Swimming stars of the future get taste of professional life at talent camps

Some of England’s most promising young swimmers have been given the chance to develop their skills at Swim England’s National Event Camps.

A total of 90 athletes were selected for the two camps, with 42 taking part at Sheffield’s Ponds Forge and 48 attending Millfield School.

The 15 and 16-year-old swimmers are gaining valuable experience in a competitive camp environment, benefiting from expert coaching and facilities.

The camps are led by 15 skills coaches, three head coaches, nutritionists, strength and conditioning coaches, physiotherapists, biomechanists and sports scientists.

Pool sessions featured skills training and video analysis, with workshops on nutrition and physio helping to prepare the youngsters for potential international call-ups in the future.

Lindsay Trimmings, Swim England’s Coaching Development Manager, said: “Our aim is to try to give them tools they can go away with and do something with.

“They got their physio screening done this week and they’ll have some exercises they can do at home – they aren’t things they need expensive equipment for.

“We’re trying to plug some of the gaps that their home programmes may not be able to provide.

“We’re giving them things outside the pool that they can take back with them, even if they’re in really small programmes.

“The bits that add value are really important.

“These are stepping stones that will help them deal with things if they go away on an English or British camp.”

Building a bright future

The camps also provide a valuable opportunity for coaches from clubs across the country to hone their skills.

As part of the Swim England Talent Programme, they are helping to ensure the long-term sustainability of swimming in England.

Lindsay added: “We make sure the coaches have also come through that pathway, so they’re transitioning through, along with their athletes.

“We have a lot of dialogue with the home coaches, we are trying to work with them.

“Everything that swimmers get this week in terms of video footage, screening results, gets shared with the home coaches so they have access to everything as well.

“If we can help support a generation of coaches, it means they will be better equipped to support any athlete that comes onto their programme.

“They will have the tools to be able to work with any athlete.

“That’s the sustainable part of it – if we get great coaches who can shape their environments and work with individuals, we then get more athletes onto the pathway.”

A Nice piece of motivation

In an added incentive for the swimmers, they have the chance to earn a wildcard place on Swim England’s team for the FFN Golden Tour – #1 in Nice.

Much of the team of 20 will be comprised of swimmers on the Swim England Talent Programme, but those who impress in Sheffield and Millfield may still be selected to travel to France in January.

Kayla van der Merwe and Ed Mildred both featured on the 2019 tour as wildcards, before going on to enjoy their most successful years on the national and international stage.

Swim England National Event Camps

  • Abigail Miles (City of Sheffield)
  • Aiden Symons-Brown (Devonport)
  • Aimee Brownridge (Plymouth Leander)
  • Aimee Hood (City of Birmingham)
  • Amelia Brian (Ellesmere College)
  • Angharad Evans (West Suffolk)
  • Beatrice Varley (Teddington)
  • Betsy Wizard (Northampton)
  • Billy Wotton (City of Oxford)
  • Calvin Fry (Millfield)
  • Cara O’Toole (Hillingdon)
  • Caroline Lewitt Natare (West London)
  • Carys O’Reilly (City of Leicester)
  • Charles Holyer (Fareham Nomads)
  • Charlotte Robinson (City of Leeds)
  • Daniel Donovan (Guildford City)
  • Daniel Gencas (Romford Town)
  • Dillon Chana (Hillingdon)
  • Edward Hunt (Kingston Roy)
  • Elena Dewhurst (Mount Kelly)
  • Elijah Kendrick (Shiverers)
  • Eliot Desforges (Bracknell)
  • Eliza Powell (Bromley)
  • Ella Dyson (Wycombe District)
  • Ella Took (Tynemouth)
  • Ellie Sibbald-Perkins (City of Birmingham)
  • Emily Iley (Borough of Waltham Forest)
  • Emma Van Selm (Bromley)
  • Flora Perkin (Newton Abbot)
  • Frances Newe (Dulwich Dolphins)
  • George Smith (Ellesmere College)
  • Harriet Rogers (Darlington)
  • Harvey Freeman (Northampton)
  • Hendrik Van Der Leest (Woking)
  • Isaac Dodds (Tigers Jersey)
  • Isabelle Goodwin (City of Leeds)
  • Issey-May Reeves (City of Sheffield)
  • Jackson O’Rourke (Northampton)
  • James Hart (Plymouth Leander)
  • Jason Robson (York City)
  • Jemimah Berkeley (RTW Monson)
  • Jessica Morgan (Southport)
  • Jevon Penny (Northampton)
  • Joseph Buxton (Reading)
  • Joseph Deighan (Millfield)
  • Joseph Sadler (Nova Centurion)
  • Joshua Gammon (Plymouth Leander)
  • Joshua Press (City of Milton Keynes)
  • Joshua Skinner (Nova Centurion)
  • Joshua Weston (Wycombe District)
  • Kidiest Hodgson (City of Leeds)
  • Lauren Bradley-Holt (City of Salford)
  • Leah Whittaker (Mount Kelly)
  • Lewis Binning (Basildon Phoenix)
  • Lewis Maxwell (Derwentside)
  • Livia Kingsland (Nova Centurion)
  • Lottie Wynne-Jones (City of Milton Keynes)
  • Lucy Hedley (Tynemouth)
  • Maisie Thornton (Crawley)
  • Martha Hurst (Stockport Metro)
  • Matthew Woodhall (City of Sheffield)
  • Max Adams (City of Salford)
  • Megan Barnes (Barnes SC)
  • Michael Klimaszewski (Hatfield)
  • Millie Fields (Bishops Stortford)
  • Milly Boulding (City of Leeds)
  • Mollie Garratt (York City)
  • Ned Sharp (Skipton)
  • Nicholas Skelton (City of Oxford)
  • Nikolai Khutoryanskiy (Reading)
  • Oliver Kettle (Portsmouth Northsea)
  • Olivia Butler (City of Bristol)
  • Olivia Clare (City of Manchester Aquatics)
  • Olivia Herron (Stockport Metro)
  • Pierce Greening (Cockermouth)
  • Pietro Forconi (Portsmouth Northsea)
  • Reuben Edwards (RTW Monson)
  • Reuben Visda (City of Sheffield)
  • Robbie Hemmings (Poole)
  • Samuel Greenbank (Cockermouth)
  • Samuel Tucker (Wycombe District)
  • Sapphira Gabbani (City of Sheffield)
  • Sara Kalawska (Hatfield)
  • Sean Tsai (Millfield)
  • Tatiana Tostevin (Millfield)
  • Thomas Deffains (Tigers Jersey)
  • Thomas Sansome (Wycombe District)
  • Tiegan Child (Beckenham)
  • Toby Hill (Prescot)
  • Toby Stewart (Guildford City)
  • Tyriese Smith (City of Liverpool)
  • William Cooper (City of Birmingham)
  • William Ellington (Millfield)
  • Zoe Carless (Birkenhead)
  • Zoe Musial (Chelsea and Westminster)
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