Last night I had the pleasure of swimming with the Dussel Dolphins in a really nice outdoor 50m pool.  Unlike Oasis, there were no old plasters and other unmentionable things drifting ominously along the bottom.  There were about 15 of us in all, with two members coaching from the side.  They certainly made me feel welcome, particulary as I speak not a word of German!  Thanks, guys, for the great swim.

Now I know Michelle is going to have absolutely no sympathy for me and it was good preparation for Cologne, but did I need a largely buttefly set in a 50m pool, alternating with a lot of kicking?!  This was probably supposed to make me feel more prepared for my first ever 200m IM in Cologne, however I fear it has had the opposite effect.

There were no hushed mentions of Pink Flamingo so I'm guessing the skulduggery and aquatic espionage of the other international teams has passed them by!

For our newer members we have an arrangement with other IGLA-affiliated clubs which allows us to swim with them at no cost.  If you are abroad and want to add a dimension to your holiday/travels then think about swimming with one of the local clubs.

This week the London Orca A Team travelled to Walton-on-Thames to take on the Blue Marlins.

It was a close fought match and the team used the wide pool well, but eventually succumbed 7-4 to their more experienced opponents.

At the Gay Games in Cologne both London Orca's A and B teams will be competing in the Cup division against Manchester, Copenhagen, Amsterdam B and Toronto B.

To stay in touch with the preparation and performances of both teams check out the blog and the video!

If you're interested in giving water polo a try then get in touch.

For Londoners familiar with St Paul's Cathedral, the Palace of Westminster and Buckingham House, the Barnet Copthall Leisure Centre could not reasonably be described as a pinnacle of British architecture.

It is, rather, a block of bricks in a car park off the M1 (though I understand this is a style much coveted across the home counties). But refusing to judge this particular book by its cover, the Out To Swim team stepped up to the plate/blocks and delivered a weekend of very impressive results - our final chance to get in some competitive swimming before Gay Games.

The meet being spread over four sessions and two days, the OTS team found itself having to disband and reform on a continuous basis. But though sad to see some leave, it was always fun to welcome the new faces. On each occasion our team spirit was refreshed and revived, and every swimmer was well supported before, during and after their race. Medals were won and Personal Bests achieved! It was also a good swimming opportunity to show off the club's Gay Games kit. A big thank you to the committee - our new t-shirts do look terribly smart.

It was very encouraging to see such a balanced group of men and women. For the first time I can remember the girls out numbered the boys nine to six.
Even counting Philip C, who was doing sterling work as a meet official, wouldn't have tipped the girl/boy balance.

Lizzie B fed us all up on muffins and cakes and only very few of us sank as a result. Paul S started his warm up in the lane reserved for the 65+ age group swimmers. We felt it best not to question this. Lucille managed to reinvent the 200m IM as a 2 x 100m IM. She has patent pending on the new format.  Joey overslept and missed the first couple of sessions but, happily, was wide awake by 5pm to swim an impressive 100m freestyle.  Full results posted here.

I asked Charlie Stewart to remind us what the Gay Games are about - from way back in 1994!  Many thanks for this, Charlie!

As the massive doors of Yankee Stadium, New York City, opened, 45 members of the newly formed Out To Swim, joined 10,000 other competitors, to parade into the closing ceremony of The Gay Games 1994.  I had goose bumps from head to toe! After a weeks competition, the feeling was just amazing.  We were proud and extraordinarily happy!

With The New York Gay Games looming, a bunch of YMCA swimmers got together to form Out To Swim in the early nineties. Having not competed for many years, I felt the time was right to get back into swimming and duly joined.  We trained three times a week at Marshall Street Baths near Carnaby St and at ULU in Mallet St. I was soon getting to know a great bunch of people, some with outstanding swimming ability and others who were there to improve.

And so it was, we found ourselves in New York, in the summer of 1994. Kitted out in a simple, but effective T-shirt, we made our mark at the opening ceremony, after which we settled into a weeks competition.  Amongst ex-olympic swimmers, including our very own Peter Prijdekker, we swam our hearts out, cheered our heads off and enjoyed a growing camaraderie which gelled the members of Out To Swim for many years to follow.