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SWIMMING TIMES OCTOBER 2015

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Swimming
SWIMMING > DIVING > WATER POLO > SYNCHRO

OCTOBER 2015
3.20

ASA
SUMMER
CHAMPS
SWIMMING > DIVING > WATER POLO > SYNCHRO

> HEADY HEIGHTS

KAZAN DIVING GOLD
FOR GARY, TOM & BECKY

WORLD
MASTERS

> ROSIE BLOOMS

WORLD JUNIOR TITLE
FOR RUDIN

> SPECIAL DAYS

GB SUCCESS AT
SPECIAL GAMES

TREBLE CHANCE

GOLDEN HAT-TRICK AS PEATY LEADS BEST-EVER GB WORLDS

RING OF CONFIDENCE
THE SECRETS OF
SUCCESSFUL COACHING

ONE IN A MILLION
BBC SPORTS UNSUNG
HERO TELLS HER STORY

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Editorial Oct RGph.qxd_Editorial 04/09/2015 15:43 Page 1

Editorial

Editorial
Adam Peaty joins the select band to have
featured on our cover more than once
after his outstanding performances at
the world championships in Russia
COVER: Adam Peaty with his world champs medals
Swimming Times editorial office
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October 2015, Volume XCII, Number 10. The official

magazine of the Amateur Swimming Association 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 the ASA or IoS. ISSN 1750-581X
Printed by Warners Midlands plc, Bourne, Lincs

ndeed, Adam, closely followed by James Guy, led a tremendous British success story in
Kazan, the best-ever at a world championship, with nine medals, but particularly
pleasing was the tally of five golds. There were also a few fourth places, with Dan Wallace
desperately close to the bronze in the 200m IM, but it was so good to see the Brits winning
some close battles and marvellous to see the world records from Adam Peaty and the mixed
medley team of Chris Walker-Hebborn, Peaty, Siobhan-Marie OConnor and Fran Halsall.
But it is important not to get carried away. Peatys current coach Mel Marshall is well
aware what happened to her in 2004 at the Athens Games when she was one of the leading
contenders for the 200m free and yet did not make the final. And I well remember a certain
James Gibson and Katy Sexton winning world titles back in 2003 in Barcelona (50m breast
and 200m back) and yet at the Olympics the following year, neither of them medalled.
James also won bronze in 2003 in the 100m breast in a time that would have won him
Olympic bronze the following year, while Katys 2003 time of 2:08.74 would have won her
the 200m back gold in Athens in 2004. She also won silver in the 100m in 2003 in a time
that would have won her bronze the following year.
No matter, I am sure the current performance director, Chris Spice, and head coach, Bill
Furniss, will be looking for further
Adam Peaty:
improvements
as the build-up to Rio
outstanding at
intensifies. You can read more of
the world champs
their thoughts on page 30.
The Brits apart, one had to admire
the USAs incredible Katie Ledecky
an acknowledged distance swimmer
winning the 200m (to add to the
400, 800 and 1500m titles!) and
Sun Yang, who won the 400m and
the 800m for the third consecutive
time. And Ryan Lochte became a
four-time 200m IM winner, joining
Grant Hackett as the only swimmers
to have won an event four times.
I must also mention diving, where our athletes continue to impress and Tom Daley and
Rebecca Gallantrees gold in the mixed team event put a nice gloss on his and Jack
Laughers individual bronzes and the synchro bronze of Laugher and Chris Mears. Dont
forget high diving and the incredible twisting, tumbling, hurtle water-wards from 27m of
Britains Gary Hunt.
Even his fellow competitors bowed to his overall dominance, though that event is not yet
an Olympic discipline.
And mentioning Olympicspromising to see that
Keri-anne Payne won the open water test event over
the Rio course and we have a new world junior
champion in Rosie Rudin.
Well done, Britains swimmers and divers.

Peter Hassall, editor

Funding Partner

Official Partner

Official Suppliers

>

October 2015

Swimming Times

Contents Oct15 RG_Contents 07/09/2015 10:49 Page 1

Contents
News, Opinions, Reviews

OCTOBER 2015

Features

THIS LIFE

Some of Britains glorious Kazan moments

captured in pictures

FROM RUSSIA WITH GOLD

28

Five gold and four other medals made Kazan

Britains best-ever world championships

LETTERS

New-look summer nationals, para-swimming

pioneers and a world champ of yesteryear

SPRINGBOARD TO RIO

39

A gold and three bronze medals put Britain

second behind China in the diving pool

NEWS ROUND-UP

11

HUNT ON A HIGH

42

World junior water polo, world junior swimming,

diving medals in Rome, synchros Med Cup

Britains high diving star Gary Hunt topped his

dream year with gold off the 27m platform

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

ENGLISH SUMMER

20

46

Many athletes listen to music before they

compete - but what music and what equipment?

Romford Town and Guildford City won male and

female top club titles at the ASA summer champs

TEACHING POOL

LEARN TO SWIM DOWN UNDER

24

56

Dave Jarvis continues his offbeat observations

from many different angles

Julia Wood describes the learn-to-swim set-up

at a major new swimming centre in Australia

SUPPORTING THE CHARTER

UNSUNG HERO

26

How the IoS is actively supporting a charter to

bring about change in disability swimming

CONFIDENCE IN COACHING

Final Five
REFLECTIONS

76

Back in the USSR part 4: tracking down more of

the British medallists from Moscow 1980

MASTER BLOGGER

78

EXTREME READING

80

Swimming Times finds its way to a wedding in

Cyprus, a British beach and a London garden

Britains mixed medley relay world

champions (l-r) Fran Halsall, Chris
Walker-Hebborn, Adam Peaty and
Siobhan-Marie OConnor

Swimming Times

Good coaching comes from knowing you are

doing things correctly, says an ex-GB head coach

Regulars
AWARD & CELEBRATIONS

68

HONESTY BOX

70

City of Oxford coach Amanda Booth reveals that

she once went off the 10m board with Tom Daley

FROM RUSSIA WITH GOLD

28
2

64

Swimming, synchro, diving, coaching and subaqua are all covered in our awards photo section

She calls it the Gulag but Verity Dobbie finds

the Kazan experience not so bad after all

60

60

BBC Sports 2014 Unsung Hero Jill Stidever is

described as one in a million by colleagues

Five gold and four other medals

made Kazan Britains best-ever
long-course world championships.
Roger Guttridge reports. Pictures
by Alex Whitehead of SWpix.com

64
October 2015

Contents Oct15 RG_Contents 07/09/2015 10:50 Page 2

42 REACH FOR THE SKY

Britains Gary Hunt reaches a pinnacle of success in the
high diving at the Kazan world champs

46

October 2015

22

76

Swimming Times

Feature - This life Oct15 RGph.qxd_Feature layout suggestion 1 04/09/2015 12:03 Page 1

this

life

GB medal trail

Some of Britains swimmers celebrate

their best-ever world championship
medal haul in style. Report and more
pictures starts on page 30

Feature - This life Oct15 RGph.qxd_Feature layout suggestion 1 04/09/2015 12:04 Page 2

This life

This picture: l-r Adam Peaty, Chris WalkerHebborn and Siobhan-Marie OConnor
celebrate as Fran Halsall seals a world
record-breaking victory in the inaugural
mixed medley relay; opposite (bottom):
OConnor on her way to bronze in the 200m
IM; opposite (top): the mens 4x200m
freestyle team celebrate their historic win
(l-r) Calum Jarvis, Dan Wallace, Robbie
Renwick and (in pool) James Guy

Feature - This life Oct15 RGph.qxd_Feature layout suggestion 1 04/09/2015 12:04 Page 3

Swimming Times

October 2015

Feature - This life Oct15 RGph.qxd_Feature layout suggestion 1 04/09/2015 12:04 Page 4

This life

James Guy with his gold medals

from the mens 200m freestyle
and 4x200m freestyle relay and
his 400m freestyle silver

October 2015

Swimming Times

Letters with advert OCT15 RGph_Letters 04/09/2015 13:31 Page 1

Dear Sir!
Mark letters Sir! and address to Swimming Times, SportPark, 3 Oakwood Drive, Loughborough,
Leicestershire LE11 3QF or email to [email protected]. The Letter of the Month writer will
receive a Speedo Aquabeat 2 MP3 player, while every letter printed gets a pair of MARU goggles

DIVE INTO COLOUR

CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to Charlotte Turnbull on her
Swimtastic award-winning swim school as detailed in
the September issue.
I particularly liked the way she credited Patsy
Coleman of Splash Academy with the quality of the
swimming teachers she employs. One small point:
Patsy runs her swim school from Hinchingbrooke
School in Huntingdon and not from Peterborough.
Before I retired, I attended most of Patsys CPD
days, listening to both Patsy and her guest speakers,
including the late, great Helen Elkington.
These CPD days are highly informative while being
incredibly enjoyable and essential to maintaining the
standards to which we all aspire.
Christine Gleave
By email

LETTER OF THE MONTH

BACKSTROKE CLEAN SWEEP
I read with interest the report on British Summer
Nationals in the September 2015 edition of
Swimming Times. As someone who regularly
writes articles summarising swim meets, I know it

WORLD CHAMP OF YESTERYEAR

At the time of writing this letter, the greatest
swimmer Stalybridge Swimming and Water Polo Club
has ever had is Joey Nuttall. The club has had some
brilliant swimmers, an Olympic swimmer, Channel
swimmers and water polo players but no others have
been crowned Champion Swimmer of the World.
At the age of nine, Joey won his first race at
Stalybridge, for which he won a pencil case. He was
elected captain by popular vote and went on to be
champion of Britain.
By the age of 18, he was amateur world champion
at five distances. He was so good, he would often wait
at the end of the lane for other swimmers to catch
him up before setting off to beat them easily.
Thousands would go to a gala to watch him swim.
Joey turned professional in 1888, continuing to
take on allcomers, and beat them, becoming the
Champion of the World. He won many, many trophies
and medals, gifting his beautiful medal for Champion
of the World to Stalybridge.
Joey was 5ft 4ins tall, weighed 10st and, in 1893,
swam 100 yards in 1 minute and 1.5 seconds. The
stroke accepted as the fastest back then was the
trudgeon, which consisted of frontcrawl arms and
breaststroke legs.
What times might he have produced with todays
stroke drills and advances? Joey swam without
goggles, in a full bodysuit (which created drag), no
Speedos, no anti-wave lane ropes, no training
schedules, no diet and no understanding of cramp.
These days, would his times compare with Mark Spitz,
Ian Thorpe or Michael Phelps?
Joey was not allowed to compete in the Olympics
because he swam for money, strictly against the rules,
no full-time swimmers then.
He swam his last race at Stalybridge at the age of
8

Swimming Times

Beth Newton with one of her

three backstroke gold medals

68, in the old pool, covering two lengths in 44

seconds.
In this day and age, the holder of 14 world titles and
Champion of the World would be hailed as a super
sportsman. Instead he lies in an unmarked grave in
Blackpool, with his young son.
We are trying to persuade Stalybridge councillors
to put up a blue plaque to this amazing swimmer. This
small tribute does not cover the magic of this
incredible swimmer of which all members of this club
should be very, very proud.
Yvonne Kelley
Oldham

MISSING OUT
The recent English Summer Nationals (ESN) and
associated British Summer Nationals managed to
provide some excellent performances. However, due
to their structure, many deserving 16-year-olds
missed out. The points I make below are obviously

is not an easy job to reflect the achievements of

all swimmers and still make the article interesting
and exciting for the reader.
However, I was surprised to find that a swimmer
who won three gold medals across all distances in
the same discipline did not warrant a mention. I
know its a big task to collate the whole weeks
events into one report and therefore some
achievements can be overlooked in the process.
Bethany (Beth) Newton was the champion in the
16yrs age group in the 50, 100 and 200m
backstroke. It appears that there were few others
who achieved this feat.
Paul Chillingworth
Chairman,
Street and District Swim Club
By email
Reply from editor
It is, of course, impossible to mention all medal
winners in a summary report such as ours but we
acknowledge the excellence of Beths achievement
and the fact that she ought to have been
mentioned. Perhaps she and Paul can share the
prize for letter of the month?

my own but they were echoed in many of the

conversations I had at Ponds Forge.
The inclusion of the 18+ age group in this event was
inappropriate. The 18-24 senior age group was created
alongside masters to provide the opportunity for nonelite swimmers in this age band to compete.
Many of the winners of the 18+ finals at the ESN
were slower than the winners at the long-course
masters in June. Removing these swimmers from the
ESN would encourage them to compete in the masters
system enabling them to see that competitive
swimming can be a lifelong sport.
The amalgamation of the 16 and 17 years age
groups had a detrimental effect on the 16-yearolds. This is the age group whose swimmers have just
sat their first external examinations, the results of
which they will be including on job applications for
the rest of their lives. Competing against the 17-yearold group has possibly had a demotivating effect on
them at a time when we need to do the opposite.
The qualifying window immediately preceding the
October 2015

Letters with advert OCT15 RGph_Letters 04/09/2015 13:31 Page 2

Letters

GCSE and A level examination period has also placed

additional demands on the aspirational child, who
wants to excel in both education and sport.
The selection of a fixed number of qualifiers has
again made it harder for the 16-year-olds, as they
could not guarantee qualification for ESN, ease back
on training to concentrate on academic work, and
then step up their training post exams.
In my opinion, these difficulties could be negated
by the following small changes, thus retaining many
of the benefits of the new system:
in the Home Nations Summer Nationals (HNSN),
the maximum age should be 17 (18 and over can
compete in masters)
have single year age groups: 12-13, 14, 15, 16, and
17
reintroduce qualifying times for the HNSN. This
would ensure that swimmers knew they were
going to a national championships
retain the fastest 24 going to the British SN
We need to organise swimming so that children can
excel in both swimming and academically.
Very few swimmers will earn a good living through
swimming. However, many masters swimmers have
high status occupations. It should be possible to
enable swimmers to achieve in all aspects of their
lives.
Graham Pearson
By email
For another opinion, see Honesty Box on page 70 Ed

October 2015

PIONEERS OF PARA-SWIMMING
I read the report of the British swimmers in Moscow
1980 with interest. Another GB swim team achieving
good things in 1980 was at the International Games
held annually at the Stoke Mandeville Stadium and
started by the late Sir Ludwig Guttman.
This team won a number of medals, many of which
were gold. Margaret Price and Mike Kenny were, I
believe, both world record holders. The girls team at
this meet did fantastically well.
Disabled swimming stood on its own at the time.
The ASA, it seemed, were reluctant to become
involved. I should say there was a lot of politics
happening in disabled sport and this may have
contributed to this reluctance.
I, too, had the pleasure of being a member of that
team and one of my coaches was the late Allan
Lawrence, a former GB junior team manager. Tony
Sainsbury, GB disabled team manager, had just been
appointed and the swim team coach was Sheila Dobie.
In swimming terms, there were only six categories.
An example of the standard I can highlight is the
freestyle world record for the class 6, 1min 4sec, and
held by the Israeli swimmer Uri Bergman.
I should add that no dives were allowed and the
distances were limited to 100m. A full complement of
British swimming officials was always appointed.
British swimming records at the time unfortunately
tended to be a bit sketchy although many of us had
won national titles.

I feel these swimmers were among the pioneers of

disabled swimming, which has now flourished into the
spectacular achievements of today.
For myself, I am an ASA teacher and coach and a
British Swimming official.
Mel Buckley
By email

INSPIRATIONAL SYLVIA
I have just read the article in the September issue by
the incredibly brave Sylvia Platt-Rogers.
I was struck by her honesty she acknowledged
the full range of emotions that she experienced, not
simply glossing over them or pretending its been no
big deal. Her quote Fronting up to something when
your head is crying out to back away is a trait that
never really leaves you and comes from years of
competing is inspirational.
When we take the decision to teach our children to
swim, most of us do so in the hope that they are safe
in water. Sylvia reminds us that swimming teaches us
so much more it is truly character-building,
empowering young people to become determined,
hardworking and resilient individuals and equipping
them with skills that may be called upon in their
future when life presents some of its toughest
challenges. Thank you, Sylvia, and best wishes for
the future.
Jo Mitchinson
By email

Swimming Times

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In Depth News Oct15 RGph.qxd_In Depth News 04/09/2015 11:15 Page 1

News

News

16

18

GB ONE-TWO
Rosie leads world
junior double

Tools

DEBUT

Music to an
athletes ears

KEEPING YOU INFORMED OF ALL THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

Tracey Crouch

Sports minister
consults public
The ASA has welcomed a wideranging public consultation,
launched by the Government, to
help increase the number of
people taking part in sport and
physical activity.
Sports minister Tracey Crouch
says she wants to rip up the UKs
severely outdated sports
strategy and shape a new one.
The current strategy has gone
as far as it can and things need to
change, she says in her DCMS
blog. I think everyone can see
that. I want more people
participating in sport. I want to see

20
In Depth
PRIZE CANS

Emmas world
masters records

more people getting active. I want

sport participation to become part
of our countrys DNA.
Ms Crouch says the consultation
was the first of its kind for more
than a decade and would help to
create a new vision for sport.
To achieve that aim, I want your
input, she writes. I want you to tell
me how we can improve sport for
the better in this country. We will
use this consultation to consider
every level of sport: from
grassroots to elite and
professional sport. We will look at
equality, at safety and wellbeing,
at coaching and at good

governance. We will consider how

sport and technology can work
hand-in-hand.
But most importantly, we will
consider how we can encourage
more people to get active and reap
all the benefits that come with
participating. We want to create a
culture of sport for everybody.
Together, we can do that.
ASA chief executive Adam
Paker welcomed the opportunity
to be involved in the consultation.
The consultation is a good
opportunity for a public debate on
the value of sport and physical
activity in the country, he said We
look forward to working with the
Government to ensure more
people have access to high quality,
affordable swimming experiences.
The consultation, which runs
until October 2, sets out 10 broad
themes on which the Government
wants to engage with the public:
participation; physical activity;
children and young people;
financial sustainability; coaching,
workforce and good governance;
elite and professional sport;
infrastructure; fairness and
equality; safety and wellbeing;
international influence and major
sport events.
To take part, google DCMS
sport strategy consultation and
follow the links.
Meanwhile, GLL has become the
latest pool operator to report a
trend-bucking 10 per cent increase
in swimming participation levels
over the last year.

Club woos learn-to-swimmers through gala

Learn-to-swim youngsters in Bristol
have been given a taste of competitive
swimming in a special gala funded by
the ASA South West.
The event, at Hengrove Park
Leisure Centre, was run in partnership
with Bishopsworth SC and the pool
operator, Parkwood Leisure, to try and
inspire more children to join the club.
It was targeted at learn-to-swim
children in stages 57 and included
individual swimming races, relays and
some fun races.

October 2015

Plymouth Leanders Olympic

butterfly swimmer Antony James was
also there to demonstrate the strokes,
describe his experiences at London
2012 and present medals at the end.
Swimmers also received
certificates for performing skills such
as streamlining and dolphin kick off
the wall.
Bishopsworth SC coach Mark
Williams said: The event was a huge
success and we had lots of parents and
swimmers giving us very positive

feedback. There was a fun atmosphere

and all the youngsters really enjoyed
their first taste of competitive
swimming. Were hoping to run these
events a couple of times a year and
really start to grow as a club while
providing more children with the
sporting habit for life.
The ASA South West is keen to
encourage strong relationships
between clubs and operators and to
help get more children involved in
club swimming.

> Coach funding

guide updated
SportsCoach UK has updated its
Funding Opportunities for Coaching
Guide, which provides information
on the funding that is available to
support coaches and coaching
across England.
Funding opportunities are
available to both individuals and
organisations to enable clubs to
grow their coaching staff and
increase membership numbers.
The interactive PDF can be
downloaded from the website
www.sportscoachuk.org. It includes
interactive Top Tips, where to find
funding and live funding updates.

> ASAs snorkelling

partnership
The ASA and British Sub-Aqua Club
(BSAC) are working in partnership
to introduce snorkelling to children
who are learning to swim.
As part of the partnership, a new
snorkeller CPD is available for ASA
qualified level 2 teachers through
the IoS. The BSAC Dolphin
Snorkeller course provides children
with a fun new water skill, which it
is hoped will encourage them to
continue swimming once they have
completed their learning journey.
The course will also be a new
addition to the national ASA
Aquatic Skills Framework. It will
combine online and face-to-face
learning and candidates will acquire
the additional skills needed to
deliver snorkelling lessons to
children in their local pools.
The CPD course is available at
the following places:
Oct 3: Luton Sports Village, Beds
Oct 18: Alton Leisure Centre, Hants
Nov 6: Cottingley Leisure, Yorks
For more information or to book
a place, phone 01509 640 640.

> London 2016

schedule announced
The schedule for next years
European Aquatics Championships
from May 9-22 is available at
euroaquatics2016. london/eliteschedule.
Ticket offer: page 19.
Swimming Times

11

In Depth News Oct15 RGph.qxd_In Depth News 04/09/2015 11:16 Page 2

In Depth News

The GB under 20 team

> Cracknell and sons

triple rescue

Tough world challenge

for GB under 20s
Great Britains womens under
20 team achieved 14th place in a
challenging FINA World Junior
Championships in Volos, Greece.
The team suffered heavy defeats
in four of their five games,
conceding 97 goals while scoring
35, but salvaged some pride with a
victory over South Africa.
A competition featuring most of
the worlds leading water polo
nations, and won by the USA, was
always going to be tough for the
British women.
But things got even tougher on
the eve of the tournament when
centre back Rhianne Oscroft was
forced to pull out of the opening
match with an injury. She stayed
with the team amid hopes of a
recovery but remained unavailable
for most of the tournament.
With FINA testing new rules that
restricted squads to 11 instead of 13
players and only six instead of

seven in the water, Oscrofts injury

effectively reduced the GB squad
to 10.
Assistant coach Chloe Wilcox
said: I wont say it was
disappointing but it was harder
than anticipated. The new rules
favoured the Japanese, a team of
swimmers, who were smaller and
lighter. Because there is lots of
room in the new game, you can
jump around and steal the ball
more easily.
Britain went down 27-4 to hosts
Greece in their opening match
with City of Manchesters Honor
Grimes scoring all four goals.
They then lost 22-8 to Japan
with Grimes and Rosie Huck both
netting twice and a goal apiece for
captain Lauren Tasker, Isobel
Howe, Kate Parkin and Kathy
Rogers.
Russia, world junior champions
in 2009, were Britains final group
opponents and the former winners

won by 22-6. Grimes again topscored with three whilst the other
GB goals came from Huck, Brooke
Tafazolli and Katy Andrew.
The result took Britain into the
13th-16th place classification
matches, where they initially faced
group B wooden spoonists South
Africa, who had lost to Hungary,
Brazil and New Zealand.
This, at last, gave British
supporters something to cheer as
the team won all four quarters to
close the match with a scoreline
of 10-4.
Tasker was the top scorer this
time with five. Other scorers were
Huck, Rogers, Tafazolli, Howe and
Grimes.
This pitched Britain against
European big guns, the
Netherlands and they went down
22-7. Scorers were Tasker (three),
Grimes (two), who was also
Britains tournament top scorer
with 12, Huck and Parkin.

Buller and Dunsbee to lead u/19 teams

Nick Buller and Tim Dunsbee have been
appointed as head coaches of the
England womens and mens under 19
water polo squads respectively for the
2016 season.
Both teams will be aiming to qualify
for the European Under 19 Water Polo
Championships in the Netherlands.
The womens tournament will be at
Gouda and the mens at Alphen next
summer.
Buller guided the Great Britain
under 17 womens squad through
qualification for the inaugural
European Games and to 11th place in
Baku in June.
Im pleased to have been given the
opportunity to show what this squad

12

Swimming Times

can achieve, said Buller.

This is an exciting time to be
involved with the national team as the
level of players is improving all the
time.
The European Games was a good
starting point and future teams will
only learn and build from that
experience.
Ill be looking closely at not only
those who went to Baku and to Greece
for the under 20 world championships
but the many emerging talents coming
through and the players who maybe
only just missed out on selection
previously.
Our goal is to build a strong outfit
and perform well at next years

championships, and with the talent

available Im confident we can achieve
that.
Dunsbee will lead the mens squad
after working within the junior national
set-up for some years and previously
serving as team manager for the
senior mens team.
Im very honoured to be appointed,
said Dunsbee. We will work as hard as
possible to try to deliver a competitive
team.
We have a lot of work to do with this
group but there is a lot of talent there
and they will need to apply themselves
over the coming months in a positive
way if we are to achieve our goals. I am
excited for the future.

Olympic rowing gold medallist

James Cracknell and his swimmer
son, Croyde, have been praised
after saving a seven-year-old boy,
his mum and his granddad from
drowning off the north Devon coast.
Father and son swam out to
rescue the family as they struggled
in a riptide at Croyde Bay.
Croyde was named after the
location because his parents got
engaged there 15 years ago.
The 11-year-old, who swims for
Ealing SC in west London, was
bodyboarding with his father when
he noticed seven-year-old Emerson
Fairclough flailing about in the sea
75 metres from shore.
The youngster had been
paddling with his brother, Josh,
when he was swept away by the
current.
Croyde alerted his father but by
this time Emersons grandfather,
Jim Greatorex, 67, was also in
trouble and shouting for help after
trying to swim out to the boy.
As Croyde dragged his
bodyboard to Jim to keep him
afloat, the double Olympic gold
medallist swam to Emerson.
The youngster was already
vomiting and shouting: Im seven.
Im too young to die.
After rescuing Emerson, James
assisted the boys mother, Laura
Geoghegan, 43, who was also in
trouble after making her own
rescue attempt.
He then teamed up with Croyde
to drag the grandfather to safety.
Mr Greatorexs first comment
was: Bloody hell! Youre the
rower!
Mrs Geoghegan, who was on
holiday from Stratford-on-Avon,
said: Emerson got out of his depth.
I dropped everything and ran in.
The current was awful. Emerson
held on to me so I just went under.
When Cracknell appeared, Mrs
Geoghegan recognised him but
thought he might be an actor.
He saved us and once he had
made sure we were safe, he went
back to help my dad. Both he and
Croyde were remarkable. Words
cant say how grateful we are.
Croydes mum, Beverley Turner,
the writer, broadcaster, former
Salford Triple S swimmer and sister
of Olympic swimmer Adrian Turner,
said of her son: He was amazing
so cool. He thought on his feet,
masterminded the communications
and told his dad what to do.

October 2015

In Depth News Oct15 RGph.qxd_In Depth News 04/09/2015 11:16 Page 3

> Man fights

lifeguards as
daughter drowns

The England divers in Rome: (l-r) Tyler Humphreys, Alfie Brown, Raffa Benitez, Owen Harrison,
Oliver Crompton, Phoebe Banks, Yasmin Harper, Holly Waxman, Louise Bradley, Richelle Houlden

Medal hat-tricks for Alfie and Holly

Star Divings Alfie Brown and
City of Bradford Esprits Holly
Waxman won three medals each
as young English divers made
the podium 14 times at the
Trofeo Niccolo Campo
international meet in Rome.
Brown, the British Elite junior
champion, was the only diver to
make the podium in all three
events in the boys C group. The 13year-old scored 315.90 to win the
platform gold with England teammate Tyler Humphreys (Southend
Diving) taking the silver medal
with 288.05.
Brown went on to win silver in
both springboard events, scoring
328.00 in the 1m and 341.75 in the
3m, finishing behind Spains
Adrin Abada Garca both times.
Waxman, meanwhile, won a

medal of each colour in the girls

C group. Her gold came in the 3m
springboard with a score of
299.90, and she was joined on the
podium by Crystal Palaces Louise
Bradley, who took the bronze on
284.65. Waxman won silver in the
1m springboard on 276.10 and
bronze in the platform (231.50)
in which Bradley took the silver
with 250.75.
City of Leeds Phoebe Banks
won the group B 10m platform
with a score of 318.60, which
would have won bronze at the
European Junior Championships
earlier in the summer.
The 14-year-old sealed the gold
with 64.80 for her last dive, an
outstanding forward 3.5
somersaults with tuck.
City of Sheffields Owen
Harrison also struck gold, scoring

392.05 to win the group B

platform. In the same age group,
Oliver Crompton (City of Leeds)
won silver in the 3m springboard
with 385.75 and bronze in the 1m
springboard (337.35).
Fifteen-year-old Yasmin Harper
(City of Sheffield) was just 0.35
points from gold as she took silver
in the group B 3m springboard.
The City of Sheffield diver
scored consistently but was
narrowly denied the top spot in
the final round by Italys Chiara
Pellacani, who scored 306.15 to
Harpers 305.80.
Sheffield team-mate Richelle
Houlden, 11, underlined her
potential with fourth place in the
3m and fifth in both 1m and
platform against older divers in
the C group competition. Her own
age group is D.

spanning 11 years.
The 3m springboard bronze
medallist at Glasgow 2014 describes
her decision as a huge thing and
something she is very sad about.
I still cant quite believe it myself,
she says. Diving has been my identity
for the past 11 years. Ive lived and
breathed for the sport but life changes
October 2015

and I must accept that.

The injuries that have affected
Starlings career over the last couple
of years appear to have contributed to
her decision.
But in an emotional blog on the
swimming.org website, she makes it
clear she has also lost her love for the
sport or at least for the training. She
describes her involvement in a training
camp in Rio as the most unhappy and
tearful days of my life, and after three
days asked to be flown home.
After a five-month break that
included nine weeks on a remote island
in Fiji, she returned to diving on June 1.
The first week of training was
awesome, she says. However, the

> Beach guard

moved for king
French president Francois
Hollandes government has been
accused of an attack on his
countrys principles after a female
member of a beach surveillance
team guarding Saudi Arabias King
Salman was moved.
The government had already
gone to great lengths to help the
king, closing off public access to
the beach next to his villa on the
French Riviera, allowing him to
install a lift between house and
seashore and posting officers to
see off unwanted visitors.
But when one of his aides
spotted a woman among the
surveillance team, he said her
presence was an affront and she
was moved to guard a car park out
of sight of the villa. Critics said the
womans removal amounted to an
attack on French principles.

> Physio drowns

trying to save son

Starling flies the nest

London 2012
Olympian
Hannah Starling
(pictured left)
has announced
her retirement
after an
international
diving career

A 20-year-old woman was allowed

to drown in a seaside swimming
accident in Dubai because her
father fought with lifeguards
trying to save her.
The father, an Asian expatriate,
told them he would rather she
died than be dishonoured by
being touched by unknown men.
The man, described as tall and
strong, wrestled with the
lifeguards as his daughter
screamed for help before going
under the water for the last time.
The father, who had taken his
wife and children for a picnic at
the beach, has been arrested and
prosecuted.

next two weeks brought no joy to my

life. My dives were surprisingly good
but I was standing on the board
wondering why I was there.
I had no goals left and realised my
heart wasn't in it any more. After three
weeks of really giving it another go, it
dawned on me that this was the end. I
truly wish that I would love it again: to
be fired up and train for Rio like never
before. My heart yearns to feel how I
did in 2013 motivated and happy. But I
dont feel that way any more.
She adds: Ive had a good career,
which I will be ever thankful for. Now it
is time to gain new experiences and
apply to medical school, like I have
always wanted.

A physiotherapist died in the

hospital where he worked after
drowning while trying to rescue
his nine-year-old son off the coast
of South Wales.
A&E staff at Swanseas Morriston
Hospital were shocked when they
recognised the unconscious
patient as their popular colleague
Benny Collins, who had worked
there for 17 years. They were
unable to save him.
Mr Collins, 40, whose wife is a
nurse at the hospital, got into
difficulty while trying to save his
son, Harry, from a powerful riptide
in Three Cliffs Bay, Gower.
The boy survived.
Swimming Times

13

In Depth News Oct15 RGph.qxd_In Depth News 04/09/2015 11:17 Page 4

In Depth News
> Durban to host
2022 Games
Durban has been confirmed as the
host city for the 2022
Commonwealth Games.
The South African city was the
only remaining candidate following
the withdrawal of Edmonton,
Canada, in February due to the
global decline in oil prices.
It will be the first major multisport games to be held on the
African continent.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles has
officially launched its bid to host
the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic
Games. Other confirmed bidders
are Budapest, Hamburg, Paris and
Rome.

> Club stalwart Ray

Bossons dies
Ray Bossons, former president,
chairman, secretary and treasurer
of Eccles ASC in Greater
Manchester, has died in a care
home aged 84.
Mr Bossons, a window cleaner
by trade, lived for most of his life in
Cromwell Road, Eccles, close to the
original swimming pool complex.
He devoted much of his spare
time to the club and played water
polo with such legendary players
as Tommy Parker, Harry Sirrett and
Eddie Taylor.
He was always jovial and willing
to help and he played a part in the
early progress of whizzkid Billy
ODonnell, said Manchester and
District Swimming and Water Polo
Association PRO Joan Gardner. He
was a great enthusiast for his
swimming club, attending galas,
prizegivings and many meetings
until a couple of years ago.
Mr Bossons was the clubs
president in 1977 and secretary
from 1973-76 and 1978-80.
He was married to the late
Sheila and leaves three children.

England squad fifth overall in

synchros Mediterranean Cup
The England Talent team in Ostia (l-r) Rosie Gunn, Harriette Smith,
Graccia Gardner, Sophie Freeman, Kate Shortman, Isabelle Thorpe,
Victoria Usher, Greta Hampson, Zoe James, Olivia Sissons

The ASA England Talent squad

finished fifth overall at the 2015
Mediterranean Cup in Ostia after
some impressive performances
across the four events.
The England duet of Kate
Shortman and Isabelle Thorpe
came eighth in both the prelims
and the final, where they improved
their routine score by more than
two points to 73.6667.
Kate and Isabelle impressed
with such convincing figure scores
that they overtook the Ukrainian
duet to qualify for the duet free
final, said team manager Sarah
Clarke.
They pulled out all the stops
with excellent height and precision
to increase their routine total by
two marks from the prelims.
This gave them an excellent
final placing of eighth, closing the
gap to seventh from five points to
two. All the squad and staff were

14

Swimming Times

Mediterranean Cup.
Kates solo showed good
technical skill and height. She
really showed she owned the
routine with her control and
presence throughout.
Having already secured sixth
place in the free combination with
a score of 68.8333, the English
girls began the third and final day
with the figures event.
Shortman was the highest
scoring of the English swimmers,
placing 32nd on 73.4800.
Thorpe was 36th with 72.9200.
Sophie Freeman was the third
best English performer in figures,
finishing 101st on 67.3778.
The free combination final was
a clean swim with an improvement
in lifts from their swim in Croatia,
said Clarke.
They gained sixth position,
which was the result we were
hoping for, just behind some big
synchro countries.

Swansea hosts Euro Life Saving Champs

> Coach dies in surf

accident
Rugby coach Rob Walton, 36, has
drowned in a surfing accident in
France. The father of four and head
coach to Rugby Lions club in
Warwickshire was found floating
unconscious in the sea off Labenne
beach on the Landes coast, where
he was holidaying with his family.
He is believed to have sustained
spinal injuries after a wave threw
him from his bodyboard in shallow
water.

extremely proud of their

performance.
Shortman and Thorpe were also
complimented on their swim by
the Russian team.
Britain also improved their
performance for the team final,
finishing with the seventh best
routine score of 71.2333 and
eighth overall.
Kate Shortman was unlucky not
to progress to the solo final after
coming 10th in the prelims and 11th
overall.
The finalists comprised the top
six swimmers from Mediterranean
countries and the top six from
non-Mediterranean nations.
The team executed their lifts
well and showed good
presentation through their Peter
Pan routine, said Clarke.
Both routines showed
improvement from this years
Croatia competition in June and
also from last years

Brothers George (right) and Charlie

Haynes from Cornwall won gold and
bronze in the oceanman event

Germany were the overall winners as

the European Life Saving
Championships came to the UK for the
first time but there were also medals
aplenty for Great Britain, who came
fourth overall out of 15 nations.
Swansea Bay provided the perfect
setting for two weeks of competition
with an athletes village at Swansea
University, pool events in the Wales
National Pool and beach and ocean
events at Aberavon Beach.
Aberavon Surf Life Saving Clubs
Chris Parry said: Im really pleased
that Aberavon was able to host the
championships. Its good to see the
locals come down and give Team GBR
the boost they needed with all their
support. It was great to race the best in

Europe at home with all the family

watching.
British team members won 11 gold,
13 silver and three bronze medals with
Zara Williams and Charlie Haynes
respectively breaking world and world
youth records.
British medallists: George Haynes (2
gold, 1 silver), Chris Parry (2 gold), Zara
Williams (1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze), Dan
Humble (1 gold), Tarryn Brown (1 gold),
Mali James (1 silver, 1 bronze), Lily
Nichols (1 silver), Mesha Wardman
(1 silver), Charlie Haynes (1 bronze).
Team medals: 1 gold, 3 silver.
The week-long championships were
followed by a week of inter-club
competition between 50 clubs, 24 of
them from various parts of Britain.
October 2015

In Depth News Oct15 RGph.qxd_In Depth News 04/09/2015 11:17 Page 5

Keri-anne Payne on the podium with

silver and bronze medallists Ana
Marcela Cunha (left) and Isabelle Harle

>QUICKDIP
> Syrian refugee Hesham
Moadamani, 24, is seeking asylum in
Germany after a three-and-a-halfyear journey that took him through
11 countries and included a six-hour
swim from Turkey to Greece.
Hesham, who had no money to pay
smugglers for a place on a boat,
wrapped his passport, laser pen and
mobile phone in plastic bags,
dropped into the Mediterranean at
night and set off on only the third
sea swim of his life. He intended to
reach a Greek island three miles
away, only to find that its sheer cliffs
made landing impossible. So he
swam on until picked up by a ship.

Payne wins Rio 10k test swim

Keri-anne Payne returned to
winning ways with victory on the
course that will next year host
the Olympic 10k marathon swim.
Britains Olympic silver medallist
and two-time world champion won
the test event off Rios
Copacabana beach and
described it as the experience of a
lifetime.
Payne completed the course in
2hr 12min 18.7sec, 1.2sec ahead of
Brazils world championship 10k
bronze medallist and 25k
champion Ana Marcela Cunha and
4.3sec in front of Isabelle Harle of
Germany.
Only 13 of the 26 starters
completed the course and four of

those were over the time limit.

World champion Aurelie Muller
of France was among the 12 nonfinishers.
Payne, who won her Olympic
silver medal in Beijing before
coming fourth at London 2012,
said: Rio is one of my most
favourite cities in the world.
Copacabana has all the
qualities necessary for a
good venue. For an Olympic venue,
it could not be more iconic,
historical and fun.
Swimming here is so good that
there was one moment in the race
when I stopped to appreciate
where I was.
Seeing Christ the Redeemer
with his arms open while

competing is incredible.
Well be able to tell people in the
future: I competed at
Copacabana beach.
Payne has yet to qualify for Rio
2016 after coming 15th in the 10k
event at the FINA World
Championships in Kazan.
Jack Burnell, who guaranteed a
British berth in Rio by coming fifth
in Kazan, placed seventh in the
mens test event in 2:12:22.0.
Brazils Allan Do Carmo came
first in 2:03:53.9, half-a-second
ahead of Yasunari Hirai of Japan
with Canadas Richard Weinberger,
the bronze medallist at London
2012, third in 2:03.57.7.
Only nine of the 22 starters
completed the three-lap course.

> Unique record for island to island swimmers

Persistence paid off for
seven Scottish swimmers,
who became the first to
swim from St Kilda to the
Isle of Harris in Scotlands
Western Isles.
It was their fifth attempt
to make the 56-mile
crossing but the previous
four were called off due to
bad weather.
They also originally
planned to swim from
Harris to St Kilda but
October 2015

reversed the route after

considering the prevailing
weather.
When they finally did get
into the water, the relay
team completed the
journey from Village Bay on
the abandoned St Kilda in
35 hours seven hours
quicker than expected.
They also raised at least
14,500 for four charities
the Leanne Fund, the
Fishermens Mission, the

Yorkhill Childrens Charity

and the Aberlour Child Care
Trust.
The swimmers,
sponsored by TalkTalk, saw
an abundance of wildlife
during the swim including
dolphins and minke whales.
But they also faced
strong currents that pulled
them backwards and forced
them to shorten their relay
legs at times.
Team leader Colin

Macleod told The Herald:

Everybody is buzzing - this
was a fantastic whole-team
effort.
Its magnificent that
were are the first people to
have done this.
Eilidh Whiteford added:
Its awesome. The whole
challenge was glorious and
so much fun. The best
moment was just swimming
in the ocean in the
sunshine.

> Tali Lennox-Fruchtmann, 22-yearold artist daughter of Scottish

singer-songwriter Annie Lennox,
was rescued after a kayaking
accident on the Hudson River in New
York State that claimed the life of
her boyfriend. The body of model
and photographer Ian Jones, 32, was
found two days later.
> Hopes that Britains obesity
problem can be tackled look
increasingly slim after news that the
number of kebab, pizza and fried
chicken outlets has risen by 50 per
cent since 1997 especially in
deprived areas.
> A swimmer had her arm torn off
after a 10ft alligator dragged her
underwater and tried to drown her in
a death roll in a river in Florida. The
37-year-old woman, who had
ignored warning signs, was rescued
minus her arm after kayakers
thrashed the alligator with their
paddles to force it to release her.
> Tokyos 2020 executive have
scrapped their Olympic and
Paralympic emblem after the
designer admitted his staff stole
designs from a beverage companys
promotional campaign.
> A record 3.3 million tickets for 23
sports at the Rio 2016 Paralympic
Games went on sale on September
7 a year to the day before the
opening ceremony. Prices range
from 2 to 215 for the most
expensive seats at the opening
ceremony. The authorised ticket
resellers for each country were due
to be announced on the rio2016.com
website around September 7 or 8
with the first purchase window open
until September 18.

Swimming Times

15

In Depth News Oct15 RGph.qxd_In Depth News 04/09/2015 11:17 Page 6

In Depth News
???

Rosie Rudin (right) and Georgia

Coates with their medals

> New five-year deal

for Arena League
The National Arena Swimming
Leagues 2015 season gets
underway on October 10 with
confirmation that Arena have
renewed their sponsorship deal for
another five years.
The deal, announced by the
swimwear companys UK
distributors Solo Sports Brands Ltd,
runs to 2020 and will include the
50th anniversary of the cup final in
April 2019.
It will also allow the League to
continue holding the B final and cup
final at noon on consecutive days
rather than morning and afternoon
on the same day, thus removing the
need for an overnight journey or a
costly overnight stay for many of
the 20 competing clubs.
Splitting the two finals, although
benefiting the clubs, has increased
the cost to the League but this has
been made possible due to the
generosity of the Arena support,
said a spokesperson.
League secretary Ian Mackenzie
said: This is great news for clubs
and athletes, ensuring the
continuance of the Arena League in
the format we now recognise and
that is accepted across England and
Wales. It is really encouraging that
the sponsorship is making a real
difference to the Arena brand,
justifying giving us their support.
Luca Belogi, Arenas general
manager of international business
development, said the partnership
which began in 2009 had proved
an important medium for the
brands visibility in the UK. As the
breeding ground for Britains future
champions, the NASL represents
the bedrock of swimming in the UK
and to be able to support the sport
at the local level gives us both great
satisfaction and exposure, he
added.
The NASL involves 16,000
swimmers in 400 teams competing
in seven leagues across England
and Wales between October and
December and culminating in the B
final and cup final in April.
This year all the local rounds will
be short-course to dovetail with
British Swimmings talent
guidelines. The national finals in
Cardiff on April 23-24 will remain
long-course.
Reigning champions Plymouth
Leander will begin the defence of
their seventh title against Exeter,
Bridgend, Swansea, West Wilts
Force 5 A and Swindon in the
Western Leagues Premier Division.
16

Swimming Times

World junior one-two

for Rosie and Georgia
Rosie Rudin broke the world
junior record to lead a British
one-two in the 400m IM at the
World Junior Championships in
Singapore.
The 17-year-old from Nova
Centurion recorded a winning time
of 4:39.01 to knock more than a
second off the previous record, set
by Ella Eastin of the USA in 2013.
City of Leeds Georgia Coates,
who had qualified fastest from the
heats, was also inside the old
record as she took the silver in
4:39.44.
It is the second time the pair
have stood side by side on an
international podium Rudin won
silver and Coates bronze in the
European Junior Championships
last year.
In the Singapore final, Rudin
turned eighth after the fly leg but
then used her superior backstroke
to storm through the field and was
leading by the 150m turn. Her split
for the backstroke was 1:08.35.
It was a lead she never lost.
Coates moved from fifth to

second in the second 200m.

Rudin, who also made the 200m
backstroke final and finished
seventh, said: It hasnt really sunk
in yet. My aim here was to get a PB
and I did that by nearly three
seconds. It was the first time in a
race that Ive heard the crowd and
it got my adrenaline going and
helped me to race.
Breaking the world junior
record was quite a shock. I didnt
realise until I heard the announcer.
My face as I heard that is just so
funny. My smile has never been
so wide.
Georgia and I know each other
quite well now and it was nice to
both get a medal and be in the
ceremony room together.
Rudin and Coates are now
fourth and fifth on the British alltime list behind international
medallists Hannah Miley, Aimee
Willmott and Keri-anne Payne.
Rudin was thrilled to receive
congratulations on Twitter and
Facebook from Miley and Willmott.
The next challenge for the rising
stars is to close the gap on them.

I just need to continue my

development and improve my
times. But next years Olympic
trials are in the back of my mind
now, said Rudin.
Coates, 16, went on to win
bronze in the 200m IM in 2:12.74.
This was one of five bronze
medals for Britain.
Two of these went to Stockport
Metros Katie Matts, who was third
in the 50m and 100m breaststroke
in 31.66 and 1:07.96 as well as sixth
in the 200m.
Luke Greenbank and Holly
Hibbott were the other medallists.
Greenbank, already a Youth
Olympics, European junior and
European Games medallist, added
to his collection with third place in
the 100m backstroke in 54.81. He
was also fourth in the 200m back.
Hibbott, the European Games
champion over 800m freestyle,
won bronze over the same
distance in Singapore in 8:31.56, a
championship record.
She was also fifth, sixth and
seventh in the 400 and 200m
freestyle and 200m butterfly
respectively.
Charlie Attwood made all three
mens breaststroke finals, coming
fifth in the 50 and 100m and
seventh over 200m.
Other finalists included
Cameron Kurle with fifth and sixth
in the 400 and 200m freestyle,
Martyn Walton with sixth in the
200m IM and Chloe Finch with
eighth in the 400m freestyle.
Kurle was just 0.03sec outside
the medals in the 400m as he
clocked 3:51.02.
Tim Jones, Britains head of
performance pathway, said: We
are pleased with this set of results.
The European Games was our
[junior] priority this year so we
took a smaller, slicker team to
Singapore and focussed on
individual events while not
entering relays.

Phelps posts world-beating times

Michael Phelps has said he is excited
about the upcoming Olympic year after
sensationally posting times in the US
nationals that would have won him
three gold medals in the world
championships in Kazan.
His 200m IM time of 1:54.75 in San
Antonio, Texas, was comfortably the
fastest in the world this year, the
fourth fastest of his career and just
0.75sec outside Ryan Lochtes world
record.

In the 100m fly, he went 50.45,

almost a second quicker than his
winning time at the London Olympics
and 0.11sec faster than Chad le Clos
winning time in Kazan.
He also clocked the worlds fastest
time of 2015 in the 200m butterfly,
1:52.94, not to mention a lifetime best
2:11.30 in the 200m breaststroke, his
weakest stroke.
Phelps, who was excluded from the
US team in Russia after a drink-driving

offence, tweeted from the US

nationals: Pumped up for the last two
nights! Had great swims. Excited for
the next two days and next year!
Coach Bob Bowman told
Swimvortex: Were ahead of schedule.
Just seeing him put up those kind of
times, it probably does change what I
thought might be possible in a year.
I thought he could get near his top
level. I wasnt sure it would happen
this quickly.
October 2015

In Depth News Oct15 RGph.qxd_In Depth News 04/09/2015 11:18 Page 7

The winning relay team with their coaches

Both won silver in their

respective 1500m open water
events at Long Beach with Wright,
from Essex, also collecting a
bronze in the 800m freestyle in
the pool.
Kelly, from Cheshire Penguins,
was fifth in his 800m freestyle
event.
Open water head coach Chris
Gourdji said: James and Jamie
have made significant history by
taking part, as this was the first
time open water has been an
official medal competition at
world level.
The ambition was to grab
whatever opportunity there was.
They excelled themselves by
facing challenges, well out of their

Last-day relay gold

tops GB medal spree
at World Games
A thrilling relay victory on the
final day topped a successful
campaign for Britains swimmers
at the Special Olympics World
Games in Los Angeles.

October 2015

Open water
medallists James
Wright (left) and
Jamie Kelly

Matt Allen starts the 50m backstroke

CPISRA Games christen 50m pool

Cerebral palsy swimmers
from six countries
christened Nottinghams
new 50m pool at the Harvey
Hadden Sports Village.
Englands Will HollandLeavens led the way at the
CPISRA World Games with
six gold medals in the S6
category, a tally matched
only by Australias Rachel
Staines, also S6.
Holland-Leavens, a
swimming teacher from
Salford, won his medals
across all four strokes and
the IM.
Englands 15-year-old
Maya Brisco made several
trips to the podium in the S9
classification, as did S5
swimmer Neil Smith.
Isaac Dunning of
Greenocks successes

included wins in the S9

100m backstroke and 50m
freestyle.
Sixteen-year-old Grace
Harvey from Ware in
Hertfordshire produced two
outstanding performances
in the SM7 IM, improving her
own British record to 3:18.2
in the heats before lowering
it again to 3:16.73sec in the
final.
She later won the SB6
100m breaststroke.
Other England successes
included wins by Ryan
Crouch of Essex in the S9
400m freestyle and SB8
100m breaststroke, Hayley
Milnes, Megan Short and
Ben Rees and Scotlands 39year-old Kirsty Brunton in
the S8 400m freestyle.
Ella Cooper-Holmes, 15,

Epic Action Imagery

The mixed 4x25m freestyle team

of Matt Allen, Corinna Beckett,
Michelle Moran and Jonathan
Taylour were lying fifth at the third
take-over but stormed home to
victory.
The team kept us on the edge of
our seats, said aquatics team
coach Emma Inglis.
The final two swimmers really
picked up the pace and swam for
their lives.
We ended up winning the race
and knocking another two seconds
off their personal best as a team.
All four of the relay swimmers
also won at least one individual
medal.
Lothians Moran provided the
teams first swimming medal of
the Games, a silver in the 50m
breaststroke.
She followed up later with
bronze in the 50m freestyle.
Beckett, from Sharks SC, also
won a silver medal, coming second
in the 100m freestyle as well as
sixth in the 100m backstroke.
Taylour, from Teesdale, won
silver in the 25m backstroke and
bronze in the 25m freestyle.
Allen, who swims for Swansea
Stingrays, won bronze in the 50m
backstroke and came fourth in the
100m freestyle.
It was an incredible and
brilliantly emotional World Games
for our swimmers and was
crowned by the relay gold on the

final day, said Inglis.

We had an amazing time and all
the swimmers have excelled in
every event.
Both I and Yvonne Anderson
[aquatics head coach] are so very
proud of each and every one of
them.
They have all grown in
confidence and have been able to
improve their communication
skills and their life skills as well as
their swimming ability.
Distance swimmers James
Wright and Jamie Kelly added
three medals to the tally between
them.

comfort zones, and winning

double silver.
These two guys are high
performing individuals of the
sport and serve as great
ambassadors.

Team CP Englands Benn Lunn

in the mens backstroke

showed her promise with a

good swim in the S7 100m
freestyle.
Cllr Dave Trimble,
Nottingham City Councils
portfolio holder for leisure
and culture, said: We were
delighted to play our part in
supporting this
international event ahead of

our official opening on

September 1. The 50m pool
is an iconic facility that will
further enhance our
reputation as a sporting
city. The council has
pledged to become the
fastest growing UK city for
disability sport
participation.

Swimming Times

17

In Depth News Oct15 RGph.qxd_In Depth News 04/09/2015 11:18 Page 8

In Depth News
Masters world record-breaker
Emma Gage with her five medals

Debutant Emma sets

pace in world masters
From a place youve never heard
of, a championship youll never
forget. Kazan 2016 was the first
attempt by FINA at conjoining
the elite and the masters world
championships and, from the
masters point of view, it was a
raging success. Ill offer more
thoughts on this experiment
next month.
From Britain, only about 50
competitors made the trip to the
FINA World Masters
Championships but we were still
able to command some impressive
results. The tally of 16 gold, 20
silver and 14 bronze medals
compares favourably with the 19
gold, 19 silver and 22 bronze from
Montreal last year, where we had
about three times as many
swimmers, and Ricciones tally of
14 gold and 68 medals in total with
about 300 swimmers in 2102.
Trafford Metros Emma Gage
was the standout British
performer on her debut on the
world masters stage. She had the
meet of her life, winning five
medals three gold and two silver.
It was not that remarkable a medal
count but her performances to
achieve these results were
breathtaking.
Swimming in the 25-29 age
group, Emma won both the 100m
freestyle and the 50m fly in world
record times with 56.96 and 27.10,
which were personal bests by over
a second and 0.99sec respectively.
She added the 50m freestyle
title in a European record time of
25.73, a PB by half-a-second. The
200m IM brought her a silver
medal and a fourth PB.
18

Swimming Times

But her 100m fly was perhaps

the most astonishing swim of the
week. Although it produced only a
silver medal, her 1:01.93 was a PB
by almost 2.5 seconds almost a
second under the previous world
record. The winner, Anna
Pokliakova, had represented
Russia in the elite championships
the previous week.
This was simply staggering

year. The clinching factor was that

having won all three breaststroke
events in Montreal last year, she
felt cheated that she could only
call herself world champion for a
mere 12 months. Di easily
defended her three titles in the 7074 age group and added a fourth
gold as member of Spencers
280yrs mixed freestyle team.
Another defending champion
was Eastbournes David Cumming.
Not one to let the small matter of a
broken rib five weeks before the
event spoil his chances, David
successfully retained the 75-79yrs
400 IM title and a win in the 100 fly
and a silver medal in the 50 fly
hopefully made up for a cruel
disqualification in the 200 fly.
Truros Graeme Milne won his
first world titles in the 60-64yrs
50 and 100 fly and was runner-up
in the 50 back. He was joined on
the podium for his presentation in
the 100 fly by Teddingtons Steve
Folsom, who secured the bronze.
FINA journalist Derek Parr,
swimming for Broomfield Park,
won gold in the 70-74yrs 100 fly,
silver in the 50 and 200 fly and
bronze in the 400 IM.
Swimming for Spencer, Ivan

and narrowly pipping her teammate Esther Iseppi for a British

one-two in the 200 breast.
Esther went on to win two more
silver medals in the 100 fly and the
400 IM and took a bronze behind
yours truly, swimming for Consett,
in the 50 breaststroke.
Jean Howard-Jones (Spencer)
won at least one medal of each
colour gold in the 70-74yrs 50
free, silver in the 100 and 200 free
and a bronze medal in the 400m.
Claire Willison of Bognor Regis
won medals in all five of her
events silver in the 60-64yrs 50
and 100 free, 50 fly and 200 IM
and bronze in the 200 back.
There were some questionable
refereeing decisions and Claire
was extremely unlucky in the 50
butterfly. After a flyer in her event,
she eventually followed the rest of
the swimmers into the water,
popped up to see if there had been
a recall, swam a couple of strokes
of freestyle, then set off like a
rocket closing a three-metre lead
to a matter of centimetres.
While technically she was right
to have been DQd, its hard to say
that she gained any advantage
from that.

Many of the British medallists in Kazan

swimming from someone who

gave up at the age of 15 and was
tempted back into the water last
November to swim the masters
inter-county.
Emma credits her success to
her CrossFit training in the gym
where she works, QDos Fitness in
Manchester, and to Trafford Metro
Masters.
Vying for top British swimmer
was Di Ford of Spencer. Di has
attended and medalled in all 15 of
the previous world championships,
and was undecided as to whether
or not she would compete this

Nechunaev celebrated a world

title in the 25-29yrs 400 IM and
bronze medals in the 50 and 100
fly before flying off to visit his
family in Siberia.
Other mens podium places
came in the 50 fly through Masai
Jahbari Zebe-Chaka of Plymouth
Leander in the 35-39 age group
and Spyrakis Georgallides from
Birmingham Masters in the 50-59
age group.
Spencers Amanda Heath was
another swimmer who completed
a world championship double,
winning the 55-59yrs 100 breast

In the 75-79 age group, Janet

Masters of South Bedfordshire
Masters won bronze medals in the
50 and 100 fly and silver in the 100
back and the 200 IM.
In the same age group, Sandra
Lea from Inverness took a bronze
medal in the 50 back.
Jade Perry of Rochford and
District won double bronze in the
30-34yrs 50 and 100 back and the
Spencer womens 240 years team
made it two silver medals in both
of their relays.
Verity Dobbie
October 2015

In Depth News Oct15 RGph.qxd_In Depth News 04/09/2015 11:18 Page 9

> Historic pools body

launched

Mount Kelly swimmers celebrate the

news that theyre to get a 50m pool

Mount Kelly to get 50m pool at last

Work is underway on
construction of an eight-lane
50m pool at Mount Kelly, the
school at Tavistock, Devon,
formerly known as Kelly College.
Work is expected to take a year and
the pool should be open at the
start of the school term in
September next year.
This 5m to 6m project has
been made possible by Sport
England National Lottery funding
of over 700,000.
Sport England are also
contributing the pool tank and
infrastructure.
It will be the fifth 50m pool in the
South West following the opening
of Millfield, Bath University,
Plymouth and Bristol over the last
25 years.
Headmaster Mark Semmence
said: This significant investment in
the future of the school and for
sport regionally would not have
been possible without the support
of Sport England.
Sport is, of course, very
important for the school,
especially swimming, and this
project means we can attract the
very best swimming talent
nationally and internationally.
I expect our pool to become a
hub in the South West for
nurturing outstanding talent.
The pool, which has been subject
to years of discussion and
planning, will be used for longcourse training for Mount Kelly
pupils, local and regional state
schools and swimming clubs from
around the UK.
It will also provide access to ASAOctober 2015

accredited swim school

programmes for learner
swimmers.
The successful programme of
visits by primary schools to the
existing Mount Kelly pool will be
greatly expanded.
Currently, almost 350 local
children enjoy swimming lessons
at the school and this number is
expected to increase significantly.
Here at Mount Kelly, our
sporting programmes form an
integral part of the overall
educational experience, creating a
culture in which the level of
commitment and dedication
required to excel are not
considered out of the ordinary but
are qualities to which everyone can
aspire, said Mr Semmence.
I am particularly delighted that
the new pool will enable Mount
Kelly to work more closely with the
local and regional community, as
60 per cent of the usage of the
pool is designated for local state
schools and swimming clubs.
Mount Kelly has a long tradition
of shaping the careers of elite
swimmers, including 60
internationals and the winners of
six Olympic and nine

An artists impression of the new

pool complex at Mount Kelly

Commonwealth medals.
It also has a good track record in
para-swimming with Kelly
swimmers winning five medals at
both the Beijing and London
Paralympics.
The schools director of
swimming and performance, Robin
Brew, himself an Olympian, said:
The addition of a 50m pool on-site
is transformational.
It will allow us to make an
increasingly significant
contribution to high performance
swimming in the UK.
We provide a launchpad for
swimmers and offer a progressive
and individually tailored
programme allowing each pupil to
reach their true potential at the
right time for them while also
contributing to the collective goal
of national, international and
Olympic success.
High-profile ex-pupils include
Sharron Davies and Andy
Jameson, both Olympic medallists
and now members of BBC TVs
swimming commentary team.
Davies said: I am thrilled. This is
a big step forward for British
swimming and will be an important
part of the Olympic legacy.

A national organisation representing

the interests of Britains historic
swimming pools and lidos will be
launched in London on September 30.
Historic Pools of Britain will offer a
shared voice for the hundreds of
indoor and outdoor pools in the UK,
mostly pre-dating 1939. It aims to help
individuals, community groups and
organisations involved in the
protection, restoration and operation
of heritage baths across the country.
It also sets out to celebrate these
buildings to put the spotlight on their
contribution to the nations social and
architectural history and to recognise
the important roles they continue to
play in our communities today.
Members also plan to create a
central database documenting the
hundreds of historic swimming pool
buildings in the UK.
Gill Wright, founder member and
spokesperson for Historic Pools of
Britain, says: This is an opportunity
above all else to share our knowledge
and experience through better
connectivity between everyone
involved in the rescue, restoration and
running of historic swimming pools,
from small community groups through
to larger operating companies and
local authorities.
Many of the countrys heritage
baths are in a fragile state. Of 116 that
are listed buildings, only 52 are
operational or in the process of being
refurbished. The efforts to save and
preserve them are often in the hands
of a few dedicated individuals, whose
voices struggle to be heard.
For more information or to join
Historic Pools of Britain, email
[email protected].

> ASA priority ticket

offer for Euro 2016
The ASA is offering affiliated clubs and
their members priority access to
tickets for the LEN European Aquatics
Championships at the London Aquatics
Centre from May 9-22 next year.
Most of Europes aquatic athletes
including the whole of Britains
Olympic swimming team are
expected to use the championships as
part of their preparations for Rio 2016
later in the year.
GB head coach, Bill Furniss, said:
We are going to take the Olympic team
there and thatll be a good preparation
meet for us.
People can register their interest at
www.euroaquatics2016.london/
register. Tickets go on sale during
September.
Swimming Times

19

In Depth Tools of trade Oct15EDITED2 RGph_Tools of the trade 04/09/2015 11:12 Page 1

In Depth Reviews

Tools
of the trade

WIN
IT!
To be in with a chance of winning a pair of Beats by Dre
headphones retailing at 329, and a 50 iTunes gift card, email
us as indicated opposite to: [email protected]
Or send a letter to: Swimming Times, Pavilion 3, SportPark,
3 Oakwood Drive, Loughborough, Leics LE11 3QF
Closing date: October 19, 2015

Soundtrack
to success
We all know how noisy
and chaotic it can be on
poolside. No wonder we
often see athletes
adopting personal
headphones, especially
prior to competition.
But is it just about
blocking out external
noise or is more at stake?
Choosing what to listen to ahead of that allimportant event can depend on the state of
mind you are hoping to reach just prior to the
start. For some, it is about keeping nervous
energy under control and getting on top of
pre-event jitters whereas, for others, it is a
means of getting themselves into the right
mode, psyching-up, and creating high levels
of self-confidence.

Tempo
This, of course, can determine the tempo of
music choice a higher tempo is more likely
to be useful for psyching-up athletes. A lower
tempo may have a calming effect, helping
some to control the nerves. But we all
approach situations differently.
For synchronised swimmers, it is a slightly
different scenario as the music is part of the
sport itself. Seventeen-year-old British
athlete Genevieve Randall reveals: Prior to
competing, I spend a lot of time listening to
and walking through my routine music so
often cant indulge myself and listen to what I
want. Often before and during a figures

20

Swimming Times

competition, I will listen to my own choice of

music. I like Jay Z and Beyonc, Catfish and
the Bottlemen and a bit of Birdy.

Standout song
From a team perspective and in the lead-up
to the European Games in Baku, we asked
members of Great Britains under-17 girls
water polo team (pictured above) to share
their dressing room soundtrack. The problem
with playlists in team sports is pleasing
everyone but there was one standout song
among the water polo girls. As a team we like
to listen to Eye of the Tiger (by Survivor)
before a match. That gets us really pumped
up, says Devonport Royals Bethany Ward.

Pumped up
Menzieshill and Whitehall club player
Hannah Edwards explains: We all put songs
on a speaker and listen together before a
game and then put on a song each thats
how we all get pumped up.
Danica Brazier
Age: 16
Club: Chelmsford
Pre-match music: Anything by Shakira. Just
loads of upbeat songs to get us in the zone.

Kathy Rogers
Age: 16
Clubs: Christchurch Seagulls, London Otter,
Southampton
Pre-match music: A bit of Eminem upbeat
stuff.
Lara Partridge
Age: 17
Club: Crawley
Pre-match music: More Than Anything by
Rudimental featuring Emeli Sande and I also
quite like Changing by Sigma featuring
Paloma Faith.
Lucy Shaw
Age: 16
Club: Liverpool
Pre-match music: I like David Guetta
featuring Emeli Sande and What I Did for
Love.
Mhairi Nurthen
Age: 17
Club: London Otter
Pre-match music: Im into pop and rock or
anything quite alternative, so my song of
choice before a competition would be Art of
War by We the Kings.

October 2015

In Depth Tools of trade Oct15EDITED2 RGph_Tools of the trade 04/09/2015 11:12 Page 2

Discover the headphones

Are you convinced that it is a pair of headphones and a playlist of motivational
music that is missing from your pre-swim routine? If so, discover the features
behind some of the most popular headphones available for purchase.

FAVOURITE OF
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Studio Wireless Over-Ear

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Features
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Available in a range of colours

Sony MDR-1ABT
High-resolution audio Bluetooth
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Enables high quality wireless listening via
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Features
Ultra-wide frequency
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Touch sensor control on the earpads
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Pressure-relieving earpads: soft leather
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Take your music anywhere: a sliding metal
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make it easy to store your headphones in
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Price: 299.00 www.sony.co.uk

October 2015

Bose QuietComfort 25
Acoustic Noise
Cancelling headphones
Around-ear, noise cancelling headphone
Bose engineers placed microphones inside
and outside the earcup to better sense and
measure unwanted sounds. Measurements
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exclusive to Bose, that calculates a more
precise equal and opposite noise
cancellation signal. Experts at Bose say:
Distractions instantly fade away, even in the
most demanding environments.

Features
Lightweight around-ear fit
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Available in black or white, each with blue
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Price and availability: 269.95 at Bose
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Price and availability:

329.95
Beats by Dr Dre
is available
through the
Apple store.

WIN
IT!

Need to get inspired

and motivated for
your next sporting
encounter?
Our top prize this month is a pair of
Beats by Dr Dre headphones and a
50 iTunes gift card to spend on the
music that inspires you the most.
Two runners-up will each win an
iTunes gift card worth 50!
To enter, simply email your name
and address and the words let the
music motivate me by October 19, to
[email protected].
*Winners will be drawn at random
from entries received.
*Style/colour may differ from image.

Swimming Times

21

Tools of trade Aquazone OCT15 RG 2p.qxd_Tools of the trade 04/09/2015 10:44 Page 1

In Depth Reviews

Tools
of the trade

Are your young athletes AquaZoners yet?

Parents: are your nine- to 15-year-olds ASA category 2 members? Clubs: does your
club include these competing young athletes? Do they know about AquaZone,
the free secure online social network just for them?
Whats in it for young athletes?
Regular swimming, diving, synchro and water
polo stories, monthly competitions, their
letters published on the site, the opportunity
to comment on and like stories, and
interviews with their favourite athletes.
They will be part of their own club hub and
have the ability to shout about PBs and
medals, unlock and earn achievement badges
for their profile, post status updates for
friends, follow friends and get friends
recommendations in a timeline.

Is it safe?

What is AquaZone?
Its an interactive online magazine and
community exclusively for nine- to 15-yearold ASA category 2 athletes at English clubs.
Packed with news, interviews, features,
readers letters and competitions, it has
evolved from the paper-based Aqua Zone
that used to be posted out every three
months to members.

How do youngsters access the site?

They will need to go to
www.swimming.org/aquazone and register.
Once registered, they will use a username
and password for subsequent visits.
During registration, kids will be asked to
enter a parental email address. Parents will
then be able to click a link in the email if they
do not wish their child to use the site.

22

Swimming Times

Security is taken extremely seriously. Access

is linked to the ASA membership database, a
parental email is required for registration
with the option of clicking a link if parents
would prefer their child not to use the site.
AquaZone has a full-time moderator
continually monitoring the site as well as a

report button accessible from all areas.

The moderator also spot-tests accounts to
ensure the community is safe.
AquaZone works with the Child Protection
in Sport Unit (CPSU) and ASA child
safeguarding experts to ensure the right
safeguards are in place.
The site has been highlighted in a recent
news story by the CPSU and shared as an
example of good practice. (Visit
www.thecpsu.org.uk and search for
aquazone to read more)
Head to the AquaZone parents page for
more information including a video and the
sites Acceptable Use Policy (known as Pool
Rules).
If you have any questions for the AquaZone
team: use the form on the contact page at
swimming.org/aquazone or email
[email protected].

Amazing autumn
competition for clubs

PRIZE
DRAW

AquaZone is giving away a fantastic prize for ASA clubs.

Encourage 50 per cent or more of your young athletes to sign up to AquaZone and your
club will be automatically entered into the autumn prize draw.
Your young athletes could even win themselves an iPad!
More details will be released soon - but dont delay, and encourage
your young athletes to sign up now.

October 2015

SAFE AND
SECURE

ARE YOUR
YOUNG ATHLETES
AQUAZONERS YET?
AquaZone is the ASAs free online network
for category 2 athletes aged 9-15
Access members can read
ad exclusive interviews,
articles and news, plus enter great competitions.
Get social they can chat with club friends,
share PB stories and support each other.
Safe and secure parents
ents have the ability to
control access.

WIN PRIZES
FOR YOUR CLUB
Encourage 50% or more of your young
athletes to sign up to AquaZone and your
club will automatically be entered into our
autumn prize draw. Your young athletes
could even win an iPad for themselves!

PASS IT ON!

SWIMMING.ORG/AQUAZONE
AZ ad A4.indd 1

04/09/2015 10:02

Teaching Pool Oct15 RGph.qxd_Teaching Pool 03/09/2015 10:25 Page 1

Teaching pool

Teaching Pool
Dave Jarvis continues his offbeat observations on
swimming from many different angles

to victory parades, eye and ear

infections, countless varieties of
viruses not yet discovered, pep
rallies and to being psyched out.
On the blocks, the swimmer is a
coward besieged by buzzing
butterflies; in the pool, he or she
can be a conquering hero.
This is a squad swimmer. You
may take them out of the race, or
out of a pool, but you can never
take out of their heart and mind
the great lessons of life that both
the sport of swimming and their
coach give them. You can get them
out of your sight but you can never
get them out of your hair, nor out
of their bed on Sunday morning
after a gala.

have always worked on the

theory that if you are teaching
50 pupils frontcrawl breathing,
you must have 50 gimmicks at
your disposal. Not everyone will
grasp or be physically capable of
doing them all, let alone 49 of
them. But if one works for one
pupil, then youve achieved your
goal and theirs.
Similarly, not every method will
work for every instructor or for
every individual but if one works
for one of the 50, then you are
doing your job successfully. It has
all been worthwhile. You have job
satisfaction and each individual
you spend time with will always
appreciate your interest in them.
I have always concentrated on
teaching techniques and carrying
them through, revising them often
and mostly using games, stories,
expressions and anecdotes that
will make them easier to
remember and more natural to
accomplish. For me, swimming
hundreds of lengths is no
accomplishment if the technique is
not correct, not legal or is hard
work rather than enjoyable. Thats
not swimming. Its not Newtons
third law action to reaction;
whichever way you push the water
you will move in the opposite
direction. If techniques are not

24

Swimming Times

continued or the swimmer

becomes lazy, bad habits develop
and are difficult to get rid of.
When teaching, I tend to stress
points with verbal pictures, such as
crocodile, monkey-mouse
(breaststroke arms), open your
mouth wide to breath in like a big
hippopotamus. Periodically, I come
across adults that I taught as
youngsters and they remind me:
50p between the knees, Newtons
third law action to reaction and
so on.

swimmers minds with challenges,

goals and ambitions. Some
swimmers are reduced to reciting
pop songs, poetry, kings and
queens of England and dates.
I have found, during the 40-plus
years of my teaching/coaching
career, that all the many thousands
of swimmers I have been involved
with have all been special people
polite, unselfish, moral and loyal
people, virtues not often found in
other sporting activities. Chlorine
does have its good side after all.

Swimming: why?

What is a swimmer?

Swimming is not the be-all and

end-all of the world. There are
other things in life. But it should be
a fun activity. The deep friendships
that develop in the pool always
astound me. These athletes are
working their hearts out in training
sessions with very short stops to
get some breath in their lungs,
then theyre off again and yet in
those few seconds (and they are
only seconds, 30 at most) they get
to know each other, discuss school,
home, homework, pop songs and
build strong friendships.
It can be extremely boring
ploughing up and down the pool
when the only things to be seen
are the tiles and the swim channel
so it is up to the coach to fill

A squad swimmer is a drip-dry

child with chlorine in his eyes,
water in her ears, a coach on his
back and butterflies in her belly. A
swimmer is a constant
contradiction of many moods.
When they swim and win, they are
jubilant; when they lose, they are
dejected and ready to give up.
A swimmer likes warm water,
cold chicken, slow stop-watches,
fast pools, short-course races, long
rests, large portions of chips,
coaches (sometimes) and winning
at all times.
A swimmer hates extra laps,
school hours, shaving down, bad
sports, stroke and turn judges, cold
showers and losing.
A swimmer is highly susceptible

A coachs psychology
When I was coach to a swimming
club, I would compile a list of
challenges depending on age,
gender, distance, strokes. When a
swimmer achieved the required
standard, they would be presented
with a cloth star to sew on their
tracksuit top or towel. They would,
in this way, collect a galaxy of stars.
And then as coach, I would give
them a small galaxy chocolate bar.
At galas, it was always
interesting to see the envy and
adoration of the other club
swimmers towards the starstudded opposition.
One of the challenges was to
swim the Channel during training
sessions, to encourage them to
turn up for training. I would also
run time trials prior to galas; if you
didnt turn up for the time trial, you
didnt compete in the gala. This
gave a chance to those who turned
up regularly for practice sessions
as opposed to those who thought
they would be automatically
chosen. Not by me they wouldnt!
At away galas, I would even take
a plastic bottle of water from our
home pool and ceremoniously
pour it along the lane we would be
using so the club would be
swimming comfortably in water
they were used to!
October 2015

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Feature - IoS OCT15 RGph.qxd_Final Five inside out 03/09/2015 10:21 Page 1

IoS Training

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

Supporting the Charter

he English Federation of
Disability Sport (EFDS)
launched its Charter for
Change to help make an
active lifestyle not just a
possibility but a part of the
everyday lives of disabled
people.
The IoS share the same view
as EFDS, that disabled people
should have exactly the same
opportunities as non-disabled
people to lead a healthy and
happy, physically active life.
Physical activity changes
peoples lives for the better,
regardless of their age, ability,
impairment or social or cultural
background. For those who have
an impairment, it can increase
independence, confidence and
help to counter things like
loneliness and depression.
Swimming is one of the best
forms of activity for people with
physical or mental impairments.
Water supports up to 90 per cent
of your bodyweight, so no
additional aids or supports are
necessary to start swimming.
Each week over 400,000
disabled adults take to the water
for at least 30 minutes and
consistently say that swimming
is their sport of choice. This is
why the ASA and the IoS are fully
supporting EFDS in all three aims
of its A Charter for Change.
For the IoS, perhaps the most
poignant aim is the first in the

26

Swimming Times

EFDS Charter:
Everyone involved in
providing sport or physical
activity will support disabled
people to participate.
This is why the IoS not only
encourages all its teachers and
tutors to upskill so they can
deliver the best quality teaching
provision to people with
impairments but is always
improving its CPD courses to
ensure they are at the forefront
of the industry.
We want a fully inclusive
workforce that can support and
encourage any swimmer from a
young age right through their
swimming career, and all those
people of any age who are taking
to the water for the first time. We
need to ensure that all learn-toswim programmes and affiliated
clubs are providing the best
possible service by having fully
trained staff.
The first course in our suite of
disability CPDs is the new
Visually Impaired Friendly
Swimming CPD. The online
i-Learn course has been
developed by the IoS in
partnership with British Blind
Sport, Action for Blind People
and New College Worcester.
The i-Learn course will provide
guidance and ideas for
facilitating swimming sessions
that are fully accessible for
people with a visual impairment.

It contains a series of
interactive activities that will
enable coaches, teachers,
parents and carers to develop a
better understanding of the
needs of people with a visual
impairment, and how to use their
current skills and knowledge to
meet those individual needs.
The i-Learn will also give the
learner an understanding of the
different classifications of visual
impairment and where they can
go to get further support.
The IoS have ensured that the
i-Learn works with a screen
reader and is fully accessible for
users with a visual impairment.
Tim Reddish, chair of the
British Paralympic Association
and Paralympic swimming
medallist, said: It is hugely
important to have a resource
available that develops, mentors
and educates teachers and

coaches to deliver a positive

experience for visually impaired
swimmers. While swimming
teachers and coaches have the
technical skills to enable them to
both teach and coach swimming,
this CPD will enable them to
communicate, engage and adapt
their technical skills to facilitate
the visually impaired swimmer.
The content of the CPD is
delivered through an easy-to-use
e-learning module with a number
of activities to enable positive
learning. It was also great that I
was able to access it through my
screen reader on my PC.
Find out more and book your
place at:
http://j.mp/VISwimmingCPD
The Visually Impaired Friendly
Swimming i-Learn is the first in
an upcoming series exploring
disability in swimming which
also includes:
Deaf Friendly Swimming
www.theiosonline.com
Introduction to Paraswimming (coming soon)

October 2015

AVAILABLE
NOW

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Friendly Swimming

A new interactive online CPD (i-Learn) has been developed by the IoS in partnership
with British Blind Sport, Action for Blind People and New College Worcester. This
i-Learn aims to provide support, ideas and guidance for anyone involved with
swimming on how to include people with a visual impairment more effectively.

The i-Learn contains a series

of interactive activities that
will enable coaches, teachers,
parents and carers to:
Have a better understanding of
the needs of people with a visual
impairment
Apply their skills and knowledge
to meet the needs of people with
a visual impairment
Understand the various
classifications of visual impairment
Understand where they can obtain
further support

The Visually Impaired Friendly

Swimming i-Learn is one of three in the
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Deaf Friendly Swimming
Introduction to Para-swimming
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04/09/2015 10:07

Feature - KAZAN RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 16:00 Page 1

FROM RUSSI

Britains mixed medley relay world

champions (l-r) Fran Halsall, Chris
Walker-Hebborn, Adam Peaty and
Siobhan-Marie OConnor

Feature - KAZAN RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 16:01 Page 2

I A WITH GOLD

Five gold and four other medals

made Kazan Britains best-ever
long-course world championships.
Roger Guttridge reports. Pictures
by Alex Whitehead of SWpix.com

Feature - KAZAN RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 15:53 Page 3

SWIMMING

Adam Peaty (right) and

Ross Murdoch with
their gold and bronze
medals from the
100m breaststroke

ritains swimmers left

Kazan with a record
number of world
championship medals
in their swimbags, the
sweet sounds of
success still ringing in their ears
and, perhaps most important, the
scent of future glory implanted in
their nostrils. With more events in
the programme these days and
more nations in a position to
contest them, comparisons are
difficult but, by any definition, this
was the finest British performance
at a world championships. Nine
medals was a record, topping the
tallies of eight in Colombia in 1975
and Barcelona in 2003. Both those
competitions yielded only two
golds for Britain; this time there
were five, putting them fourth on
the medals table behind the USA,
Australia and China. There were
also two world records, both

B
30

Swimming Times

bringing substantial cash rewards

for their breakers. And all this just
two years after the last world
championships, from which Britain
emerged battered and bruised with
only Fran Halsalls last-day bronze
to show for their efforts.

He is like a soldier going over the

top of the trench. You can shoot at
him but you wont stop him

Turnaround
Barcelona 2013 was the first meet
for national performance director
Chris Spice and head coach Bill
Furniss and even they have been
surprised by the speed and extent
of the turnaround, which cannot all
be put down to the natural ebb and
flow of sport.
Its been a great week. Nine
medals and five golds is
tremendous, said Furniss. Its a big
move forwards. Chris and I had a
watching brief in Barcelona. We
knew after that there were quite a
few things we needed to address.
Weve raised the bar in terms of

selection for the team and in what

we expect and in terms of
performances. We have changed
the whole culture of our team. The
last night was a tougher session for
us. We got a couple of fourth
places and were disappointed with
them and that shows the progress
weve made. There are positives all
round but lots of work still to do
ahead of Rio but were moving in
the right direction.
Furniss said early medal success
in Kazan from Adam Peaty and
James Guy helped to set the tone
for the meet. The mentality is

infectious, success is infectious

and so is belief, he said. The whole
team is sharing this. They are
racing more and getting harder to
beat. I dont want to worry about
the opposition I want them to
worry about us. What I would urge,
though, is that its going to be more
difficult. Weve seen just how
difficult it is and I think we can add
10 to 15 per cent to that next year
in Rio. We have to move on. We
have to have a break and then
straight back to it on the front foot
and we have to improve in the next
12 months leading into Rio. If we
October 2015

Feature - KAZAN RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 15:53 Page 4

FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS | KAZAN

Adam Peaty confirms his

world ranking after winning
the 50m breaststroke

dont do that, well have problems

next year.
We hit most of our targets in
Kazan and some would say we are
in front of where we need to be. We
have a hard year of training and
racing ahead of us. Weve got the
European Championships in
London next May. We are going to
take the Olympic team there and
thatll be a good preparation meet
for us.

Olympic events
An encouraging statistic that
Furniss did not mention is that
seven of the British medals in
Russia came in Olympic events, the
exceptions being the golds won by
Adam Peaty in the 50m
breaststroke and the mixed medley
relay team. But if the head coach
needs statistics to support his note
of caution ahead of Rio 2016, he
will not have to look far. At
Colombia 1975, Britains eight
medals won from a programme of
only 29 events (there were 42 in
Kazan) converted into three (one
of each colour) in the Montreal
Olympics the following year. And
after winning two gold, three silver
and three bronze at Barcelona
2003, the team collected just two >
October 2015

Adam Peaty
acknowledges the
crowd after receiving
his 50m breaststroke
gold medal

Ten-year-old sets age record

A 10-year-old girl from Bahrain swam
the 50m butterfly in Kazan, making
her the youngest competitor in the
history of the FINA World
Championships.
Tareq, whose mother is Scottish,
came last out of 64 with a time of
41.13sec. But she managed to get her
picture taken with her idol Sarah
Sjostrom and shared a warm-up lane
with Missy Franklin.
I was a bit nervous walking out
Ive never swum in front of so many
spectators, she said.
The other swimmers are often
surprised. They ask me my name and
how old I am and then they are like,
Are you swimming here?
She added: I feel so happy. I want
to learn the techniques and how they
swim.
Britains Fran Halsall described
Tareq as dinky.
Good on her for having a go, she
said.
The USAs Franklin added: Shes the
cutest thing Ive seen in my life. Every
time she sees me, she gives me the
biggest smile.

Golden romance
When Chris Walker-Hebborn and
Siobhan-Marie OConnor contributed
to Britains historic win in the
inaugural mixed 4x100m medley relay,
they became the first boyfriend and
girlfriend to win a major international
swimming medal in the same event.

Sisters in arms
When Australian sisters Bronte and
Cate Campbell (above) respectively
won gold and bronze in the 100m
freestyle, they became the first
siblings in the championships 42-year
history to stand side by side on the
podium. Cate was the previous winner
of the title in 2013.

Swimming Times

31

Feature - KAZAN RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 15:54 Page 5

SWIMMING

Siobhan-Marie OConnor,
Adam Peaty (centre) and
Chris Walker-Hebborn
embrace after Fran Halsall
completes their mixed
medley relay victory

Threes a crowd
Kazan produced the world
championships first three-way tie for
a medal when Rikki Moller Pedersen of
Denmark, Jessica Vall of Spain and Shi
Jinglin of China came joint third in the
200m breaststroke in 2:22.76.
Gold went to Kanake Watanabe of
Japan in 2:21.15 and silver to Micah
Lawrence of the USA in 2:22.44.

Ryans run
Ryan Lochtes 200m IM victory made
him only the second man to win the
same long-course world
championship title four times running.
The American (above) first won the
event in Rome in 2009 and followed
up with second and third gold medals
at Shanghai 2011 and Barcelona 2013.
The feat matches Australian Grant
Hacketts four successive victories in
the 1500m freestyle between 1998
and 2005.
But Hungarys Daniel Gyurta,
winner of the 200m breaststroke in
2009, 2011 and 2013, had to settle for
bronze in Kazan behind Marco Koch of
Germany and American Kevin Cordes.

Katies fab four

Katie Ledeckys (pictured) world
record-shattering victory in the 800m
freestyle was not only her fifth gold of
the championships but made her the
first swimmer of either gender to win
the four longest freestyle titles
200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m. She
was also named female swimmer of
the meet.

32

Swimming Times

October 2015

Feature - KAZAN RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 15:54 Page 6

FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS | KAZAN

James Guy celebrates

his 200m freestyle
win in style and (right)
on the podium

I never thought Id race Ryan

head-to-head like that hes one
of my heroes. Im so happy
< bronze medals in Athens 12 months
later won by Steve Parry and
David Davies, neither of whom had
medalled in Spain.
Another interesting statistic
across the championships of 1975,
2003 and 2015 is that, in each case,
three of Britains medals came in
the mens breaststroke. David
Wilkie won the 100 and 200m in
Colombia with David Leigh taking
the 100m bronze. In Barcelona
2003, James Gibson won 50m gold
and 100m bronze while Ian
Edmond took the 200m silver. But
while Wilkie went on to follow up
his 1975 winnings with gold and
October 2015

silver in the Montreal Olympics the

following year, Gibson and Edmond
were unable to convert their
Barcelona success to the podium in
Athens. The hope for the mens
breaststroke this time is that
Britain has not only the worlds
fastest sprinter but strength in
depth like never before. You can be
in the world top five in any of the
three distances and still not make
the team.

Breaststroke depth
The world was given a glimpse of
that depth in the 100m final in
Kazan, where gold medallist Peaty

was joined on the podium by Ross

Murdoch, who took the bronze
behind Cameron van der Burgh.
For a while it looked as if the
pressure might have got to Peaty,
who made a painfully slow start
and was 0.41sec behind the South
African at the turn and even
further outside world record pace.
But the 20-year-old has
phenomenal speed through the
water and he caught the Olympic
champion on the second length
before edging ahead on the final
stroke to win by 0.07sec in 58.52,
0.6sec outside the world record he
set in London in April. Murdoch,
the Commonwealth champion over
200m, was half-a-second behind
van der Burgh in 59.09.
I turned and saw his feet and I
was like, Right, Ive got some
catching up to do, said Peaty.
About 25 metres out, he was still in
front so I was a bit sceptical but I
remember what I had trained for
it was for moments like this and I
managed to come out on top,
thankfully.
Coach Mel Marshall colourfully
commented: He is like a soldier
going over the top of the trench.
You can shoot at him but you wont
stop him moving forward. He is
fearless.
Murdoch said: Im a back-end
swimmer, a 200m swimmer. I cant
follow those boys out in the first
50m so I have to work to my
strength tonight and play it down
the back end. Ive had illness this
year, which meant I didnt qualify
for the 200m, and that was a little
upsetting. But Ive had the focus on
the 100m to try and develop the
front end for the 200m next year
and, as much as Im pleased with
a world bronze medal here,

this isnt the end.

Peatys win was the first of five
gold medals for Britain and the
first of three in three days for the
City of Derby swimmer. He was
back in the water the following day
when, having lost his 50m
breaststroke world record to van
der Burghs 26.62 in the heats, he
regained it in style with 26.42 in
the semi-finals. Twenty-four hours
later, he became the first man to
achieve the 50m-100m
breaststroke double at a world
championships, going under the
old world records again to win the
one-length dash in 26.51, 0.15sec
ahead of van der Burgh.

Innovation
Barely an hour after adding the
jam to his bread and butter, Peaty
joined Chris Walker-Hebborn,
Siobhan-Marie OConnor and Fran
Halsall to make toast of the
opposition in the inaugural mixed
4x100m medley relay. Certain
purists have looked down their
noses at this latest FINA innovation
(Australia didnt even enter a team)
but sport at this level is about
entertainment, and this is arguably
the most entertaining event in the
programme. Its even more fun
when you win and Britain are now
the first world and European
champions, having taking the
inaugural LEN title in Berlin last
year, when Jemma Lowe swam the
fly leg.
In Kazan, Walker-Hebborn gave
the team a good start with a
backstroke split of 52.94 to hand
over second to Peaty. The
breaststroke world champion then
sped past early leaders China,
recording a split of 57.98, the
quickest by 0.65sec. Russia and
Italy had men on the fly leg but
OConnors 57.02 was the quickest
of the six women while Halsalls
53.77 was the equal quickest of the
seven female freestylers. A world
record time of 3:41.71 made Britain
world champions by 1.56sec from
silver medallists, the USA. Ross
Murdoch and Rachael Kelly also
collected gold medals after
swimming the breaststroke and fly
in the heats.
Some of the big countries
entered really strong teams
tonight and it was a big fight, said >
Swimming Times

33

Feature - KAZAN RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 15:55 Page 7

SWIMMING

L-r Dan Wallace, Calum Jarvis

and Robbie Renwick celebrate
as James Guy completes a
first-ever mens 4x200m
freestyle win for Britain

The 4x200m freestyle team with their gold medals (back, l-r) Calum
Jarvis, Robbie Renwick and Dan Wallace and (front) James Guy

34

Swimming Times

< Walker-Hebborn, who swam

quicker than for his fifth place in
the individual 100m backstroke.
Its great to be sat in the call-room
with familiar male faces and
familiar female faces. It definitely
brings a different aspect to the
competition.
I think its an event which should
keep on going and, while we might
not see it next year, Id love it to be
part of the [Olympic] programme
in 2020.
Halsall sixth in the individual
50m fly three days later added:
That was Chris fifth 100m
backstroke in three days so to step
up and swim faster than in his
individual is a credit and shows
how much it means to be
swimming together for the team.
I think we all stepped up and did a
great swim. To swim a world record
and be world champions is
incredible its a nice way to start
my week.
October 2015

Feature - KAZAN RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 15:55 Page 8

FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS | KAZAN

Jazz Carlin shows off

her bronze medal after
the 800m freestyle

Magnificent effort
If Peaty was the brightest star in
the British firmament, 19-year-old
James Guy was a very close
second. After launching Britain on
the medal trail with silver behind
Olympic champion Sun Yang and a
British record of 3:43.75 in the
400m freestyle on day one, he
went on to trump even this
magnificent effort with memorable
victories in the 200m freestyle and
4x200m freestyle relay. And this
from a young man who declared
the 400m his main target.
I never thought Id even make
the 200m final, said Guy, the first
Briton to win this title and the first
on the podium since Brian
Brinkleys bronze in 1975. The
main focus for me was the 400m

and I was so happy with silver.

Obviously, I never thought Id win
the 200m as well so its a nice
feeling. Theres more there for me,
though. You look at Ryan Lochtes
underwater phases and hes like a
dolphin. So if I had them, I could go
even faster.
Lochte was one of three Olympic
gold medallists in a line-up of
200m finalists that also included
world record holder Paul
Biedermann. The Millfield teenager
beat the lot of them, turning first at
the halfway mark in 50.99 and
third at 150m before overtaking
Sun and Lochte on the final length
to win by 0.06sec in 1:45.14
another British record. Sun Yang
took the silver and Biedermann
the bronze. >

I really wanted to come here and

win a medal so Im chuffed to bits
to come away with one
Siobhan-Marie OConnor with
her 200m IM bronze medal

October 2015

Swimming Times

35

Feature - KAZAN RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 15:55 Page 9

SWIMMING

Dan Wallace made

the 200m and 400m
IM finals, just
missing a medal in
the shorter event

Sun shines but then goes in

Chinas Sun Yang (above) was named
male swimmer of the meet despite his
late withdrawal from the 1500m
freestyle final.
The 23-year-old had already won
gold in the 400m and 800m freestyle
and finished second to Britains James
Guy over 200m.
Suns late withdrawal came too late
to enable first reserve Pal Joenson of
the Faroe Islands to step in and the
final went ahead with an empty lane.
The controversial defending
champion later explained that he
experienced chest pains during the
warm-up after having a similar
experience in the 800m.
Italys Gregorio Paltrinieri won the
1500m in a European record time of
14:39.67.

Top four
Five gold, one silver and three bronze
medals put Great Britain fourth in the
swimming medals table behind the
USA (eight, 10, five), Australia (seven,
three, six) and China (five, one, seven).
Only those three teams won more
medals in total than Britain although
Hungary also won nine three gold,
two silver and four bronze.

British medals (9)

> MEN
Gold (4)
Adam Peaty (2)

50m breaststroke
100m breaststroke
200m freestyle

James Guy
4x200m freestyle relay
Dan Wallace, Robbie Renwick, Calum Jarvis, James Guy
(Nick Grainger and Duncan Scott - heat)
Silver (1)
James Guy
400m freestyle
Bronze (1)
Ross Murdoch
100m breaststroke

> WOMEN
Bronze (2)
Jazz Carlin
Siobhan-Marie O'Connor

800m freestyle
200m IM

> MIXED
Gold (1)
Mixed 4x100m medley relay
Chris Walker-Hebborn, Adam Peaty, Siobhan O'Connor,
Fran Halsall (Ross Murdoch and Rachael Kelly - heat)

36

Swimming Times

< I never thought Id race Ryan

head-to-head like that hes one of
my heroes, Guy added after a
spectacular celebration atop the
lane rope. Chad, Paul Biedermann,
Sun, Ryan and me on top its just
great. Im so happy.

Andrew Willis before his third consecutive

world championship 200m breaststroke
final in which he came a close fourth

Relay first
Lochte and Biedermann were
again involved in the relay,
respectively swimming the first
and last legs for the USA and
Germany. The Americans swam
their fastest swimmers first but
Britain bucked recent trends by
saving the best to last. Smart
move. After a solid opening leg
from IM specialist Dan Wallace for
fifth place in 1:47.04, the hugely
experienced Robbie Renwick took
them up to third (1:45.98) and
Calum Jarvis held on to that
(1:46.57). Enter Guy. The new kid
on the podium went through 100m
in 50.63, the fastest split of the
race, passing Russia before you
could say Vladimir Putin and
closing the two-second gap to the
Americans. He touched in 7:04.33,
0.42sec ahead of the US with a
personal split of 1:44.74, again the
fastest of the 32 swimmers in the
race with only Biedermann under
1:45. The result ended a run of five
straight wins for the US in this
event and was the first relay gold

for a British mens team in the

world championships though not,
as widely reported on radio and
television, the first medal, since GB
won silver in the mens 4x200m
freestyle and bronze in the
4x100m medley in 1975. (They also
went on to win the Olympic
4x200m bronze in Montreal.)
It was a huge team effort, said
Guy. The guys set it up nice and
good and I knew if I was top three I
had a chance of bringing it back
but I never thought wed get the
gold. It was all about staying calm
and not getting too tense in the

first 100m. Youve just got to enjoy

it. Its the best British team weve
ever had and this relay is definitely
something were going to look out
for next year.
Heat swimmers Nick Grainger
and Duncan Scott also collected
relay gold medals on their world
championship debuts.

Bronze medals
Bronze medals from Siobhan
OConnor and Jazz Carlin
completed the British tally. In the
200m IM, 19-year-old OConnor did
her best to stay with the hot
October 2015

Feature - KAZAN RGph_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 16:21 Page 10

FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS | KAZAN

Hannah Miley on her

way to fifth place in the
womens 400m IM final

It was a huge team effort. The

guys set it up nice and good and
it was all about staying calm
favourite Katinka Hosszu, touching
just 0.07sec behind after the fly in
27.37. But the Hungarian was on
her way to breaking a world record
that had stood since the bodysuit
era and turned almost a second
ahead after the backstroke and
1.3sec after the breast. As Hosszu
marched on to a winning 2:06.12,
shaving 0.03sec off Ariana Kukors
record from 2009, the British
record holder battled to hold on for
a medal. She could not resist the
surging Japanese Kanako
Watanabe, who clocked the fastest
breaststroke and freestyle splits
(36.04 and 30.11) to move from
eighth to second, but was delighted
to cling on to the bronze in 2:08.77.
Hannah Miley was fifth in 2:10.19.
Im so happy to win bronze, said
OConnor, the Commonwealth
champion. I really wanted to come
here and win a medal so Im
October 2015

chuffed to bits to come away with

one. That last length really hurt but
I just had to try and dig deep to
hold on really.
Carlins 2015 world
championships began in almost
identical fashion to 2013, with an
unwanted fourth place in the
400m freestyle on day one. In
Barcelona she went on to finish
ninth in both the 800m and
1500m, missing a place in the
800m final by 0.07sec. But not in
Kazan. After dropping the 30length race to focus on the
Olympic distance, she duly made
the final and finished strongly to
reduce a three-second gap to New
Zealands silver medallist Lauren
Boyle to half-a-second and edge
ahead of Australias Jessica
Ashwood. Carlins bronze-winning
time of 8:18.15 was 2.61sec outside
her Welsh record while at the sharp

end the amazing American Katie

Ledecky, 18, set an astonishing
world record time of 8:07.39. This
represented a 3.61sec
improvement on her old record
from Barcelona and a sevensecond drop from the last-but-one
record, set in the Beijing Olympics
by Britains Becky Adlington, who
was breathless in the studio just
watching it.
This week really has been an
emotional rollercoaster, said
Carlin, who also helped 4x200m
freestyle team-mates OConnor,
Miley and Rebecca Turner to fifth
place. I had to pick myself up after
finishing fourth at the start of the
week. I was happy with my split in
the relay so really it was just about
coming in with my head down.
Obviously I would have liked to
finish higher and gone a bit quicker
but Im over the moon to come
away with a bronze medal.

Young team
It turned out to be the last of
Britains medals in Kazan, despite
hopes of further riches on the last
day. The final session included
fourth place for the mens 4x100m
medley team of Walker-Hebborn,

Peaty, Guy and Ben Proud, who

missed out by just 0.17sec. If you
look how young this team is, I think
its going to be really good over the
next few years, said Peaty. Weve
got a lot of growth to do and I think
were going to improve.
In a busy final session for Britain,
Miley and Aimee Willmott came
fourth and seventh respectively in
the 400m IM, Stephen Milne was
fifth in the 1500m freestyle, Dan
Wallace and Roberto Pavoni sixth
and seventh in the mens 400m IM
and Liam Tancock and Fran Halsall
seventh in the mens 50m
backstroke and womens 50m
freestyle. The womens medley
relay team were disqualified. The
last-day fourth places added to
several others earlier in the week,
including Wallaces commendable
result in the 200m IM and Andrew
Willis medal near-miss in his third
consecutive world championship
200m breaststroke final.
Ive got guys coming out in
fourth place who are absolutely
devastated and that is music to my
ears, said Furniss, underlining the
culture shift he and Spice are
bringing about. We are about
trying to get to the podium. >
Swimming Times

37

Feature - KAZAN RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 15:56 Page 11

OPEN WATER SWIMMING

Jack Burnell on his

way to fifth place
in the mens 10k

JACK BE QUICK
Jack Burnells fifth in the 10k guaranteed Britain a
spot in the Rio 2016 marathon. Laura Dennis reports
ack Burnell was narrowly
denied a first world medal
after a frantic finish in the
10k open water. Competing
at his second world champs,
the 22-year-old was involved
with the leading pack throughout
the race but lost out in a highly
physical battle for the finish line as
he touched fifth just 5.1sec off the
podium.
USAs Jordan Wilimovsky
sprinted clear in the final 100m to
clinch gold with the Netherlands'
European champion Ferry
Weertman and Greeces 2011 and
2013 world champion Spyridon
Gianniotis following for silver and
bronze.

In contention
And while Burnell, who won backto-back 10k World Cup golds earlier
this season, was disappointed to
finish out of the medals, his top 10
finish puts him firmly in contention
for selection to next years Rio
2016 Olympic Games.
38

Swimming Times

Burnells Loughborough training

partner Daniel Fogg, competing in
his fourth consecutive world
championship 10k, finished 14th.

Leading pack
Olympic silver medallist Keri-anne
Payne was part of the leading pack
for the first two laps of the 10k race
before slipping back to finish 15th.
Paynes GB team-mate Danielle
Huskisson finished 35th as
Frances Aurelie Muller, the
Netherlands European champion
Sharon Van Rouwendaal and
Brazils defending silver medallist
Ana Marcela Cunha took the
podium spots.
While both Brits missed out on
the chance to guarantee a Rio spot
for Britain through a top 10 finish,
they will have a second qualifying
opportunity in Portugal next June.
Having secured two bronze
medals on the 10k World Cup tour
this season, Payne insists she can
take encouragement from her
performances since returning to

Caleb Hughes

competition 12 months ago.

To finish 15th in the world in
such a great field after only a year
back in the water is an
achievement in itself, said Payne.
Of all the races Ive done this year,
this is only the second where Ive
finished outside the top 10.

Standout performance
Meanwhile, Britains Caleb Hughes
marked his worlds debut with a
standout performance finishing

seventh in the 5k.

The 19-year-old led the field for
much of the race and narrowly
missed out on the medals in the
sprint for the finish, crossing just
4.3 seconds behind South Africas
winner Chad Ho.
It was a good experience,
Hughes said. I did want more after
leading for much of the race and I
did think I might have snuck a
medal. The course was pretty
straightforward for me.
It is good to get a top 10 finish
because it puts my name out there
and shows I can do it.
Only the photo finish helped the
judges to identify the winner, both
Ho and Rob Muffels of Germany
hitting the touchpad at 55:17.6.
Bronze went to Italys Matteo
Furlan (55:20.0).
GBs Tom Allen was also part of
the leading pack throughout the
race, ultimately finishing 14.4
seconds behind Ho in 23rd.

Womens 5k
The womens 5k saw 18-year-old
Alice Dearing make her world
debut, finishing 23rd with
1:00:53.3. Gold went to the United
States Haley Anderson (58:48.4),
silver to Kalliopi Araouzou from
Greece (58:49.8) with Germanys
Finnia Wunrum taking bronze
(58:51.0).
Italys Simone Ruffini topped the
podium after outpacing US athlete
Alex Meyer in the final lap of the
mens 25k. Ruffini hit the touchpad
with a narrow margin of 4.4
seconds. A minute-and-a-half later,
the newly crowned champion was
able to congratulate team-mate
Matteo Furlan, who managed to
join Ruffini on the podium in the
third spot.
With 5k left to go in the womens
25k race, Hungarian Anna Olasz
was leading the pack ahead of
Brazils Ana Marcela Cunha and
Germanys Angela Maurer. The
Brazilian swimmer eventually
grabbed gold with Olasz taking
silver and Angela Maurer ending
up in third place.
Rob Muffels, Christian Reichert
and Isabelle Franziska Harle from
Germany won the 5k team event in
55:14.4 with the teams from Brazil
and the Netherlands on the same
time in second place.
October 2015

Feature - KAZAN RGph_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 16:14 Page 12

DIVING

FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS | KAZAN

SPRINGBOARD TO RIO
om Daley and Becky
Gallantree made history
for Britain and for
diving when they won
the inaugural mixed
team event in Kazan.
The result made Daley the 2009
platform champion the first
Briton to win multiple world
championship diving medals while
Gallantree became the first British
woman to stand on a world
championship podium. The gold
also topped a best-ever medal haul
for Britain with Daley and Jack
Laugher both winning bronze in
their individual events and a 3m
synchro bronze for Laugher and
Chris Mears. The team also booked
five quota places for the Rio
Olympics including all four
individual events.

Gemma Field

Britains divers are celebrating their best-ever world championships

with four medals and five Olympic quota places
L-r Tom Daley, coach Jane
Figueiredo, Becky Gallantree
and coach Edwin Jongejans
after their mixed team success

Surprised
The mixed team event required
three individual dives from the 10m
and three from the 3m with both
divers doing at least one from each
board. Daley and Gallantree scored
434.65 and were surprised by their
victory.
We really dont know what
happened there, said Daley, who
scored four 10s and 101.5 for his
armstand back triple somersault
before sealing victory with 99 on
his final dive. We went in to the
competition as a bit of a warm-up
for our individual events. To come
away with a result like that is
amazing. I had my highest score
ever on the armstand. Becky did
one of the best front dives shes
ever done.
I was a little bit nervous doing
the dive from 3m because Im not
used to springboard diving. I
actually thought I was going to hit
my head on the board but I got
nines for that dive. Ive never had
10s before for my armstand and
October 2015

I cant quite believe it. Becoming a

world champion was something I
thought would never happen
then that happened which is a
positive and then the back went
down pretty nicely as well.
For Gallantree, the result was the
high point in a rollercoaster
championships and helped to make
up for the disappointment of
coming 10th in the 3m synchro with
Alicia Blagg. Her scores included
66.65 and 67.50 on her two dives
from the springboard.

I cant quite believe it, she said.

Its a little bit surreal at the
moment. To be honest, Im gutted I
didnt do a front like that in the
synchro but obviously theres lots
of positives to take out of it and Im
really looking forward to my
individual now.

Last-day bronze
Four days later, Daley recovered

from an early setback to round off

the British effort with a last-day
bronze medal in the mens 10m
platform. The 21-year-old made it
hard for himself by missing his
twister dive in the second round.
But he hauled himself back into
contention and was tying in third
place with Mexicos Ivan Garcia
going into the final round. He then
showed the experience of almost a
decade of diving at the highest
level to hold his nerve and score
102.60 the highest score of the
competition while the Mexican
managed only 83.60.
Im really happy with that
bronze because I did make it as
hard as possible for myself with >
Swimming Times

39

Feature - KAZAN RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 15:57 Page 13

DIVING

injury for Mears.

The pair scored in the 80s for all
four of their high-tariff optional
dives, including 86.70 for their
inward 3.5 somersaults with tuck.
Their score of 445.20 was a 12point advance on their previous
best, which won them silver in the
FINA World Series in London
earlier in the year.
Favourites Cao Yuan and Qin Kai
won the sixth consecutive title for
China in this event with 471.45.
Russias Ilya Zakharov and Evgeny
Kuznetsov took silver for the third
consecutive world championships
(459.18).
It was a brilliant performance
and there were some absolutely
amazing dives from both of us,
said Laugher. Its a really special
feeling and to have my best mate
standing next to me as well is what
makes it even sweeter. We couldnt
be happier and to get the Rio spot
is a huge weight off our shoulders.
Were very excited for next year.
Mears said: My preparation
coming into the event wasnt what I
wanted to be with my back. Its a bit
temperamental but Im still able to

Tom Daley was relieved

to be in the medals in
the individual platform

< that second dive, said Daley. Ive

learned to persevere, stick at it and
keep going because you never
know what can happen in
competitions. It came down to the
last dive, when we were on the
same score, but I quite like that
competition pressure - I find it fun.
I said to Jane [Figueiredo, coach]
before the last dive that this is
what I like and this is the fun bit for
me. I just knew whatever he did, Id
have to do it better.
There was a lot more I could
have done points-wise today. Five
more points on inward, 30 more
points on twist and I could have
scored another 10 on front. I think
because the twister is so new and
its such a hard dive to do, its just
about getting used to doing it in
competition and channelling that
energy.
Daley (537.95) was beaten only
by Chinas defending champion Qiu
40

Swimming Times

Bo (587.00) and the USAs David

Boudia (560.20), the same pair
who finished ahead of him at
London 2012, when the American
took the gold. Its interesting to
see the same three people on the
podium today as at London 2012,
Daley added. It looks like weve still
got it and we just need to shuffle
around for next year and hopefully
I can end up on top.
Britains Matty Lee was 18th in
the semi-finals (357.60).

do my dives. I think it just proves

that when youre in the right
mindset, you can achieve anything.
Its such a fantastic feeling to go
out there and smash it like that
considering weve had such a
difficult season and training has
been disrupted.

Model of consistency
Laugher was back on the 3m
springboard three days later for
the individual final and became the
first Briton to win an individual
springboard medal at a world
championships and the first to win
more than one medal at a single
world championships, although
that was soon to be matched by
Daley. China again took the gold
and silver respectively through He
Chao (555.05) and Olympic
champion Zakharov (547.60).
Laugher was a model of
consistency with two scores in the
mid-90s and none less than 81 and
a total of 528.90, five more than
the second Chinese, Cao Yuan.
Mears was 15th in the semis with
422.50.
Laugher said: It was a rock solid

Its interesting to see the same

three on the podium as in 2012.
We just need to shuffle in 2016
Coach Adi Hinchliffe (left)
and Jack Laugher with his
historic 3m bronze medal

First for Britain

The championships were in their
fourth day when Commonwealth
champions Laugher and Mears
opened the GB teams medal
account with their bronze, which
was also the first for Britain in the
3m synchro since it was added to
the world championship
programme in 1998. And it was
achieved despite a niggling back
October 2015

Feature - KAZAN RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 15:57 Page 14

FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS | KAZAN

competition. Everyone was

bouncing off each other and you
see those mad scores like weve
had today. The past year-and-ahalf has been absolutely fantastic. I
got a bronze at the World Cup in
Shanghai followed by two
Commonwealth medals and overall
World Series champion. And now a
world championship bronze. Im
getting more confident with every
competition. Im really proud of
what Ive done this year.
Everything has gone the way I
wanted it.

Tonia Couch in the final

of the womens platform

Positives

October 2015

Britain second in
medals table
The mixed team gold won by Tom
Daley and Becky Gallantree plus the
three bronze medals took Britain to
second place in the diving medals
table behind the rampant Chinese,
whose 15 medals included 10 golds.
Britain also tied with Canada for the
second most medals in total.

Gallantree ended her rollercoaster

championships by reaching the
individual 3m final to seal another
Olympic quota place for Britain but
was disappointed to finish 10th
with a score of 289.00 after
coming eighth in the semi-finals on
305.10. Blagg was 26th in the
preliminaries (262.55). China won
their eighth gold through Shi
Tingmao (383.55).
The final didnt go as I hoped,
said Gallantree. Its been an upand-down week with
disappointment in the synchro but
a massive high in the mixed team
event. Becoming a world champion
was something I thought would
never happen. I also qualified an
Olympic spot for Britain in the
individual. I was very close to
retiring after London but Ive been

Debutants
British champions and world
championship debutants James
Denny and Matty Lee were
delighted with their ninth place in
the mens 10m synchro with a score
of 396.84, an improvement of
three places and 17 points on the
City of Leeds pairs preliminary
performance.
The pressure was off a little for
us in the final, said Lee. We
wanted to enjoy ourselves because
wed earned our spot there and it
was our first world championships
so there were no expectations on
us. We had fun and it obviously
improved our performance.
Denny added: Matty and I have
only been diving together since the
start of this year so we've come
really far to finish ninth. >

TOTAL

Rollercoaster

Medals table

10

15

2 Great Britain

3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

0
0
4
2
2
1
1
0
0

2
1
0
1
0
1
0
2
1

3
2
4
3
2
2
1
2
1

China
Italy
N Korea
Canada
Russia
Ukraine
USA
Mexico
Australia
Malaysia

SILVER

getting better and better since

then and achieved some things I
never thought I would, which is
brilliant.

BRONZE

the semis and the final. I need to

sharpen it up a bit more in the final
next time.

GOLD

Platform specialists Tonia Couch

and Sarah Barrow were sixth in the
10m synchro with a score of
308.40 their third top six finish in
as many world championships. But
they were disappointed to miss out
on the medals, especially as they
have previously exceeded the
325.26 that earned North Korea its
first-ever world championship
medal a bronze behind China
(359.52) and Canada (339.99).
Its disappointing for that to
happen today because it was just a
couple of silly mistakes that
happened, said Couch, a veteran
of six world championships. We
both could have dived well today
and we just didnt. But youve got
to look at the positives we had a
good first two dives which weve
really worked hard on.
Barrow added: I am a little bit
gutted because I know I can dive a
little bit better. Even the last dive
should have been more upright.
Weve had a hard few weeks
because Ive had stress fractures in
both my shins. Theyve been so
sore and its been hard to train but
Ive tried as hard as I can.
The duo had mixed fortunes in
the individual platform, Couch
finishing eighth to match her
previous world championship best
but European champion Barrow
coming 18th after scoring in the
40s in two of her semi-final dives.
Couch the first of four
Europeans in the final said: To
get into the final was the important
thing [for Olympic qualification] so
I could just go out and enjoy the
final. To finish as the top European
is great. Ive had three steady
performances here in the prelims,

Diver meets government

expectations
North Koreas 16-year-old Kim KukHyang sprung the shock of the
championships by winning her
countrys first-ever world
championships gold medal in the
10m platform.
Kuk-Hyang, whose earlier bronze
with Song Nam-Hyang in the platform
synchro was North Koreas first medal
of any colour, scored 397.05 in the
individual ahead of Chinas 14-year-old
Ren Qian (388.00) and Malaysias
Olympic bronze medallist Pandelela
Rinong Pamg (385.05). A tearful KukHyang told the BBC: It gives me great
pleasure to meet the expectations of
my government and our great leader
[Kim Jong-Un]. I hope when I go home
that people will come out onto the
streets to celebrate. I will do
everything I can to win an Olympic
gold medal next year.

British medals
Gold (1)
Tom Daley and Rebecca Gallantree Mixed team
Bronze (3)
Tom Daley 10m platform
Jack Laugher 3m springboard
Jack Laugher and Chris Mears 3m springboard
synchro

Swimming Times

41

Feature - KAZAN RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 15:58 Page 15

HIGH DIVING

Gary Hunt on his way to

world championship gold

HUNT ON A HIGH
Britains high diving star Gary Hunt topped an
amazing run of success in the Red Bull series with a
first world title in Kazan. He talks to Roger Guttridge
ritains high diving ace
Gary Hunt made up for
the disappointment of
2013 by winning the
second FINA world
title off the 27m
platform and he is already
assured of his fifth Red Bull Cliff
Diving series victory.
The 31-year-old from
Southampton scored a
championship record 629.30
points across the five rounds in
Kazan, where no other diver
made 600.
Mexicos Bernal Parades took the
silver with 596.45 and Russias
Artem Silchenko the bronze on
593.95.
Hunts rivals showed their
appreciation by collectively bowing
down to the gold medallist.
That was unexpected and very
flattering, he told Swimming
Times. A winning streak like Ive
had this year hasnt happened in
high diving before.

B
42

Swimming Times

Its one of the sports which have

the best atmosphere between the
athletes.
Obviously, we all want to win but
no-one wants to see anyone miss a
dive because it can be very painful.
You want the best for your
friends. We travel around the world
together and often dont have our
coaches with us and find ourselves
asking other divers for kit or to
watch our dives and suggest how
we can get better.

Recovery
Hunts 2015 success represents a
spectacular recovery after 2013,
when he not only lost a 38-point
lead to miss out on the inaugural
world championship gold medal in
Barcelona but was also deposed as
Red Bull series champion.
Winning in Kazan was very
satisfying, he said. This year I
have had lots of success but this
was the one that really would have
been painful to miss knowing that

it only comes around every two

years. I was very happy and very
relieved.
He added: Since Barcelona, I
have increased my training every
year. I have put in a lot of work.
In 2013, I started to realise that
as Im getting older, the more time I
take off training, the harder it is to
get back into the rhythm.
So I decided not to take much
time off at the end of the season
and to work as hard as possible and
be as good as I can be.
Its clearly working. Hunt arrived
in Kazan on a roll after winning the
first five Red Bull rounds by
significant margins.
He has since finished fifth in
round six from a 28m board in
Bosnia but that was down to an
injury which affected his leg
position during his option dives.
Despite this setback, Hunt heads
into the last two rounds in Italy and
Spain on September 13 and 26 with
1,090 points while none of his

Blakes heaven
Britains Blake Aldridge raised
eyebrows in the high diving
competition in Kazan by pulling out of
the last two rounds to celebrate his
girlfriends birthday.
Aldridge, who famously partnered
a 14-year-old Tom Daley in the Olympic
platform synchro final in Beijing, was
lying in 15th place after the first three
rounds in Kazan with no realistic
chance of a medal.
FINAs official news service
reported that Aldridge had shocked
the high diving community with his
unexpected decision to withdraw
from the final rounds two days later.
The athletes choice was not down
to an injury but today was his
girlfriends birthday and he chose to
spend this day with her, said the
report.
It remained a secret from most
people why the priority was set this
way given that the event schedule
had been known long before that. On
the other hand, only 12 high divers out
of 20 advance to the last round after
the fourth dive. Aldridge placed
fifteenth after three dives, which
could hardly motivate him to continue
the medal hunt.

rivals has more than 650.

Britains Blake Aldridge is fourth
on 620 after second places behind
Hunt in France and Denmark.
Im told that I already have
enough points to win my fifth
series even if I dont turn up, said
Hunt.
But I want to finish on a high and
wont be taking my foot off the
accelerator.
Hunt, 2006 Commonwealth
Games bronze medallist with
Callum Johnstone in the 10m
synchro, is now hoping that high
diving will be added to the Olympic
programme preferably by 2020,
which would give him a realistic
chance of achieving his Olympic
ambitions.
I am 100 per cent sure it will be
an Olympic event. The question is
when, he said.
It seems like the Olympics are
moving towards the events that
catch the eye and high diving is
one of those.
Diving already gets one of the
best TV ratings from the Olympics.
October 2015

Feature - KAZAN RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 15:58 Page 16

SYNCHRO

FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS | KAZAN

SYNCHRO MANS UP
As Britains synchro duet achieved two top 25 finishes, all eyes were on
the inaugural mixed duets as the sport welcomed men for the first time
ritains Genevieve
Randall and Jodie
Cowie secured top 25
finishes in both duet
prelims in their first
world championships
as a duet pair.
The 17-year-olds scored 74.6512
for their technical routine,
comprising of 22.1 for execution,
22.6 for impression and 29.9512 for
their performance of the required
elements. Coach Katie Dawkins
described it as a positive result.
There is an exceptionally high
standard at this competition, said
Dawkins, who swam for Team GB at
London 2012 as well as the 2009
and 2011 world championships.

Daunting prospect
Its a daunting prospect swimming
after Spain and Russia but the girls
handled the pressure well and
pulled off a good performance.
The pair then scored 76.0333 for
their free routine, 22.6000 for
execution, 30.9333 for artistic
impression and 22.5000 for
difficulty. They fell just eight points
shy of the top 12 and a final berth.
Having improved on their
performances at this years
European Games and last years
European championships, where
they received 75.3000 and
75.1000 respectively, Randall said
they had few complaints about
their result in Russia.
Thats one of the best swims
weve done so were really happy,
said Randall. Its been really hard
because we have no financial
support for ourselves to help pay
for training, physiotherapy or
sports science so were behind
everyone else in that respect.
But competing here makes us
really want to come back and show
that GB are still going and we are
still pushing.
October 2015

The girls are set to learn a new

routine as they aim to reach Rio
through next years qualification
competition.
Overall, Russia seized eight of
the nine gold medals up for grabs
and they made a striking finish,
winning the combination routine
with more than 98 points
(98.300). Solo winner Natalia
Ischenko ended with her 19th world
title while her duet partner
Svetlana Romashina has 18 world
titles to her name.

The British duet pair Genevieve

Randall and Jodie Cowie; below:
the victorious Russian free team

Mixed synchro
But the United States prevented
the Russian team from making a
clean sweep by getting the firstever mixed synchro world gold
with 88.5108 in the mixed duet
technical.
Fourteen-time US champion Bill
May, 36, teamed up with Christina
Jones to score 88.5108 points,
0.2122 ahead of silver medallists
Russia with Italy third.
May and Jones are both
colleagues of former GB number
one Jenna Randall in the Cirque de
Soleil show O at Las Vegas.
Russia later reversed the first
two positions in the mixed free
duet in which May partnered
Kristina Lum Underwood to silver
with Italy again third.
It was the first time male
synchro swimmers had been
allowed to compete at world level.
May, who emerged from the
technical routine with an eye
injured by Jones fingernails, said:
I cant believe this moment has
finally happened. This is the future
of synchronised swimming. Weve
seen such a strong calibre of male
athletes here, I really think its
going to help the sport grow.
China, considered the main
rivals to Russias dominance,
achieved six silvers and a bronze. >

I cant believe this moment has

finally happened. This is the future
of synchronised swimming
Swimming Times

43

Feature - Kazan - WP and Results RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 16:16 Page 1

WATER POLO

POLO CHAMPS
Serbia recovered from an early deficit to win the
mens title while the US women won on penalties
MEN
Serbia fell 2-0 behind early on in
the mens gold medal match to
2012 Olympic champions Croatia,
but regained their composure to
end the first quarter level at 2-2.
Serbia, World League and World
Cup champs, went on to take full
control and emerged 11-4 victors.

Results
>16th FINA World
Championships
July 24 - August 9, 2015
Kazan, Russia
> SWIMMING
> MEN
50m Freestyle
1 F Manaudou
2 N Adrian
3 B Fratus
4 V Morozov
5 A Govorov
5 M Orsi
7 K Gkolomeev
8 B Proud
100m Freestyle
1 Z Ning
2 C McEvoy
3 F Grabich
4 S Condorelli
5 M Chierighini
6 A Sukhorukov
7 N Adrian
7 P Timmers
HT 23 B Proud
HT 32 C Jarvis
200m Freestyle
1 J Guy
2 Y Sun
3 P Biedermann
4 R Lochte
5 S Verschuren
6 C Le Clos
7 A Krasnykh
8 C McEvoy
SF 14 C Jarvis
400m Freestyle
1 Y Sun
2 J Guy
3 R Cochrane
4 C Jaeger
5 P Bernek
6 W Wojdak
7 C Rapp
8 M McBroom
800m Freestyle
1 Y Sun
2 G Paltrinieri
3 M Horton
4 C Jaeger
5 H Christiansen

44

Swimming Times

FRA
USA
BRA
RUS
UKR
ITA
GRE
GBR

21.19
21.52
21.55
21.56
21.86
21.86
21.98
22.04

CHN
AUS
ARG
CAN
BRA
RUS
USA
BEL
GBR
GBR

47.84
47.95
48.12
48.19
49.27
48.28
48.31
48.31
49.35
49.68

GBR
CHN
GER
USA
NED
RSA
RUS
AUS
GBR

1:45.14
1:45.20
1:45.38
1:45.83
1:45.91
1:46.53
1:46.88
1:47.26
1:47.64

CHN
GBR
CAN
USA
HUN
POL
GER
USA

3:42.58
3:43.75
3:44.59
3:44.81
3:46.29
3:46.81
3:48.52
3:51.94

CHN
7:39.96
ITA ER 7:40.81
AUS
7:44.02
USA
7:44.51
NOR
7:45.66

With Serbia having already

booked their spot at Rio 2016 prior
to the tournament, the bronze
medal match between Greece and
Italy had an added significance, as
they were bidding to seal the
second berth available in Kazan.
Greece took the bronze, holding
their nerve to win 4-2 on penalties

after a tie at 7-7. It proved enough

to see them take the second
Olympic slot, with Croatias
appearance in the final ensuring
they will be able to defend their
Olympic title next year.

6 W Wojdak
7 S Milne
8 M McBroom
1500m Freestyle
1 G Paltrinieri
2 C Jaeger
3 R Cochrane
4 A Ahmed
5 S Milne
6 M McBroom
7 M Romanchuk
DNS Y Sun
50m Backstroke
1 C Lacourt
2 M Grevers
3 B Treffers
4 M Larkin
5 V Morozov
6 L Solli
7 L Tancock
8 D Plummer
100m Backstroke
1 M Larkin
2 C Lacourt
3 M Grevers
4 J Xu
5 C Walker-Hebborn
6 R Irie
7 E Rylov
8 L Tancock
200m Backstroke
1 M Larkin
2 R Kawecki
3 E Rylov
4 R Irie
5 R Murphy
6 J Xu
7 T Clary
8 G Li
50m Breaststroke
1 A Peaty
2 C Van der Burgh
3 K Cordes
4 F Franca Silva
5 D Dugonjic
5 G Titenus
7 G Snyders
8 C Siladi
100m Breaststroke
1 A Peaty
2 C Van der Burgh
3 R Murdoch
4 D Balandin
5 J Packard
6 G Titenus
7 K Prigoda
8 H Feldwehr
200m Breaststroke
1 M Koch

2 K Cordes
3 D Gyurta
4 A Willis
5 Y Koseki
6 D Balandin
7 A Chupkov
8 F Mao
HT 26 A Peaty
50m Butterfly
1 F Manaudou
2 N Santos
3 L Cseh
3 K Czerniak
5 A Govorov
6 C Cielo Filho
7 J Schooling
8 B Proud
100m Butterfly
1 C Le Clos
2 L Cseh
3 J Schooling
4 T Shields
5 M Metella
6 K Czerniak
7 P Korzeniowski
8 Z Li
HT 17 A Barrett
HT 19 T Laxton
200m Butterfly
1 L Cseh
2 C Le Clos
3 J Switkowski
4 M Sakai
5 V Bromer
6 D Seto
7 L Croenen
8 T Shields
200m IM
1 R Lochte
2 T Pereira
3 S Wang
4 D Wallace
5 C Dwyer
6 M Cieslak
7 H Rodrigues
8 S Sjodin
SF =8 R Pavoni
400m IM
1 D Seto
2 D Verraszto
3 C Kalisz
4 T Clary
5 J Heidtmann
6 D Wallace
7 R Pavoni
8 Z Yang
4x100m Freestyle Relay
1 France
2 Russia

POL
GBR
USA

7:45.90
7:49.86
7:55.30

ITA ER 14:39.67
USA
14:41.20
CAN
14:51.08
EGY
14:53.66
GBR
14:58.62
USA
15:06.81
UKR
15:09.77
CHN
FRA
USA
AUS
AUS
RUS
NOR
GBR
USA

24.23
24.61
24.69
24.70
24.73
24.84
24.88
24.95

AUS
FRA
USA
CHN
GBR
JPN
RUS
GBR

52.40
52.48
52.66
52.89
53.02
53.10
53.23
53.37

AUS
1:53.58
POL
1:54.55
RUS
1:54.60
JPN
1:54.81
USA
1:55.00
CHN
1:55.20
USA
1:56.26
CHN WJ 1:56.79
GBR
RSA
USA
BRA
SLO
LTU
NZL
SRB

26.51
26.66
26.86
26.87
27.23
27.23
27.36
27.45

GBR
RSA
GBR
KAZ
AUS
LTU
RUS
GER

58.52
58.59
59.09
59.42
59.44
59.56
59.84
1:00.16

GER

2:07.76

WOMEN
The United States came through a

USA
HUN
GBR
JPN
KAZ
RUS
CHN
GBR

2:08.05
2:08.10
2:08.52
2:09.12
2:09.58
2:09.96
2:10.02
2:13.24

FRA
BRA
HUN
POL
UKR
BRA
SIN
GBR

22.97
23.09
23.15
23.15
23.18
23.21
23.25
23.39

RSA
HUN
SIN
USA
FRA
POL
POL
CHN
GBR
GBR

50.56
50.87
50.96
51.06
51.24
51.28
51.46
51.66
52.33
52.37

HUN
RSA
POL
JPN
DEN
JPN
BEL
USA

1:53.48
1:53.68
1:54.10
1:54.24
1:54.66
1:55.16
1:55.39
1:56.17

USA
BRA
CHN
GBR
USA
POL
BRA
SWE
GBR

1:55.81
1:56.65
1:56.81
1:57.59
1:57.96
1:58.14
1:58.52
1:59.06
1:58.54

JPN
HUN
USA
USA
GER
GBR
GBR
CHN

4:08.50
4:09.90
4:10.05
4:11.71
4:12.08
4:13.77
4:13.81
4:16.74

>

3:10.74
3:11.19

closely fought gold medal match

against the Netherlands.
The London 2012 gold medallists
held a 5-3 lead heading into the
final quarter of the match and,
although the Dutch team were
able to reduce the deficit to just
one goal during the dying minutes,
the Americans held on to record a
5-4 victory.
The bronze medal match
between Australia and Italy also
proved to be a tight affair, the
Italians eventually emerging as 5-3
winners on penalties having been
locked at 7-7 at the end of the four
quarters.
There was no British
representation in either mens or
womens championship.

3 Italy
4 Brazil
5 Poland
6 Japan
7 China
8 Canada
HT 10 Great Britain
(C Jarvis, B Proud, R Renwick, D Scott)
4x200m Freestyle Relay
1 Great Britain
(D Wallace, R Renwick, C Jarvis, J Guy)
2 United States
3 Australia
4 Russia
5 Germany
6 Belgium
7 Netherlands
8 Poland
4x100m Medley Relay
1 United States
2 Australia
3 France
4 Great Britain
(C Walker-Hebborn, A Peaty, J Guy, B Proud)
5 Russia
6 Japan
7 Germany
8 Poland

3:12.53
3:13.22
3:14.12
3:15.04
3:15.41
3:15.94
3:15.70

7:04.33
7:04.75
7:05.34
7:06.89
7:09.01
7:09.64
7:09.75
7:10.34
3:29.93
3:30.08
3:30.50
3:30.67
3:30.90
3:31.10
3:32.16
3:34.34

> WOMEN
50m Freestyle
1 B Campbell
2 R Kromowidjojo
3 S Sjostrom
4 C Campbell
5 C Van Landeghem
6 A Vanderpool-Wallace
7 F Halsall
8 S Manuel
HT 28 L Quigley
100m Freestyle
1 B Campbell
2 S Sjostrom
3 C Campbell
4 R Kromowidjojo
5 F Heemskerk
6 S Manuel
7 M Franklin
8 D Shen
200m Freestyle
1 K Ledecky
2 F Pellegrini
3 M Franklin
4 V Popova
5 K Hosszu
6 D Shen
7 E McKeon
8 F Heemskerk
SF 10 S O'Connor

AUS
NED
SWE
AUS
CAN
BAH
GBR
USA
GBR

24.12
24.22
24.31
24.36
24.39
24.44
24.51
24.57
25.53

AUS
SWE
AUS
NED
NED
USA
USA
CHN

52.52
52.70
52.82
53.17
53.58
53.93
54.00
54.76

USA
ITA
USA
RUS
HUN
CHN
AUS
NED
GBR

1:55.16
1:55.32
1:55.49
1:56.16
1:56.19
1:56.27
1:56.41
1:56.79
1:57.30

October 2015

Feature - Kazan - WP and Results RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 16:16 Page 2

RESULTS

400m Freestyle
1 K Ledecky
2 S Van Rouwendaal
3 J Ashwood
4 J Carlin
5 L Boyle
6 M Costa
7 D Carli
8 B Kapas
800m Freestyle
1 K Ledecky
2 L Boyle
3 J Carlin
4 J Ashwood
5 L Friis
6 B Kapas
7 S Kohler
8 S Van Rouwendaal
HT 15 J Thielmann
1500m Freestyle
1 K Ledecky
2 L Boyle
3 B Kapas
4 L Friis
5 J Ashwood
6 S Van Rouwendaal
7 K Kobrich
8 A Ponsele
HT 10 J Thielmann
50m Backstroke
1 Y Fu
2 E Medeiros
3 X Liu
4 E Seebohm
5 M Nielsen
6 M Wilson
7 L Quigley
8 T Drakou
100m Backstroke
1 E Seebohm
2 M Wilson
3 M Nielsen
4 Y Fu
5 M Franklin
6 A Fesikova
7 L Quigley
8 K Baker
SF13 E Simmonds
200m Backstroke
1 E Seebohm
2 M Franklin
3 K Hosszu
4 D Ustinova
5 J Mensing
6 D Bouchard
7 H Caldwell
8 E Gustafsdottir
SF 12 E Simmonds
50m Breaststroke
1 J Johansson
2 A Atkinson
3 Y Efimova
4 R Meilutyte
5 J Hardy
6 R Suo
7 H Luthersdottir
8 M Liver
100m Breaststroke
1 Y Efimova
2 R Meilutyte
3 A Atkinson
4 K Watanabe
5 J Shi
6 H Luthersdottir
7 J Johansson
8 A Castiglioni
200m Breaststroke
1 K Watanabe
2 M Lawrence
3 J Vall
3 R Pedersen
3 J Shi
6 R Kaneto
7 V Simonova
8 K Smith
HT 18 M Renshaw
50m Butterfly
1 S Sjostrom
2 J Ottesen
3 Y Lu
4 I Dekker
5 F Osman
6 F Halsall
7 A Vanderpool-Wallace

October 2015

FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS | KAZAN

USA CR 3:59.13
NED
4:03.02
AUS
4:03.34
GBR
4:03.74
NZL
4:04.38
ESP
4:06.50
ITA
4:07.30
HUN
4:08.22
USA WR 8:07.39
NZL
8:17.65
GBR
8:18.15
AUS
8:18.41
DEN
8:21.36
HUN
8:22.93
GER
8:23.67
NED
8:24.12
GBR
8:36.88
USA WR 15:25.48
NZL
15:40.14
HUN
15:47.09
DEN
15:49.00
AUS
15:52.17
NED
16:03.74
CHI
16:06.55
ITA
16:09.57
GBR
16:21.21
CHN
BRA
CHN
AUS
DEN
AUS
GBR
GRE

27.11
27.26
27.58
27.66
27.73
27.92
27.99
28.17

AUS
AUS
DEN
CHN
USA
RUS
GBR
USA
GBR

58.26
58.75
58.86
59.02
59.40
59.66
59.78
59.99
1:00.40

AUS
2:05.81
USA
2:06.34
HUN
2:06.84
RUS WJ 2:07.64
GER
2:08.49
CAN
2:08.51
CAN
2:08.66
ISL
2:09.53
GBR
2:10.57
SWE
JAM
RUS
LTU
USA
CHN
ISL
UKR

30.05
30.11
30.13
30.14
30.20
30.74
31.12
31.14

RUS
LTU
JAM
JPN
CHN
ISL
SWE
ITA

1:05.66
1:06.36
1:06.42
1:06.43
1:06.55
1:07.10
1:07.17
1:07.60

JPN
USA
ESP
DEN
CHN
JPN
RUS
CAN
GBR

2:21.15
2:22.44
2:22.76
2:22.76
2:22.76
2:23.19
2:23.59
2:23.61
2:26.32

SWE
DEN
CHN
NED
EGY
GBR
BAH

CR 24.96
25.34
25.37
25.64
25.78
25.85
25.93

8 A Dowgiert
POL
26.20
100m Butterfly
1 S Sjostrom
SWE WR 55.64
2 J Ottesen
DEN
57.05
3 Y Lu
CHN
57.48
4 E McKeon
AUS
57.67
5 K Savard
CAN
57.69
6 X Chen
CHN
57.85
7 A Wenk
GER
57.94
8 N Thomas
CAN
58.22
SF 12 R Kelly
GBR
58.27
HT 19 J Lowe
GBR
58.74
200m Butterfly
1 N Hoshi
JPN
2:05.56
2 C Adams
USA
2:06.40
3 Y Zhang
CHN
2:06.51
4 B Throssell
AUS
2:06.78
4 F Hentke
GER
2:06.78
6 K McLaughlin
USA
2:06.95
7 L Szilagyi
HUN
2:07.76
8 Y Zhou
CHN
2:10.20
SF 14 H Miley
GBR
2:09.21
HT 19 A Willmott
GBR
2:10.07
200m IM
1 K Hosszu
HUN WR 2:06.12
2 K Watanabe
JPN
2:08.45
3 S O'Connor
GBR
2:08.77
4 M Di Rado
USA
2:08.99
5 H Miley
GBR
2:10.19
6 S Pickrem
CAN
2:10.32
7 M Margalis
USA
2:10.41
8 S Ye
CHN
2:14.01
400m IM
1 K Hosszu
HUN
4:30.39
2 M Di Rado
USA
4:31.71
3 E Overholt
CAN
4:32.52
4 H Miley
GBR
4:34.79
5 B Zavadova
CZE
4:36.73
6 S Shimizu
JPN
4:37.19
7 A Willmott
GBR
4:38.75
8 L Grangeon
FRA
4:40.98
4x100m Freestyle Relay
1 Australia
CR 3:31.48
2 Netherlands
3:33.67
3 United States
3:34.61
4 Sweden
3:35.71
5 Canada
3:36.44
6 Italy
3:37.16
7 China
3:37.64
8 France
3:38.46
4x200m Freestyle Relay
1 United States
7:45.37
2 Italy
7:48.41
3 China
7:49.10
4 Sweden
7:50.24
5 Great Britain
7:50.60
(S O'Connor, J Carlin, R Turner, H Miley)
6 Australia
7:51.02
7 Japan
7:54.62
8 France
7:55.98
4x100m Medley Relay
1 China
3:54.41
2 Sweden
ER 3:55.24
3 Australia
3:55.56
4 United States
3:56.76
5 Denmark
3:57.61
6 Canada
3:57.96
DSQ Great Britain
DSQ Japan

> MIXED
4x100m Freestyle Relay
1 United States
WR 3:23.05
2 Netherlands
3:23.10
3 Canada
3:23.59
4 Russia
3:24.21
5 Italy
3:25.26
6 Brazil
3:25.58
7 China
3:26.94
8 Sweden
3:27.09
4x100m Medley Relay
1 Great Britain
WR 3:41.71
(C Walker-Hebborn, A Peaty, S O'Connor, F Halsall)
2 United States
3:43.27
3 Germany
3:44.13
4 China
3:44.65
5 Russia
3:44.83
6 Italy
3:45.59
7 Canada
3:46.23
8 Hungary
3:50.06

> OPEN WATER

> MEN
5km
1 Chad Ho
2 Rob Muffels
3 Matteo Furlan
7 Caleb Hughes
23 Tom Allen
10km
1 Jordan Wilimovsky
2 Ferry Weertman
3 Spyridon Gianniotis
5 Jack Burnell
14 Daniel Fogg
25km
1 Simone Ruffini
2 Alex Meyer
3 Matteo Furlan

RSA
GER
ITA
GBR
GBR

55:17.6
55.17.6
55:20.0
55:21.9
55:32.0

USA
NED
GRE
GBR
GBR

1:49:48.2
1:50:00.3
1:50:00.7
1:50:05.8
1:50:39.7

ITA
USA
ITA

4:53:10.7
4:53:15.1
4:54:38.0

> WOMEN
5km
1 Haley Anderson
2 Kalliopi Araozou
3 Finnia Wunrum
23 Alice Dearing
10km
1 Aurelie Muller
2 Sharon Van Rouwendaal
3 Ana Marcela Cunha
15 Keri-anne Payne
35 Danielle Huskisson
25km
1 Ana Marcela Cunha
2 Anna Olasz
3 Angela Maurer

USA
GRE
GER
GBR

58:48.4
58:49.8
58:51.0
1:00:53.3

FRA
NED
BRA
GBR
GBR

1:58:04.3
1:58:06.7
1:58:26.5
1:58:53.6
2:00:57.3

BRA
HUN
GER

5:13:47.3
5:14:13.4
5:15:07.6

3 P Pamg
8 T Couch
18 (Semi) S Barrow
10m Synchro
1 R Chen / H Liu
2 M Benfeito / R Filion
3 U Kim / N Song
6 S Barrow / T Couch

3m Synchro
1 H Wang / H Yang
2 J Abel / F Imbeau-Dulac
3 T Cagnotto / M Verzotto
10m Synchro
1 Y Si / X Tai
2 M Benfeito / V Riendeau
3 D Bedggood / M Wu
3m/10m team
1 R Gallantree / T Daley
2 O Gorshkovozov / I Prokopchuk
3 S Xie / R Chen

27m
1 G Hunt
2 B Paredes
3 A Silchenko

20m
1 R Simpson
2 C Carlton
3 Y Nestsiarava

Solo free
1 N Ishchenko
2 X Huang
3 O Carbonell
Solo technical
1 S Romashina
2 O Carbonell
3 W Sun
Duet free
1 N Ishchenko / S Romashina
2 X Huang / W Sun
3 L Ananasova / A Voloshyna
24 (Prelim) J Cowie / G Randall
Duet technical
1 N Ishchenko / S Romashina
2 X Huang / W Sun
3 Y Inui / R Mitsui
24 (Prelim) J Cowie / G Randall
Team free
1 RUS
2 CHN
3 JPN
Team technical
1 RUS
2 CHN
3 JPN
Team combination
1 RUS
2 CHN
3 JPN

CHN
UKR
USA
GBR

485.50
449.05
428.30
309.60

CHN
RUS
GBR
GBR

555.05
547.60
528.90
422.50

CHN
RUS
GBR

471.45
459.18
445.20

CHN
USA
GBR
GBR

587.00
560.20
537.95
357.60

CHN
MEX

495.72
448.89

RUS
GBR

441.33
396.84

ITA
CHN
CHN

310.85
309.20
300.30

CHN
CHN
ITA
GBR
GBR

383.55
377.45
356.15
289.00
262.55

CHN
CAN
AUS
GBR

351.30
319.47
304.20
286.86

PRK
CHN

397.05
388.00

> WOMEN
1m
1 T Cagnotto
2 T Shi
3 Z He
3m
1 S Tingmao
2 Z He
3 T Cagnotto
10 R Gallantree
26 (Prelim) A Blagg
3m Synchro
1 T Shi / M Wu
2 J Abel / P Ware
3 S Mills / E Qin
10 A Blagg / R Gallantree
10m
1 K Hyang
2 R Qian

359.52
339.99
325.26
308.40

CHN
CAN
ITA

339.90
317.01
315.30

CHN
CAN
AUS

350.88
309.66
308.22

GBR
UKR
CHN

434.65
426.45
425.40

GBR
MEX
RUS

629.30
596.45
593.95

USA
USA
BLR

258.70
237.35
233.10

RUS
CHN
ESP

97.2333
95.7000
94.9000

RUS
ESP
CHN

96.2680
93.1284
91.5479

RUS
CHN
UKR
GBR

98.2000
95.9000
93.6000
76.0333

RUS
CHN
JPN
GBR

95.4672
93.3279
92.0079
74.6512

> WOMEN

> SYNCHRO

1 S Xie
2 I Kvasha
3 M Hixon
26 (Prelim) J Denny
3m
1 H Chao
2 I Zakharov
3 J Laugher
15 (Semi) C Mears
3m Synchro
1 Y Cao / Q Kai
2 E Kuznetsov / I Zakharov
3 J Laugher / C Mears
10m
1 Q Bo
2 D Boudia
3 T Daley
18 (Semi) M Lee
10m Synchro
1 A Chen / Y Lin
2 I Garcia Navarro
G Sanchez Sanchez
3 R Izmailov / V Minibaev
9 J Denny / M Lee

CHN
CAN
PRK
GBR

> HIGH DIVING

> MEN

5km
1 Germany
55:14.4
(C Reichert, R Muffels, I F Harle)
= 2 Brazil
55:31.2
(D Villarinho, A M Cunha, A Do Carmo)
= 2 Netherlands
55:31.2
(M Schouten, S Van Rouwendaal, F Weertman)

1m

385.05
340.30
283.10

> MIXED

> TEAM

> DIVING
> MEN

MAS
GBR
GBR

98.4667
96.1333
93.9000
95.7457
94.4605
92.4133
98.3000
96.2000
93.8000

> MIXED
Duet free
1 A Maltsev / D Valitova
2 K Lum-Underwood / B May
3 G Minisini / M Perrupato
Duet technical
1 C Jones / B May
2 A Maltsev / D Valitova
3 M Flamini / G Minisini

RUS
USA
ITA

91.7333
91.4667
89.3333

USA
RUS
ITA

88.5108
88.2986
86.3640

> WATER POLO

> MEN
Gold medal match
Serbia 11 v 4 Croatia
Bronze medal match
Greece 7 v 7 Italy
Penalties Greece 4 v 2 Italy

> WOMEN
Gold medal match
USA 5 v 4 Netherlands
Bronze medal match
Italy 7 v 7 Australia
Penalties Italy 5 v 3 Australia

Swimming Times

45

Feature - SUMMER NATS RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 11:25 Page 1

ENGLISH
SUMMER
It was medals galore for Guildford
City girls as they clinched the title
of top female club and overall top
club in the ASA Summer Nationals
at Ponds Forge, Sheffield.
Meanwhile, Romford Town had
13-year-old James Cooper to thank
for their top male club crown due
to his contribution of six gold,
three silver and one bronze medal.
he ASA National
Summer
Championships had
over 1,400 young
athletes: part of a
new swimming
structure in Great Britain in which
the top-ranked swimmers in each
event (18 for 800m / 1500m
freestyle, 24 for all other individual
events) were invited to compete at
the British Swimming Summer
Championships. Age groups were
13-14, 15, 16, 17-18 and 19/o. The next
ranked swimmers (15 for 800m /
1500m free, 20 for all other
individual events) at ASA affiliated
clubs or who have chosen to be
ranked as English swimmers were
invited to compete at these ASA
nationals. Age groups were 12-13,
14, 15, 16-17 and 18/o.
Grant Robins, England
Programmes team leader, said:
This has been a good end of
season summer meet, with some
strong swimming. One of the key
aims of the new structure is to give
more swimmers the opportunity to

46

Swimming Times

compete, and this meet has

certainly done that. Across all the
home nation meets (British,
Scotland, Wales), there has been 10
per cent more swimmers
competing than last year, which
can only be positive for the future
of competitive swimming in
England.
Lee Holland, Isle of Man head
coach, reinforced the importance
of these championships to the
development of swimmers: We
had two swimmers at the British
Summer Nationals and six at the
ASA Summer Champs. Weve had a
good week. Three of our swimmers
are heading to Samoa for the
Commonwealth Youth Games so
this has been a great training
camp for them.
Its certainly provided an
opportunity for more swimmers to
compete and its great to see so
many young swimmers making
finals and swimming PBs. Its really
helped to teach them to swim fast
in the morning to make the final,
and then to swim fast again to get >
>

Feature - SUMMER NATS RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 11:25 Page 2

ASA NATIONAL SUMMER CHAMPIONSHIPS 2015

Feature - SUMMER NATS RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 11:26 Page 3

WEVE NEVER DONE BACK-T0BACK MEETS BEFORE. BOTH

EVENTS WERE WELL ORGANISED
< the result because they havent
been able to take anything for
granted.

COOPERS COUP
More than 280 clubs took part over
the six days with almost half
winning at least one medal.
Swimmers competed across five
age groups and in multiclassification races. Romford
Towns James Cooper topped the
individual medal table while at the
other end of the age spectrum,
Jarvis Parkinson and Georgina
Boyle (16-17yrs) both looked in
great form before heading out to
the Commonwealth Youth Games
in Samoa, winning four gold
medals between them.

48

Swimming Times

GUILDFORDS GIRLS
Guildfords girls seven gold, seven
silver and two bronze medals
secured not only the female top
spot but snatched the overall club
honours from last years British
Gas ASA National Age Group
overall club and female champions,
City of Leeds.
In total, Guildford claimed eight
gold, eight silver and four bronze
medals to sit on top, with City of
Leeds eight golds and three silvers
pushing them into second place in
the overall standings.
Richard Garfield, Guildford City
head coach, said: We had over 50
individual qualifiers plus multiple
relays, which was great. The
swimmers have done really well,

October 2015

Feature - SUMMER NATS RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 11:26 Page 4

ASA NATIONAL SUMMER CHAMPIONSHIPS 2015

Clockwise from near left:
Hoddesdons Grace
Harvey smashed her
SM7 200m IM British
record; Mount Kellys
Emily Cutler celebrates
one of her three
victories; Luke Reeson
of Cockermouth in the
MC 200m IM; Guildford
Citys Isabella Fakkel
won two golds and a
silver in the 12-13yrs
breaststroke events

with a number of medals and PBs,

so from a competitive point of view
its been very positive. As a club,
weve also used the opportunity for
professional development. We had
nine young coaches attend the
championships, and four attended
the British Summer Nationals the
week before. Both were really
great opportunities for them to
experience a competitive
environment and also mix with
other coaches. Weve never done
back-to-back weeks before. Both
events were well run and well
organised.
One of Guildfords top
performers was 12-year-old
Isabella Fakkel, who showed her
dominance across the breaststroke
events, taking gold in the 50m and
200m and silver in the 100m.
Rosanna Arnold also claimed
two golds, her strength showing in
the 15yrs 200m and 400m IM. And
it was one gold apiece for Sophie
Du Plessis (18+ 50m back), Ellenor
Rixon (15yrs 400m free) and Molly
Robinson (15yrs 50m free).
Piers Bowden became top male
swimmer for the club when he
swam to victory in the 14yrs 100m
butterfly and won silver in the 50m
freestyle.
Twelve-year-old Tia Ward was
City of Leeds star performer,
claiming all six of their golds and
two of the three silver medals that
led them to second place with
Mount Kelly (four gold, five silver
and one bronze) third in the female
club standings.
The top male club was Romford
Town owing to the almost singlehanded success of James Cooper
in the 12-13 years age group.
In total, their boys won six gold,
four silver and two bronze medals.
Close behind were Plymouth
Leander with five gold, three silver
and four bronze medals in the male
events.
Other outstanding medal hauls
came from Luke Reeson
(Cockermouth) with three gold and
one silver, while Emily Cutler
(Mount Kelly), Grace Harvey
(Hoddesdon), Jarvis Parkinson
(Doncaster Dartes) and Nathan
Wells (West Norfolk) each won
three golds.

RECORD-BREAKERS
Two MC records were broken.
Worcesters Rebecca Redfern
lowered her SB13 British record to
October 2015

>
Swimming Times

49

Feature - SUMMER NATS RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 11:26 Page 5

IVE MISSED OUT ON A FEW

MEDAL POSITIONS LEADING UP TO
THIS SO I GUESS ID HAD ENOUGH
Above: Prestons Kyo
Tanner (facing camera)
and City of Liverpools
Tobey Ryland
congratulate each other
after coming first and
second respectively in
the 12-13yrs 100m
freestyle; right:
Guildfords Tilly HansenHamilton won silver in
the 12-13yrs 200m
backstroke

< win gold in 1:20.56 (877 BDP) in

the MC 100m breaststroke. The
silver went to Richmond Dales Lily
Macleod (SB13) in 1:29.30 (644
BDP), her second silver of the
competition. Basildon & Phoenixs
Danielle Hartin took bronze with a
time of 1:28.07 (638 BDP).
The following day saw a similarly
great swim when Grace Harvey
(Hoddesdon) broke her own SM7
British 200m IM record by over
five seconds, touching in a time of
3:17.78 and finishing fourth overall.
In the same race, Lily MacLeod
(SM13) added gold to the two
silvers she had already won. The
Richmond Dales swimmer scored
664 BDP after touching in 2:48.33
and topped the podium.
Wellingboroughs Maisie SummersNewton (SM6) scored 648 BDP
(3:32.66) to take silver, while
Basildon & Phoenixs Danielle
Hartin was third ( 641 BDP 2:27.24).

AMAZING WEEK
As the racing progressed,
swimmers began to show the
50

Swimming Times

importance of this event in their

calendar. Prestons Kyo Tanner, 1213yrs 100m freestyle winner,
summed it up: Ive missed out on a
few medal positions leading up to
tonights 100 free final and tonight
I guess Id had enough. I worked
really hard, accelerated as much as
I could in the last 25 metres, and it
feels so great to finally have a
medal a gold medal. Tanner held
onto his early lead to win in 56.44
ahead of City of Liverpools Tobey
Ryland (56.84) with the
championships top swimmer,
James Cooper, third (57.45).
S10 swimmer Jack Bridge
(Preston SC) said: It's been an
amazing week. I have four medals:
two golds, a silver and a bronze.
Ive come to Sheffield this week
just to have some fun and to put a
smile back on my face while Im
racing. Ive had a tough year so far.
I had ankle surgery 15 or 16 weeks
ago so I wasnt looking to come to
this meet and smash the times Ive
been putting out. All credit to my
coach for getting me in the right
October 2015

Feature - SUMMER NATS RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 11:27 Page 6

ASA NATIONAL SUMMER CHAMPIONSHIPS 2015

Plymouth edged into third by
Bicester Blue Fins (Oliver Inness,
Thomas Thornley, Kieran Bird,
Joshua Rowland), who took gold
with Derventio in the silver medal
position.
Plymouths womens team in the
14-16yrs 800m freestyle relay were
fifth in the final with City of Derby
(Amy Grant, Krissy Tomlinson,
Hannah Baldwin, Ellie Baldwin)
hitting the top of the podium
followed by Weston-super-Mare
and Wirral Metro.
With only three teams
competing in the womens 17yrs
and over 800m freestyle relay, City
of Peterborough (Chloe Hannam,
Mollie Allen, Taylor Goodby, Aisling
Ruff) dominated the race to take
gold in 8:44.40. Hatfield touched
the wall in 8:59.24 for silver with
Sevenoaks third in 9:18.20. >
mental state to perform. Its just a
really good stepping-stone to get
into next year. Im not really having
a summer break, Im training right
the way through to Rio and
hopefully I can represent GB there.

RULING THE RELAYS

Plymouth Leander proved their
team potential, and why they have
won the Arena League Cup Final
for seven of the last eight years, by
stepping onto the podium in nine
out of 12 relay finals.
On day one, the club reached the
relay podium three times. John
Slater, Daniel Jones, Declan DahillRowan and Reece Dunn completed
near-perfect changeovers to take
gold in the 17yrs+ 4x100m
freestyle final (3:28.34). They were
joined by City of Coventry
(3:32.38) and Cockermouth
(3:32.93).
The mens 14-16yrs 4x100m
freestyle saw Northampton
(Matthew Richmond, Billy Pettit,
Joshua Lloyd, Daniel Savage) take
the victory (3:40.71) with City of
Derby second (3:41.45) and
Plymouth Leander third (3.43.11).
And it was bronze again for the
Plymouth girls in the 14-16yrs
4x100m freestyle (4:02.19).
Derventio Excel edged ahead to
take gold in 3:58.78 with Thanet
claiming silver (4:00.13).
Wigan (Jessica Sloan, Phoebe
Vaughan, Rachel Byrne, Holly
Jackson) took gold in the womens
17yrs+ in 4:02.12, followed by
Beckenham (4:03.10) and Poole
October 2015

(4:03.23). Plymouth Leander had

to settle for a fifth place finish
(4:05.69) but they did get two
more golds in the final sessions
medley relays. The 14-16yrs 400m
medley saw Oscar Brain, Tom
Beagley, Sam Dailley and Iestyn
Cole on top of the podium
(4:05.47). Exeter were less than
two seconds behind in 4:07.16 with
Potters Bar following closely
(4:08.44).
The 17yrs+ 400m medley relay
saw Plymouth take gold again,
touching in 3:50.27. Wycombe and
Hatfield battled it out to the end,
finishing in 3:56.30 and 3:57.22
respectively.
There were two silvers for
Plymouth in the womens 400m
medley races. In the 14-16yrs, early
leaders Pioneer 79 (Eleanor Collin,
Niamh Robinson, Elodie
Smallwood, Meghann Leaver)
claimed victory (4:27.73). Plymouth
were inched into second with
4:27.75 and Wycombe District third
in 4:27.98.

UNSTOPPABLE
The 17yrs+ race saw an
unstoppable Woking (Hannah
Burvill, Abigail White, Lucy
Sessions, Hazel Ferguson) touch in
4:23.64, seven seconds ahead of
Plymouth (4:30.49). Hatfield
(4:31.18) took the bronze.
Basildon & Phoenix were
victorious in the mens 17yrs+
800m freestyle, touching ahead of
Plymouth and Rushmoor Royals.
The 14-16yrs equivalent race saw

Top: Melton Mowbrays William Graham celebrates victory in the 14yrs 50m
butterfly; middle: City of Peterboroughs victorious girls 17yrs+ 4x200m freestyle
team of Chloe Hannam, Mollie Allen, Taylor Goodby and Aisling Ruff;
above: City of Derbys winning 14-16yrs 4x200m team of Hannah Baldwin, Krissy
Tomlinson, Amy Grant and Ellie Baldwin

Swimming Times

51

Feature - SUMMER NATS RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 11:27 Page 7

The boys 14yrs 100m freestyle

final gets underway

<

OVERALL CLUB TABLE

MENS CLUB

WOMENS CLUB

Club

Gold

Silver Bronze

Club

Gold

Silver Bronze

Club

Gold

Silver Bronze

Guildford Ct

Romford Town

Guildford Ct

Co Leeds

Plymouth Lea

Co Leeds

Leinster IRL

Leinster IRL

Mt Kelly

Romford Town

Cockermouth

Co Leicester

Plymouth Lea

Preston

Co Milton K

FOR FULL RESULTS VISIT SWIMMINGRESULTS.ORG.UK

52

Swimming Times

October 2015

Feature - SUMMER NATS RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 11:28 Page 8

ASA NATIONAL SUMMER CHAMPIONSHIPS 2015

A FULL REPORT OF EACH DAYS RACING CAN BE FOUND

AT WWW.SWIMMING.ORG/ASANATIONALS BUT HERES
A SELECTION OF SOME SWIMMERS WHO DID WELL.

JAMES COOPER
12-13yrs age group, Romford Town
Six golds (200m backstroke, 100m butterfly, 200m IM,
1500m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 400m freestyle),
three silvers (200m freestyle, 50m backstroke, 50m
butterfly) and a bronze (100m freestyle)
After winning gold in the 200m IM, James said: It's
pretty amazing that Im one of the leaders of the
medal table right now. I really wasnt expecting to do that well.
I train eight sessions a week and its paying off. I prefer competition to training.

Favourite
Swim of the meet: I really enjoyed the 200 back...I did a good PB and I was in a neck-andneck battle with the Irish swimmer Sean Scannell. He did beat me by a tiny bit in the end,
however, as he was a commemorative medallist, I moved into the gold position
Book: I dont enjoy reading, if Im honest, I dont like sitting still
Animal: Tiger
TV show: Only Fools and Horses
Music: Elvis Presley I listen to him at night, it helps me fall asleep
Food: A really good burger
Pool: London Aquatic Centre rocks!
Pizza topping: Bacon and sausage
Person to meet: Mike Tyson I like a good fighter

TIA WARD
12-13yrs age group, City of Leeds
Six golds (200m IM, 200m fly, 200m back, 400m IM,
400m free, 800m free) and two silvers (100m back,
100m fly)
On her 200 IM gold win, Tia said: Im ecstatic, it was
just an amazing swim. I havent PBd in a while so I am
happy. Im the youngest in the age group. Last year I
came joint first and this year I wanted to come back strong and win.
This meet has been really good for me because Leeds has had quite a few swimmers
competing so I have a lot of my team-mates here. Its also been really good because
weve been doing so much preparation work negative splits, converting the back half of
the race, focussing on the importance of the underwater phase, descending work...all
that preparation has really paid off.

Favourite
Swim of the meet: It has to be the 800 free because I havent swum that in a while and as
a result I got a really good PB. I also spent a fair bit of time preparing for this race in
particular, and that made the race easier more fun in a way. I really realised after that
race that I wouldnt be here if I didnt love doing what I do so much
Book: Anything to do with Harry Potter
Animal: A dog, in particular German shepherds. I used to have one named Merlin
TV show: Dance Moms
Music: I like upbeat catchy pop tunes, singers like Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Ellie
Goulding
Food: Ice cream
Pool:Where I train and compete the John Charles Centre for Sport, which is near Leeds
Pizza topping: Ham
Person to meet: Michael Phelps because of how well he has done in the Olympics
October 2015

LILY MACLEOD
MC, Richmond Dales
Two golds (200m IM, 50m free) and two silvers (100m
free, 100m breaststroke)
After the MC 50m free gold medal: Its been really
fun, Ive had a few PBs and two gold, two silvers. Its
just been so exciting.
Its always exciting to see old friends, and compete
with them, this is my second year at nationals.

Favourite
Swim of the meet: I suppose its the one Ive done the best in which is the 200IM. It was a
hard race but the rewards were great. I took gold
Book: My favourite genre of books is thrillers
Animal: Hippo
TV show: I dont watch much TV; to be honest I dont have time. I am increasing my
training to 22 hours this September, 19 hours in the pool and three on land
Music: I like so much its kind of hard to choose. I guess I like the stuff in the charts, pop
rock and indie
Food: Chicken I just love chicken
Pool: I prefer SC to LC but for sure my favourite pool is the London Aquatics Centre
Pizza topping: Chicken!
Person to meet: Michael Phelps or Margaret Thatcher

JARVIS PARKINSON
16-17yrs, Doncaster Dartes
Three golds (100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 50m
breaststroke)
Jarvis said after his 50m breaststroke gold: I wasnt
swimming so well last week so double golds and two
PBs feels good right now. Im going to be training hard
over the next three weeks in the lead-up to the Games
in Samoa in early September. Im also looking forward to a bit of time
in New Zealand and being in that part of the world should be really fun.
I was panicking at the 50m mark (of the 100m backstroke) because I thought I had
gone out too slow. Everyone seemed to be next to me and I could see their arms
propelling around me. I knew I needed to have a spectacular underwater phase to get
ahead of the pack, which went to plan. I could sort of relax a bit after that.
I kind of came looking for good times and good PBs (not so much winning medals),
particularly in the ones I missed out on at the British nationals. Ive swum better than I
thought I would.

Favourite
Swim of the meet: 200 back, because I decided to go out fast, turned at 100m on a 1:01,
and it felt easy, and then I just increased my lead from there and enjoyed the last part of
the race
Book: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (brought a tear to my eye)
Animal: If I were an animal, Id want to be an eagle or a wolf. Im torn between the two, a
wolf because youd be in a pack of friends and an eagle because youd be able to fly.
TV show: Top Gear
Music: Songs from the band 5 Seconds of Summer
Food: Its a pudding raspberry sponge cake made by Grandma
Pool: Im stuck between two again. London Aquatics Centre and the pool/experience at
Baku (Azerbaijan). Theres something about seeing an Azerbaijani waving a British flag
that makes you want to swim fast
Pizza topping: I like a basic Margherita. Is that boring?
Person to meet: Neil Armstrong, the first person ever to set foot on the moon. Imagine
the things he could tell you
Swimming Times

>
53

Feature - SUMMER NATS RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 04/09/2015 11:28 Page 9

ASA NATIONAL SUMMER CHAMPIONSHIPS 2015

MILLIE SCOTCHBROOK
15yrs, City of Leicester
Gold (50m butterfly) and two bronze (100m butterfly,
200m breaststroke)
Its been really good because I havent swum a PB in
a while so Ive been getting good PBs and I love the
atmosphere here.

ABIGAIL BURR
16-17yrs, Lincoln Vulcans
Gold (100m butterfly) and three bronze (200m freestyle,
50m butterfly, 800m freestyle)
On the event: Really good lots of medals and PBs
and a good experience overall.

Favourite
Favourite
Swim of the meet: 50m fly because Ive won. It was my first race and it was really exciting
to get in the final
Book: I dont read much so its tough for me to think of one. This is a hard question
Animal: I like dogs. I have a dog named Billy and hes a lab. He misses me when I swim
TV show: I dont have time to watch TV either. Probably Britains Got Talent
Music: Ed Sheeran
Food: Pizza
Pool: Sheffields Ponds Forge I come here quite often and Im used to it.
Pizza topping: Chicken
Person to meet: Michael Phelps

NATALIE COOGANS
18yrs, West Norfolk
Gold (200m breaststroke)
I haven't actually had a PB in this race all season.
I did a slight PB in the qualifying heat and then a ninesecond PB tonight, so when I touched the wall and saw
my time, I burst into tears. I worked out a very specific
pacing strategy with my coach. I had to be constantly
reminding myself throughout the race how important it was to stick
to plan. Im glad I did she was right!
On the event: Really enjoyable, quite action-packed from our club. Between myself
and Nathan Wells, we have four golds in total, the most hardware the club has had in a
while.

Favourite
Swim of the meet: 200m breaststroke
Book: I really like the Harry Potter series
Animal: Puppies I wish I had one. Too much travelling around for swimming limits me
from having one
TV show: How I Met Your Mother
Music: Bruno Mars
Food: Green grapes
Pool: Ponds Forge in Sheffield
Pizza topping: Im quite boring I like Pizza Margherita
Person to meet: Um, thats a tough question. Im not really sure. Probably Usain Bolt.
Finding out what its like to be the fastest person in the world. That would be really
interesting

Swim of the meet: 100 fly and 200 free are in joint first, as they are
my best events
Book: Faults in Our Stars by John Green
Animal: Elephant
TV show: Eastenders
Music: Anything in the charts
Food: Thats a hard one probably chicken and rice
Pool: Sheffield, by far
Pizza topping: Margherita
Person to meet: Michael Phelps, because hes the most amazing swimmer with the most
medals at the Olympics

NATHAN WELLS
16-17 yrs, West Norfolk
Three golds (400m IM, 200m free, 200m IM)
On his 200m freestyle gold: It was unreal, I was not
expecting to win at all. I was seeded 14th into the
qualifying heats, and so to take gold in the end is just
incredible.
On the event: I dont know what to say to be
honest its just all fallen into plan, my coaches, my parents all
supporting me, backing me and then to do so well, get so many PBs and gold medals. I
honestly wasnt expecting this level of success.

Favourite
Swim of the meet: Definitely the 200 free because it was so close and even when I was
racing, I was getting so excited. We were basically level and it just came down to the
touch....I was so happy
Book: Ive read Michael Phelps autobiography and that really helped me. To see his way of
swimming and his view of things I guess it was just the best book.
Animal: Lion
TV show: Its a toss-up between Total Wipe Out and Top Gear
Music: Calvin Harris
Food: Ive got a lot. I like chocolate a lot (I guess I shouldn't say that), Jaffa Cakes, Yum
Yums, bananas
Pool: The London Aquatics Centre
Pizza topping: Pepperoni, chicken strips, meatballs
Person to meet: Id really like to meet Michael Phelps, who is legendary, and Liam
Tancock. I did meet Liam at a meet in Sheffield just before the 2012 Olympics and he so
engaged with the crowd. Hes really my idol

ON TRACK?
YOU CAN READ TWO OPINIONS OF THE AGE GROUPS IN THIS EVENT (AND THE BRITISH SUMMER
NATIONALS) ON PAGES 8 AND 70. WHATS YOUR OPINION? DID THE ORGANISERS GET IT RIGHT?
EMAIL: [email protected]

54

Swimming Times

October 2015

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04/09/2015 16:05

Feature - LTS down under RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 03/09/2015 11:17 Page 1

Learn to swim Down

Julia Wood describes the setting up and structure of the learnto-swim system at a major leisure centre in Australia and
compares it to the UKs biggest swim teaching programme

56

Swimming Times

October 2015

Feature - LTS down under RGph_Honesty Box 03/09/2015 11:20 Page 2

LTS in Australia

Under
Julia Wood

October 2015

read Geoff Wades article Learn To Swim:

The Third Way? in the February edition of
Swimming Times with great interest
especially the part which stated The
aquatics programme now numbers 4,800
the largest in the UK.
I am now the aquatics manager at a large
indoor facility in the bayside suburb of
Frankston, approximately 50km from the centre
of Melbourne Peninsula Aquatic Recreation
Centre (PARC). The Centre opened in
September 2014 and boasts an indoor 50m pool
with a movable boom, learn-to-swim pool, an

aquatic playground, two water slides, a fully

equipped gym and two large exercise studios.
Melbournes climate is very similar to the UK
but with different extremes. In the summer, it
can be as hot as 40 degrees and, in the winter,
as low as zero. On average, there are 40
swimming lessons a year that run alongside the
four school terms with a two-week break during
each of the school holidays.
Frankston has a population of about 130,000
and covers an area of 131 square kilometres.
There are 24 primary schools and 12 secondary
schools in the immediate area.
After many years of planning and
preparation, the Centre opened in September
2014, the swim school a month later with
approximately 1,000 children already enrolled in
swimming lessons. Competition in the local area
is made up of several small swim schools, all
offering various programme and lesson options.
The nearest large aquatic facility like ours is just
18km away.
In this article, I want to share with you
information about the PARC swim programme,
how it was developed, how we manage it, how it
has been received and how we hope it will grow
in the future.
Unlike in the UK, there is no single learn-toswim programme that operates Australia-wide.
Royal Life Saving has a programme which
incorporates swimming and lifesaving and
caters for all ages. Most independent swim
schools write their own programmes based on
what their owners and managers deem
appropriate and have their own names for
classes and levels. The larger organisations (eg
Belgravia Leisure and YMCA) have developed
their own programmes that run at each of their
centres across Australia making the transition
from one centre to another easy.
When I arrived at PARC in December, about
1,500 children were enrolled in the current
programme. My task was to write and design a >
Swimming Times

57

Feature - LTS down under RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 03/09/2015 11:17 Page 3

new, easy-to-follow and credible programme

that would see children through from six
months parent and toddler classes to schoolage swimming lessons as well as a schools
swimming programme.
It seems that Australians are loathe to label
children. In swimming, children are very
obviously beginners, improvers or advanced
swimmers but, for some reason, parents are
loathe to call their child a beginner yet they
love to talk of their child being advanced. Most
Australian swim programmes use names such
as starfish, seahorse, platypus, dolphin and
every other aquatic creature you can think of to
label classes, which makes it incredibly difficult
to know exactly what stage the child is at. To
write the PARC swim programme, I needed to
be able to call a spade a spade while at the
same time tagging the class with a fun name
that would relate to the age and ability of the
child within the programme.
To introduce a new programme after a term
of a very different programme was a brave
move especially as it was brand new and had
never been seen trialled. Term 4 finished on
Sunday December 21, 2014; term 1 commenced
on Monday February 2, 2015. That gave us six
weeks to communicate the programme,
redesign the pool layout for swim classes, write
all the criteria and competencies for each level
and have all the collateral in place. Add to the
mix that January is when the highest number
of new children join any swim programme and
we anticipated an additional 500 children.

The programme
After several years of teaching swimming,
training swim teachers, owning and operating
my own swim school and consulting to other
swim schools, it became very evident that
children absolutely need to be grouped by age.
It is possible to have both a five-year-old and
a 10-year-old with the same ability in swimming
but, developmentally, the 10-year-old will be far
more advanced than the younger child. The
programme has three levels in each of the
stages Toddler, Beginner, Improver and
Swimmer.
Under Three Programme Tadpoles to
Toddlers
The programme recognises three stages of
development in this area and children are
grouped accordingly: six to 12 months, 12
months to two years and two to three years.
Each level works towards a set of
competencies, preparing them for when they
are ready to be in a lesson on their own once
they turn three. Separating the children by age
also allows the teacher to focus on children of
similar abilities. While differentiation in
teaching is expected with mixed ability groups,
lets make the job easier to start with.
Age Three to Five Programme Pufferfish
Pre School
As we go through the levels, you will notice that
58

Swimming Times

Currently 2,300 children are enrolled and we

anticipate our capacity being around 3,500
within two years. Catering for this number of
students each week requires creative planning
while there is a continuum from beginner to
advanced, I have still worked in a friendly fish
name to appease the parents. There are five
levels here, which take a three-year-old from
being a complete beginner to a level where
breaststroke has been introduced and is being
refined.
Age Five to Seven Programme Flying Fish
to Foundation
These children are now at school (we start at
five in Oz). If a child was already in our
programme prior to commencing school, they
move sideways from the Pufferfish stream into
the Flying Fish stream. Six levels in this stream
take the children to the end of the improver
levels.
Age Seven-plus - Snapper to School Age
For a beginner who is seven and over (not
uncommon), there are classes in this stream
they can join. Nine levels in this stream take the
child from beginner to swimmer and allow them
to graduate from the programme.

Programme overview
The programme allows us to recognise that
there may be beginners of all ages wanting to
join our programme. Every level in each stream
has the same criteria and competencies the
difference being where the classes are
positioned in the pool to cater for height
and size.

Our programme operates during the following

times:
MondayFriday: 9am 11.30am, 4pm6.30pm
Saturday & Sunday: 8.30am 12.30pm.
Currently, there are 2,300 children enrolled
and we anticipate our capacity being around
3,500 within the next couple of years.
In order to cater for this number of students
each week, creative planning and use of pool
space has to be implemented. Our learn-toswim pool can be divided into nine teaching
lanes. The pool is a rectangle, 15m x 9m with a
depth of 0.5m0.9m. If we were greedy, we
could possibly have more but it may
compromise the efficacy of the programme.
The Tadpole 1 and 2 classes are in the deepest
part of the pool. The Tadpole 3 class is in the
shallowest part of the pool allowing the teacher
to take more of a back seat while the parents
lead the children. The teacher gives direction
and guidance, and encourages them to be
independent in preparation for the transition to
being in the water without mum or dad.
All our Pufferfish classes (pre-school) are
also conducted in the learn-to-swim pool here
as well as the early levels of the Flying Fish
stream.
Programming in the 25m shallow pool
(minimum depth 1.35m) was more challenging.
Traditionally, swimming lessons are run up and
down the pool using 25m lanes. Not all children
are ready for this immediately so we thought
October 2015

>

Feature - LTS down under RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 03/09/2015 11:18 Page 4

LTS in Australia

outside the square. From the initial pool set up,

we have revised the layout and taken in lane 4
so that the width of the teaching area could be
increased. In addition, lanes 16 and 17 have also
been removed, giving us the options of 10m,
15m and 25m teaching areas.

Adult classes
We offer a range of adult classes - beginner,
improver and advanced levels together with
classes that are unique to us. The Police Entry
Test is a swim test that all prospective members
of the police force have to pass.
The AUSTSWIM Teacher test is for those
looking to become an AUSTSWIM teacher and
allows them to experience the water
requirements of the qualification. The Grey
Medallion is a Royal Lifesaving initiative for the
55-plus population to introduce them to water
safety, water exercise, how to perform CPR etc.
We are currently developing this programme.
How do we manage the programme?
Already, with 2,300 children enrolled in a
programme that has only been operating for 25
weeks, we offer almost 600 classes a week with
an average occupancy of 85 per cent. We
administer around 300 class moves each
month children changing day and time to suit
parents or maybe they have progressed to the
next level and we need to find a new class.
We do not offer make up lessons, as their
membership includes access to the pool seven
days a week for the child and their supervising
adult. With so many swimmers enrolled in the
programme, the administration is huge and the
turnover of students each half-hour is a giant
management feat.
We have a great poolside team who look after
everyone. In addition to the teachers in the
water, there is always a team member in the
aquatics office as well as up to three on-deck
supervisors, whose role is to make sure

everyone is happy. We have blitz assessment

weeks each term and during this time, we have
additional assessors on the poolside to observe
the children and their skill levels.
The teacher in the water has class lists
printed on water-proof paper an expensive
luxury but worth every penny. They can record
the childs attendance and tick off
competencies, which helps the assessors. We
have an online swim school management
programme, where parents can access their
childs progress reports and teachers can notify
parents when a child is ready to move up a level.
This programme sounds similar to the one
used by Barking and Dagenham ours is called
SwimDesk. All deck supervisors have tablets
which they use to record the swimmers
progress via SwimDesk. Emails can be sent to
parents using this technology, which then
allows them to visit an online portal where they
can track their childs swimming history, look at
competencies required for each level and read
teacher biographies. It even allows them to
print off certificates at home.
We too can see when children are stuck on a
level. To get over this hump, we guarantee that
each child will progress every 30 weeks. If the
child does not, we will offer an additional free
lesson once a week until they do.

Programme collateral
Obviously, with the launch of a brand new
programme, a range of collateral needed to be
organised, including a range of certificates for
each level. Parents have online access to these
through our parent portal but can also come
and see the team in the PARC Swim office to
have their certificates printed.
We have a keyring for each child, which
relates to the stream they are in, and we
envisage this becoming a collectable item given
that children love to collect keyrings and hang

them on their bags.

To aid retention over the winter months, we
are introducing a free beanie for every
swimmer so they can wear it to and from
swimming lessons.

Use of the pool

I note that in his article in the February
Swimming Times, Geoff says that public
swimming is available for 88 per cent of the
centres opening times. Here at PARC, we
guarantee that public swimming lanes will
always be available during normal operating
hours, seven days a week. While we havent
quite met Barking and Dagenhams whopping
410,000 swims in a year, we can boast the
following since opening in September 2014
April 2015:
number of aquatic entries: 159,989
number of children attending birthday
parties: 2,586
programme spectator entries: 27,687
number of children via a school LTS
programmes: 11,886

Where now?
We need to prepare for the people who drop out
of lessons and return again. There seems to be
a widely-held belief that swimming in winter
makes you sick, therefore it is better to stay at
home. We are keen to keep our members and
launched an anti-sick campaign with the help of
various marketing tools a free beanie for the
child, a free hot drink or even a coffee for mum.
We remind them that its always summer at
PARC given that the temperature here never
changes.
The next influx of new swimmers will come
late September with an even bigger number in
January. Id like to think we will reach 3,500
enrolments by this time next year but being
realistic, I would be happy with 3,000.

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October 2015

Swimming Times

59

Feature - Jill Stidever Oct15 RGph.qxd_Final Five inside out 03/09/2015 11:07 Page 1

Jill Stidever receives her

Unsung Hero trophy at the
BBC Sports Personality
Awards in December;
opposite: Jill with daughter
Jane, a six-time Paralympian

60

Swimming Times

October 2015

Feature - Jill Stidever Oct15 RGph.qxd_Final Five inside out 03/09/2015 11:07 Page 2

Jill Stidever

Unsung Hero
Jill Stidever is 78, still works many hours a week after a career spanning 60
years and is described by colleagues as one in a million. Liz Byrnes meets
BBC Sports Unsung Hero of 2014 and coach of Leicester Penguins

t all started for Jill Stidever

in the sea off the south
coast of Devon. From
learning to swim in those
choppy waters through
competitive swimming for
Plymouth Ladies, Jills
journey progressed to teaching
and coaching, with her
commitment to and passion for
disability swimming rewarded with
an MBE and the BBC Sports
Personality of the Year 2014
Unsung Hero Award.
There has also been personal
and professional joy at seeing
three of her students, including
daughter Jane, compete at the
Paralympics.
Growing up in Plymouth, Jill did
not learn to swim until she was 11,
admittedly a late learner because
something called the War held me
up. She continued in an outdoor
pool on Plymouth Hoe and
became a club swimmer,
breaststroke her speciality at
Western Counties competitions.
Jill had already got involved in
teaching lifesaving to youngsters
but it was when she moved to
London to study teacher training
at Avery Hill, Eltham, that she
really took her first steps in what
was to become a lifelong career
and passion. She explains: I fell
into it. People would ask me if I
could help them with swimming.
This was ordinary people who had
not had the opportunity like me to
do swimming and asked me for
help. While I was at college, the girl
who had the room directly
opposite me lost her sister in a
very tragic accident at Skegness.
She stepped out into one of the

October 2015

holes [on the beach] and her body

wasnt found for months.
So I started in many ways there,
with someone whose need wasnt
physical or that type of need but
certainly needed some help to get
over the death of her younger
sister.

Graduation
After graduating, Jill taught
primary and reception children in
Paddington for a year before
marriage to husband Mick, who
was in the air force, saw her
traverse the country.
In the early 1960s, Jill trained
with the Halliwick Association, a
concept designed to teach
independence in the water, and
then undertook ASA qualifications
in teaching people with
disabilities.
She moved to Markfield in
Leicestershire in 1972 and, having
already gained experience with
disability swimming, was offered
the use of the pool at Bosworth
College in Desford, where she
established a club. Jill recalls: We
had nothing apart from this offer
of a pool and, at the time, I had a
disabled daughter as well. We
started with Jane and two other
members.
It was just myself doing the
teaching, which lasted a long
time in fact through until 2000. I
then had some other volunteers
that came along. A parent of one
child took teaching qualifications
to be able to help. I relied on
parents a tremendous amount.
Numbers didnt increase that
much but probably to about 1012
swimmers. >

We had nothing apart from this

offer of a pool and, at the time, I
had a disabled daughter as well
Swimming Times

61

Feature - Jill Stidever Oct15 RGph.qxd_Final Five inside out 03/09/2015 11:07 Page 3

equestrian event Great Britain

did not send a riding coach there as well as swimming.

This picture, below and opposite:

Jill coaching disabled youngsters

Medals

I will be around unless they want to get rid of me.

I enjoy it, thats the trouble. It gives me far more
satisfaction to see them make tiny little steps than the
satisfaction I give to them, Im sure
>

Among that lot, I had three

Paralympians, who had virtually
started as non-swimmers with me
and one of them went to Atlanta in
1996, one to Sydney in 2000 and
the other went to six Paralympics.
The reputation began to grow
and my running of teaching
courses for the ASA also grew I
was working full-time all this time
62

Swimming Times

too. I was beginning to spread the

word a bit locally and then I
started to get more volunteers.
Jill had also become
increasingly involved in Cerebral
Palsy Sport, a condition that
daughter. Jane, now 49 and a sixtime Paralympian, lives with. She
says: Prior to the Paralympics in
Barcelona 1992, the GB team was

made up of competitors from

members of the five national
disability sporting organisations
and I was involved with Cerebral
Palsy Sport, coaching swimming.
Jane was a member of the
cerebral palsy team from 1984 and
I was on the periphery, ensuring
she had suitable equipment in New
York. where she competed in the

Jane won gold in the mixed

dressage as well as a silver and
two bronze medals in the pool in
the United States and there was
further success at the five
following Games.
Jill continues: I remained with
Cerebral Palsy Sport, who
continued to attend their specific
disability world championships,
and was invited to join the staff
preparing for the Paralympics in
2000 (Sydney) and 2004
(Athens).
Two more former pupils in
Emma Harper (ne Booker) and
Caroline Warlow (ne Read)
competed at Atlanta in 1996 and
Sydney 2000. It was at times hard
to separate the personal from the
professional.
It was very difficult to divide
yourself at times, extremely
difficult. I hope I managed it the
majority of the time not to be too
biased towards my daughter. It
was difficult but it was great to be
able to help some of them reach
their ambitions.
There are four hours of classes
a week at Bosworth College Pool
and Ibstock Community College
as part of the Leicester Penguins,
across a spectrum of disabilities
with a concentration on physical
and visual difficulties.
That is where we have built up
an expertise in handling in the
water, putting them in the correct
positions, giving them the support
they need, whereas there are two
or three other clubs in
Leicestershire that specialise in
learning disabilities.
We would encourage the child
there if that was the most
appropriate session for them, just
as we would encourage them into
mainstream swimming if that was
the right place for them.
Jill has handed over the running
of sessions two days a week and is
now a volunteer herself but has
no intention of ceasing her
involvement, health permitting. I
will be around unless they really
want to get rid of me. I enjoy it,
thats the trouble. It gives me far
more satisfaction to see them
make tiny little steps forward than
the satisfaction I give to them, Im
sure. Its nothing to do with me it
is what they get out of it and that
gives back to me. The message is it
is worth continuing.
October 2015

Feature - Jill Stidever Oct15 RGph.qxd_Final Five inside out 03/09/2015 11:08 Page 4

Jill Stidever

Impact
Many youngsters and their
families have made a huge impact
on Jill, including a boy confined to
a wheelchair. He has severe
speech difficulties, I have a
hearing loss and the combination
of the two dont go particularly
well together in a swimming pool.
They showed him on television for
two seconds swimming
independently across the pool.
That has taken seven years to
achieve because he can only use
his legs swimming on his back in a
slightly unorthodox way but he
can swim 300m now
independently.
Families stand out rather than
the children necessarily families
that come week after week
because they know their child is
getting so much extra from it.
Theres a little girl who has to be
supported I use the word
supported loosely in the water,
and her brother and sister play
with her in the water. Its an
environment in which they can be
part of a family. She is another one
that stands out.
The Paralympians that I have
been privileged to work with also
stand out; the coaches that are
involved stand out. A coach in
Scotland who coached Maggie
McEleny, who carried the flag for
Britain in Sydney 2000, stands out
because of the time he also
spends working with these people
who take longer to learn.
There are so many: they may
have gone through my hands and
into public swimming. They are
safe in the water.
She also pays tribute to the
team she has built around her,
saying: They are absolutely vital,
they really are. They are people
who over the years have proved
they have a long-lasting interest in
working in the water and working
on poolside.
Some of them coach and I do
make a distinction. I distinguish
between coaching and teaching
because some of the others are
very happy to work very, very
slowly with some of ours to work in
the water and actually teach them
tiny little moves that will help
them achieve their independence.
I couldnt work without them.

Dedication
Jills work, dedication and
commitment has been recognised
down the years, although in 2000,
she was completely taken aback to
be awarded an MBE. It was a
October 2015

complete shock, she admits. Id

never thought of anything like that
as a reward.
There are so many other
volunteers who have done things. I
am very honoured to receive it.
I kept it hidden from my
husband from the time I had the
original letter until it was
announced on the eve of 2000.
When it was announced, he then
didnt believe me.
I wanted it to be a surprise the
same as it was for everyone but I
misjudged the day they (the
newspaper) were phoning to talk
to me about it. I thought it was the
following day and I was aiming to
get them all out of the house so he
would see it in the paper first of all.
Instead he heard me talking to the
paper on the telephone.
Then came the Unsung Hero
Award at the 2014 BBC Sports
Personality of the Year in Glasgow.
It was a terrific honour because
it had come from the people who
had watched me working.
Apparently parents had got in
touch with them. I was again a bit
nave: they succeeded in catching
me out so much over this.
They wanted to speak to my
swimmers, who were going to
Sheffield for a competition, and I
believed them so I got my junior
swimmers there and found it was a
trophy for me. It was an honour
because it was in my local
surroundings in fact it started
from the pool where I was offered
the water 43 years ago.
While recognition for
Paralympic swimming has
mushroomed since the 2012
Games in London, Jill, now 78, is
passionate about the grassroots
element. Her opinion is constantly
sought about the need for extra
qualifications, good teaching and
for up-to-date information to be
readily available.

Targets
She concludes: Many disabled
children struggle to learn to live
and their grassroots period lasts
considerably longer than that of
their peers so parallel small
targets need setting to aid
success.
Pool time, space and the
goodwill of volunteers are, of
course, major issues. There is so
much enthusiasm for inclusive
water-based activities that can be
harnessed following London 2012
to make the most of the legacy.
Nowhere is this more obvious
when extra volunteer officials turn

up for a disability meet because

the fun is still there.
Lets ensure favourable
circumstances are there for all
disabled people. While a very few
have opportunities to become

Paralympians, we need to keep

alive the swimmers personal
ambition as well.
* For more on volunteering:
swimming.org/asa/volunteering

JILLS TOP TIPS

Enjoy it
Be very observant. Look for what they can do,
dont look for what they cant do
Support and give confidence where needed.
Play
Let them show you, let them demonstrate their
ideas and then share them. How you can adapt to
get better movement or more conventional
movement
Just remember swimming is swimming and any
way you can get through the water and propel
yourself through the water safely is swimming.
You see, my philosophy is built on pleasure
Adaptable methods of communication:
visual (good demonstrations, use of pictures
and/or video, start-stop games)
oral (explanations with or without pictures,
silent lessons, three or four basic signs)
tactile (movement of swimmer's limbs to help
understand requirements in full vision of all)
olfactory appreciation that some swimmers
are more sensitive to smells
Time to wait, listen, respond, suggest, try
unconventional ideas and above all think outside
the box

Swimming Times

63

Feature - Ian Turner RGph_Final Five inside out 04/09/2015 13:47 Page 1

Ian Turner at work during the

2006 European Short Course
Championships in Helsinki

DEVELOPING
CONFIDENCE IN
YOUR COACHING

64

Swimming Times

October 2015

Feature - Ian Turner RGph_Final Five inside out 04/09/2015 13:47 Page 2

Coaching

Most coaches have self-doubt but good coaching comes

from knowing you are doing things correctly,says Lincoln
Pentaqua and former Great Britain head coach Ian Turner

have long held the view

that good coaching comes
from the confidence
gained from knowing that
you are doing things
correctly. Many of us have
self-doubt. We regularly
struggle with ourselves over our
level of knowledge. Many of us
work in isolation with little support
and even less opportunity to share
our experiences with someone
that understands. Coach mentors,
offering sound advice gained over
years on deck, are few and far
between. During my early years as
a coach, I worked a great deal in
isolation. I was combining school
teaching with swim coaching in a
small market town in the East
Midlands. Many workouts were a
case of trial and error and it wasnt
until I placed a girl on the 1988
Olympic team that I became more
confident in my own ability and
realised that I must be doing
something right. Nevertheless,
there was still that nagging doubt
that I had been lucky and perhaps
the girl would have made the team
irrespective of who coached her.
These demons drove me on to see
if I could do it again with other
swimmers.

Maximising potential
We need to maximise the potential
of every youngster that comes
through the door. This places a
huge responsibility on our
coaching skills. Many coaches
round the world flit from one idea
to the next without building a
coaching model of what they
personally believe will produce
swimmers. Other coaches struggle
to overcome the challenge of
having enough confidence in their
own ability to develop the things
that they are good at, let alone
work on the areas that are in need
of refining.
It is important to give coaches
the knowledge and information
that will help them gain the
confidence required to
consistently place swimmers in
October 2015

medal-winning situations.
Remember, it isnt necessarily a
great facility that produces great
swimmers. But the knowledge and
motivation of the coach will
always play a huge role in gaining
a result. Some of the worlds best
swimmers have come out of
ordinary facilities. But the worlds
best swimmers have all had
coaches that will enquire, share
ideas, experiment, discuss and
seek new ways of developing their
knowledge base.

Eight things that will help

your confidence levels as a
coach
1. Be intuitive and inquisitive. No
coach has the exclusive licence on
good workouts. If you find a good
training set on the internet, dont
be afraid to use it. Alternatively,
adapt the set to your own
requirements and put your spin
on it. If a workout you have written
(or borrowed) is successful, dont
be afraid to do it again and again.
On the other hand, have the

are doing. Keep reminding the

swimmer that in other training
venues throughout the world,
someone is doing things better,
faster and harder.
2. Be a planner. The essence of all
preparation is good planning.
Without it, the coaching thought
process can become confused and
blurred. Good planning has a
profound effect on the confidence
of the coach. Start the plan with
the desired result in mind. This
simply means working backwards
from the pinnacle event of the
year. All cycles are geared to
ensuring that the athlete swims
well at this principle event.
Coaches should ensure that
they have a weekly plan of the
energy systems that they wish to
hit in each workout. Have a plan
that outlines the entire cycle,
including competitions, time trials,
test sets etc. A question that is
always worth asking yourself is: If
the group does this set today,
what do we do tomorrow?

Sound technical knowledge is the

foundation of all coaching.
Swimmers will soon spot that you
dont have the knowledge
confidence to move the workout
forward by making it harder,
reducing the rest interval or
simply trying to lengthen the
duration of the intensity
(particularly in the speed/
endurance area). Moving a set
forward over a period of weeks
gives the athlete the opportunity
to adapt to the intensity and speed
demanded by the coach. In this
manner, the workout can become
a weekly key set. Confident
coaches, when asked why they did
something in a particular way,
often put it down to being, the
right thing to do! However, I think
it is more subtle than that. They
have a weekly plan in their head
and they know exactly where the
set fits into this overall plan.
Dont be afraid to take a grain of
an idea and develop it. Talk to
other coaches and see what they

Coaches must avoid walking

onto the deck without a planned
workout. Swimmers very quickly
observe that the coach is illprepared for the session. This
rumour takes little time to get
around the club. The worst thing
that a coach can be accused of, by
athletes, is being lazy. A lack of a
workout is the first step to this
happening. For me, one of the
satisfying aspects of coaching is
keeping a log of the workouts that
have taken place over the
preceding period. Using a
particular training set again is not
a sign of your lack of imagination.
If the set achieves its objectives,
keep a detailed record of the
repeat times achieved and refer to
it when you want to fit the set back
into your weekly planner.
Remember the adage: If the set is
worth doing, its worth doing again

and again.
Any plan should also identify
the rest and recovery time that
you have built into the cycle to
ensure that the swimmer has a
break from the sport. One
interesting observation that I have
made over the years is that during
this period of rest, swimmers
actually grow in height and add a
few kilos of weight. When dealing
with swimmers who are going
through puberty, these short
periods of recovery are important
for their growth and maturation.
However, coaches must always
balance this break with the loss of
fitness and the subsequent time
required to return to the same
level of aerobic and anaerobic
fitness. Two weeks is plenty of
time to be out of the water. Any
longer will cut deeply into the next
training cycle. The training plan
should also clearly outline when
the coach is going to rest and
taper the athlete. A plan based on
multiple tapers each year is
flawed. Any extended training
programme is constantly
interrupted by resting for a meet
that has no consequence. Such a
policy ensures that the athlete
achieves decent times at every
meet but the big drops in
performance never happen as no
significant workload has been
undertaken. In other words, there
is nothing to taper on.
Plan the taper by reducing the
sprint element of your programme
over five weeks, the VO2 max
element over three weeks and the
kick work over a four-week period.
Always remember that it is the
environment that coaches create
that produces quality swimmers,
not facilities.
3. Be knowledgeable and
technically strong. A sound
technical knowledge of our sport
is the foundation of all coaching.
Swimmers will very quickly spot
that you havent got the
knowledge and skills required to
solve technique problems. The
make-up and combination of your
training workouts will be quickly
criticised by athletes if you dont
spend time putting them together.
They are not easily hoodwinked.
Regular group meetings need to >
Swimming Times

65

Feature - Ian Turner RGph_Final Five inside out 04/09/2015 13:48 Page 3

Ian Turner coaching Britains Mel Marshall

who herself now coaches City of Derbys
breaststroke world champion Adam Peaty

be held where you explain the

plans both in the training pool and
competition. In this way, the coach
learns to read individual
swimmers and understand the
psychology of the group. Try not
to be predictable with your
swimmers. There are workouts
where the girls can train together
without the boys. There are times
when the sprinters can train
together. Dont be apprehensive
about introducing two workouts in
the session. Remember the old
saying: One size does not fit all.
Running two or possibly three
workouts within one session
increases the chances of each
athlete in the group making
training gains from the workout.
In order to achieve this, not only
must the coach be organised but
the swimmers have to respect
what is trying to be achieved.
4. Be a leader. The attitude
swimmers adopt throughout the
workout is a reflection of the

66

Swimming Times

coach. Attitudes inevitably start

from the top. An unreliable and
sloppy coach produces unreliable
and sloppy swimmers. Always
remember that the athletes you
coach spend more time with you
than they do with any other
person other than mum and dad.
The coach becomes the
principal role model in the life of
the athlete. As coaches, we must
always remember to set a good
example. This is a huge
responsibility and must not be
taken lightly. We should always
look the part when dealing with
swimmers, as they are quick to
judge. We need good
communication skills and must
always speak with confidence,
never being arrogant. Many of our
swimmers will model themselves
on us, so we need to be confident
without being clever. A question I
have asked myself over the years
is: How many of my swimmers
have gone on to be swim coaches
when they retire? In other words,

have I influenced any athlete

enough for them to want to stay in
the sport? This mutual respect is
extremely important in the
formative years of a youngster.
5. Be a watcher. As I mentioned
earlier, no-one has the patent on
good ideas. Sit and watch how
other coaches operate. Obviously,
discard the things that do not
appeal but take on board the
things that can improve your
confidence and coaching skills.
Watching other coaches is never
time wasted. There is regularly
something that stimulates interest
in the workout or the way that the
coach talks to the group.
Swimmers are all different and
one of the hardest jobs in
coaching is reading each
individual and understanding what
their requirements are in the pool.
Our skill set has to be extensive.
Time may have to be found
outside the normal training
session to deal with individual

requirements. Some swimmers

are more aerobic than others and
can train longer and harder.
Others are built for speed and,
although they still require an
aerobic background, they cant
sustain the level of intensity that
others can achieve. Coaches have
to be aware of these differences.
Observing the training group over
a period of time gives the coach a
great insight into the psychology
of each swimmer. Watch your
athletes. How do they relate to
each other? Who is the leader?
Which member of the group
needs more support than the
rest? One interesting aspect of
our sport is that all our swimmers
are individuals and need
managing in different ways but at
some point, they have to gel as a
team. A skill of coaching is being
able to carefully judge the makeup of each of these swimmers.
Some need more attention. Some
are mentally stronger than others.
Recognising and understanding

October 2015

>

Feature - Ian Turner RGph_Final Five inside out 04/09/2015 13:52 Page 4

Coaching

the different skills required to

bring the best out of each athlete
can be partly achieved by simply
watching and observing.
6. Be pushy. Another underlying
skill in coaching is having the
confidence to push the group
forward to new levels of fitness.
This is hard during periods when
the athlete is tired and reluctant to
commit. This cruel to be kind
stance cant be avoided.
Encouragement is obviously the
first tool to use. However, there are
occasions when the hard call has
to be made in order for the athlete
to maximise their full potential.
There must never be underlying
resentment in the decision. The
hard calls are made on sound
coaching experience. There are
daily situations in our sport when
decisions have to be made. As one
well-known coach was heard to
say, Near enough is not good
enough! The hard decisions need
not be made at the last minute. If
the issue is confronted early
enough, it can be dealt with.
Unfortunately, many coaches do
not see this. Making the correct
decision under pressure is always

October 2015

Encouragement is the first tool to

use. But there are occasions when
the hard call has to be made to
maximise their full potential
a confidence booster. However,
many of the decisions we make as
coaches will not please everyone.
We have to get on and do what we
feel is correct. Always remember,
an athletes performance is based
on time; as coaches, our
performance is based on our
decision-making skills!
7. Be honest. But be professional.
If the athlete has had an
indifferent swim, sandwich the bad
news between two positives. The
mistakes that were made during
the swim have to be delivered but
the sandwich method leaves the
athlete aware of both the strong
and the weaker aspects of the
performance. If the same mistakes
keep being made, the coach
shouldnt hesitate to be firmer.
Always be honest about your
expectations for the race. Explain,

prior to the race, how they should

approach the race. There are
competitions throughout the year
when we expect athletes to swim
through without a rest. Be honest
and outline how they can still
achieve a decent time, even
though they are fatigued. Suggest
that within 2 to 3 per cent of their
personal best is achievable. In
addition to racing tired, there are
occasions when an athlete has to
train tired. Rather than allow them
to skip the session, suggest that
they train but move down the lane.
This places less stress on the
swimmer but also shows that your
judgement can be trusted.
8. Be a listener. Athletes have
some great ideas. They spend
huge periods of their day
ploughing up and down the lane
and those with fertile minds

regularly think about our sport. A

coach who listens to their
swimmers quickly gains their
respect. We dont have the
monopoly on good ideas. Listen to
their suggestions and dont
instantly dismiss them. In my
experience, when you ask an
athlete to write a workout, they
often make it impossibly hard.
Some swimmers need more of
your time than others. Be
prepared to give them time.
However, the coach has to be
careful that the swimmer is not
just parking their problem. Such
an athlete can quickly drain your
energy. Listen to parents but be
prepared to separate the pieces of
information that are useful from
the rubbish that is designed to
promote their own child. Listen to
other coaches when they share a
training idea with you.
Be inquisitive and ask what they
are focussing on. If a coach is
having success with a swimmer,
ask what they are doing
differently. Take the idea and
expand it but use your own
experience to make a judgement
on what you are being told. Find
ways to improve your coaching.

Swimming Times

67

Round-up Awards Oct15 RGph.qxd_Roundup Awards 04/09/2015 16:05 Page 1

Cerebral Palsy Team England swimmers Megan Short (facing camera) and
Samantha Lewis embrace after competing in the 100m backstroke at the
CPISRA World Games in Nottinghams brand new 50m pool.
Photo: Epic Action Imagery

Croydon Amphibians Oludaisi Adefisan with his medal from

the MC events at the ASA National Summer Championships
in Sheffield

>

The ASA and British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC) are working in partnership to introduce snorkelling to
children who are learning to swim. As part of the partnership, a new snorkeller CPD is now
available for ASA qualified level 2 swimming teachers through the IoS. See story on page 11

>

>

Swimming, diving, synchronised swimming,

coaching and sub-aqua are all covered in our
latest round-up of award pictures from
around the regions

>

>

s
d
r
a
w
A
& Celebrations

>

Three-time Commonwealth diving champion Sir

Peter Heatly (left), aged 91, with the Scottish East
district heraldic crest, which was presented after
he stepped down as district president. He was
visited by his successor as president, Jack
Snowdon (right), vice-president Ritchie Metcalfe
and immediate past president Cath Fleming

Salford Synchro, based at Salford Community Leisure, gave themselves a boost ahead of the Lancashire
championships by winning two bronze medals at the national championships in Gloucester. The medals
were won in the technical team and free team events by Isabelle Spencer, Zoe Taylor, Charlotte Moore,
Jessica Spencer, Greta Hampson, Elise Hodges and Olivia Dearden, who stood in at the last minute

68

Swimming Times

October 2015

Round-up Awards Oct15 RGph.qxd_Roundup Awards 04/09/2015 16:06 Page 2

Awards & celebrations

>

>

>

Several Newport Pagnell SC swimmers were successful at the South East England regional championships,
including Erin Saunders (silver, 50m breaststroke), Ashley Frost (bronze, 200m backstroke), Sophie
Patrick, Kaity Grose, Rebekah Heath, Rhiannon Jefferies, Rafe Dobson and Joshua Press

>

Biggleswade and Mid Beds swimmer Scott Neave

gives back to his sponsors Edible Ornamentals
after making the 100 and 200m backstroke
B finals at the Irish national champs in Dublin

Seagulls synchro team

with their winnings
from the Dorset
championships. They
struck gold six times
at Dorchester, where
the Christchurch clubs
Hermione White, Emily
Banfield, Becky Goode
and Alex Banfield won
individual routine and
figures titles in the
12/u, 13-14yrs, 15-16yrs
and 17/o age groups
respectively. Sisters
Alex and Emily also
won the 17/o duet
before joining Goode,
Caroline Bedford,
Hannah Cummings,
Aimee Davis, Christina
Lorimer, Becky
Womersley and Marnie
Tree to win the team
event. Goode and
Lorimer also won silver
in the 17/o duet. Paige
Derbyshire won silver
in the grade 1 solo and
with sister Summer in
the grade 1 duet

Nuneaton and Bedworth SCs competitive swimmer pathway team (l-r) Louise Darlington, Sue Newman, Terry Freeman, Andy Eales, Jordan Finn and James Luke.
After a great season in which they made the junior league final for the first time since 2011, the club aims to continue punching above its weight and has
strengthened the team with the addition of Louise and Jordan, who will run the clubs new county development squad. Louise formerly swam for Enderby SC.
Jordan swam for Nuneaton and Bedworth
October 2015

Swimming Times

69

Honesty Box Oct15 RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 03/09/2015 10:23 Page 1

If I could bring about change, I

would have single-band age
groups for boys aged 15, 16, 17
and 18, plus 19/over and for girls
single-band age groups for 14,
15, 16 and 17yrs with the top
band being 18/over.
Although Im in favour of
many of the changes made for
the summer nationals, I think
its important to encourage
swimmers at the top end of the
age groups. At the moment, its
too much about junior
swimming. I feel that girls aged
17 to 18 and boys aged 19 to 20
have a hard time after
European juniors. In my
opinion, we lose too many
talented swimmers aged 16 to
19. The system disadvantages
them instead of encouraging
them. We dont do enough for
those ages and we need to do
so much more. I know that
logistically it would be difficult
to fit these additional ages into
the competition time-frame but
I would prefer that boys started
at 15/u so that we could have
the older ages instead.
I would also make it compulsory
for all level 1 and 2 meets to have
separate finals sessions. I
understand that clubs need meets
to make a profit but I feel that long
heat sessions are making the
sport boring and less challenging.
What other sport has competitors
on poolside from 8 in the morning
till 8 at night with all ages
competing together in
monotonous heats? Is it any
wonder we put people off getting
involved in the sport and cant
retain swimmers? Having separate
finals would make our sport more
exciting and encourage head-tohead racing. We need to look at
making meets more fun, more
entertaining, more exciting. Finals
are about learning to race and we
dont give our swimmers enough
exposure to that. The grand prix
circuit is a good example of how
this worked in the past. There
must be ways of getting some
support for that type of system.
Nobody knows this but the
majority of people think of me as
being involved in swimming but
during my nine years in Plymouth,
I also worked with Andy Banks and
Plymouth Diving. They have this
tradition that any staff are
expected at some point to go off
the high board. When I finished at
Plymouth in 2010, Tonia Couch
presented me with one of her
70

Swimming Times

straight back up and doing it again

on my own. I could never have
dived off. Its amazing how the
divers can do multiple somersaults
and twists and time them perfectly
so that they disappear into the
water with virtually no splash.
I wouldnt be where I am now
without my parents and their
encouragement and support. They
set such a good example
themselves and they instilled in
me the traditional life values such
as responsibility, commitment,
compassion, honesty, reliability
and hard work. Anything you want
to achieve, you have to work for. I
have a brother and two sisters and
our parents have always been
there for us.

AMANDA BOOTH
The City of Oxford head coach reveals that
she once went off the 10m board with
Tom Daley and why shed probably do
well onStrictly

costumes and told me to jump off

the 10m board. They also invited a
journalist from the Plymouth
Herald to record the event. So I
had no choice.
Normally, you would progress
from 5m to 7.5m and work up to
the 10m board but if I had gone off
5m first, I would have realised how
high that was and I might not have

had the courage to go off 10m. So

Tom Daley took me straight up to
the 10m platform, gave me a few
helpful tips like Dont point your
toes and Keep your arms by your
sides and then we jumped off
together. It was exhilarating. It felt
like I was in the air for a long time
before hitting the water. I actually
enjoyed it and I ended up going

The last concert or gig I went to

was I havent been to many
concerts in recent years. The last
one I went to was The Wiggles in
Plymouth in 2008 with my two
children, George and Jack. The
Wiggles are an Australian
childrens band and they produce a
lot of educational songs that are
really lessons in life about what
you should eat or how you should
behave. They had one song called
Fruit Salad Yummy Yummy. They
are a household name in Australia
and even have their own TV show. I
probably enjoyed the concert
more than my children but then
Ive always been a kid at heart.
I often dream about having my
own 50m pool in Oxford. I would
have accommodation on poolside
so that the swimmers who have to
travel long distances could stay
over. I have so many swimmers
that travel and have to get up at
4.15am. It would be so much easier
if they could sleep at the pool. I
would also have studio flats for the
coaching staff. I have coaches who
are single guys and they are
having to find accommodation at
extortionate rates.
I also dream about having an
underground transport system in
Oxford. The traffic is horrendous.
So if there are any millionaires out
there, I would be very pleased to
hear from them.
The only other thing I dream
about is our clubs Oxford bull
mascot. We have a friendly rivalry
with Thanet and City of Cardiff and
they have huge mascots that pale
ours into insignificance. I would
like a bigger and wackier mascot
maybe one on stilts so we can
match Thanet and Cardiff. We
October 2015

Honesty Box Oct15 RGph.qxd_Honesty Box 03/09/2015 10:24 Page 2

Honesty box

Opposite:
Amanda Booth;
left: Amanda
(far right) with
her City of
Oxford team at
the National
Arena League B
final in Cardiff

because everybody in front of me

was crying. To try and bottle those
emotions up so you can read a
poem is so difficult.

I once jumped off the 10m board with Tom Daley.

He gave me some helpful hints. It was exhilarating
and I went straight back up to do it on my own
have to take it to a new level now.
Not that Im competitive!
My heart was broken on
January 1, 2010, the day I realised
my marriage was over and my two
boys would be growing up in a
broken family. I had such a happy
childhood and wanted my children
to grow up in a happy family
environment like the one I was
brought up in. Not to be able to do
that for them broke my heart. Five
years on, they are very happy and
have settled into school in Oxford.
Children are incredibly adaptable.
The last time I cried was this
week. My younger son, Jack, has
autistic spectrum disorder (ASD)
and he has a full-time teaching
assistant at school. She has
worked with him for two years and
has been wonderful. But she told
me she is finishing at school this
year. I cried was when she told me
she was leaving.
My ultimate indulgence is the
only thing I can think of is to watch
a film of my choice at the cinema.
Everything at home is about my
two boys. What would be nice is to
enjoy an uninterrupted trip to a
film of my choice. I never get the
chance to do anything like that so
it would be a real luxury.
My ideal dinner party guests
would be Im not a dinner party
October 2015

person and prefer informal meals

with family and friends. Not
including family members, my
ideal guests would include my
closest friends, Michaela Breeze,
and her partner, Sinead Kelly.
Michaela was a Commonwealth
gold medal-winning weightlifter
and I was her physio for about 16
years, on and off. She is an
amazing character and such a
motivational person. Sinead was
an international netball player.
They married in Devon recently
and I was fortunate enough to be
invited. It was the first gay
marriage I have been to and it was
an absolutely fabulous wedding.
Other guests I would like are my
coaching colleague Kyle
Frantzeskou and his brother, Dale.
Kyle coached with me at Plymouth
and has now joined me in Oxford.
Dale coaches at Cardiff. Both are
great company. Were able to
bounce ideas off each other.
The best thing about them all is
that they are very genuine people
and all think outside the box.
Before I die, I want to ensure
our two boys are secure,
independent and happy. Jacks
autism will mean that being
independent will be a big challenge
but its something Im going to try
my hardest to help him with.
The biggest lesson life has
taught me is that sometimes

walking away is a step forward.

Always keep an open mind and
never stop learning.
My favourite way to relax is
walking on the beach and clifftops
in Cornwall. I just love the Cornish
coastline. I love the sound of waves
crashing onto the beach. My
parents always took us to Cornwall
in the holidays. I went with my
parents and my boys this summer.
You cant beat the Cornish coast.
My favourite book and film I
dont get a lot of time for books. My
favourite film and book that made
a memorable impression were
Schindlers List. I read the book
before I saw the film. Im quite into
history. That film had an effect on
me. On a more joyful side, a film
that always makes me laugh is
Drop Dead Fred with Rik Mayall. Its
a childrens film about an
imaginary friend. Its really funny.
If I wasnt doing this, Id be
probably coaching dancing. When I
was younger, I danced and swam
until I had to make a choice. I loved
dancing the most but the teacher
wasnt as good and swimming was
what I ended up doing. The girls I
danced with are all professional
dancers or dance teachers.
The hardest thing Ive had to do
is recite a poem at my Grandmas
funeral. It was a difficult thing to do

I owe my parents not only what I

have already said but without
them I wouldnt be coaching today.
I wouldnt have been able to coach
at Oxford without their support.
The hours of work in swimming are
so anti-social. How could I leave
two young boys and go to morning
training without someone in the
house? My parents live near Bath
and Mum is here three-and-a-half
days a week so there is someone in
the house for my boys. Thats a big
sacrifice for both my parents.
My heroes are my sons. Jack, 10,
because every day he has to deal
with the challenges of being
autistic, and George, 12, because
he has become such a caring and
supportive brother. People do
judge and he has to deal with their
lack of understanding. He tries
really hard to understand and
support his younger brothers
difficulties. They are both amazing.
Other than that, I have never
hero-worshipped. I am not that
type of person. I just havent been
celebrity- or hero-orientated.

Im a Celebrity or Strictly?
I absolutely love dancing so I would
love an opportunity to do
something like Strictly Come
Dancing. But I also love team
challenges so I would have no
trouble taking on the jungle either.
But I wouldnt do either because I
don't like celebrity and reality TV.
If I could spend my fantasy 24
hours as I wished, with no
restriction on travel, I would
want to be on a space station with
my two sons circumnavigating the
earth. I think it would be an
incredible experience to see the
earth from above and to look
through space. I would also love to
go to Norway and see the Northern
Lights because I have Norwegian
ancestors.
Swimming Times

71

ASA National Masters

and Senior Age Group
Championships 2015
Ponds Forge, Sheffield | 2325 October 2015
This exciting national event is open to any Category 2 member of
the ASA aged from 18-80+. It is a great opportunity to compete
against others within your own age band. Over three days of
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chance to become ASA Champion 2015.
Individual Entries Close: 12 Noon 30 September
Relay Team Entries Close: 12 Noon 7 October

For more information visit

www.swimming.org/masters
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75

Final Five Reflections Oct15 RGph_Final Five Reflections 04/09/2015 15:42 Page 1

BACK IN THE USSR: 4

Following Ian Gordons recent look back to the 1980 Moscow Olympics, Roger
Guttridge tracks down more of the swimmers who came home with medals

Duncan Goodhew MBE

Phil Hubble

Gold 100m breaststroke

Bronze 4x100m medley relay
The 1980 GB swim team captain has forged a
high-profile career as a motivational speaker,
author and promoter of swimming. He is the
long-standing president of Swimathon, the
worlds biggest fundraising swimming event,
and a director of award-winning Limelight
Sports, which deals with grassroots and mass
participation events.
He is also the founding ambassador of
Premier Sport, which aims to inspire young
people through PE and sport. He is married to
Anne and they have two children.

Sharron Davies MBE

Silver 400m IM
Sharron was just 13 when she competed in the
first of her three Olympic Games in 1976,
launching her on a varied and high-profile
career as a TV presenter, charity patron,
motivational speaker and celebrity. In the
swimming community, she is probably best
known today as the person who interviews
swimmers for BBC Television immediately
after their races.
She recently launched Parents4Sport,
which aims to help parents whose children
are active in sport. She has three children,
including Grace Davies-Redmond, an
international track-and-field athlete.

David Lowe

Martin Smith

Phil Hubble
Silver 200m butterfly
Phil also swam at the 1984 Olympics and
won seven medals at two Commonwealth
Games before beginning an international
business career that has included executive
roles with Dell Computers, where he headed up
Europes operations, Sony Europe and the Ford
Motor Company in Germany.
He now lives on the Sunshine Coast, just
north of Brisbane, Australia, with his two
children. He is director of Ozgreen Energy and
Australian Food Investments. He still swims but
with a preference for salty water with waves
rather than chlorine.

Gary Abraham
Bronze 4x100m medley relay
The medley teams backstroker has remained in
his native Southampton area, coaching
Fareham Nomads until 1988, later helping Dave
Heathcock at City of Southampton before
becoming head coach at nearby Eastleigh SC in
1994. He was recently forced to give that up due
to health problems but is hoping to do one-toone coaching. I believe in training to race
rather than training to train cutting out all the
76

Swimming Times

daily grind that we were exposed to, he says.

Gary has two children and has been a
single parent and carer for a son with autism
and a learning disability.

David Lowe
Bronze 4x100m medley relay
The teams fly swimmer went on to swim in the
1984 Olympics, where he switched strokes to
come third in the B final of the 100m freestyle.
He also won three silver medals at the 1982
Commonwealth Games and the following year
in Gloucester became the first Briton to go
under 50 seconds for the short-course 100m
freestyle (49.86).
Zimbabwe-born David has since been head
coach at Ledbury, Haslemere, Swim Swansea
and Mid Beds and, for the last 10 years, has run
his own swimming academy in the
Bedfordshire-Cambridgeshire border area. His
past charges include Wales and GB

internationals Owen Morgan, whose shortcourse 100m freestyle PB was coincidentally

49.86, and breaststroker Andrew Ayres.
David, who also won masters world titles in
1996, is married to former GB team physio
Cabella (nee Wigley). Daughter, Kamie, 14,
swims at regional level and is on the modern
pentathlon England talent programme. Son
Ashton, 6, is involved in swimming, diving,
tennis and judo.

Martin Smith
Bronze 4x100m medley relay
The freestyler in the relay final also swam at the
1976 Olympics and is proud to have won at least
one medal at every major competition
October 2015

Final Five Reflections Oct15 RGph_Final Five Reflections 03/09/2015 11:13 Page 2

Final five Reflections

Mark Taylor

Olympics, world championships, European

championships and Commonwealth Games. He
went on to use his all-round sporting talent by
spending a season as a bare-foot place kicker
for the University of Arkansas American
football team.
He was also head coach of the university
swimming team until it was disbanded in 1996
and now coaches CASL, the second largest
soccer club in the US. Several of his players
have gone on to win college scholarships.
Now known as T Martin Smith (his first name
is Trevor), he works as a senior executive sales
representative for the pharmaceutical company
Eli Lilly, based in North Carolina.

Mark Taylor
Gary Abraham

October 2015

4x100m medley relay

Mark swam the freestyle leg in the heats. These
days, that would entitle him to a bronze medal
but not in 1980. To mark the 25th anniversary
of his marriage to former City of Cardiff
swimmer Denise, their daughters Anne-Marie
and Zoe asked the BOA if a medal could be
awarded retrospectively. The answer was no so
they had an Olympic ring made for their dad
instead.
Mark, who also swam for Wales at the 1978

and 1982 Commonwealth Games, is a global

operations manager for investment bankers J P
Morgan Chase, for whom he has worked for 32
years. He lives in Dorset and helps out with the
coaching for Swim Bournemouth.

Paul Marshall
4x100m medley relay
Like Mark, Paul swam in the relay heats
(backstroke) but was not awarded a medal. He
also reached the 100m backstroke semi-final in
Moscow and broke the Scottish record at the
1978 Commonwealth Games.
Known as Britains only black Olympic
swimmer, Paul was born in Ghana and adopted
by a British couple when he was three weeks
old. He grew up in Dundee, where he sadly died
of cancer in 2009 aged 48, a few weeks before
the birth of his first child with wife, Gina. He also
left two sons by a previous marriage.
His post-swimming career included a year as
a radio DJ and 21 years in the RAF, where he
became a squadron leader.
Following his death, former Liberal Democrat
leader and fellow Olympian Sir Menzies
Campbell, who was also a friend and his local
MP, described him as a man who excelled at
everything he did.

Swimming Times

77

Feature - VERITY Binge Oct15 RGph.qxd_Feature layout suggestion 1 04/09/2015 11:58 Page 1

Master blogger

DIARY OF A BINGE SWIMMER

MASTER

BLOGGER

She calls it the Gulag but Verity

Dobbie ends up being quite
impressed by her Kazan experience

was seduced into this trip by

the lure of a cheap flight to
Kazan but the realities
quickly became all too
apparent an overnight
flight with a five-hour layover in
Heathrow and four hours in
Moscow plus rubbish in-flight food.
I amused myself as best I could in
Terminal 5 and eventually
succumbed to the call of the bar,

rather big on mindless

bureaucracy (remember the Visa
process I described last month?).
We were then directed to the
accommodation desk, where they
copied your passport and directed
you to the migration desk, or
rather, they would have done
except that Id neglected to tell
them I was sharing my room. After
a wait of 25 minutes, profuse

Waking up in the early hours, I

remembered the bottle, which was
probably frozen solid and about to
explode. Concerned about the
effect this would have on my
security deposit, I tiptoed across
the room (anxious not to wake my
roomy, Lynne) to remove the
offending beverage. As I gingerly
opened the freezer door, the bottle
rolled out and bounced very

The Russian language is particularly impenetrable and I dont even possess

an O level in French so anyone who can string two syllables together in an
accent other than Geordie is linguistically gifted to me
where I was soon reeling at the 11
for a double G&T.
After a change of planes at
Heathrow (the pilot smelt
burning!) and at Moscow, we
eventually arrived in Kazan about
8am the next day and were
greeted at the baggage reclaim
and shepherded onto shuttle
buses by enthusiastic and
knowledgeable volunteers. Thirty
minutes later, and after passing
through several rather severe
security checks, we were
deposited at the International
Centre in the Athletes Gulag and
ordered to follow a green line on
the floor that led us to the first
stage of accreditation.

Pythonesque
I say first stage because what
followed after that was quite
simply Pythonesque. We formed
an orderly queue and waited our
turn to collect our passes. It was all
pretty slick. They photocopied
your passport and handed over
your meet accreditation. In most
other meets, the process stops
there, but no, this is Russia and I
was learning fast that they are

78

Swimming Times

apologies and a further copy of

our passports, we were cleared
to proceed.
Next stop, the migration desk,
where you complete a form saying
where youre staying (as if they
didnt know) and provide a further
copy of your passport. Then it was
on to the accommodation
management services desk, which
looked distinctly like the
accommodation desk where yes,
youve guessed our passports
were copied and finally we were
given a piece of paper and
directions to our home for the
week: Block 22. An electric vehicle
whisked us to the other end of the
compound and our Block, where
we checked in and provided the
obligatory copy of our passport.
It was great for team morale
that all the Brits were housed in
the same block at the Gulag. This
inspirational idea would have been
a stellar success but for the fact
that the Gulag was deemed a dry
zone. I was, therefore, reduced to
buying soft drinks at the
supermarket. I stuffed a bottle of
Sprite in the freezer to chill and
promptly forgot about it.

accurately and deftly on the toes

of my left foot.
Uttering a number of expletives,
I hopped around the kitchen area
for a full 30 seconds trying
desperately to subdue the urge to
scream. Then, for some reason, I
decided that as Id gone to all of
this effort, I might as well have a
drink. Wrong move, Binge! I
opened the top and the thing
erupted all over the kitchen floor.
Lynne, very graciously, said that
she had not heard the commotion
during the night, although she had
been rather curious as to why she
was sticking to the floor.

Up the Palace
The masters championships had
been relegated to the improbably
named Kazan Aquatic Palace,
which turned out to be an
unbelievable swimming facility,
immensely impressive and palatial
and living up to its name.
Swimming here was fantastic
and the Russians had clearly spent
a great deal of time and effort on
presenting the masters champs.
Of course, what really makes
these trips is the experience of and

immersion in another countrys

culture, although that was pretty
difficult, as the Russian language
is particularly impenetrable. A
simple evening meal becomes a bit
of an adventure. On one particular
evening, Lynne and I were joined
by honorary homme de Francais,
Le Dunk and Ros Johnson. At
times, Le Dunk can be
insupportable but he does have
his skills, which include being
world-class at self-promotion and
more usefully a flair for languages.
I dont even possess an O level in
French so anyone who can string
two syllables together in an accent
other than Geordie is linguistically
gifted to me. We found a caf-bar
with some outside seating and
chose a table, to be faced with an
inaccessible menu in both Russian
and Tatarstanese but nyet
English, which were the only
comprehensible words we could
extract from the waitress.
It is a little known fact that Le
Dunk was the early inspiration for
the Star Wars protocol droid C3PO
and, while even he is not proficient
in 6 million forms of
communication, identifying this
on the menu as pasta
indicates his awesomeness,
although he did fail miserably to
order a bottle of wine.
By the time we'd worked our
way through a few beers and a
portion of spaghetti carbonara,
the place was beginning to fill up
and we were able to order a
second course of chips and a third
of ice cream by pointing at various
other diners plates a rather odd
combination but a brilliant night
out. While all of my Evil Mutant
Swim Coaches would likely shake
their heads and tut, it did set me
up nicely for the swimming!

October 2015

Classifieds OCT15_Classifieds 04/09/2015 10:34 Page 4

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ASA Na
National
tional Age
Group W
ater Polo
Water
Championships
2015 (U15)

17 18 October
October
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entre
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Centre

TTo
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enter
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vent and for
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more
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ormation
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Extreme Reading Octph RG.qxd_Final Five Readers 04/09/2015 15:41 Page 1

<
<
E
M
E
R
G
T
N
X
E > READI
>
Your photos

THE PRIZE HAS

JUST GOT BETTER!

GET ACTIVE!
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FEATURES RADIO

We love appearing at weddings or even going up in the air or tending

tomatoes. Swimming Times continues to tour this and other countries...

WINNER!

WINNER!

Bride Stephanie Gardner took the

plunge when she headed down the aisle
in Cyprus but in this picture its
bridesmaid Charlotte who is practising
her diving pose.
The bride, owner of Stephs Swim
School, which operates from the Hilton
hotels at junctions 21 and 24 of the M1,
married Robert during an intimate
ceremony in Ayia Napa. Around 20
family members and close friends joined
the happy couple.
Stephs son gave her away, her
granddaughter was flower girl and her
four daughters were bridesmaids,
including swimming teacher Charlotte
Booth, pictured. Deborah Bignell, owner
of JKM Swim School, also pictured,
carried out best lady duties on the
big day.
The swimming trio took a quick break
from the celebrations to snap this
photo with Swimming Times after the
entire wedding party returned from a
surprise open top bus trip around the
Cypriot resort.

WINS
GOGGLES!
Charlie Sulley hoped to pick up some tips to improve her stroke
technique from the pages of Swimming Times as she relaxed on the big
wheel on the seafront at Weston-super-Mare.
The 33-year-old had spent the day at the beach and on the pier before
taking in the views of the ocean from the top of the ride.
Charlie has been working hard to increase her confidence in the water
after a frightening experience in a pool in Greece. A wave machine
whirred into action and knocked her off her inflatable ring. Unable to
signal for help, she made a desperate attempt to doggy-paddle to safety
but feared the waves would pull her under.
Eventually, she spotted her friend standing nearby watching her
frantic struggle with much amusement. Charlie couldnt understand why
her near-death experience was so funny, until she banged her knee on
the floor of the pool and realised she was in about 12 inches of water!
Charlie said: I was in a complete panic. I thought to myself: Im going
to need more than my 25m badge to get me out of this pickle.
Since that fateful day, Charlie has incorporated swimming into her
regular gym routine so she can be less fearful of the deep end.
And finally, heres Thomasina Trott, from Tottenham, who was
treating her tomatoes and decided, on the spur of the moment,
that a Swimming Times extreme reading picture was called for.
And for those of you not quite able to decipher in the snap, she
has a very healthy crop in her collection.
Tina, as she prefers to be known, has swum in a couple of open
water events this year and is looking forward to more next year.
And more tomatoes!

Send your photos to: Extreme Reading,

Swimming Times, SportPark, 3 Oakwood
Drive, Loughborough University, LE11 3QF
Email: [email protected]
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October 2015

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