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Sheffield Swim Boom Breeding a City of Swimmers

Swimming across South Yorkshire is booming, thanks to the region’s state-of-the-art sports facilities and led by two of Rotherham’s top female swimmers.

Facility bosses say South Yorkshire’s strong swimming heritage and venues are helping to breed a city of swimmers including Olympic hopefuls.

The City of Sheffield Swimming Squad, based at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, has finished third in the national senior swimming club points table.

This is the club’s best ever performance and seven of the city’s swimmers are now on international training programmes.

Local swimmers won 23 medals including 10 golds at the National Championships at Ponds Forge ISC.

Highlights included golds for Rotherham’s Rebecca Turner (14) and Debbie Hall (18) plus Sheffield’s Andy Shepherd (22), James Crisp (23) and a British Record time in the 200m breaststroke from 16-year-old Max Partridge.

Meanwhile 21-year old James Kirton from Barnsley reached the finals of the European Long Course Championships in Hungary in August and has already clocked the qualifying time for the Olympics in Beijing in 2008

As well as competitive success, Sheffield’s facilities are helping to turn the tide of national statistics and encouraging thousands of swimmers of all ages and standards take to the water every year.

The Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) recently launched a national £5.5m scheme to help children who cannot swim by the age of 11, of which Sheffield will receive £43,000 to help fund beginners swimming programmes over the next two years.

Hundreds of 11 year olds are among more than 2,500 people undertaking swim programmes at Sheffield International Venues’ Ponds Forge International Sports Centre, Concord Sports Centre and Hillsborough Leisure Centre.

Swimmers aged from five months to over 70 attend SIV’s three water-based venues which already offer ASA ducklings sessions from five months to five years, ASA National Plan lessons from five to 12 years and adult lessons from 13 years upwards.

Robert MacDonald, Sheffield City Council’s cabinet member for Economic, Regeneration, Culture and Planning, said: ' Swimming is more than just a sport. It also adds to the potential safety of children. Not only is it great to see so many children learning to swim but it is also fantastic to see those at the other end of the spectrum competing at such a high level and representing Great Britain . This provides a springboard for the potential of winning medals at future Olympics and Paralympics'

Russ Barber, Head Coach of the City of Sheffield Swim Squad, was presented with an Award of Recognition by the British Coaches Association at their recent awards ceremony.

Russ said:' In Sheffield, novices work alongside elite performers and it’s great to see youngsters enter the system as recreational swimmers and coming through as international athletes. All the coaching staff based at Ponds Forge ISC have done a terrific job this year.'

' Now Sheffield has one of the top swimming club’s in Britain and there is enormous optimism in the city that swimming will maintain this success in the run up to the Olympics and Paralympics in 2012.'

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