers at the World University Games in Chinese Taipei, the second largest multi-sport event after the Olympics. They managed one silver from Jay Lelliott in the 400m free and and two bronze from Rachael Kelly in the 100m butterfly and Joe Litchfield in the 200 IM. Topping the swimming medal table was the USA with 11 gold, nine silver and eight bronze for a total of 28. Japan was second with 20 medals including nine gold with Italy third with five golds. Lelliott went into the final in first place but was beaten to second at the halfway point by world silver medallist Mykhailo Romanchuk (UKR). ‘The atmosphere was incredible, I loved the atmosphere and hats off to Mykhailo, who was great today. ‘The heat felt great – at about 250m I felt like I was in a good 18
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position so I started to shut it down a little bit,’ said the 22-year-old. ‘But in the final I just couldn’t quite get the catch with my stroke and I struggled with it. I’m a bit upset about that, I’m a bit devastated, I wanted to go quicker – but at the end of the day what’s happened has happened.’ Lelliott was also fifth in the 1500m (against three of the best in the world including world and Olympic champion Gregorio Paltrinieri) and also fifth in the 800m. Loughborough student Rachael Kelly was pleased with her medal: ‘I’m really happy,’ she said. ‘The time isn’t quite what I wanted but I got a medal so I’m pretty happy.’ ‘My tactics were to relax on the first 50m which I did. I went out pretty good. It was a bit unfortunate that I couldn’t back it up with the second 50m but I went a bit quicker than my semi so I progressed through my heats so that was good. Meanwhile, Joe Litchfield,
brother of Rio 2016 Olympian Max, finished third in the 200m individual medley and was understandably delighted to get on the medal rostrum. ‘To be on the podium with two of the best in the world is an absolute honour really,’ said
In water polo, the British boys lost to France 5-17; beat Korea 11-7; lost to Chinese Taipei 2-18; beat Canada 7-6 in the round of 16; before losing to France in the quarter final 4-13; and then to Hungary 2-19 and the Netherlands 5-18 in the classification decider to finish eighth. Serbia won the tournament beating Russia 15-4 in the final with Italy the bronze medallist after beating France 10-2. The British women lost to Russia 5-25; to Hungary 3-28; to Japan 4-18; drew with New Zealand 9-9; lost to Canada 5-24; before beating Argentina 7-4 but then losing to Greece 10-11 to finish 10th. The USA won the tournament after beating Hungary in the final, with Japan taking the bronze medals after a close victory over Russia 12-11.
Jay Lelliott with his silver medal in Indianapolis
October 2017
Dani Joyce with her proud parents and grandparents after her 50m free gold
Dani and Jack are swim stars at Deaflympics in Turkey This summer’s Deaflympics was held in the Turkish city of Samsun. The Deaflympics is the second oldest IOC sanctioned Games, the first having taken place in Paris in 1924. However, there is no Paralympic category for athletes who are only deaf. The Paralympic Games already faces strict limitations on the number of competitors with London and Rio welcoming some 4,000 athletes. The Deaflympics saw similar numbers competing in Samsun and, as such, the two IOC sanctioned Games are held separately to ensure mass participation. The DeaflympicsGB squad was just over 60 athletes with a target of five medals. But, with no National Lottery funding, each athlete had to find £2,500 plus expenses to participate. They also had to demonstrate to DeaflympicsGB that they had the ability to reach finals in 2017 or 2021. The GB Squad eclipsed the target bringing home nine medals, of which seven came from swimming. Great Britain came 14th in the overall medal table and October 2017
fifth in the swimming medal table with three gold and four bronze. Russia, who are well funded, dominated the pool with a massive haul of 44 medals (including 26 golds) from a possible 120. The standard in the pool was extremely high with international swimmers such as Olga Kluchnikova (Russia) and Michael Klotz (USA) participating. The stars for Great Britain were Dani Joyce (University of Stirling) and Jack McComish (City of Glasgow) collecting all six individual medals won by DeaflympicsGB in the pool. Dani took gold in the 50/100 free and bronze in the 50m back and Jack won the 100 breaststroke and took bronze in the 50 and 200 breast. The mixed relay squad took bronze in the 4x100m Freestyle - Dani Joyce, Jack McComish, Jasmine Seamarks (City of Cambridge), Nathan Young (City of Liverpool), Shiona McClafferty (Lanark), and Tom Baxter (Teddington). Other individual finalists were Oliver Kenny (100 backstroke – 7th, 200 backstroke – 8th and 200 IM -7th), Jack McComish (50 free - 4th, 400 free -8th), Dani Joyce (100m back - 4th) and Kieran Holdbrook (400 IM – 5th).
The squad performed extremely well in difficult conditions with several British swimmers in medical isolation due to a virus. The biggest issue facing the swimmers is funding. A number of the top swim squads spent weeks prior to the Deaflympics training in Samsun, were located close to the pool and able to bring catering professionals with them. Over the six days of competition, 12 GB deaf records fell: Dani Joyce 50 free (gold 26.38), 100 free (gold 57.84), 50 back (bronze 30.36); Jack McComish 50 breast (bronze 59.52), 100 breast (gold 1.04.11), 200 breast (bronze 2.23.03), 50 free (24.24); Oliver Kenny 50 back (29.41) and 50 fly (27.20); Men’s 4x100 free (3.43.94), Men’s
4x 100 medley (4.06.92); Mixed Medley Relay 4x100 Free (bronze 3.49.00). The squad would like to thank TYR for the GB kit support and Andrew Rees for swimming the English Channel and raising much needed funds. As with all IOC approved Games the swimmers were ambassadors for Great Britain too, meeting local schoolchildren, Olympic stars and Britain’s ambassador to Turkey. The next international for GB Deaf is the long course European Championships in Poland in June next year whilst The Deaflympics in 2021 are expected to take place in Los Angeles or Dubai. To learn more about Deaf Swimming or sponsor the squad, contact Nigel Seamarks on promotergbdsc@gmail.com GB Deaf swim squad: Matthew Oaten (Basildon & Phoenix), Samuel Merritt (Doncaster), Jack McComish (Glasgow), Oliver Kenny (West Norfolk), Kieran Holdbrook (London & Redbridge), Nathan Young (Liverpool) and Tom Baxter (Teddington), Shiona McClafferty (Lanark), Jazz Seamarks (Cambridge), Dani Joyce (Stirling), Ciara Tappenden (Basildon & Phoenix) and Lucy Sharp (Loughborough Town).
Above: Craig Crawley MBE, UK Deaf Sport president, meets Jack McComish at Heathrow; this pic: the medley relay squad, (l-r) Seamarks, McClafferty, Joyce, McComish, Young and Baxter
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In Depth News
Amanda Mosley
Sponsored swim success for Amanda A volunteer swimming instructor from Manchester has completed a sponsored swim challenge with the ultimate aim of improving the quality of life of children who live on the streets in Africa. Amanda Mosley, 42, has been a volunteer swimming instructor with Middleton Amateur Swimming Club for over 20 years, having first joined the club aged five. ‘I love my role as a volunteer swimming instructor, it is so
rewarding,’ says Amanda. ‘I have volunteered with the club for over 20 years and been supported in continuing professional development. I am also a RLSS NPLQ Trainer Assessor, and have qualifications in Aqua Fit and Water Polo.’ ‘We are a lifesaving club, with a focus on teaching children to swim from age five and taking them through a swim programme that includes the Swim England awards. We also support our children to undertake the RLSS NPLQ and become volunteer
instructors with the club.’ This is where her enthusiasm for the sport has been developed and it is not surprising that Amanda chose to utilise her love of swimming to raise funds for a charity she is also passionate about. The challenge was to swim 45 miles in 45 days in aid of Retrak, a UK based nongovernment organisation that works to enable street children to move from a life of vulnerability, exclusion and poverty to a life within a positive family or community setting. ‘I am one of fifteen volunteers travelling to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with Retrak in November this year, as part of a team to work in a centre for homeless children’, says Amanda. ‘As a charity, Retrak relies on donations and sponsorship to fund their programmes. Just a small amount can make a big difference and transform the life of a street child. I am personally covering the cost of the trip but I am required to meet a fundraising target of £1,850 to be spent on improving the quality of life of children who live on the streets in Africa.’ With this in mind, from May 1, Amanda took to the water at Middleton Arena and the Marriott Worsley Park pools and swam 45 miles in 45 days, finishing on June 14, having raised over £700 so far and with donations still being received.
‘Whilst swimming I was thinking about the street children in Ethiopia that I am raising money for and how the donations received will make a difference to their lives. This kept me going to the end’, says Amanda. The Building Futures Programme is a unique fundraising initiative, enabling volunteers to have a direct impact on the lives of street children. Teams from Greater Manchester Police, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, local councils and community groups travel to Africa every year to work directly with street children. Each team works together to create a programme of activities, games and crafts. Teams also help to renovate and improve the quality of the centres within which the services are based. As well as working with the children, the teams deliver police training on subjects such as child sexual exploitation. Having already travelled to Ethiopia last year as part of the Building Futures Programme, Amanda acknowledges: ‘It was truly inspirational and life changing. I was able to see firsthand how the charity works and how my fundraising would impact on the lives of very vulnerable children.’ To donate visit: justgiving.com/ amanda-mosley2
> Ellie sets sights on Tokyo 2020 Ellie Simmonds resumed training in August and confirmed that she was setting her sights on further glory at the Tokyo 2020 Games. While the British icon will not be competing at this year’s World Para Swimming Championships, from September 30 to October 7 in Mexico City, she was keen to get back in the pool and apply her new outlook on life to her sport, as she told ParalympicsGB in an interview. ‘I’ve had an incredible year, probably the best year of my life aside from swimming,’ said the 22-yearold, who successfully defended her 200m individual medley title in the S6 category at the Rio pool with a world record of 2min 59.81sec. ‘I’m relishing the moment where I have to get back into the pool at 5am and swim for two hours. I think the big thing is that I can take all the experiences I’ve had of the world and apply them to swimming. ‘I know myself much better than before and I know
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what works for me so I am really excited to get back to business and work towards Tokyo 2020.’ Simmonds made her name as she won two golds in the 2008 Beijing Paralympics despite being the youngest in the British team at the age of 13. She added a further two golds at London 2012, setting a world record in the 400m freestyle. During her time away from the pool, Simmonds went travelling and found herself swimming with sharks in South Africa, having her money stolen in China and camping next to Ayers Rock in the outback of Australia. ‘I felt like everything had gone so quickly and I needed a year to find myself and figure things out and get away from the sport,’ she added. ‘I think travelling on your own and meeting new people gives you a lot more confidence and experiencing new cultures helps you to know yourself better as an individual and what works best for you.
‘I was working for an ocean conservation charity in South Africa and then in China a taxi driver swapped all my money for fake money. ‘I’ve gained a new perspective on life and learned so much. ‘But now I have one goal: to return to representing my country.’
October 2017
Hatfield’s Louise Fiddes
Paralympic champions headline worlds team British Para-Swimming has announced a 26-strong team for the World Para Swimming Championships in Mexico from September 30 – October 6. The team features eight Paralympic champions including Ollie Hynd, Bethany Firth, Ellie Robinson and Matt Wylie alongside eight athletes making their senior international debuts at a major competition. The swimmers competed at the British Summer Championships at Ponds Forge where 12 programme athletes set new personal best times and three world records were broken. Hynd, who broke the 400m freestyle world record in Sheffield, will be aiming to continue his gold medal streak at world championships having stood at the top of the podium at his last two outings. ‘I can’t wait to get out to Mexico and get ready to compete at the top level again,’ Hynd said. October 2017
‘This will be my third worlds and I will be hoping to retain my title but the first year of the cycle always brings some unknowns so I am making sure I am as prepared for that as possible. Maisie Summers-Newton will be making her senior international debut and at just 15 years old, she’ll be aiming to learn as much as she can while competing alongside the world’s best. ‘I am so excited,’ she said. ‘I have worked really hard this year to improve my times enough to qualify and I can’t wait to get on the blocks in Mexico. ‘I want to learn as much as I can from my team-mates and the other amazing athletes and use that as I continue to work hard on the path to Tokyo 2020.’ Head coach Rob Aubry has been encouraged by the performances in Sheffield but he knows the athletes will face tough competition in Mexico. ‘We have selected a strong team based on their impressive performances
at the British Summer Championships,’ he said. ‘In Sheffield, we saw athletes break records and show that they were at their best at the right time. What impressed me most is that they took on board the importance of the meet and showed the best possible race plan at the right time. ‘We have a strong developing group of athletes challenging for top positions within the programme. I am pleased that we have seen that it is possible to continue world class performances in year one of the cycle. Athletes are focusing on the process goals and executing the race plan. ‘In Mexico, we will have a tough challenge and we know there will be some new athletes that our team will face. ‘It will be a testing environment and our swimmers will be expected to race consistently while continuing training at a key point in the season.’
The team consists of: Jordan Catchpole - UEA Norwich, Stephen Clegg - University of Stirling, Jonathan Fox – National Performance Centre/COMAST, Thomas Hamer - National Performance Centre/COMAST, Oliver Hynd - Nova Centurion, Michael Jones - National Performance Centre, Conner Morrison - University of Aberdeen, Andrew Mullen - City of Glasgow, Scott Quin – Warrender, Lewis White - City of Derby, Matthew Wylie - City of Sunderland, Jessica-Jane Applegate - UEA Norwich, Louise Fiddes – Hatfield, Bethany Firth – National Performance Centre, Stephanie Millward – Corsham, Rebecca Redfern - Worcester City, Megan Richter – Orion, Eleanor Robinson – Northampton, Hannah Russell - COMAST/Woking, Maisie Summers-Newton – Northampton, Alice Tai - National Performance Centre. The athletes above gained selection after they achieved the qualification standard at the British Summer Championships 2017 as per the A Standard Qualifying time of the selection policy. Danielle Hartin - Basildon Phoenix, Jacob Leach – Cockermouth, Toni Shaw - Cults Otter. The athletes above gained selection after they achieved the qualification standard at the British Summer Championships 2017 as per the B Standard Qualifying time of the selection policy. Jack Thomas - Llandudno. The athlete above gained selection after they achieved the qualification standard at the British Summer Championships 2017 for the S14 relay. Zara Mullooly - City of Guildford. The athlete above gained selection at the discretion of the National Performance Director as per the selection policy.
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IoS
IoS Training & Membership The Institute of Swimming has been setting the standard for professional training and development in the leisure and aquatics industry for more than 30 years. In this regular feature, we share some useful tips, practical insights and advice to support you as a teacher or coach
New Partnership with Hydro-Actif As the health benefits of exercising in water become more widely recognised, the demand for aquatic fitness instructors has risen. In order to increase the size of the workforce we are opening our aquatic fitness instructing course up to more people by partnering with Hydro-Actif. The IoS have been delivering aquatic fitness instructing courses since 2011, giving instructors the all-important skills they need to teach safe, exciting and dynamic water exercise classes. The course is delivered in a combination of e-learning and practical sessions and includes anatomy and physiology for exercise, health, safety and welfare in a fitness environment, and principles of exercise, fitness and health. Hydro-Actif are one of the UK’s leading providers of water exercise training programmes. The IoS are now offering those who come through the Hydro-Actif Shallow Water Exercise Certificate the opportunity to study towards the full Level 2 Aquatic Fitness Instructing Certificate, awarded by Active IQ. Jenny Norvill, IoS operations manager, said: ‘This partnership will open our aquatic fitness course up to more people, allowing them to gain entry to the REPs register as an aquatic instructor, and give them a registered certificate for their knowledge.’ Once instructors complete the Hydro-Actif Shallow Water Exercise course they can contact the IoS to enrol on to the programme. Their current knowledge will be evaluated through home and work based assessment, covering all of the relevant units from the Level 2
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Aquatic Fitness Instructing certificate. Hydro-Actif have a range of CPDs available, allowing you to instruct a variety of aquatic exercise sessions. In July, Hydro-Actif went to Loughborough University Pool and SportPark, the home of Swim England and British Swimming, for their 19th Annual Hydro-Actif water exercise convention. The day consisted of contrasting master classes including an aquatic cross fit programme to bring high-intensity training to the water and a single hand buoy challenge to target cardiovascular training, balance and core strength. There was also a workshop on metabolic syndrome discussing common chronic conditions that many instructors have to manage. The tutor explained and demonstrated safe, effective exercise practices. A lively open forum gave the students an opportunity to learn about the recent and impending changes in the industry in the UK. The event was supported by Aqua Sphere and the Institute of Swimming and the students gained six valuable CIMSPA points. Steph Toogood, Hydro-Actif founder, said: ‘The new venue was a huge success and we intend to make the 20 year anniversary bigger and better.’ If you would like to expand into Aquatic Fitness, go to: theiosonline.com and hydro-actif.com for course details. If you have already completed the Hydro-Actif Shallow Water Exercise Certificate, please contact us on 01509 640640 or email: iosadmin@swimming.org for further details.
October 2017
Swim England Coaching Certificates Developed with expert coaches, helping you get the most out of your athletes. The Swim England coaching pathway is made up of three certificates; taking you from Assistant Coach, to Coach and Senior Coach.
To find a course running in your region and to book your place visit theiosonline.com
In Depth Comment
Fast Lane Surrounded by a wistful air of nostalgia, Jimmy Rogers looks back into his swimming scrapbook and encourages others to do the same
This might seem odd to today’s young talent who have so much electronic media to access and vast retrieval and storage options that a scrap book might be less attractive as a keep sake. We were not so fortunate back in the 60s (and I guess 70s & 80s) and had to settle for huge hard or soft backed albums with buff coloured pages adorned with neatly clipped sellotaped or gummed-down press cuttings.
Success or failure
‘For most of us older swimmers, I guess our scrapbooks rarely come out these days’ 24
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Going back to our old scrapbooks now and headline statements or articles declaring successes or failures are likely to tumble out followed by brittle dry sellotape that once held them in place. Opening mine for the first time in years and a grainy glue-stained image shows me standing awkwardly in the middle of my team-mates in club tracksuit and with lank wet hair clutching a trophy that once sat proudly on my parents’ mantlepiece back in 1964. My wife, Sylvia’s scrapbook has a picture of her salivating over a bag of carrots having let it slip to a reporter that she loves root vegetables. How young and unrecognisable we look. Thank goodness our parents had the foresight to keep these newspaper cuttings in spite of that embarrassing picture or that pretentious quote at say, 10 years of age. If it had been left to us, I’m sure those cuttings would not have seen the light of day and would have been binned faster than the pb time recorded in the results column.
Unrecognisable For most of us older swimmers, I guess our scrapbooks rarely come out
these days and when they do, much of it is unrecognisable as we strain to recount those swims way back then. Nevertheless, there is a strange partly detached pleasure in reading through them, almost like you are reading about someone else. Those unimaginative headlines that claimed you ‘Made a splash’, ‘Took a nose dive’ or paradoxically ‘Walked it’ provoke a vague memory as do the reported missed and taken opportunities and the articles that got your name, time, stroke or distance wrong.
Strange distances Sylvia and I were credited with ‘breaststroke’ wins in backstroke races and competed over some very strange distances, 88 and 96 yards being two of them. I do remember one supposed dramatic search and desperate dash to get me to the international trials at Crystal Palace in 1967 that still makes me laugh especially the old archive picture of me deliberately darkened to support the newspaper claim that I had been ‘left out in the cold’. Then there was the suggestion that Sylvia’s swimming career might be at risk following an accident having fractured her... toe! Not all inaccurate reporting is necessarily damaging or deserving of a retraction. One press article almost certainly unsettled my closest rivals when it reported that I had swum a record-breaking personal best time doing backstroke in a freestyle race. The time was very impressive but they had omitted to say I had dived in and turned onto my back.
Difficult to retrieve TV coverage back in the 60s was rarely recorded and very difficult to retrieve from BBC or ITV archives. Some Pathe News international swimming footage exists on YouTube but it is often randomly presented with baffling musical accompaniment albeit eloquently voiced over in
‘Broadcaster English’ by Bob DanversWalker. Some swimming families did manage to get some early years cine footage at local galas but film had to be sent away for processing before it could be shown on a white screen via a projector in a darkened room.
Easily captured Today’s top swimmers have that advantage over us old masters of course. Not only have they access to an abundance of newspaper and magazine press cuttings but all events covered on TV can easily be captured, recorded and saved now. Mobile iPhone and tablet technology replaces our ‘primitive’ cine cameras and instantly captures all the action with immediate replay and analysis facility. They perhaps don’t realise it now but today’s swimmers relatively brief moment of fame or success will be there not only for them to relive and enjoy long after they retire but for their children and children’s children to watch. We might not have very much to pass on down the family line but our scrapbooks will provide an insight into our competitive swimming days, before we become inextricably linked to cocoa, crosswords and carpet slippers.
Blissful peace If you haven’t looked through your scrapbook recently, why not give yourself a treat and search it out of the cupboard, the loft or wherever you keep it. The smile, grimace or confused look on your face as you thumb through the pages will send those closest to you crazy wondering what you’re up to and, until it wears off, they will leave you in blissful peace and quiet and enjoying your cosy arm chair.
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Many of us so-called post-war Baby Boomers have probably got a scrapbook tucked away somewhere that we open occasionally and enjoy looking back on the years we competed first time round.
October 2017
S E M I T G N I M SWIM G N I G N IS CHA Swimming From 2018 your will include Times magazine ew articles and lots of exciting n elp you get the h to n o ti a rm fo in e in the pool. m ti r u yo f o t u o best
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In Depth Comment
People who swim Seven years ago, Deryn Johnson walked onto the poolside to teach her first class and felt like she had come home, perhaps not all that surprising when you consider she was following in her mother’s footsteps.
‘Having been in swimming pools from a very young age... I’ve found my happy place’
Deryn enjoying herself as a Swimsafe instructor at Longsands, Tynemouth
Twenty-five years after Margaret Johnson retired from teaching people to swim, daughter Deryn took up the reins in that familiar pool environment and she hasn’t looked back since. In fact, Deryn has gone on to make swimming more accessible to more people at the Woodlawn Hydrotherapy Pool in Monkseaton. She has established dementia friendly swim sessions 26
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and assists children with special educational needs. The 48-yearold has also become a lifeguard and Swimsafe instructor, teaching youngsters how to stay safe at Tynemouth Long Sands. Providing Deryn’s aquatic upbringing was mum Margaret who taught at Waves Leisure Pool in Whitley Bay up until 1985. ‘I can’t remember ever
not swimming’ said Deryn. ‘I swim like my mum, she taught me. Having been in swimming pools from a very young age the environment just feels familiar, I’ve found my happy place.’ Margaret swam competitively as a child, Deryn continues: ‘Apparently before one competition my grandpa spotted the table of prizes and gave mum very specific instructions
to “win me that lamp,” needless to say she won the race and that lamp still stands proudly in her house more than 50 years later.’ Margaret, 82, may have retired from teaching but she is still a regular swimmer. ‘Swimming provides everlasting enjoyment for my mum, she has great social interaction at her local club. When me and my family take part in
swimming events mum joins in. We recently won fastest team mile at North Tyneside’s swimathon,’ said Deryn. From adult learn to swim through to triathletes looking to improve their technique Deryn teaches the full range as well as children from four years old. She said: ‘I gain a tremendous buzz from swimming that never really goes away. ‘My favourite hour of the week is the dementia friendly session I have set up. There are so many benefits for the participants, they are a great way for the swimmers to keep active, it can help their general fitness and provides an opportunity for carers to gain valuable support from each other and also from me. ‘The sessions are based on having fun, laughter and, of course, smiles for the carers too, sometimes this is just as important as it is for the swimmers themselves! October 2017
Clockwise from left: Deryn prepares for one of her dementia friendly sessions; her mother’s teacher’s certificate from 1974; Deryn’s mum, Margaret, and the lamp she won in a competition; Swimming family: Max, 17, Margaret, Deryn and Leo, 12.
One week when there was particularly heavy rain outside we had lots of fun, we danced in the pool with our woggle umbrellas singing amongst ourselves, “we’re swimming in the rain, just swimming in the rain” and during Wimbledon we played tennis with balloons. ‘I hold talks in the October 2017
community to try and explain the dementia friendly sessions and encourage people to come along. ‘When it comes to teaching, I take each learner’s journey at their own pace. I still try to inject plenty of fun in order to help build trusting relationships. ‘My advice to other
teachers would be to listen and learn from your swimmers. Don’t assume that your ideas are the best ideas. ‘I love it when my kids ask if they can try something in a different way, my response is always ”yes” discovery learning is a fine way for them to understand what to do and improve.’
‘When it comes to teaching, I take each learner’s journey at their own pace. I still try to inject plenty of fun...’ Swimming Times
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In Depth Reviews
Tools of the trade Book review by Peter Hassall The Mindful Art of Wild Swimming By Tessa Wardley Beautifully presented, this book is a thing to admire in your hands rather than soulless-ly on a tablet. The reader is invited to dive in and explore the soulful, physical and emotional benefits of swimming in nature. First taught to swim by the amazing Jane Asher, Tessa Wardley is a river lover and adventurer who has worked and played in waters worldwide, from New Zealand to the Arctic Circle. She says: ‘When we master the art of swimming, we discover a liberation that comes with weightlessness and enter an intensely private world where a meditative state of mind is easily achieved. Swimming in wild waters takes this experience to an even more intense level where self discovery and fulfilment reside, producing profound effects on the mind and spirit. If you are prepared to risk a certain obsession with water, embark on your own journey
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into wild waters. Leap in!’ Tessa explores how swimming in rivers, lakes and seas is the very epitome of conscious living, or can be the ultimate Zen meditation. If that sounds a bit pretentious, you will enjoy her taste of freedom or her encounter with crocodiles whilst swimming in a remote water hole in Australia; or swimming in the rain or at night, or dare I say it, skinny-dipping. ‘Consideration (for other swimmers) aside, swimming in your birthday suit is the ultimate in communing with wild waters – exhilarating and sensuous, the end game of immersion.’ Throughout, there are reflective mindfulness exercises: looking for emotional benefits, sensory possibilities, curing the grumps, active listening, all building up one’s own personal supply of water wisdom. I have often propounded the possibility that most open water swimming is done in water so cold that it is no wonder one’s senses are cleansed, you can’t for a few minutes think of anything else!
But there is some good advice and some nice passages in this book for those used to open water and for those who have yet to take the plunge. Tessa ends on this note: ‘I’m off for a swim. I shall walk; maybe I’ll take my shoes off and go barefoot. I’ll wade into the water, trying not to stop as I reach that difficult midriff point. The leaves are spreading out over the surface of the pool and the tree is in bud. I can hear the voices of the birds calling to one another... My spirits are rising inexorably – the sun is burnishing the bracken on the crags above the pool and crystals spark in the rugged rocks. After losing myself in the water for a while, I’ll pull myself from the
elemental ooze, towel down, wrap up and delight in a flask of something warming. I’ll revel in the post-swim glow – all smoothed out. This is my manifesto for mindfulness – seeking and maybe even finding Zen by the water.’
Win this book!
WIN IT!
We have three copies to give away. Simply email swimmingtimes@swimming. org and tell us why you would like a copy. Winners drawn at random. Don’t forget your name and address. Closing date: Oct 17 2017
October 2017
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City of Oxford topped the medal table at the Swim England National Summer Meet at Ponds Forge. Ollie Baker reports Photos by Allan McKenzie of SWpix.com
C
ity of Oxford SC finished top of the medal table at the Swim England National Summer Meet. Thanks to multiple medals from Mimi Morley Iszatt, Toby Mackay-Champion, Kate Mills and Emily Ford, they powered to 11 podium places over the five-day event. Overall the club’s swimmers won seven gold, three silver and one bronze medal, solidifying their position as best performing club ahead of Northampton and Mount Kelly in second and third respectively. The standout swimmer for City of Oxford was 14-year-old Morley Iszatt, who claimed two gold medals in her age group. She won both the 100m backstroke (1:05.83) and 200m backstroke (2:24.35). Commenting on her 200m backstroke victory, Morley Iszatt said: ‘I’ve been swimming for three years and this is my second time at nationals. Last year, I only had one event and I didn’t get any medals. So this is the first time I’ve done both the events and I got medals. ‘I’m hoping for more in the future. I really want to qualify for the British nationals next year and keep getting faster.’ Northampton were just a single gold medal away from beating Oxford to the top spot. Their swimmers won more medals overall, taking away six gold, seven silver and one bronze medal. Northampton’s standout swimmer was 17-year-old Danny Savage, who took two gold and one silver medal in his age group. Savage, who also claimed three gold medals at the British Summer Championships the previous week, won the 17yrs 50m freestyle (23.61),
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50m backstroke (27.27) and came second in the 100m backstroke (58.83). Commenting after a personal best to win the 50m freestyle, Savage said: ‘It was a good swim. Unfortunately I didn’t qualify for this event last week, I just wanted to come here and do a time which would have been up there last week. ‘The training up to this has been going really well, so I had a lot of confidence going in. I would have liked to go a little quicker, but I was happy with the time.’
Bainbridge leads medal charge Ella Bainbridge was by far the star in the girls’ 12/13yrs age group, winning one gold and three silver medals. The Cleethorpes and District SC swimmer took silver medals in the 200m individual medley, 100m butterfly and 200m breaststroke and looked as though she would
be taking home a hat-trick of silvers. However, after an amazing swim in the 200m butterfly, the 13-year-old finally got her hands on a gold to end her competition. She was over a second faster than Emma Erkine of Nova Centurion, taking the title in a time of 2:23.72. Every single swim by Bainbridge saw her set new personal best times. ‘I was shocked to get the three silvers to be fair because I was ranked fifth a lot. I worked so hard not to get silver again,’ said Bainbridge. ‘I really went for it and it paid off. ‘It’s end of season for me now, and I have three weeks off and then back to training. I’m going to try and train one more session a week next season.’ Sophie Freeman of Colchester SC had a very similar competition, claiming one gold and three silver medals. She came second in the 200m freestyle, 200m IM and 100m backstroke, before eventually claiming the October 2017
National Summer Meet
Mimi Morley Iszatt in action for the top club, City of Oxford, and left, with one of her medals
‘The training up to this has been going really well, so I had a lot of confidence going in. I would have liked to go a little quicker but I was happy with the time’ The glint of gold for 17-year-old Danny Savage
October 2017
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Ella Bainbridge starred in the 12/13yrs age group
Colchester’s Sophie Freeman (rt) won one gold and three silver medals in the 12/13yrs group
200m backstroke title in the last event of the meet. Freeman dominated the final, finishing over two and a half seconds faster than the rest of the field. She touched in 2:23.23, a new lifetime best.
Cushen takes golden hat-trick Jay Cushen was untouchable in the 13/14yrs age group. He took home a hat-trick of gold medals, claiming titles in the 1500m freestyle, 200m individual medley and the 200m butterfly. All three of his title swims were completed in new personal best times. Cushen had a tight battle to the finish in the 1500m, but managed to hold on to his early lead to win gold in 17:09.98. Swim Bournemouth’s Drew McGregor and Derwentside’s Lewis Maxwell also showed great potential as they claimed double gold. McGregor took a breaststroke double - the 100m (1:10.36) and 200m (2:32.46). Maxwell’s 32
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October 2017
National Summer Meet
‘It feels really good to win gold... I just went out there to go faster than I did in the heats’ Jay Cushen with his gold medal from the 14yrs 200m butterfly. Bottom: Flora Perkin won gold in the 14yrs 50m breaststroke.
success came in the 100m fly (1:00.97) and 400m free (4:19.04).
Wynne-Jones takes freestyle double Milton Keynes swimmer Charlotte WynneJones was the top overall performer in the girls’ 14yrs age group. She struck gold twice, showing her prowess in the freestyle events, but also added a silver in the 50m backstroke to her medal haul. Wynne-Jones’ first title was in the 200m freestyle where she beat Fleur Lewis of Barnet Copthall and Millfield’s Alice Chan to the touch in 2:08.69. This seemed to give her confidence and she stormed to her second gold in the 400m freestyle, over three seconds ahead of the field. Flora Perkin (Newton Abbott) and Elena Dewhurst (Anaconda) also secured two golds apiece, Perkin in the 50m and 200m breaststroke and Dewhurst in the 100m free and 50m fly. October 2017
O’Rourke takes two for Northampton Jackson O’Rourke was one of only two swimmers to claim two gold medals in the boys’ 15yrs age group. He took titles in the 200m breaststroke (2:29.69) and 200m individual medley (2:14.16). Both of these races saw new personal best times set. ‘It feels really good to win gold. I just went out there to go faster than I did in the heats and try and beat my PB,’ O’Rourke said after winning the 200m breaststroke. ‘I’ve got the 200m medley and the 50m breaststroke coming up, so I think a gold will help build my confidence for those.’ George Robert-Shaw of Dorking SC was the other swimmer to claim two titles in this age group. He took a freestyle double, claiming gold in the 50m (25.09) and 100m freestyle (54.35).
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‘My coach has been unreal helping me throughout the season and obviously the other swimmers from my club have really helped me too’
Gold and silver for Abbie Low in the 15yrs group
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October 2017
National Summer Meet
Emily Cutler with her gold medal from the 17yrs and over 100m backstroke
Low aims high in 200m events Abbie Low showed her 200m ability in both the 200m backstroke and 200m fly in the girls’ 15yrs age group. She claimed gold in the 200m back, and silver in the fly. The Chelmsford swimmer was neck and neck with Tilly Hansen-Hamilton of Guildford City at the 100m mark of the 200m back. But over the second half she turned on the afterburners to put some distance between them. Low touched in 2:19.05 for the title. Emily Ford of City of Oxford also took one gold and one silver medal in this age group. She swam a new PB in the 50m backstroke to take the title with 30.81. Her silver came in the 100m fly.
titles in the boys’ 16yrs age group. The 16-year-old showed tremendous power as he dominated the 200m event. He swam a new PB of 2:11.01 to top the podium, over three seconds faster than his nearest rival. Tai commented on his 200m victory: ‘I took three seconds from my heat and four seconds from the entry time. I feel so proud. I’ve had a pretty up and down season so far, so to get a PB makes me very happy. I’m not sure what gave me the edge today. My coach has been unreal helping me throughout the season and obviously the other swimmers from my club have really helped me too.’ Tai also secured the 50m fly, while Joseph Moore (Harrogate), Lewis Smart (Mount Kelly) and Fynn Lewis-Gale (Hereford) won two gold medals apiece.
Tai is king of fly Christian Tai of Bournemouth Collegiate School took two of three available butterfly October 2017
Harrison takes double gold City of Peterborough’s Lauren Harrison
secured two gold medals for her club after winning the girls’ 16yrs 100m breaststroke and 400m individual medley titles. She won both events with new pb times, clocking 1:15.19 in the breaststroke and 5:07.82 in the medley. She made it to the wall a full two seconds ahead of Wigan BEST swimmer Hannah Sheehan for the 400m IM crown. Poole SC’s Jasmine McCrea and Jade Kenneral of Nova Centurion also won two medals in this age group. Both swimmers took one gold and one silver, Kenneral missing out on a second title to McCrea in the 200m free.
Jameson secures two for Thanet Although Danny Savage might have been the standout performer, Max Jameson of Thanet was also impressive, taking two titles for his club in the boys’ 17yrs age group. Jameson took his first gold medal in the 200m IM. Although he was not leading at the 100m mark, his breaststroke leg turned the tables to put him in pole position for the final freestyle sprint. Jameson powered down the final 50m to touch over two seconds faster than his rivals, clocking 2:08.81. He proved his prowess in the backstroke in the final event of the competition, taking the 200m back title with a time of 2:05.61. Swimming Times
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Tom Brew races to silver in the 17yrs 200m butterfly final
Burr and Cutler star Abigail Burr and Emily Cutler both won two titles in the 17yrs and over age group. Cutler showed off her mastery of the backstroke with two gold medals, while Burr showed her versatility taking gold in the 100m fly (1:02.48) and 400m free (4:23.33). Mount Kelly’s Emily Cutler helped her club to come third in the overall medal table with her back double, taking victory in the 50m (30.05) and 100m (1:04.07). Of her 100m victory, she said: ‘It feels so surreal at the moment, I’ve just finished school so it’s quite emotional really. I got a season’s best which is great after a year of being really ill. So I’m happy coming back taking the title. Two years ago I swam in the English summer championships and won all three backstroke titles, so it’s nice to come back and win again.’
Wells proves unstoppable Nathan Wells was the top performer in the boys 18+ group, taking four national titles over five days of competition. The Loughborough University swimmer set new personal best times in all his events, perhaps pushed by the 36
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high level of competition he was up against. In the 200m freestyle, it was Salford’s Lewis Clough who led the field over the first three lengths. However, Wells gained huge momentum in the final 50m and powered to victory in 1:52.03, eight tenths of a second faster than Clough. He also won gold in the 50m backstroke (27.15), 100m backstroke (57.32) and 200m individual medley (2:05.57). Wells said: ‘I’m not sure if I have words to describe what just happened. I loved it out there. It’s been a great couple of weeks and I’m over the moon with four gold medals.’ Beckenham’s Luke Gunning won the 200m fly and was runner up in the 100m to Sheffield’s Luke Howdle.
Bressat and Kearney star in MC races Sol Bressat and Tully Kearney took five gold medals in the mixed classification events. Bressat competed in the S14, and took three titles. His first came in the MC 200m IM, as he beat George Kelman-Johns of Clayesmore (S14) by less than half a second, in 2:32.24 for 608 BDP. He also won the 200m free (2:14.63, 644 BDP) and 100m fly (1:07.77, 659 BDP) to complete his golden hat-trick.
After winning the 200m freestyle, Bressat said: ‘I was so nervous. Getting that PB was really good. I’ve been training really hard. I just moved clubs last year and I hope to go to the Paralympics in Tokyo.’ Kearney’s S7 successes were in the 400m freestyle and 100m backstroke. She swam a great race in the 400m free, almost level with Cockermouth’s Drew Stables (S10). City of Manchester Aquatics’ Kearney took the highest score, touching in 5:37.67 for 694 BDP. The four-time Para-Swimming World Championship gold medallist dominated the 100m back, almost 150 points ahead. Kearney made it to the wall in 1:30.66, taking 728 BDP. ‘I really wanted to improve on what I did in heats, so gold was a massive achievement,’ said Kearney, who won her world titles in the S9 classification two years ago. ‘I was really happy with my PB. I’ve been out with injury for quite a long time and it affected my condition so I’ve now been reclassified to show that. I’ve been trying to work out what my body can do because there’s a lot of things I now struggle with. So the plan is to go back to training, keep getting fitter and see what I can do next year.’ October 2017
National Summer Meet
Above: Sol Bressat won the men’s MC 200m freestyle; left: Holly Hudghton took gold in the 16yrs 100m backstroke
October 2017
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WINNERS ALL A selection of gold medallists from the Swim England Summer Meet
Luke Spain won the 18yrs and over 50m breaststroke
Jack To took gold in the 17yrs 200m buttery
Melody Jones won the 15yrs 200m buttery
Eliza Powell - 12/13yrs 50m breaststroke
Pravin Mahendrakumar with his gold after the 13/14yrs 50m breaststroke
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Joseph Moore - 16yrs 50m breaststroke
Imogen Meers - 15yrs 50m breaststroke
Jack Plummer - 15yrs 50m breast
October 2017
National Summer Meet
Ashley Ransome - 17yrs 50m breast
Katie Laybourn - 16yrs 200m butterfly
Isabella Rose Berlin won gold in the 16yrs 50m breaststroke
Faye Rogers - 15yrs 200m butterfly
Alysia Maestri - 15yrs 100m backstroke
Freya Colbert won the 12/13yrs 100m backstroke
October 2017
Christian Tai took gold in the 16yrs 200m butterfly
Callum Rushan - gold in the 15yrs 200m butterfly
Aaron Bartlett won the 17yrs 50m breaststroke
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MEDAL
BONAN
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October 2017
World masters
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More than 400 British swimmers made the trip to Budapest for the world masters championships – and they brought back a multitude of medals. Verity Dobbie reports
T
he 17th World Masters Swimming Championships may not have been the biggest version of this event, but it still attracted an impressive 9,400 athletes across all of the disciplines. There were 6,509 pool swimmers creating 24,661 individual splashes. The facilities available were easily the best I’ve ever encountered with no fewer than four 50m pools in simultaneous action across two sites less than 3km apart. Both competition venues had ample warm up facilities both indoor and outdoor. The meet was organised with age groups being split up into four separate groups: 25–39 years, 40-54, 55–64 and the 65+. They then rotated through each venue. An inevitable consequence of this surfeit of facilities was that the swimming was often finished by early afternoon, leaving a decent opportunity for swimmers to sightsee, taking advantage of the free public transport granted by the accreditation or just hang out at the pools and enjoy the fabulous weather the Hungarians had arranged.
Most successful
Gold in the 200m back for Sophie Casson
October 2017
As for results, it’s fair to say that Britain had its most successful world masters championships in recent memory. Four hundred and two British swimmers brought back 35 gold, 43 silver and 40 bronze medals in the swimming events, as well as two world records, 10 championship best times and over 1,500 top ten finishes. The top British swimmer was a tough call between Guildford’s Mike Hodgson and Sophie Casson, the Carnforth and District Otter. Sophie collected four individual golds and one silver medal in the 30 years 200m, 400m and 800m free and the 200m back, all four titles in new championship records. Sophie’s silver medal swim was the 200 IM (I’ll not comment on her breaststroke). Rachel Keir of Silver City Blues made it a British 1:2 in this age group following Sophie home in the 200m, 400m and 800m free. In the men’s 50 years age group, Mike
Hodgson fulfilled his early season promise collecting three individual gold and two silver medals. Mike started the week with his first world title in the 100m breaststroke, setting a new championship best time. He then added the 50m fly title and finished off with a storming 50m breaststroke in a new world record of 30.26. On the way, he also collected silver medals in the 200m breast and the 100m fly. The Guildford team’s final individual medal came from Michelle Ware in the 45 years 50m back.
Highlight As impressive as these individual performances were, my highlight of the week was the Guildford 200 years mixed medley relay team. Mike combined with Michelle Ware, Dave Bryant and Lynda Coggins to win in a world record time of 1:59.99. Just think about that: a mixed team with an average age of 50, swimming an average time of sub 30 seconds in a medley relay. In her debut world championships, Emma Wills of York City Baths Club also collected three titles in the 200m, 400m and 800m free. Emma was our highest placed finisher in the open water where she came second in the 35 years age group. Birmingham Masters’ Judy Wilson made it a fly double winning the 50m and 100m in the 70 years age group and then combined with Trevor Clark, Hayley Bettinson and Spyrakis Georgallides to produce gold medal performances in the 240 years mixed free and medley relays.
Great results There were some other great British team results with the East Leeds quartet of Phil Pratt, Alistair Crawford, Phillippa Rickard and Nina Williams winning gold and silver in the 160 years mixed medley and free team races. Pippa and Nina were joined by Julie Hoyle and Karen Graham for the women’s 160 years free and medley teams which grabbed two second places. As an individual, and fighting her way back from injury, Julie Hoyle collected a bronze in the 50m back and two silvers in the Swimming Times
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‘Britain had its most successful world masters championships in recent memory’ Clockwise from top left: Dave Milburn; Amanda Heat receiving one of her medals; the victorious East Leeds quartet; Graham Milne; Helen Gorman celebrates; Jenny Ball and Elaine Bromwich in relaxed mood. Facing page, near left: Emma Wills and Sophie Casson; bottom rt: gold for Mike Hodgson; top rt: the Guildford mixed quartet
100m and the 200m. Silver City’s women’s 100 years team also won double silver in both of their relays and there were bronze medal finishes for Basingstoke Bluefins 160 years mixed free team, and for Mid Sussex Marlins women’s 240 years medley team. Spencer Swim Team had a quiet meet on the relay front. Its sole team medal was a silver in the 120 years men’s medley relay. That didn’t stop the gold medal rush for the Spencer individuals. Di Ford was 1.65 seconds off a perfect record in the 70 years age group when she tied with Judy Alden of Barnet Copthall for second place in the 50m breaststroke. Di has been undefeated in this age group winning all three breaststrokes at Montreal and in Kazan, but this time, swimming at the top of her age group, she was forced to settle for two golds in the longer events and silver in the 50m.
Heath again For the second consecutive championship, Amanda Heath (60 years) won the 200m breaststroke title, and also added three 42
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bronze medals in the 100m breast and both medleys. Jack Marriott collected a championship record as he won the 25 years 50m fly. Greg Kahn had a successful meet in the 45 years backstroke events, winning the 200m and placing second in the 50m and 100m. Greg also added a bronze in the 100m fly. Grace Isaac completed a clean sweep of silver medals in all three backstrokes in the 85 years age group and, finally, Tony Cherrington was third in the 75 years open water. Three British swimmers won two titles apiece and added a bronze medal for good measure. They were, in the 55 years age group, Newbury’s Dave Milburn who collected his first world title in the 200m breast, adding a bronze in the 100 and then took an unexpected second title in the 50m with his fastest time for at least 20 years. Jo Corben, of Fareham Nomads, comprehensively won the 45 years 100m and 200m backstroke - both in new championship record times and beating the runner up in the 200 (former Olympic champion Claudia Poll) by a mere five seconds! Jo also produced a decent burst of speed for an unexpected third
place in the 50m. Hollywell’s Nic Latty was always a safe bet for the 200m fly title in this age group, but she pulled off a storming swim to collect her second world title of the meet in the 400 IM and picked up a bronze in the 400 freestyle. In the breaststroke events in this age group, it was a case of déjà vu for Helen Gorman of Long Eaton, as just like Montreal, she came up against the Australian Linley Frame. Helen had to settle for three silver medals behind the 1991 100m breast world champion, but was able destroy the field in the back half of her 200m IM to claim her first world title and best world championship results to date. In the 40 years age group, Romford’s Dawn Palmer and Northampton’s Karen Keys each collected a full set of medals. Dawn won the 400m medley, came second in the 200m medley and third in the 100m backstroke. Karen’s medals came in the breaststroke events with a gold in the 50m, silver in the 100m and bronze in the 200m. Team-mate Greg Bird produced a second silver medal for the Northampton club in the 25 years 200m freestyle. Kathryn Loveys of the City October 2017
World masters
of Cambridge also replicated Karen’s results in the 30 years age group breaststroke events. As for our remaining world champions, they all came in the speed events. British Police’s Aimee Ramm won the 35 years 100m freestyle and Matthew Lue of Out to Swim won the 35 years 50m freestyle. Alec Johnson of Trafford Metro was crowned world champion in the 55 years 50m fly and, last but by no means least, Truro’s Graeme Milne retained his 100m fly title in the 60 years age group. Carlisle’s Judy Hattle collected four silver medals in the 55 years age group, three of them in the fly events and the fourth in the 100 breaststroke. Kath Tunnicliffe of Etwall Eagles picked up a second place in the 65 years 200m back and bronze medals in the shorter backstroke events. And it was three bronze medal finishes in the distance freestyle events for Tiverton’s Sue Haigh in this age group.
specialist Jacqueline Grace in the 55 years 100m and 200m, City of Cardiff’s Chris Jones in the men’s 100m and 200m breast, and Team Anglia’s Liz Woolner in the 50 years 50m and 100m fly. Liz’s teammate Lucy Ryan also collected a bronze medal in the 40 years 50m breast.
Southport duo
fly, Colchester’s Simon Emm in the 50 years 200m fly, Cardiff Master Allie Price in the 50 years 100m back and Sally Shields from the Borough of Kirklees in the 60 years 50m breast; and finally in the open water, we had three further bronze medals from Mid Sussex Marlin Rose Dudeney, Eastbourne’s Chris Brooks and Stevenage’s Jo Mitchinson in the 70, 65 and 35 years age groups.
The Southport duo, Helen Jenkins and Doreen Gordon grabbed a bronze medal apiece in the 70 years 200m breast and the 400m free in the next age group. Becky O’Brien from Maidenhead and Anne Bourne from Camphill finished third in the 25 and 60 years 400m free respectively. The remaining British pool podium finishers were bronze medal winners David Adamson from Otter in the 30 years 100m
Silver and bronze In her return to racing at this level, Sally Mills of Mid Sussex Marlins collected a silver and bronze medal in the 60 years 200m and 100m fly as did East Anglian Swallow Tail Pat Jackson in the 70 years age group. There were silver medals for Janet Masters of South Beds Masters in the 75 years 100m back, Laura Robertson of Silver City Blues in the 25 years 400m IM, Paul Wilkes of Redditch in the 30 years 200m fly, Will Jolly of Newcastle Swim team in the 400m free, and Mike Foskett of Hemel Hempstead in the 65 years 100m back. Our final silver medalist was Bridgend’s Thomas Craig in the 25 years 800m free. There were a brace of bronzes for Bishop Stortford’s Lizzie Bellinger in the 35 years 50 and 100m fly, Kenilworth’s backstroke
DIVERS SOAR TO THE PODIUM British divers climbed the podium 20 times during the seven days of masters’ competition in Budapest. Maltby’s Michael Barnes made the biggest contribution adding two golds, one silver and a synchro bronze to the medal tally. Barnes grabbed gold in both the 1m and 3m springboard (35 - 39) with scores of 302.30 and 337.95 respectively, a silver in the platform with 300.50 and then followed it up with a bronze alongside 3m synchro partner Shaun Tesh (50-99) with 180.12. The 3m springboard saw a flurry of fourth places with Dive London’s Richard Flanagan’s 255.65 (30-34), Jim McNally of Beaumont Diving Academy with 207.60 (6569) and Tony Hunter in the 55-59 age group with 238.65. The Manchester Aquatics Centre diver also hit the fourth spot in the 1m springboard. The synchro pairing of McNally and Will
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Moloney (100+) bought home two silvers in both the 3m (173.19) and the platform with a score of 124.77. Craig Turbyfield and Flanagan (50-99) received silver for their platform synchro performance with a score of 170.76. Individually, a platform silver went to Flanagan with 244.70 whilst Hunter secured third place with 188.15. City of Sheffield’s Jane Cooke (nee Smith) (40-44) was a double gold medallist winning both the 1m and 3m springboard with 270.90 and 355.50 respectively. Southend’s Joan Aldous secured a full sweep of bronze medals in the 75-79 age group with her performances in the 1m, 3m springboard and platform scoring 101.70, 101.60 and 80.85 respectively. There were silver medals in both the 3m synchro and platform synchro for Barbara Heathfield and Jenni Cluskey with 165.00 and 119.88 respectively (100 +).
Heathfield also placed fourth in the 3m springboard (55-59) with 178.90. The platform produced three silver medals including one for Naomi McBane (40-44) with a score of 211.30 complementing with the bronze she picked up in the 3m springboard (239.60). The Manchester Aquatics Centre diver also reached fourth place in the 1m event (189.90). Dacorum’s Katie Bell (50-54) scooped a platform silver with 180.35 after two fourth place finishes in the 3m (183.05) and 1m (152.10). The third women’s platform silver went to Nikii Walker from City of Leeds with her score of 194.10 in the 35-39 age group. Mixed synchro pairing McNally and Heathfield (100+) secured the final gold with their score of 160.56 for their 3m performance as well as bronze in the platform (110.28).
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World masters
SYNCHRO SWIMMERS RAISE STANDARDS
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here couldn’t have been a more beautiful setting for the World Masters Synchro Championships, with the two temporary pools built over the ice rink in Budapest’s Városliget Park – just a stone’s throw from Heroes’ Square – and the impressive Vajdahunyad Castle creating the perfect backdrop. The sun was shining (most of the time), with temperatures soaring to 37 degrees, although they had to evacuate the training pool one evening due to thunder and lightning, and the technical solos in the higher age groups had to put on their best smiles the next morning despite the rain. The surrounds of the warm-up pool provided a great opportunity for a catch-up with old friends both from home and abroad, and there was a great feeling of support from the GB clubs, who became allies for the week, rather than rivals. Special mention must go to the supporters: friends, family, partners, husbands and wives were there, waving flags and shouting encouragement. There was plenty of support from home too, with those who couldn’t be there in person closely following the live stream.
earned a place in the medal ceremony. Rushmoor placed fifth in the 35-49 category, while Seymour improved on their seventh placing from the technical team to secure a sixth place medal in the 25-34 age group and an eighth placing ranking overall. Seymour also placed ninth in the 25-39 category, ahead of Kingston Ladies who finished in 13th; while in the 40-64 age group, Rushmoor once again came fifth followed by Rugby who took 10th position. For those who competed in every event, it was a tough week, with seven days of competition, training and walk-throughs – a huge change from doing all seven events in just one or two days but equally as challenging, with its constant highs and lows, build-ups and come-downs. Competing in an outdoor pool both in the sun and the rain brought with it new challenges, from soggy sandwiches and drenched clothing to sunburnt feet and squinty smiles. Many teams started preparing for this event after the Euros in London last year and for the majority of GB swimmers, it was their first time competing at world championship level.
‘It can safely be said that every British swimmer stepped up their game on this international stage’ The first medal went to Jeanne Ansley of City of Leeds, a former GB squad swimmer, who was third in the 70-79 solo. Other top 10 solo placings included Reading Royals’ Sally Robinson and Rushmoor’s Andrea Holland who placed seventh and 10th in the 50-59 age group, along with Seymour’s Yixin Yeng, who pulled up four places to finish seventh in the 25-29 years category. The duet saw Brighton Dolphins’ Margaret Hamerton and Liz Fitzsimons finish sixth in the 60-69 age group, with Rushmoor’s pairing of Andrea Holland and Carolyn Wilson winning the bronze medal in the 50-59 group, swimming the same duet that earned them fourth place in the 1979 World Cup 38 years ago. Rachel Davies and Grace Reukers then equalled their placing in the 40-49 category, by pulling up from fourth into third to secure a second bronze for Rushmoor. For the first time at the world masters, there was also a mixed duet event. Seymour’s Yixin Zeng joined forces with Derde Exposito as GB’s only mixed duet entry and fought hard to bring home the silver in the 30-39 age group. The support from the crowd for all of the mixed duet athletes was incredible, as everyone came together to celebrate this new event. In the hotly contested free team event, GB was represented by two clubs, who both 44
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It mustn’t be forgotten that most of these swimmers have full-time jobs, husbands, wives and children – and to have found the time to commit to them all is an achievement in itself. British referee Jenny Gray commented on the continually rising standards at masters level, and I think it can safely be said that every British swimmer stepped up their game on this international stage.
Other GB results: Solos 60-69 – Margaret Hamerton, Brighton Dolphins, 14th 50-59 – Carolyn Wilson, Rushmoor, 15th 40-49 – Carla Sanders, Rushmoor, 15th 40-49 – Rachel Davies, Rushmoor, 16th 30-39 – Natasha Rukazenkova-Cleverly, Seymour, 14th 30-39 – Elizabeth Winter, Seymour, 15th 25-29 – Giulia Escher, Seymour, 20th 25-29 – Rachael Stevens, Kingston Ladies, 27th Duets 25-29 – Louise Chambers and Laura Gee, Kingston Ladies, 18th 30-39 – Elizabeth Winter and Natasha Rukazenkova-Cleverly, Seymour, 25th 50-59 – Anne long and Linda Doidge, Brighton Dolphins, 11th Elizabeth Winter
Top: Seymour with their free team medals, back: Alex Todd, Kendra Semple, Agata Jedrzychowska (coach), Elizabeth Winter, Natasha Rukazenkova-Cleverly. Front: Margaux Maupate, Hannah de Smet, Aisha Bance-Cuthbert, Yixin Zeng, Giulia Escher. Above: Seymour, Rushmoor and Kingston Ladies after the free combination team
WATER POLO English Roses took a superb silver in the 45+ age group with a 12-8 win against Ireland’s Donegall 35+ and a strong 11-1 win against Argentina’s Medellin. Whilst the 30+ Roses team finished fourth. London Polytechnic finished a creditable eighth out of 16 teams in the men’s 50+ event in their first outing on the FINA World Masters stage in 17 years. They got stuck-in with an 8-8 draw against Hungary’s Sunday Boys, followed by a defeat to Sao Paulo. A victory over Scottstown USA saw them face and beat Argentinian Pampas 10-4 in the quarter-final. But the Hungarian Happy Hippos proved themselves as strong as their namesakes, winning 7-2. Defeat followed, first from Rio and then from Sao Paulo by just one goal, to put them in the eighth spot.
October 2017
Julie Hoyle
More success for Julie With five medals from the recent world masters championships under her belt, including two individual silvers, Julie Hoyle, 55, East Leeds’ European and British record holder, talks to us about what swimming means to her. Julie with her medals from August’s world masters
Tell us about your swimming background I learned to swim when I was eight years old, I joined Newburn Swimming Club in Newcastle when I was 10. City of Newcastle SC was created when I was 16 years old, my friends and I were the first swimmers there. I gave up swimming aged 19 due to an ongoing shoulder problem and took up tennis. But, after hurting my ankle in my late twenties, I got back in the pool under the guidance of Mona Denison at Leeds Masters, and I was hooked again. I swam my first Masters competition a few October 2017
weeks later and I loved it! I did very little swimming in my forties. As a mum, I found it almost impossible to get to the pool regularly, usually managing only once a week. I swam a handful of galas (under coercion!) during this time. I remember standing next to someone for a race and they said, ‘You’re Julie, aren’t you? Didn’t you used to be really good?’ and then they proceeded to beat me! I was persuaded into a more regular return to the pool as my 50th birthday approached. I surprised myself at my first competition and was once again hooked.
What are some of your earliest swimming memories? When I was eight years old, I remember my mam and dad took me to the new pool near our house and I hated being splashed. I also remember thrashing my way through three widths of front crawl in a Brownie gala and coming absolute last. That was when my dad decided it was time to improve my stroke! I won the three widths race the following year and joined my first swimming club. I vividly remember winning my first age group county championship race (100m fly) when I was 11. It was my first year of competing so it meant a lot. I remember the last length of the race and the fact that I did what my coach had told me to do. I also remember the excitement I felt when I realised I’d won. It was a wonderful feeling that I wanted to repeat. I won a bronze at North Eastern Counties level (100m backstroke) that year too. My mam asked me how I’d felt standing on the rostrum and I replied, ‘It was great but I want to stand on the top next time.’ A not-so-happy memory comes from a day that we were sprinting butterfly. I somehow had a mental block and forgot that we were swimming widths. As I lifted to breathe, I swam straight into the wall at full speed - with my face! A broken nose, black eyes and wobbly teeth helped my focus in the future. Have you always been a swimmer? Pretty much so. I did other sports at school of course but swimming was what I enjoyed most and
what I was best at. When I gave up swimming because of my shoulder injury, I joined a local tennis club which I also loved. But when my son was born I didn’t have time to do everything and there was no competition between swimming and tennis. Why do you swim? Mostly because I love it and it’s just what I do! I feel at home in the water. If I haven’t been in for a while, the feeling when I first dive in is, ‘I’m home’. I also swim to keep fit, it’s the only thing I’ve really been able to sustain. Swimming has also helped me through difficult times in my life. Last year, my mam died, she had dementia. The previous three years were extremely stressful for all of my family. Swimming really helped me through this challenging time; I often wouldn’t want to swim but it always relieved my stress and helped me to feel a little better. How often do you swim? Not as often as I’d like! I manage two or three sessions a week but would love to be able to do four or five. Do you do any other sports? Not any more. I love to watch lots of it though, swimming (obviously), triathlon, tennis, some athletics and rugby. What motivates you to get in the pool? The desire to feel good, there’s nothing like the feeling you get after a hard session. You hate it at the time but three hours later you have convinced yourself that you enjoyed it! Swimming Times
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Beneath: Julie in her City of Bradford days; rt: a recent shot in the pool; bottom: at the 2016 British Masters, East Leeds’ record-breaking 4x50m free team (160+yrs) (l-r) Nina Williams, Julie, Lucy Churm and Philippa Rickard
‘I’m swimming faster now than when I was in my early thirties... and I’m still very proud of being able to swim at that level’
Also, the desire to improve and push myself. I always want to get better even while I’m getting older. And, of course, it’s now also a social event. I have some great team-mates at East Leeds who motivate me to swim. You’ve broken many records, is that a goal you set yourself? 46
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A record is a personal best and that’s what I set out to achieve. When that becomes an official record, it’s certainly a brilliant feeling and that’s when you try to break another. I’m really happy breaking any of my own target times. I’d rather come third and do a best time than win with a poor performance.
Tell us about any swimming achievements you are particularly proud of My world championship bronze in the 200m backstroke when I was 30 years old. It was Indianapolis in 1992, I was swimming for City of Bradford at the time and our ladies team had broken the world record in the 120 years 4x50m
medley relay at the 1991 masters nationals. On the back of this, we were sponsored to go to Indianapolis where we actually won the world championships. I’d only started swimming again a year and a half earlier so it was totally unexpected and thrilling. We won gold and three silvers in the teams. It was my first major competition and all October 2017
Julie Hoyle
Julie pictured with her 4x50m medley relay team at the 1991 masters nationals, l-r: Julie Beaumont, Shirley Peacock, Julie herself and Tracy Gordon
I really remember of the 200m backstroke was the pain of the last length believing I was going to win a medal! Someone told me that the winner was an Olympic medallist some years before but I’m really not sure. I’m proud of a lot of my swimming over the last five years, since I’ve returned to competition. I’m swimming faster than when I was in my early thirties. Costumes and new turns all help but I’m still very proud of being able to swim at that level. Breaking the European record (and missing the world record by a squeak) in the mixed 4x200m freestyle relay with my husband in the team was certainly a highlight. It was at the nationals at Sheffield last year, we went 2:20.33, only missing the world record by one second! Also last year, it was great to break the world record in the mixed 4 x 50m freestyle relay at the short course nationals. My teammates were Paul Clemence, Nina Williams and David Emerson. How important is nutrition to you? Do you follow any particular plans/advice? I try to eat healthily although crisps and chocolate are my weaknesses! I don’t follow any particular diet or plan. What is life like away from the pool? I’ve been a primary school teacher for 32 years so that’s always made life pretty busy. I’m now working three and a half days which gives me a little more time to breathe. I spend a lot of time travelling up to Newcastle to see my dad, John, 91, who is also my number one supporter, he always has been. We still talk swimming regularly and he’s been wanting October 2017
a daily report on my recent shoulder injury. He didn’t like me being out of the water! My parents were amazing swimming parents, giving up so much time and ferrying me everywhere. Dad still says they were the best years of his life – my achievements and the lifelong friends he made. My dad was a good swimmer when he was young and always encouraged me with his knowledge, enthusiasm and great work ethic. But it was always my choice; they never made me do anything. They would get up to take me early morning training but I had to go and wake them up so that they knew I really wanted to go. I couldn’t have done any of it without their support. My husband, Stuart, has taken up triathlon and my son, Alex, 21, plays rugby and I’m now their number one supporter! Stuart and I met at swimming. We both swim for East Leeds but he’s happier doing triathlon at the moment. Alex plays rugby for Yarnbury, our local club, and was the Player’s Player of the Year this year, I’m very proud of him. What would you say to someone thinking about getting back in the pool, at any level. Just do it! You know it will be awful to begin with but the feeling it gives you is second to none! Whatever level you swim at is your own personal goal and you will feel a great sense of achievement as well as an amazing feeling of coming home. Will you carry on swimming? Yes, as long as my body lets me! It’s such a wonderful way to keep yourself active and strong as you get older. And I just love it. Swimming Times
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Scott Quin won silver at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games
THE MIGHTY 48
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October 2017
Scott Quin
Readers of a certain age may remember the pop song from 1968 with this feature title but it also is an appropriate moniker for Paralympic silver medallist, Scott Quin.
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QUIN October 2017
hen Scott Quin was born in Edinburgh, he was given just a three percent chance of survival. He was diagnosed with Crouzon syndrome, which causes the brain and skull to fuse together and underwent hours of surgery. One of three children along with older brother Jason and twin Simon, his childhood years were marked by visits to hospital with parents Eileen and Jimmy. Fast forward 26 years and Scott stood on the podium at the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro with a silver medal around his neck following a thrilling SB 100m breaststroke tussle with team-mate Aaron Moores. He has a seize-the-day attitude, one that he attributes to what he went through in his early years. He said: ‘My parents getting told “your son has only a three percent chance to live”. The way I look at it is the other 97% of me is just pure luck. ‘And I think that is where I am quite self-motivated and always want to keep myself going because having the head surgeries and then growing up as a kid in hospital getting check-up after check-up – you’d be sitting there for a good three or four hours, even the whole day. ‘I have gone through quite a lot
with all the surgery but then my parents have not wrapped me up in cotton wool. They have always been positive with me.’
Stellar year Scott missed out on the Paralympic title to Moores by just three-hundredths of a second in the Brazilian capital after a stellar year in which he upgraded his silver medal from the IPC European Championships two years earlier to gold in Funchal, Madeira in May. However, rather than disappointment, there is only pride from him at being in such a close, exciting spectacle which concluded a great campaign. ‘Looking back at last year’s performance, it was some season,’ he said. ‘The emotion for me – I’ll be perfectly honest – I’m not heartbroken about missing out by three hundredths of a second. I would rather be close to a race like that than know someone is going to win the race by 25m. ‘The way I look at it is spectators pay good money to come and see a good race. It was quite nice to have friends and family that watched it say “oh you had me on the edge of my seat”.’ If there were any twinges of regret, they were prompted by Swimming Times
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kind of sunk in and I was a wee bit emotional – but not too bad.’
New coach
‘Scott believes that an integral part of an athlete’s recovery and ability to stay at the top is to maintain the routine that has taken them there’
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the knowledge that his working relationship with coach Kris Gilchrist was coming to an end, the former Olympian taking up a role in Singapore after four and a half years at Warrender. ‘It was more mixed emotions because it was Kris Gilchrist’s last time coaching me,’ he said. ‘So that was our last swim meet and being athlete and coach. I was a wee bit ‘agh, all this hard work we have put in over the last number of years and it was like this is it’. ‘It wasn’t until after the race when I did the interviews it all
There was no post-Paralympic holiday for Scott who returned to a new coach in Kostas Kalitsis alongside Laurel Bailey. Instead he was ready to get back in the water only for Kalitsis to urge him to take time away from the pool to recover from his exertions. That is something that did not come easily for Scott who believes that an integral part of an athlete’s recovery and ability to stay at the top is to maintain the routine that has taken them there. ‘The way I looked at it was I had six days after my race where I was exhausted, I had no energy, my head was all over the place,’ he explained. ‘So when I came back I was like right I’ve had my six-day break, that will do me but then my new coach Kostas said “no Scotty boy, you are not ready to get back in yet”.’ October 2017
Scott Quin
‘I’d be in the living room at home thinking ‘oh, I’m going crazy, I need to train, I need to train, I need to train. I went out and did a nice light run and did things to keep myself occupied but I literally only took a week and a half off.’
Breakthrough His twin brother Jason swam for Midlothian and Scott would go along and watch, kick-starting his own swimming career. His initial breakthrough came in 2011 when he finished fifth in the MC 100m breaststroke at the British Championships in Manchester and qualified for his first international team, placing fifth at the IPC European Championships in Berlin. He claimed his first British title in 2013, European silver a year later and world silver in 2015 before last year’s success. Next up is the IPC World Swimming Championships in Mexico at the end of September. October 2017
Scott also has his eyes on next year’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Australia, although with no SB14 100m breaststroke, he has been working on his 200m freestyle in a bid to qualify. ‘This season is quite a challenging one,’ he said. ‘My new coach said to me that we would try and stick with the normal routine I’ve been through most seasons. Worlds this year, next year maybe Commonwealth Games. That is why I wanted to get back into training as quickly as possible – new coach, new chapter, new ideas. Not play catch-up or anything.’
Positive thing Scott is the latest in a long line of fine Scottish breaststrokers and he has had the opportunity to swap skills and tips with many of the current crop. ‘For me it has been a positive thing having a lot of breaststrokers around,’ he said.
‘Training with and learning from them. At the start of last year in January, me and Michael Jamieson (2012 Olympic 200m silver medallist) did a training session together. ‘I got some breaststroke tips from him and some of his skills and I gave him one or two of my skills. As you could say, we had a nice, wee bromance having a session. I’ve also had sessions with Ross Murdoch (Commonwealth 200m champion) and Craig Benson (double Olympian) when they have been training with Stirling on some camps so I learn a lot from other people around me, not just a coach telling me. ‘I like to learn from athletes that are really good. Learning from athletes like that and getting to know them better: I think it helped me as an athlete, but it also helped me that yes I might be a para-athlete but it shows able-bodied athletes show (me) the respect.’
Above: Scott (left) congratulates Aaron Moores after the pair won gold (Moores) and silver in the Rio Paralympics 100m breaststroke Left: Scott on the Rio podium
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ADVICE AND GUIDANCE Terry Lambert, chair of the Amateur Swimming Association’s Independent Disciplinary and Dispute Resolution Panel, spells out some important recommendations for affiliated clubs 52
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October 2017
Club guidance
he Amateur Swimming Association is the constitutional name for Swim England. It operates a judicial system which, to ensure fairness, separates the executive and judiciary. To add a further layer of independence, the judicial members are appointed by a judicial appointments panel whose members are appointed by each of the Regions (one member per Region). They are again autonomous from the judiciary and executive. The Judicial Regulations primary objective is to secure, as expeditiously as possible, a just outcome following the submission of a complaint, protest appeal or water polo appeal. The Judicial Regulations, General Operative Provisions and Guidelines are all set out in the ASA Handbook. For example: General Regulations for the Judicial System p65 The ASA Handbook 2017: 102. Complaints 102.1 A complaint is a formal expression of dissatisfaction with the actions or behaviour of any person, including an individual or a club, or other body, or organization or with alleged unfair practice in connection with the sport. Decisions of a club, body, organization, association, County Association or Region on selection of teams may not be the subject of a complaint.
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When swimmers join a club, they and their parents are usually asked to fill in membership forms, and read the codes of conduct for swimmers and parents, as well as the club constitution. They should be aware that in case of a child safeguarding concern, the club welfare officer should be their first point of contact, and this should be made clear on the club website, notice-board, and/or club newsletter. Note the use of the word should. It does not always happen this way. (In the event of other problems within the club, then the club secretary should be approached.)
Required reading The club committee should familiarise themselves with the Judicial Regulations that are set out in the ASA Handbook which is sent to the club secretary every year. (This is polite wording, it really means if you are a committee member – there are parts of the Handbook which are required reading). Of particular importance to the committee members are Judicial Regulations 150 – 155 concerning: Internal Disputes - pages 72 - 74
150.2 An ‘internal club dispute’ is a dispute involving an alleged breach of the club’s rules, between two or more club members, any or none of whom may be an officer of the club, or one or more club members and one or more employees of the club (the parties). The other important document, Wavepower, is October 2017
The ASA
2017
‘The club welfare officer should be their first point of contact, and this should be made clear on the club website and notice-board’ updated and published every four years. It is distributed to every club welfare officer and where there is no club welfare officer in post, to every club secretary. This document is in The ASA Child Safeguarding Policies and Procedures folder. This is also required reading for committee members and coaches and teachers.
Judicial System A considerable amount of time and hard work over many years has contributed to the establishment of the Amateur Swimming Association Judicial System.
It acts independently of the executive and consists of the Judicial Commissioner, the Office of Judicial Administration, The Independent Disciplinary and Dispute Resolution Panel, and The Independent Disciplinary and Dispute Resolution Appeal Panel. The judicial system is also uniquely assisted by ASA Friends. Membership of the two panels (IDDRP and IDDRAP) is determined by appointments made by the Judicial Appointments Panel. The ASA Friends are nominated to the Office of Judicial Administration by the Regions. They are persons who have gained Swimming Times
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experience in all aspects of swimming over their years of involvement in the sport. They might have been swimmers or are still masters swimmers. They have often been officials at every level from timekeeper to referee, committee members from club level to boards, governors, county or regional administrators. In other words, they know the Association’s Regulations and Laws and will have experience of the problems which arise. Their expertise and guidance is offered by the Office of Judicial Administration before a complaint has been submitted. They can guide members on whether or not a complaint can be made, any alternative routes for resolution of the issue and how to progress a complaint if required. It is of course always preferable to resolve issues prior to formally submitting a complaint as this is an adversarial system. The preferred solution is for the ASA Friends to assist members to reach a resolution prior to taking this step and often, mediation is a tool that can be used to resolve issues prior to such escalation, with an independent person from another club, the county or Region. There are approximately 1058 swimming clubs in England. A large proportion of them have never had a complaint. Those who have had a complaint are only too willing to accept guidance on how to amend their policies and procedures so they can avoid ever having one again.
Preliminary advice to clubs Avoid allowing an internal club dispute to become a tirade of emails. The aim is to avoid a committee of volunteers becoming bogged down by hundreds of hours of meetings, emails, phone calls around an issue that might have had a straightforward prompt solution, if the proper lines of communication had been followed. The most important point for clubs to remember is that you are not alone. Other clubs will have had the same type of complaint you find yourselves tied up with. Do not dig yourselves a hole deeper than it already is. Clubs should protect themselves with a well-written working document, otherwise known as a club constitution. Yes, that yellowed-with-age archived document unseen for years since its last required update. It probably hasn’t been needed for reference or use either, if you have never had a complaint filed. If you are in the midst of a complaint, you will wish you had at least read it, at best amended it to fit your club circumstances. If you have survived a complaint, my guess is you will have read it, amended, and added items to it, sent it for approval to your region and had it voted in at either your AGM or, in some cases, at a special general meeting with it being the only topic on the agenda! By making the constitution a protective working document, I mean: * The committee will be protected from needless complaints from club members. * Members will be protected from needless complaints from committee members. 54
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The ASA Child Safeguarding Policies ies and Procedures
Wavepower is an important document for clubs
* Swimmers will be protected from unnecessary complaints from coaches. * Coaches will be protected from unnecessary complaints from swimmers. * The committee will be protected from complaints from non-member-non-voting parents on behalf of their member children. * Volunteer members will be protected from complaints from club members. In effect, everyone will be protected from everyone! Except when a complaint is necessary because an Amateur Swimming Association Law or Regulation has been breached.
Whispering Gallery One recommendation follows which will solve the problem that the Independent Disciplinary Dispute Resolution Panel (IDDRP) members hear most often. The ‘Whispering Gallery’ you know who you are… Too many clubs restrict membership to people who ‘help’ on or around the pool. Volunteers, teachers, officials, coaches, committee members, honorary positions etc. The club forgets that many people just want to be parents, to watch their children become proficient swimmers, maybe even end up national champions. But they do not want to ‘help’ or may not have the time or opportunity to do so. Clubs should be more inclusive. Invite at least one parent to be a member with a vote at your AGM, let them be part of the club for a minimal fee (which pays their Swim England membership and the extra computer work for the membership secretary). By doing so, you are able to remind them of the regulations which they and their children have promised to abide by. As members, they have a parent’s code of conduct to follow (as have swimmers, coaches, teachers, committee members, officials, and volunteers). This invitation to become an enfranchised member who has the opportunity to put forward ideas usually limits the need for a ‘Whispering Gallery’ of sometimes disgruntled spectators who feel they have no opportunity to be listened to except by each other.
‘The most important point for clubs to remember is that you are not alone. Other clubs will have had the same type of complaint’
Disharmony Consider the addition of the word disharmony (and its many meanings*) into the constitution, as a threat of possible sanctions such as refusal of future membership of the club. * From the Compact Oxford Thesaurus: disharmony – discord, friction, strife, conflict, hostility, acrimony, bad blood, bad feeling, dissension, disagreement, quarrelling; The amended constitution paragraph (often 3.6 depending upon your constitution numbering system) usually reads: The Club may refuse membership only for good and sufficient cause, such as conduct or character likely to bring disharmony into the Club, or likely to bring the Club or Sport into disrepute; or, in the case of a swimmer, being unable to achieve the entry standards as laid down and provided by the Club to the applicant for membership. Make the role of the club welfare officer (CWO) separate from the club committee structure. The CWO is an appointed nonvoting person, not elected, who can be invited to committee meetings when there are child safeguarding issues to discuss. The CWO can request items be put on the agenda and attend the meeting to discuss them. For the purposes of confidentiality, the committee must not insist on knowing all details of all child safeguarding matters. The county or regional welfare officers can be called upon to assist in safeguarding matters. In an ideal world, the club welfare officer should not be related to committee members, swimmers in training, coaches etc. The guidance regarding the appointment of a club welfare officer on pages 44 and 45 of Wavepower should be followed. Members of the IDDRP have recently, by way of complaints received, had sight of a document entitled ‘Club Disciplinary Policy / Procedure’. The advice in this document must not be relied upon. Clubs should only consider the Internal Club Dispute Judicial Regulations 150 – 155, and the Judicial Regulations should be relied upon. • Terry Lambert Honesty Box: pp 70 October 2017
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LULWORTH COVE, DORSET Bob Holman waxes lyrical about the delights of open water swimming 56
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October 2017
Lulworth Cove
Bob, centre, with friends Emile (rt) and Sean
love summer weekends as I get up with the lark and prepare for my early morning swims. My great swimming friend Emile had emailed to say he was taking his boat, ‘Sailfish’, out and would I like to come for a swim in Lulworth Cove – a huge treat for wild swimmers. I was in the car by 7.30am and on my way to pick up another of our Whatsapp swimming group, Sean. The sun was an earlier riser and had been glistening in a bright blue sky for some time. Having parked, we made the short walk to the Cove. For those of you who have never been to Lulworth Cove, it is one of those places that capture your imagination. It is a vast expanse of water enclosed by a cascade of multi-coloured rocks and grassy hilltops on all sides bar its mouth. It never fails to lift my spirits and I am always left in awe at its staggering beauty. ‘Sailfish’ was moored a short distance from shore and Emile gave a friendly wave. The family was there with his wife and sons, Jo, Valentine and Oscar looking busy on the boat.
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Swim ashore It was time to change and get October 2017
ready for our swim. Costume, hat, goggles and wetsuit on, we stacked our swim bags by the beachside café ready for Emile to swim ashore to join us. He was non-wetsuit and there was a time when I would have joined him but I am such a wimp these days! Also, the one small downside of swimming at Lulworth is the small stream that empties into the cove, lowering the temperature of the water by a degree or two. The beach is pebbled and uneven. Negotiating this surface can be a little challenging and I am always very careful as I descend to the water’s edge. This time was no different and as soon as I had enough water, I flung myself forward and lunged into the sea - wonderful! The exhilaration I experience every time is so difficult to put into words, it is just brilliant! Emile and Sean were soon chasing after this old boy and we were off swimming around the circumference of the large bay. Emile was soon with me and swimming side by side. We stopped a little while for Sean to catch up and generally tried to stick together. Sean is a relatively recent recruit to open water swimming. Swimming Times
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The translucent water of the cove - as seen by this drone photo of the swimmers in action
We had been in the Dorchester Leisure Centre Pool during the winter for some while and a couple of years ago we persuaded him to come and join us. He loved it.
Crystal clear We ploughed on through the murky water through the odd bit of kelp and taking care to avoid some rocks lurking just under the surface of the water. Sometimes when we swim here, the water is crystal clear and you can see the little fish darting hither and thither. However, not today. We had been going for around 20 minutes when we got to the steps leading up out of the cove to the grassy hill above. ‘It looks good, are we going for it?’ I asked the others. ‘Yes, let’s,’ they replied.
‘Outside the cove and in open water, conditions can change quite dramatically and there have been times when I have likened it to swimming in a washing machine’
Sense of adventure So off we set for Stair Hole. We had first to pick our way around the substantial bank of seaweed on the outer edge of the cove. The weather was almost perfect and the sea flat in the cove but I am always filled with a slight sense of adventure when we do this swim. Outside the cove and in open water, conditions can change quite dramatically and there have been times when I have likened it to trying to swim in a washing machine. Today, the weather was fine and the sea
The sea was almost flat calm
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October 2017
Lulworth Cove
The Stair Hole caves at lower tide
of life’s experiences. It is always a magical moment. We stopped a while in the small pool of water inside and as Stair Hole has two entrances, we decided to exit through the smaller one. There is a connecting tunnel between the two entrances and depending on the state of the tide you can swim between them. I have done it a couple of times but if you are like me, a bit claustrophobic, it is really quite scary. Soon we were in open water again and making our way to the jaws of the cove. Turning left, we stopped awhile at the entrance. Boats large and small lay at anchor in the cove. They positively sparkled in the early morning sun. As we got closer, we could see the sailors getting their craft ready for the day.
‘It doesn’t get any better’
Giant shoal
was flat calm (well, almost!). We eased our way out of the rocky entrance to the cove and swam a while across its jaw to the headland on the other side. Time to re-group, we decided to continue our swim and after another 400/500metres, Stair Hole in all its October 2017
glory lay before us. I guess you would describe it as a smaller version of Durdle Door, another fabulous location along the Jurassic Coast. However, it has its own majesty with its cathedral-like arch of rocks. Swimming through it is one
We swam to ‘Sailfish’, climbed aboard and Jo made us a lovely cup of tea. It is a beautiful boat and I could imagine myself sipping champagne onboard a luxury yacht in the south of France. Valentine said: ‘We were at Mute Bay last night and caught some whitebait for supper.’ Apparently, the whitebait had been chased into shore by a giant shoal of mackerel and 30 or 40 of them had landed on the beach. Emile and the boys had put the few who were still alive back in the water (Ha, the old softie...) and cooked the rest for a delicious meal. It was time to go ashore and prepare for the rest of the day. Swimming with good friends in a cathedral of natural beauty, it really doesn’t get any better... Swimming Times
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Ilfracombe: The healthiest of all watering places, 1867 ‘Ilfracombe and its baths are ideal for invalids, waifs and strays from the heat of India, worn out clergymen...and to people, whether young or old, whose ailments arise mainly from want of stamina and general lack of tone’
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TUNNELS BEACHES, ILFRACO Bob Holman visits this remarkable site that opened nearly 200 years ago
H
ad I made my journey in 1819 when the first of the tunnels was carved out, I could well have arrived by horse drawn carriage, and my journey over rock-strewn tracks would have involved over a full day’s travel. Ilfracombe was then
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just a small fishing village with only five recorded visitors. Later, the coming of the railway enabled affluent tourists of the 1820s and 1830s to visit for the benefit of their health. Perhaps I could have partaken of instruction from Professor H Parker whose method of teaching
swimming soon overcame all timidity for the moderate charge of two shillings a lesson. His photograph, clad in a handknitted bathing costume, top hat and a strangely porcelain nosecover was not reassuring! As it was, I turned the car to park opposite the Bath House
and strolled across to the tunnels. ‘The tide is covering the pool at the moment but you can still swim in the sea,’ Janet, the lady in the reception kiosk gently explained when we arrived midafternoon. The tidal pool is visible for six hours in every 12, three hours before low tide and three October 2017
Ilfracombe
Bob, centre, with friends Emile (rt) and Sean
MBE hours after it. We returned at 5pm as Janet had told us that the tide would recede enough for the sea to reveal the pool by around 5.30pm.
Raced back As we walked through the tunnels to the ladies’ beach, my mind raced back over half a century when I had my first Christmas October 2017
Day swim there. Of course, the Ilfracombe Tunnels go back a lot further and were opened nearly 200 years ago in 1823. As bathing and the ‘art of swimming’ became more popular in Victorian times, local entrepreneurs employed welsh miners to hand carve six tunnels through the hillside to gain access to the wonderful Devon coastline which lay beyond. Four
of these tunnels are still open to the public today. From this, the town grew from a tiny fishing village to a busy seaside resort. The pools were built between the natural curve of the rocks using boulders and lime mortar for the retaining walls. It took hundreds of men 18 months to build the tidal pools. The lime used was brought in by ship from a kiln sited at a nearby cove. Of course, the dramatic coastline remains virtually unaltered to this very day and it lies within a designated ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is also a designated Conservation Area and voluntary ‘Marine Conservation Area’. Bathing facilities were the first essential at any fashionable seaside resort and as Ilfracombe began to expand in early Victorian times, it set out to improve provision for those who wished to bathe in the sea and for those who wished to seek sea-water cures in the comfort of a bath house. In this period, bathing was seen as an aid to health rather
than as a pleasure. There was strict segregation of the sexes with the ladies being allocated Wildersmouth Beach and the gentlemen took a short boat trip to Crewkhorne Cove. Men bathed in the nude in those days.
Alarm call Segregated bathing was tightly controlled between the Ladies and the Gentlemen’s pools with a bugler employed to blow an alarm call if a man attempted to spy on the ladies. This lasted 82 years before mixed bathing was introduced in 1906. In those days, the ladies’ modesty was preserved by the employment of horse-drawn wooden bathing machines being wheeled to the water’s edge where the ladies could emerge from these darkened changing facilities into the water. There appears to have been no windows to allow light into the bathing machines. Originally, there were three tidal pools but unfortunately only the Ladies Pool and part of the smallest pool survive the ravages of time. Swimming Times
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Quirky Back to the present day: as I walked through the tunnels, I stopped a while at the many small quirky notices that lined our path. These included some interesting facts. Did I know that
over 26 million people had visited the tunnels since they opened in 1824. There had been over 140,000 tides during that time. As I emerged from the final tunnel, this magnificent rugged North Devon coastline lay before
me. The cliffs and grass covered hilltops towered over the shale beach in what I can only describe as breathtaking beauty. This was the only place to be on this warm, sunny August evening. I stopped to take in the scene.
The beach was full of families relaxing in the early evening sun. It was time for a picnic or to discover the joys of the many rock pools scattered around the site. Janet (pictured below) told me that rock pooling is still very popular today with many parties of school children and their teachers discovering the hidden treasures of sea life in the rock pools. At first, there were very few people swimming in the open sea. However, within half an hour, I noticed rough patches of water form in an arc around the bay.
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October 2017
Ilfracombe
Soon the rocky outer sea wall began to blink above the surface and the shape of the tidal pool emerged. Already at the water’s edge, children, mums, dads, the young, the old began to venture into the sea. A variety of small rubber craft appeared as if by magic. I just had to join them! I swam the length of the pool a few times, stopping occasionally to take in the scene. By now, the outer wall of the pool had fully emerged from the sea and youngsters and a few mums and dads had clambered onto it balancing like tight-rope walkers on what looked like a slippery, uneven surface. I was sorely tempted to join them but having already broken one ankle in an adventurous past, I decided that discretion was called for. Now there is a sign that I must be getting old! Back to the beach, I took in the scene. It had its own unique atmosphere with the unrivalled backdrop of this stunning coastline. The world was at play, a time to remember, a moment to cherish...
‘Did I know that over 26 million people had visited the tunnels since they opened in 1824.There had been over 140,000 tides during that time’
Ilfracombe Tunnels, Bath Place Ilfracombe EX34 8AN Tel: 01271 879882 Website: www.tunnelsbeaches.co.uk.
October 2017
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JOYOUS EXPERIENCE
The joy of the river
Andrea Andrews tells her tale of joining in the Outdoor Swimming Society’s Bantham Swoosh in south Devon
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t last, I have joined in an open water swimming event! The Bantham Swoosh on the River Avon in south Devon had attracted me from the first time photographs appeared of the 6km course in 2015. Who would not want to take up the opportunity to be chaperoned into the clarifying river, to experience being in a friendly corralled drive, searching for the open serenity of a stroke rhythm at relatively slack water - to then be boosted to the finish by the seaward flow at ebb tide? 64
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Being a child from the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, I have always loved exploring open water so it was not the outdoors that stopped me from doing an event, it was more the focussed challenge of signing up successfully online and garnering any soul mates to join in rather than witness my efforts. I also have a passion for helping those who are at a disadvantage to learn to swim so it was exciting in March when I signed up early to raise funds for the indispensable charity, Level Water but sad when the places for the
‘dusk swim’ went in half an hour before I could book a place for my husband on registration day. So it was a great relief to receive an email from Level Water asking if anyone else I knew wanted to raise funds and swim along too. My husband, Tony and our friend Claire then joined up. After that, the whole experience was joyous because it was so well organised by those in charge that I managed to coast all the way up to it and then through it. Let’s get this straight, I am not keen on mass gatherings October 2017
Bantham Swoosh
‘Searching for the open serenity of a stroke rhythm at relatively slack water - to then be boosted to the finish by the seaward flow at ebb tide’
Andrea following the lights back through the dunes and (rt) with husband Tony and fellow swimmer, Claire at the start
on land let alone in unfamiliar water that I usually prefer to be fairly unpopulated; nor in attending to training or travel plans well in advance - but I am getting really quite good at mindfulness through accepting what my shortcomings are.
Natural swimming Claire raised money by selling creamy jam scones at her local lake swims and we trawled the pools where I teach for sponsorship. I found it almost impossible to ply lengths after spending lots of time in the water teaching and, in the end, kept fit on my bike, deciding to measure my natural swimming self without any aquatic training. By the time the day had nearly arrived, Tony and I had done only one 1km lake swim October 2017
session and Claire, already in Devon with poor phone signal coverage, was getting worried that she had not heard from us. The ensuing flurry of ‘organisation’ is not wholly unusual and all part of a well-honed mindlessness procedure that can frustrate bystanders. But on the day, we were ready at the sign in point a few hours early to assess the lie of the land, imbibing the anticipatory atmosphere, tying up loose equipment ends, identifying where we needed to pick up our registration packs and fuelling up with the very tasty, healthy snacks from the excellent range of jolly caterers on site.
Not a race We were bussed to the starting point in two waves and told three times: ‘It is not a race!’
to which everyone laughed. We waited, put on glide ointments and everyone entered the water with glow sticks and electronic ankle tags. Claire and I had water shoes on while Tony strode in barefooted. My two companions had said they were nervous at the start but showed no sign of it once in the water, setting off strongly. Tony had struck away after I said ‘Off you go’ in response to his swift questioning look as soon as his shoulders touched the water. I, on the other hand, had not been at all nervous at the start but once in the watery melee, was slow to get going and stop my goggles filling up. I concluded that this was down to my lacking any competitive ardour and the presence of my usual desire to fully appreciate being in special natural surroundings before Swimming Times
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‘Everyone I encountered was grinning... and needed very little prompting to swap delight, advice or support’ I dealt with swimming along relatively unsighted. However, delaying the onset of the inevitable grind as your breathing settles into an aquatic timeframe was also undoubtedly coming into play. On reflection, this was why I had signed up and then deferred any training, deliberately choosing to fight this battle on the day, confined to the river where there is no choice but to put the full effort in and endure the results.
Guarded wildness It was the right choice for me to be contained in guarded wildness. Where better is there to face yourself and knuckle down? The sun was shining intermittently, the scenery was beautiful and, feeling quite warm, I was largely alone once Claire had taken off herself. This did not stop me chastising myself whenever orange caps slid or chattered past. Finally, allowing my own slow front crawl to fully establish, I spent time seeing things in the water, glimpsing in air and felt surprised 66
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that I did not need to do very much sighting because the direction of travel was so clearly written underwater in the weed, sediment and overall sensations. Everyone I encountered face to face was grinning like someone who had been given permission to scrump apples and needed very little prompting to swap delight, advice or support. We were all surreptitiously watched and well-directed by a small fleet of lifeguards on paddle boards who seemed just as pleased as us to be there. I loved seeing bleached crabs scuttling along the floor and tracing the line of steep edges of canyons scoured by the current with my glide. The mood of the water surface changed from minute to minute, softly riffled, smooth or chopping with small waves, depending on localised exposure to the light wind. I noticed a rubbing start on my neck when I had swum about 3km but was not bothered because it did not hurt. I played with the form of my arm actions and wished occasionally that I did not have
water shoes on because my leg kick felt less responsive. This is what I was here for, to ply a comfortable stroke and play with the details free of walls, lane ropes and swathes of other people.
Tidal swoosh Told to feel the tidal swoosh begin next to the stone buildings of Bantham, I crossed the most open area of water with waves swaying me around lightly and long skeins of tethered weed being drawn along by the underflow. The stone buildings certainly took their time to approach but as I passed through some moored boats, the floor suddenly fell away and I stared down into the stunning glassy vista of a tidal race with large fish and sprinklings of shingle on the sandy floor among some darkly combed plaits. I loved the uplifting surge in speed the water gave me and the pink cottage hailing the finish approached and passed quickly. The water was wavily fulsome and eddied at the October 2017
Bantham Swoosh
BANTHAM SWOOSH ATTRACTS HUNDREDS OF WILD SWIMMERS More than 800 wild swimmers took to the waters of the river Avon at Bantham in Devon for the now-annual ‘Swoosh’ event which sold out in record time this year. Organisers, the Outdoor Swimming Society said that 900 tickets sold out in just 90 minutes when they were made available in March. ‘The Swoosh’ involves going into the water at Aveton Gifford and swimming downstream for six kilometres on the outgoing tide. As they pass the Bantham Estate’s iconic ‘pink house’ at Jenkins Quay, they experience a ‘swoosh’ as the current pulls them round the corner at up to four times their usual swimming speed. Nicholas Johnston, owner of the Bantham Estate, said: ‘We are delighted to welcome so many people to this beautiful environment and to be able to showcase it in this way.’ Organiser Kate Rew from the Outdoor Swimming Society, said: ‘Year on year the Bantham Estate welcome us with open arms and this year was no exception. We are bigger and better than ever before and are so delighted that Nicholas Johnston has agreed that this will become a permanent feature in our swimmers’ annual calendar. ‘It is lovely to get people swimming in this river but this event is also helping children to learn to swim. Aveton Gifford pool will receive more than £2,000 from swimmers fundraising and there are more than 90 swimmers raising money for Level Water, a charity which provides swimming lessons for disabled children.’
Youngest finish with puffs of sand reducing visibility in swirls. When I climbed out leftwards onto the high sand bar, I was greeted with supportive whoops and claps, much appreciated. I enjoyed the long fairy-lit walk back through the dunes to find Tony and Claire. Tony had suffered an asthma attack near the start of his swim but had recovered to complete the swim very comfortably in 1 hour and 40 minutes. Claire had finished eight minutes prior to me and I was pleasantly surprised by my time of 2 hours 10 minutes. The aftercare from the OSS volunteers fetching hot drinks in the warm recovery tent was really wonderful and everyone’s spirits were soaring as we got changed. My neck did look as though I had tried to saw my head off with my wetsuit and the impressive abrasion turned a few heads for a good week but it’s fair to say that all three of us were well and truly hooked by our first open water event and in the days afterwards I seemed to ache less than my husband did…just saying! October 2017
completed a cross Channel swim a few weeks earlier. She is raising money for the St Mark’s Hospital Foundation in Harrow, London, an international referral centre for people with bowel disease. She said: ‘I started swimming in June last year because I wanted to do a Channel swim to raise money and now I’m absolutely addicted. ‘It is amazing, the people are amazing and the atmosphere is incredible. I just love everything about it and when I get out I just can’t stop smiling.’ Established in 2015, The Swoosh first attracted 400 swimmers for an early morning downstream summer swim, the second year it was 600 and this year the 900 tickets were split between a 7am and 7pm start.
Helen Hill at the finish
The youngest swimmer this year was Emma Machell from Exeter who is aged just 17 (pictured, with her father Jon). She said: ‘Dad couldn’t keep up. It was really exhilarating and really exciting because I have not done anything like that before. It was fun. I’m doing it for Teenage Cancer so every time I slowed down I remembered that I was doing it for that.’ Jonathan Rhoades, from Christchurch in Dorset, did the swim for charity Legs for Africa which sends used prosthesis to people in Africa: ‘In the UK 6,000 prosthetics are thrown away every year because once they are used once they are classed as industrial waste. This charity collects them, stores them and when they have saved up enough money they deliver them to those most in need.’
Raising money Helen Hill from Walsall, West Midlands (pictured), has multiple organ failure and
Emma Machell and her father, Jon
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s d r a w A s n o i t a r b e l e C & > Sue Haigh celebrates after one of her three bronze medal winning swims in the 55 years age group at the world masters championships in Budapest
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> Molly Francis took bronze in the 16yrs 100m freestyle final at the Swim England National Summer Meet
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From Budapest to Croatia and Turkey and back to Sheffield (where else?), this month’s celebratory selection is full of smiles - mostly.
Willem Koster and Matthew Broughton with their national summer meet gold medals from the 15yrs and 13/14yrs 100m backstroke finals respectively
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> Gold medal winning Nathan Wells, Ben Harrison and Daniel Chada are pictured after securing victory in the 18yrs and over, 17yrs and 16yrs 100m backstroke finals respectively
Thumbs up from West Norfolk Swimmer Oliver Kenny after reaching three finals and securing two GB records at the Deaflympics
Octo 017
Awards & celebrations
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The GB Deaflympics swim team in Turkey: Back row l-r: Matthew Oaten (Basildon & Phoenix), Samuel Merritt (Doncaster), Jack McComish (Glasgow), Oliver Kenny (West Norfolk), Kieran Holdbrook (London & Redbridge), Nathan Young (Liverpool) and Tom Baxter (Teddington). Front row l-r: Shiona McClafferty (Lanark), Jazz Seamarks (Cambridge), Dani Joyce (Stirling), Ciara Tappenden (Basildon & Phoenix) and Lucy Sharp (Loughborough Town).
> A group of 30 swimmers from the South West region pictured at the Golden Bear International meet in Zagreb, Croatia. The camp was a mixture of education, training and competition with all swimmers making finals and the team bringing home five gold, five silver and eight bronze medals
Octo 017
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> Alice Nicot took silver in the 16yrs 100m freestyle final at the Swim England summer meet
Maia Dunleavy on top of the podium after taking gold in the 16yrs 100m freestyle final at the summer meet
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If I could bring about change, I would… make sure schools had playgrounds and access to proper swimming lessons. Too many pools are closing and too many schools sold off their playing fields for housing in the last 25 years. Nobody knows this, but… I used to dance the Charleston and the Can Can with school friends in the 1960s in a summer show for the cruise ship tourists that visited our town in Alaska three times a week. I wouldn’t be where I am now without… my husband. We met at summer camp in Massachusetts in 1970. He had just finished four years at Loughborough PE College and I had just graduated from high school. He returned home to England to get a teaching job, I started university in Boston. I moved to England in 1972 to get married and finished my degree with the very new Open University. The Lake District has been home for 45 years now. My favourite pool is… a pool no longer. It was built by public subscription in 1975 by parents and grandparents who didn’t want everyone to have to learn to swim in the lake - Windermere. A new club was set up, we were guided and mentored by Olwyn Jones who had retired to Windermere from the Midlands. She wrote our constitution and sent us on courses in everything. We had beginners lessons, competitive speed swimming, open water, including junior triathalons in later years, synchro, water polo, masters, and life saving. We became teachers, coaches, judges and referees, went to county meetings (I was Cumbria president in 2007/08), and county and district training sessions. We ran open water events on Windermere for many years, our annual one-mile cross lake swim was used as a warm up event by swimmers in the BLDSA length of Windermere championship. I was on the club committee for many years in every position except vice chair. Troutbeck Bridge ASC finally folded a few years ago when the pool, having been sold, became derelict. Now all the hotels in the Lake District have their own pools (not one usable for competitive swimming or training) as well as 70
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HONESTY HONESTY HONESTY
BOX OX TERRY LAMBERT The former president of Cumbria ASA reveals her open water and synchro background, her love for boozy trifle - and that her favourite bird is the bald eagle!
gyms and spas. My latest favourite pool needs all the help it can get. On the promenade in Grange over Sands, it is a proper lido, derelict for the last 30+ years. It had a wonderful reputation from the 1930’s for many years but now has a district council that wants to turn it into anything other than a swimming pool. Reading Swimming Times’ articles on lidos around the country regaining or continuing their popularity, I fear Grange Baths will not be saved in time. The last concert (gig) I went to was… BBC Young Musician of the Year Grand Finalist saxophonist Jess Gillam, 18, from Ulverston. She has an international reputation organising concerts locally and playing with artists world wide. An inspirational concert in Kendal. I often dream about… I don’t usually remember, but my dreams are always in glorious technicolour. I daydream about hot summers and snowy winters. Red sauce or brown sauce? Probably red in small quantities. Good food well cooked doesn’t need to be adulterated. My heart was broken by… nothing yet. The last time I cried was… the death of my synchro colleague Hazel Simm in 2011. We taught, coached and judged synchro for 30+ years at Troutbeck Bridge Club and travelled together throughout the country to inter-districts, age groups, and nationals for years. Now I travel similar distances to IDDRP Arbitration and Disciplinary Hearings and Mediations countrywide. It is not the same setting off alone. My ultimate indulgence is… boozy trifle on Boxing Day morning (my birthday). My ideal dinner party guests would be… the friends we have shared dinners with for the last 30 years. We put the world to rights, laugh a lot, and share memories. Do I prefer beer or wine? Neither, half a glass of wine and I am flaked out, incoherent, with October 2017
Honesty Box
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Terry’s favourite bird the bald eagle
Work hard, play hard, be fair, have respect for age and wisdom, keep smiling and say sorry when it is needed
“
My favourite bird is… the bald eagle, the USA national emblem. Haines, Alaska has a five-day Bald Eagle festival, 3500 birds congregate on the river to feed on spawned salmon in November before the rest of the river freezes (photographers’ paradise). Eagles soared over our house and the mountain behind all year round.
a red face. It doesn’t agree with me. Handy though, it avoids taxi fares because I can always get everyone home again safely after a night out. Before I die, I want to… emulate my parents and other relatives who lived into at least their 90’s (two reached 100) with all their marbles intact, so I can see our grandchildren grow up, get jobs and have their own families. My father was a teacher after WW2 service. He taught for 25 years, started a newspaper in our town and had a busy 42-year retirement. My mother taught infants for 28 years, took up conservation issues and worked her organic garden for years. The biggest lesson life has taught me is… wherever I am, is home. There is no point in wishing you were somewhere else, and wherever in the world you are – do as the locals do. It took me five years to understand the English sense of humour. My favourite way to relax is… puzzling, jigsaws and word puzzles. October 2017
My favourite book is… the seafaring series including Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian, My favourite film is… A Good Year starring Marion Cotillard and Russell Crowe (who also starred in the film Master and Commander). If I wasn’t doing this I’d be… travelling, sewing, playing my flute and piccolo, spending time with the twin grandsons (5) and generally enjoying retirement with my husband, James. The hardest thing I’ve had to do is… give up active sport participation after an anterior cruciate ligament rupture accident aged 16. I have had 14 knee operations over the last 49 years. In the early years, the word replacement didn’t even exist. My knees were both replaced in 2004, they have been wonderful since and should last 20 years (I do nothing stupid – my doctor’s advice in 1968) by then the way medicine has developed, when they need replacing again, I
should be able to walk into a shop and buy a new leg! The meaning of life is… We are here, largely by accident, so make of life what you will. Work hard, play hard, be fair, have respect for age and wisdom, keep smiling and say sorry when it is needed. I owe my parents… for the opportunities they gave my brothers and I to see the world. They were teachers and we had 12-week summer holidays (no Feb or Oct half- term breaks because of winter weather). I used to spend summers in New England, eight weeks at camp between three and a half day trips across Canada by train and back. We also took some amazing round the world trips. Moving to England was easy, my parents visited us here 15 times while our children grew up. In return, I commuted 11,000 miles to Alaska 20 times from 2006 -2016 as they aged and passed away. Our children have followed in those footsteps, our daughter lives in the US and our son lives in the Midlands.
My heroes are… all those who overcome adversity one way or another, inspiring others to keep trying. Strictly Come Dancing or I’m a celebrity?... Strictly, definitely, although my dancing days finished at 16. I grew up in the back end of beyond with moose, bears, killer whales, eagles, wolves, and mosquitoes. I don’t need to attempt adventures any more. If I had a fantasy 24 hours with no restriction on travel, cost or food, I would spend it... We might just nip back to San Francisco (my home town) for the first time in 47 years – take in a drive-in movie, a meal at Fisherman’s Wharf and a whizz up the hills on the street cars to see how much it has changed since Silicon Valley arrived. I’d visit Yosemite National Park before returning home. I’d put the word out and see how many family members and friends might join us there from across the States. Facebook is an excellent way of getting rid of time zones and keeping in touch with family and friends world wide. Swimming Times
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National Championships (25m) 2017 27–29 October Ponds Forge, Sheffield
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National Masters Championships 2017 Saturday 4 November The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Centre, Rugby
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11 November | The Great Hall, Birmingham University Nominate, recognise and celebrate the best of aquatics in England throughout the last 12 months! swimming.org/swimengland/swim-england-national-awards/
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National County Team Championships 2017 Sunday 8 October Ponds Forge, Sheffield
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Come and witness the battle of the counties! Tickets available on the door Adults:
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October 2017
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“I was extremely proud to show the Awards off to my family and friends” - Adam Peaty, Olympic Champion Download marketing resources like this and new teaching registers for free at swimming.org/swimengland/teaching-swimming
National Age Group Championships 14–15 October Manchester Aquatics Centre
October 2017
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HELEN JAMESON The former backstroker tells Roger Guttridge about a coach’s amazing dream that led to a medley relay silver medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games
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t was Sunday July 20, 1980, and the Moscow Olympic Games were in full swing. Britain’s women’s 4x100m medley relay team had qualified second for the final after winning their heat. But they would be swimming the same quartet in the final while some of their rivals were expected to change their line-ups. In the morning, Great Britain coach Dave Haller gathered the girls together and said he had dreamt during the night about the times they were going to swim. He told them: ‘I’m deadly serious. If you swim those times, I believe you are capable of winning a medal.’ Haller then read out the times he had seen in his dream. ‘I had done 1:05.6 in the heats, which was a British record,’ said backstroker Helen Jameson, who was making her major championship debut aged 16 and also set a national record in the 200m backstroke. ‘He said I was going to do 1:04.6 and told me to envisage how I could do this. He then went to the next girl and read out her time to the 100th of a second. He suggested that we go off and think about exactly how we were going to do that.’
notoriously drug-fuelled East Germans but ahead of third-placed Russia. Their time of 4:12.24 was a four-second improvement on their heat performance of 4:16.29, which would have put them in fourth place in the final. ‘Second place was amazing,’ says Helen. ‘It wasn’t until after the medal ceremony that we got to see Dave Haller and he was really bursting with pride. He said: “I am so proud of what you have done. Do you know what times you did?” Slowly, one by one, he read out our times and to the 100th of a second they were exactly as he had said beforehand. It was just stunning. I have told that story many times to other adults when talking about the power of goal-setting. Dave was the man who inspired the team’s success in Moscow.’ The Moscow silver medal was the ultimate highlight of Helen’s swimming career, which in many ways mirrored that of her younger brother, Andy, the BBC commentator and 1988 Olympic 100m butterfly bronze medallist, whose memories were featured in Reflections last month. ‘We learned to swim together. We used to go swimming every week as a family,’
The 1980 medley team with their Olympic silver medals (l-r), Helen Jameson, Maggie Kelly, Ann Osgerby and June Croft
she says. ‘Both my parents were PE teachers so I’m sure that influenced it. Mum swam to county championship level. Later, she started coaching and eventually became the head coach of City of Liverpool.’
Specialist Helen started her competitive career as an IM swimmer before becoming a specialist backstroker. She made the national youth squad when she was 13 and the British senior team in 1978, when she was 15. She made her international debut at the European Junior Championships in Florence, Italy, the same year. It was also around this time that she and Andy became founder swimmers of the star-studded Kelly College squad started by Sharron Davies’s dad Terry and later coached by Archie Brew. ‘That gave us the opportunity
Rehearsed Over the next few hours, Helen repeatedly rehearsed her lead-off backstroke leg in her mind. As if watching a video, she envisaged getting into the water, pushing off from the wall at the gun, making every stroke count, turning at the 50m mark, then on the return length ‘hanging on as well as I could because I was against the best girls in the world. I had to give as clean a handover as I could so that we didn’t get disqualified. We were all planning the race in our heads.’ When it came to the race itself, Helen found that the water was really cold. ‘I had to try and ignore that and to replay the video in my head,’ she says. ‘There was a false start, which was really annoying while I was playing out this “video”. When I was coming back on the second length, I could feel the other girls pulling away from me but I hung on as much as I could. I hit the wall as hard as possible to ensure a clean takeover. Then I was looking down the length of the 50m pool and I couldn’t find my place and time on the scoreboard. When I finally saw it, it was 1:04.6. It was phenomenal. I leapt out of the pool and my heart came out of my mouth and I thought, “My God, I did it!”’ Helen had handed over to breaststroker Maggie Kelly in fifth place. Maggie took the team up to third before Ann Osgerby on butterfly and freestyler June Croft completed the job for a set of silver medals behind the 76
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‘It was phenomenal. I leapt out of the pool and my heart came out of my mouth and I thought “My God, I did it!”’
Helen with brother Andy at the official opening of the Mount Kelly 50m pool
October 2017
Final five Reflections
Medley quartet: (l-r) June, Ann, Helen and Maggie at a reunion at London 2012
to do more training,’ she says. ‘There was an elite squad of 12 swimmers at Kelly.’ As well as the Moscow Olympics, Helen also swam in the 1981 European Championships in Split, Yugoslavia, and the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane, Australia, and FINA World Championships in Ecuador. Her Commonwealth Games were affected by a knee injury sustained when someone fell on her during a basketball game at a training camp. Moscow 1980 was unquestionably her greatest career moment and, for various reasons, her most memorable meet. This was the Games that the USA and others boycotted in protest at the USSR’s military action in Afghanistan. ‘It was a funny time because our government left it up to the governing bodies of each sport as to whether we should go,’ says Helen. ‘Equestrianism and hockey didn’t go. It was a really tough time. ‘This was before the Berlin Wall came down and I remember the armed guards in Moscow. I also remember that fresh fruit and veg was being brought in from Finland and other neighbouring countries. ‘Whatever wasn’t eaten in the Olympic Village, people were queuing up to buy in shops. It was a strange situation.’
Phenomenal While her brother was at university in Arizona, Helen spent four years at the University of
California, Berkeley. ‘It was a phenomenal experience because they have some amazing facilities and are very focused and professional in the way they approach sport generally. But it was also a hell of a long way from home. ‘It was better when Andy was at Arizona because at least we were on the same continent and I would see him a couple of times a year when our teams were swimming against each other. I swam in the NCAAs for four years.’ Helen graduated with a BA in political economics with a minor in French and worked in the US for four years before returning to Britain in 1990. After a few years as a management consultant for Deloitte, she worked for six years for the performance enhancement company Lane4, run by her brother’s commentary box buddy Adrian Moorhouse. She now runs her own leadership development and executive coaching company, Helecon Ltd, dealing with such areas as goal-setting, mental toughness techniques, self-belief and motivation. She often shares the story of Moscow with her clients. She lives with her partner, Jerry, in South West London. She made a comeback to competitive swimming in the 1990s, winning 50m and 100m backstroke titles and setting 30-35yrs world records at the World Masters Championships in Sheffield in 1996.
Track down A few years ago she decided to track down the three coaches who had had the biggest influence on her career. One was Bryn Williams. The second was Dave Haller in 2003 Martyn Woodroffe, who helped her at her first senior nationals, discussing the 400m IM shortcourse and helping her to think about pacing and to believe she was capable of winning. ‘Both Bryn and Martyn helped me with pacing and believing in myself. They took time out even though neither of them was my coach.’ And then there was Dave Haller. ‘I explained to Dave that I use him as an example all the time and how amazing it was. He was inspiring but didn’t realise how he had changed my life.’ Soon after this, Andy Jameson found himself at a dinner at the London Olympics and Dave Haller was also on his table. At one point, Dave asked for silence and said a former swimmer had tracked him down and thanked him for the contribution he had made to her swimming and that he had helped her to perform ‘beyond belief’. ‘And the swimmer,’ he added, ‘is Andy’s sister Helen.’
REFLECTIONS October 2017
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Master blogger
DIARY OF A BINGE SWIMMER
MASTER BLOGGER There is urgent business to complete before the world 800m! Verity Dobbie reveals all...
I
magine Disneyland for swimmers and you just about get the idea of the quality and quantity of facilities laid on by the Hungarians for the World Masters Swimming Championships in Budapest. The benefits of hitching the world masters to the elite event were all too apparent with an unbelievable amount of pool space - both competitive and warm up, and huge video screens all over showing the heats, results and live streaming of the swims. The swimming event was held in two centres: the Alfred Hajos National Aquatic Centre which is essentially two outdoor 50m pools (one 10 lane and one eightlane) and an indoor and outdoor 33.3m pool and a couple of diving pools. Pretty impressive in itself and what’s more, it’s located less than 3km from the newly built Duna Arena which has three x 10 lane 50m pools, two indoors and one outdoors, as well as an eight-lane 25m diving pit and a 25m outdoor pool.
Simultaneous The organisers had four competition pools in operation simultaneously. Swimmers were divided by age groups and each day moved to a different pool. As if world championships weren’t anxiety inducing enough for the poor swimmer, they now throw a further fretful feature into the mix; not only which pool am I swimming in today but at which site? Anyway, Binge and her cronies arrived on the Saturday afternoon and settled into their new home, a rather hot (no air
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con!) apartment in backpacker central; and began the task of orientating themselves, a process which involved firstly coming to terms with the nauseatingly coloured pair of trainers one of our flat mates was sporting and then a bit of an adventure on the metro and encountering the Hungarian
morning at Hajos. Trust me, I am no Becky Adlington but for some perverse reason (well truthfully I can’t sprint to save my life and my fly and backstroke are rubbish), the 800m is the easiest way to do that and gives you a bit of a feel for warm ups, marshalling and the general flow of the meet.
World masters revelations!
‘Fortunately, there was no one else waiting so I didn’t have an audience as I waddled out red-faced with my suit around my knees to grab some paper. ’ version of Catch 22. The meet accreditation was good for free public transport during the competition but you needed to take a trip on public transport to collect it. Problem solved by the rather simple solution of the ticket machine accepting a credit card although one of our crew managed to stamp the credit card receipt and not the ticket. If the programme allows, I like to swim an opening event before the breaststrokes start. My opener this time was the 800m freestyle on the Monday
Sensitive If you have a sensitive disposition or you are easily offended, then I would advise you to stop reading now because the graphic detail which follows is rather base and somewhat lacking in taste. Binge’s acid test of how good facilities are for a masters’ championships is, of course, the toilet provision, which ideally needs to pass Binge’s ‘clean, plentiful and generously stocked with a good quality of loo roll’ test. The competitors amongst you will immediately understand
that this is because one of the symptoms of a big swim meets is the frequent need to use the bathroom before a big event. You all know the feeling: the minute you’ve struggled into your racing suit, there is that immediate need to go to the loo. Over the years, we have had to contend with some pretty awful bathroom facilities, and had to perfect amongst other things the squat and drop manoeuvre, coupled with the forceful flush which managed to also cleanse the floor, so your feet (and shoes) were drenched whilst it swooshed your hat and goggles outside the stall. My first trip to the loos at Hajos was quite an experience. They seemed plentiful but it was only after I’d sat down and turned to find the loo roll that I realised to my horror that there was none in this particular stall, in fact there was only a single roll outside all of the stalls... Fortunately, there was no one else waiting so I didn’t have an audience as I waddled out redfaced with my suit around my knees to grab some paper. One other strange feature of the facilities in this venue was the specific design of porcelain but I’ll not go into that any more.
Pleasant Anyway having escaped the loos, I made it to the start without having to spend too long in the dreaded call room, dived in and nicely stretched out for quite a pleasant swim outside in the sunshine. I realised once I saw my time (a mere 30 seconds slower than Aberdeen) why it was such an enjoyable 12 minutes or so!
October 2017
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National Age Group Championships 2017 24 – 25 November GL1 Leisure Centre, Gloucester
Entries opening soon swimming.org/synchro
October 2017
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< < E M E R EX>TREADING > Your photos
THIS PRIZE COULD BE YOURS
GET ACTIVE! Each month extreme readers have the chance to win a Lumie Body Clock Active (RRP £99.95)
FEATURES RADIO
This month Swimming Times gets a G’day from an Aussie surf lifeguard and goes on a picturesque stroll in the sunny Canary Islands
WINNER!
Lynn Shepherd seized the moment to catch up on the latest aquatic news during a break on the scenic coast walk from Los Cristianos to Las Galletas in Tenerife. Lynn, who is the secretary at Billingham Swimming Club, was holidaying on the largest Canary Island with husband Bruce. She said: ‘I swam a mile almost every day to help me keep fit. We walked the coastal paths and discovered some of the lesser known parts of the area along the way, some of the views were breathtaking and well worth the walk.’ Lynn has been on the committee of Billingham SC since 2000 in a variety of roles from fundraiser to secretary, swim21 coordinator and membership secretary. She also enjoys spending time poolside helping the team to train.
Aussie TV lifeguard Trent ‘Maxi’ Maxwell swapped the infamous Bondi surf for the calmer waters of Oaklands Community Pool in Southampton for a water safety demonstration - and dived straight into a copy of Swimming Times. More than 30 swimmers and Rookie Lifeguards joined the Bondi Rescue star during the water safety session. Maxi shared vital beach safety tips before taking part in fun relays and mock rescues, and was even rescued himself! ‘All the swimmers had an amazing time, as did the swim teachers,’ said Lizzie Knight, Learn to Swim Co-Ordinator. ‘The children were very interested and asked lots of questions about training to be a lifeguard, various rescues Maxi had made and, of course, sharks! ‘Maxi took up my invitation to join us for our water safety session after I commented on one of his Instagram posts. It was amazing that a cheeky request actually ended up with such an amazing day!’ Maxi said: ‘I’ve been inspired by the amazing team at Oaklands Pool and the great work they are doing to promote water safety to children, both in and near the water.’
WINS GOGGLES!
Send your photos to: Extreme Reading, Swimming Times, SportPark, 3 Oakwood Drive, Loughborough University, LE11 3QF Email: swimmingtimes@swimming.org 80
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