Swimming isn't always just about the swimming.... by Mark Lewis
There are so many reasons to
get in the water besides just swimming laps in a pool: open water swimming,
triathlons, diving, synchronized swimming, octopush, and water polo, to name a
few.
Like many, I've spent years swimming laps and, while I enjoyed it, I found myself getting bored with the repetition and familiarity.
Swimming is a fantastic sport, but I was starting to struggle to find the motivation for those early morning trips to the pool then in 2012, I discovered water polo through an ad at my local pool in Portsmouth, which coincided with the London 2012 Olympics.
Although I was familiar with the sport, I had never played before my first trial session with Portsmouth City Water Polo. Despite my lack of experience, they were an amazingly welcoming and social club. I had suddenly rediscovered my sense of purpose in the pool with a new team sport which incorporated another sport I loved - swimming!
My journey has taken me from being a complete novice in the sport to becoming a qualified water polo coach at the club and a member of the organising committee where I regularly volunteer. Along the way I've met some amazing people and created some friends for life via the sport.
On the 19th of July, Portsmouth City Water polo took part in the JWPA Tournament hosted at the Havre Des Pas Bathing Pool in Jersey. Portsmouth Men's team finished a respectable 4th place after narrowly missing out during the 3rd place playoff to Jersey 5-3.
It was another amazing experience playing teams from across the UK, Channel Islands and France and most importantly of all, the after party hosted by Jersey allowing all teams to come together over a friendly pint or three.
So, if your motivation for swimming is waning, why not give water polo or one of many other fantastic water sports a try and see if it can breathe new life into the sport for you too.
The JLL Property Triathlon - a round-up! - from Ross Weatherburn
What an excellent prelude to the 2024 Mace Games!
On Friday the 28th June a small collective from Mace took part in the 17th annual JLL Property Triathlon. Held at Dorney Lake, made famous as the rowing and canoe venue for the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Property Triathlon attracts some 3,000 competitors and last year raised £194,000 for the WWF. I took part in the sprint distance triathlon event, representing Mace by swimming 750m in open water, cycling 21.2km and finishing with a 5km run. Luckily it wasn’t too hot this year and the water was warm enough not to need the wetsuit.
I started swimming from a very young age, joining ‘COPS’ the City of Peterborough Swimming club and spending some of my teenage years swimming competitively before moving into trampolining. After spending 10 years out of the pool, I ended up working on a regeneration scheme in Stratford; the perfect opportunity to get back in the water. London really has been good for my renewed love of swimming, with world class Olympic facilities, several 50m lidos and a range of different open water venues. Swimming is now here to stay in my life, and I look forward to sharing my love of the sport with those I work with, and with my young son. In support of the Mace Games, I’ve set myself the goal of swimming 25km in July, some of which I want to complete in open water.
An alternative reason to join Team Swim - by Celine Djedjemel
When I tell people I don’t know how to swim, the response I always get is “did you ever learn? It’s not too late to learn now Celine, you know that right?” My response is always the same “yes I did and yes I know” and the story goes like this.
I was about 8 years old when I started swimming classes, once a week with my primary school. A crowded pool of loud 8-9 year olds, you either got what the instructor was teaching or you didn’t and like most, I was in the latter pool(no pun intended).
In all fairness to the swimming instructor, it’s an incredibly challenging task to teach over 15 children at once. Especially when all we wanted to do is play and fool around in our imaginary Butlins' pool (it was coping mechanism in my defence- our pool wasn’t exactly glamorous). I seem to remember anything but how to swim from those lessons. For example, the day my class teacher, Miss Smith passionately told me why I shouldn’t be combing my hair when it’s wet. She’d be pleased to know that 17 years later I still abide by this.
More fondly, I remember the day my class-mate Gabriella was promoted to the prestigious and sacred deep end, a place we strictly told not to enter. We all held onto our tattered floaties and watched as she beautifully glided through the pool, it was as if she was at the Olympics. We were all in awe. And Our faces translated the same thought, “how and when did she learn how to do that?!”
At that point I was more than determined to learn how to swim like her and say goodbye to the others to and sadly my trusty old floatie. What I didn’t know is our swimming lessons were coming to an end and I would never get to deliver my Olympic, gold medal deserving swim to the classroom too.
But that wasn’t the most tragic thing, on our way to a swimming lesson we were chased by a strange man carrying a weapon. Being children, it felt like we were the characters of zombie chase movie and so it was little amusing “running for our lives”. Truth is we were all slightly traumatized by the experience. Thank God nobody was injured but the school decided it was best to cancel the reminder of our last swimming lessons. Now I’m sure you must be wondering, surely you would’ve tried to learn after this, you were only 8 then. Correct, and the answer is I have but you know what they say, the older you get the more fearful you become is and it’s harder to learn. I do wish I had learned when I was younger, but I know it’s not too late to make my 8 year old Celine proud by realising that dream of delivering an Olympic worthy swim one day. I am grateful that I will soon participate in Team Swim which I trust will help me on this journey
Our second blog by Berenice Maculan
I growth up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, so learn how to swim was a must. I started swimming at a very early age, following my parents, older brother and cousins’ example. Be at the beach on the weekends was/is a common activity. And the 1st lesson you learned is How not to drown. 😊
I think has many of us, I had a strict swimming discipline from 5 to 15/16 years old and then… Teenager life, I couldn’t stand going to swimming at pool..too boring . However, swimming at sea became my passion. I did more than once the Copacabana Fort Crossing – know as A Travessia do Leme ao Pontal. My last one was in 2004, the rumour said we were 4200 swimmers.
From 2005, I started my expat life, moving from one place to another aligned to a Business demand, it was harder to keep hours in the sea.
My 1st trip after COVID lock down was to Carvoeiro, Portugal. 1st day there, I went to beach and straight in the freeze water, my happiness hit high. Since, then I swim at least twice a week (yes, in swimming pool) and its ones of my weekly moments of happiness. It’s when I managed to identify my best strategies to deal with challenges.
Happy swimming everyone……
The originally titled 'First Blog'
Like many many people I started swimming young working my way up the pool lanes in my swim lessons; and then when I reached the far right hand lane passed selection into Kings Lynn Gladiators and swimming for West Norfolk… Turns out I was quite a good swimmer, not quick, but had the stamina to just keep going. 64 lengths (1 mile) was my 'race' and a regular warm up requirement every training night, then teaching water babies on a Thursday after school; Lifesaving club on a Saturday morning, Galas on a Saturday night and Sunday. It was truly exhausting and by the time I reached 16 I was thoroughly sick of it - couldn’t stand the smell of chlorine, hated missing out on teen life and hated the constant battle against dry hair and verruca’s…..
So I gave up and didn’t go swimming ‘proper’ for 35 years.
Then a ski accident and a ruptured ACL stopped me running, and part of my rehab was to get back in the pool. Shockingly I couldn’t remember how to swim and breath, but a few you tube videos late it gradually started to click. I only swim 3 times a week now, in a lovely warm 20 meter pool. I swim 1k in about 30 mins. One of two things happen when I’m in the pool – I either totally switch off - don’t think at all; or (if I've had a particularly bad day) I write some of the best commercial letters ever – of course by the time I get out and showered I’ve forgotten most of it but……
Anyway - happy swimming everyone......
Help make a difference by giving back
We’re taking part in the Mace Games to help communities around the world. Please support us by donating.
Our Achievements

Reached 50% of fundraising goal

Reached 100% of fundraising goal
Thank you to our Sponsors

£500
Anonymous

£212
Anonymous

£200
The Atlas Foundation
Good Luck Adrian from everyone at Atlas

£150
Simon
Epic! So proud. x x x

£106
Team Stratford Waterfront
Go Team Swimming! We had an amazing afternoon together at the Olympic pool!

£106
Tony September

£106
Mo Haidar
Go David!

£100
Lucy Fotheringham

£100
Adam, Annabelle And Thomas

£53
Howard Kingston
Well done!

£53
Tony Taylor
A worthy cause my friend! Have fun x

£52
Matt Dixon
I want your babies

£50
Pg

£50
Anthony Kingston

£50
Diana Wharton

£32
Your Best Neighbour
Go B... Go!! xx

£32
Kelvin Smith
Go Berenice!

£32
Stephanie Victoria Kingston

£32
Tabitha & Tuna

£30
Simon Treglown

£30
Phil Holt

£30
Nuria Vazquez

£30
Mark Reynolds

£30
Michael Harvey

£30
Sean Lanigan

£30
Kirsty Doubleday

£30
Suzanne Carey

£30
Jordan Da Silva

£30
Ross Weatherburn

£30
Joe Collins

£30
Harold Thomas Wharton

£30
Albert Samper Bruno

£30
Mark Lewis

£30
James Oubridge

£30
Adam Green
Good luck!

£32
Anonymous

£27
Janine Whiteside
Good luck 🙌

£27
Dom
Go big man!

£27
Denise Fulgoni
Good luck with your challenge. Fabulous charities and causes.

£27
Sarah Jones
Good luck Adam & Lucca! Such an amazing cause! Well done you two! ❤

£27
John Langton

£27
Linda Langton

£27
Trevor Jones
💪

£27
Fi Glennon
So proud of you Dave! Well done :) Fi and Jon xxx

£25
Margaret Madden
Good luck

£25
Stafford Lloyd

£25
Tony Harrison

£25
Mark Timbs
Good luck Dave, great effort mate

£25
Jamile Tuma
You got this Mark!!

£25
Alessandro Napoli
Well done Mark, looking forward to seeing your progress.

£25
Adrian Mcewen

£25
Jerry

£25
Heidi Hallett
Goodluck guys!

£24
Mark White

£24
Lisa Glennon-cousins
Whoop whoop! You can do it!

£24
Paul Pitcher

£24
Elliecopter
Good luck Mark, you’ll smash it!

£24
Jon Phipps
Excellent work Dave!

£27
Phil Hawes

£22
Chris Thorn
Good luck with the swim, going to be a regular in the pool.

£25
Paul Dennis
Good Luch Adrian, great cause

£21
Anonymous

£21
Darcey
so proud, love you xxx

£21
Laurence Walkinton

£21
Irvine Benjamin
Well done Dave, you’re a Star.

£21
Sanjeewa Tennekoon
Good luck Dave!

£21
Adam Perrott
Nice one!

£21
Tibor
Go for it Mark!

£20
Albert Samper Bruno

£20
Ross Baird

£20
Robyn Di Cesare
Wearing goggles and flippers? Time for the scuba dance!

£20
Vicky, Matt & Zack
Good Luck from Aunty Vicky, Uncle Matt & Zack xx

£20
Dawn And Karl Parkinson

£20
Tobietta Rhyman

£18
Angela Tuddenham
Smash it SK and the swim team!

£16
Amanda Weatherburn
Good luck, it’s good to do something for charity

£16
Marse Pointy
You go Pointy! Xxx

£16
Marco

£11
Iwona & Henry

£11
Stephanie Naa Odai
Go go go!

£11
Peter Weatherburn

£11
Lottie Weatherburn

£11
Danny-joe
Good luck guys

£11
Anne Parkinson
I'm sure you'll be amazing! Love mum and nanna, 😁❤️ Xx

£11
Jenny Rorke

£11
Amf

£11
Tim Potgieter
Good luck.

£11
Kane Nurse

£11
Jessica And John
You are always welcome here to swim a few hundred metres. 😉

£11
Danielle Davis
Good luck to you both - what an incredible challenge!

£10
Barry Edwards

£10
Vanessa Wharton

£10
Anonymous

£10
Kate Mottershead

£10
Tim Mottershead
Smash it!

£5
Becky Parkinson
Well done to you both. Amazing effort!

£5
Gina Crossley
Smash it 💪🏼

£5
Dee Fakira

£5
Joe Charlton
Our Team Members

Sean Lanigan

Albert Samper Bruno
£40

Mark Reynolds
£500

Ross Weatherburn
£42

Kirsty doubleday

James Oubridge

Berenice Maculan
£169

Suzanne Carey

Sam Hope

Stephanie Kingston
£424

Bruce Allen
£32

Jordan Da Silva

Phil Holt
£30

connie Smedley

Joe Collins

Celine Djedjemel
£32

Adrian McEwen
£252

Tanya Hill
£160

Mark Lewis
£437

charlotte byrne

David Glennon
£547

Michael Harvey

Adam and Lucca Parkinson
£264

Simon Treglown
