Some London swimmers returned to Mill Hill to participate in Barnet Masters Sprint event.
Some were returning after a while away from competitions.
We were planning for a post-event social, but the rain put an end to that as everyone rushed back to the tube with muddy shoes.
Various swimmers returned to Maidenhead in 2025 for their local event.
Some swimmer were taking part in a competition for the very first time, and others were coming back after a while away.
Most walked away with medals and PBs, but we all had a wonderful time and returned to the local pub for our yearly roast dinner.
All of OTS went to Manchester for the weekend to participate in the revitalisation of their local swim event.
We were welcomed by Northern Wave, our sister LGBT+ swim club in Manchester and had a wonderful weekend of swimming, socialising and shimmying down Canal Street with our friends.
Bonjour!
Various club members crossed the Channel and went to Lyon for Eurogames.
Despite some last minute changes and stress due to event and timing changes, OTS was able to get together and have a decent time at Eurogames.
Various members crossed the pond and went to Washington DC for IGLA 2025.
It was wonderful to support our US colleagues and participate in their wonderfully planned event.
A smaller than expected group participated, due to the current political situation, but those who went had a wonderful time, wonderful swims and enjoyed themselves in sunny DC.
Following a period of assessment and thinking, our lovely Coach team, headed by Hannah Soltz, rebranded the London Swimming Lanes.
To remove the stigma surrounding numbered lanes, the coaches have decided to rename them after chemical elements instead.
With fewer groups, the lanes are now more concise and able to support each other to develop and grow.
The new Swimming Groups are now called Neon, Cobalt, Magnesium and Titanium.
The whole club gathered in Bristol and participated in OTS Bristol Spring Gala.
This was a fun, non-competitive event, where everyone had fun and socialised with other parts of the club who all came together for a wonderful time in sunny Bristol.
Video of the event: https://www.instagram.com/p/DIhNOO2xQHD/
A few London swimmers took to Essex to participate in their Masters event.
A nice and local event where everyone had a good time and walked away with some medals.
A few brave souls took the Northern line all the way to Mill Hill East and braved the 1500m free swim.
This event awards no medals and is just a test of one’s endurance, patience, technique and speed.
Various members from across the club braved 10+ hour flights and went to Argentina for IGLA 2024.
It was a nice break from the British weather. Because it’s in the southern hemisphere, the temperatures were lovely, despite being November.
Our hosts were the wonderful local swim team who put on a well planned, well organised and very diverse and inclusive event, which started with everyone participating in the local Pride March!
A small team of London swimmers took the Northern line to Mill Hill and took part in the Barnet Coptall Masters on the 15th of September.
Barnet is one of our favourite competitions, as its local, fun, and everyone usually walks away with medals.
Some London swimmers and Ashley from Bristol got the Elizabeth line to Maidenhead and went to the Berks and South Bucks Masters Meet.
We all got medals or PBs and went for a lovely roast dinner at the nearby pub after.
Despite a car battery not working and nearly leaving us stranded at the end, we were able to work together to get the car working and go back home. Team work makes the dream work, or in this case, the car.
Various members from all over the club took to Vienna to participate in Eurogames 2024.
Everyone walked away with medals, PBs and wonderful memories of a well organised event in a wonderful city and friendly Eurogames hosts.
Various members from London braved the yearly 1500m event in Barnet.
This yearly event doesn’t award medals and it’s a test of one’s endurance, patience and foolhardiness, to endure a 1500m swimming event!
Twelve swimmers attended the annual Middlesex Meet. There was a mix of the experienced, first timers and returnees after a long break. It was great to welcome Water Polo swimmers to this team who put their competitive spirit too good use. Every swimmer won medals so that Out to Swim gained third place in the men’s individual section, only a few points behind second place. The individual medal total was: 6 Gold, 8 Silver and 1 Bronze. In the relays (200 Free and Medley) our M100+ team won 2 gold; the M120+, 1 silver and one bronze and the M200+, 2 Silver.
A great learning experience for all with lots PBs, fun and camaraderie.
Hannah & Christopher
OTS Swimming Competitions Captains
Traditionally, not many from OTS travel to this meet, in a different city around the UK each year. It’s ideal for distance swimmers and is less crowded that the Short Course Nationals in October.
Four of us attended, dodging train strikes successfully and getting there in time to warm up and race. Our medal haul was: 3 Gold, 1 Silver and 4 Bronze. Congratulations to Myles for his first ever Nationals medal in the 400 Free and a Long Course PB for the 100 Free.
The number of National, European and World Long-Course records broken was phenomenal in both individual and relay events, so we were well entertained.
Hannah & Christopher
OTS Swimming Competitions Captains
Six OTS swimmers went to Paris for the annual TIP meet. They had a great mix of swimming and social fun. In all 7 gold medals, 3 silver and 1 bronze were won. Swimmer of the meet was undoubtedly Daniel Ljuslinder with an impressive 5 Gold medals.
Outside the pool. Restaurants were visited -
‘We did the impossible. We got an outside table for four!’
‘I’m about 5 mins away’
‘We’re getting drinks. What do you want?’
Then there was the party – did anyone go? And the sight-seeing + Add on excursions to other parts of France afterwards. Don’t miss out next year.
Hannah & Christopher
OTS Swimming Competitions Captains
IGLA London 23 was the largest opportunity ever, for Out to Swim swimmers to participate in an international meet. As Club Captains we encouraged people to sign up at training sessions and by talking to many individuals. The relays were our responsibility and for the first time we used Google Forms to collect information from participants. We sent out links to the form to known IGLA signees and used OTS Comms club-wide to post the link to all Out to Swim members. The result was 83 responses from which we
were able to put together 43 relay teams. These included swimmers from Brighton & Hove and Bristol, so that for the first time, the whole club was swimming together. Lanes 1 to 7 were all represented, as were all age-groups up to 75+.
The overall medal count (individual and relays) was 59 Gold, 46 Silver and 34 Bronze. As hosts, we had the advantage of numbers and so IGLA does not allow the host club to win the competition. Every swimmer who competed won points, no matter where they were placed and we ended up 570.5 points ahead of the winners, DCAC.
Over the week, there were many PB’s and some valuable learning experiences. Both swimmers and coaches found out what they need to work on and those who found unexpected strengths.
For us, the most exciting part was the relays. We entered teams in all age groups from 100+ to 280+, covering Men’s, Women’s and Mixed (open) categories. Swimmers stepped up throughout the week to fill gaps due to personal circumstance demonstrating the fantastic team spirit we have. The medal tally for relays was: 14 Gold, 4 Silver and 3 Bronze.
To quote an Out to Swim first-time swimmer – ‘This has been so much fun. I want to do it again.’
Hannah & Christopher
OTS Swimming Competitions Captains
Fun to come back to Brussels as an artistic swimmer! I started this a year ago after reading in @elizabeth_gilbert_writer 's Big Magic a story about a woman who takes up ice- skating later in life. I was thinking about beginning things as an adult, anti-ageism, imagination, possibility and an interesting obituary!
I'm so glad I took the plunge. Even though most sessions are very physically and mentally confronting, I feel part of a community outside of work and thats been huge. Even though the sensory environment of the extremely long day competition events is too much for me, I find a way to be part of it and this team are really supportive in helping me expand my horizons, share things I know from dance, challenge myself and let me challenge them sometimes too! In a journey of working towards accepting more if myself it's been really cool to enter a new space with more self-knowledge and boundaries and confidence and then see what can happen.
We also did really well in the competition and I'm proud of us. The standard @brusselsopenmasters was extremely high and the culture of a competitive discipline isn't always easily compatible with the values that I feel my club holds. We celebrated each other and the other teams and I think we've come away from it stronger.
J. Neve Harrington - OTS Angel
Twenty-Two from Out to Swim attended the Royal Navy Masters meet at Millfield School, Street in Sommerset last Sunday. Seven London Swimmers joined fifteen from our Bristol branch. Five of the swimmers were women and it was great to have a much higher proportion of women than usual. We were also well represented by swimmers from the Vintage Group for swimmers, who now have an open invitation to visit Bristol. The weekend kicked off with some London swimmers joining the regular Saturday training session in Bristol, followed by an ‘Pasta Party’ to carb-up for the next day. Thanks to Mark for providing his flat and to Jennifer for sorting the delicious food.
Bristol members provided transport from to Millfield – about an hour’s drive. Millfield School has produced many elite swimmers in it’s time, so we were swimming in the pool of future champions. Out to Swim came in third in the clubs entered with individual medals at 6 Gold, 13 Silver and 8 Bronze. Relays: Medley – 1 Gold, 2 Silver & 1 Bronze. Freestyle – 1 Gold, 1 Silver & 1 Bronze. The club swimming was excellent and Steve, who hadn’t raced for eight years conquered his fears for the M240+ relay team events, a huge achievement.
Christopher Preston, Men’s Club Captain
