DiSE year one athletes complete successful half-term camp in Bristol

Year one athletes on the Artistic Swimming Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE) pathway began 2026 with a focused half‑term camp at Hengrove Park Leisure Centre in Bristol.

DiSE is a government-funded programme which supports promising young athletes by combining high‑level training with an industry‑recognised qualification designed to complement their academic studies.

Across Thursday 19 and Friday 20 February, 10 athletes took part in a full schedule of pool work, land‑based training and specialist workshops.

The group also trained alongside Great Britain’s junior and senior athletes, giving them valuable exposure to the standards, routines and expectations present within a high‑performance environment.

Athlete education played a central role throughout the camp. Nutritionist, Zena Reeves, delivered sessions on fuelling, recovery and smart snack choices, supported by practical demonstrations that allowed athletes to apply the guidance immediately.

Across the two-day camp, the athletes made a variety of different recipes including snack bars and smoothies. The workshop was focused on the three R’s: refuel, repair and rehydrate.

Meanwhile, coaching support from DiSE technical coach, Louise Ross, focused on injury prevention, stretching and mobility – helping swimmers understand how to move safely and effectively both in and out of the water.

In the pool, the camp emphasised technical development, with targeted work on figures, acrobatic skills and core routine elements.

As part of the camp, the athletes also took part in a strength and conditioning session at Studio Base, helping them to build strength, stability and coordination through exercises tailored specifically to the demands of artistic swimming.

The camp proved an encouraging start to the year for the DiSE cohort, who showed strong engagement across all activities.

The athletes now look ahead to the next camp in May, carrying forward the progress made in Bristol.

To learn more about the Artistic Swimming Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE) programme, please click here.