Leading with heart: How Julie Evens is helping swimmers with Down syndrome shine

When Julie Evens first took her son Mark to swimming lessons, she couldn’t have imagined it would lead to her becoming Team Manager of Down Syndrome Swimming Great Britain (DSS-GB).

For Julie, swimming was about safety and fitness for Mark, who has Down syndrome. “People with Down syndrome are often of smaller stature, with low muscle tone and loose ligaments. Swimming is a sport where the water supports your body weight, it’s such a good form of exercise,” she explains.

What began with weekly lessons soon became a family journey. Encouraged by his coach, Mark joined his local mainstream club, before going on to represent Great Britain as a teenager. Julie, meanwhile, was drawn into volunteering poolside, helping with records and logistics. By 2023, she stepped up as Team Manager.

More than just swimming

Julie’s favourite part of the role is the time spent alongside the swimmers. “Our athletes are spread right across the UK. They only meet five or six times a year, but those moments are special. For many, it’s the only time they feel part of a true peer group.”

That sense of belonging extends to families too. Parents and carers swap stories, share experiences, and support each other through the ups and downs of daily life. “It’s a community,” Julie says. “We celebrate what our swimmers achieve together.”

“You’re watching what they can do, not what they can’t. And that’s really powerful.”

Spotting talent and raising standards

The annual British Down Syndrome Swimming Championships have become a key platform for discovering new talent. “We always look to grow the squad, and standards are rising all the time. Almost all of our swimmers now train with mainstream clubs as well as disability clubs, which has massively improved performance.”

DSS-GB has also produced a guide for coaches and teachers on supporting swimmers with Down syndrome, offering practical tips to help athletes shine in the pool.

And the ambitions don’t stop there with plans to host the World Championships in 2030 and continue growing the British Championships, which already attracts more than 160 competitors.

Favourite moments

Julie’s memories are filled with moments of pride. She recalls a gold-medal comeback in the mixed medley relay at the World Championships in Turkey, Mark smashing a 400m world record in Watford, but perhaps the most impactful, a training camp in Spain earlier this year.

“We were at a great facility and found that we were training alongside the Norwegian national team. You know, these guys are like six-foot-eight, massive! We were all finishing on the same day, and they invited us to go back in the evening and do some relays with them. So, we had teams of ten – three of our swimmers and seven of theirs.”

“And that was just such a lovely moment. I think it opened their eyes a little bit as well. Obviously, we’d been stunned watching them swim, but I don’t think there are many competitive swimmers with Down syndrome in Norway. For them to see what our swimmers were capable of and then to invite them to join, it was a very special moment.”