Sheffield hosts exciting weekend of artistic swimming

Two artistic swimming national events will take place in as many days as Sheffield’s Ponds Forge hosts both the Swim England Combo Cup and National Masters Championships this weekend.

It’s the first time that both competitions have been held on the same weekend with the events welcoming athletes ranging from the ages of 9-79 across the two days in South Yorkshire.

More than 900 athletes from 37 clubs will take part across both competitions for what is set to be a fantastic celebration of artistic swimming.

The Combo Cup will take place on the Saturday before the Masters swimmers take to the pool on Sunday.

Tickets for both events will be available to purchase on venue if you wish to attend. More information on prices for the Combo Cup is here whilst Masters tickets are priced at £6.50 per person with tickets for under 5’s available for free.

Can Salford retain the Combo Cup title?

Last time around City of Salford lifted the Combo Cup after a thrilling day of competition at the London Aquatics Centre.

It was a result that shocked their head coach Jessica Fletcher after a final event silver saw them finish just ahead of the City of Bristol and Rugby in the battle for the crown.

The trophy is presented to the club that earns the highest total score across each of the events in a unique competition, which only features free combination performances.

Free combo involves a team of up to ten athletes moving in unison to high tempo music with impressive throws and lifts.

It’s contested over two divisions and five age groups: 12 & Under, 13 – 15 Years, 15 – 18 Years, 13 – 18 Years and 15 & Under.

This year in a fun but competitive day of action, young swimmers from across the nation will get the chance to showcase their exciting routines on a national stage.

One of the biggest Masters Championships in history

It’s set to be one of the biggest Artistic Swimming National Masters Championships in history on Sunday as 199 athletes prepare to grace the water in Sheffield.

The Championships provide solo, duet and team events throughout a single day of competition for age groups ranging from 18-24 right up to 70-79 Year events.

Nine different clubs took to the top step of the podium at last year’s Championships in Nottingham.

Athletes from Aquavision, Seymour Synchro, Out To Swim, Rushmoor, Aqualina, Brighton Dolphins, Bramcote, City of Leeds and Walsall all took home gold medals in 2022 and all return for this year’s event.

As with all artistic swimming events, there will be breath-taking feats of strength and flexibility on display, as well as fierce competition in an event that has something for everyone to enjoy.

Event imagery will be provided by Will Johnston Photography and you can keep up with all the action on the Swim England website and via Swim England’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram social channels.