IGLA London 23 was the largest opportunity ever, for Out to Swim swimmers to participate in an international meet. As Club Captains we encouraged people to sign up at training sessions and by talking to many individuals. The relays were our responsibility and for the first time we used Google Forms to collect information from participants. We sent out links to the form to known IGLA signees and used OTS Comms club-wide to post the link to all Out to Swim members. The result was 83 responses from which we

were able to put together 43 relay teams. These included swimmers from Brighton & Hove and Bristol, so that for the first time, the whole club was swimming together. Lanes 1 to 7 were all represented, as were all age-groups up to 75+.

The overall medal count (individual and relays) was 59 Gold, 46 Silver and 34 Bronze. As hosts, we had the advantage of numbers and so IGLA does not allow the host club to win the competition. Every swimmer who competed won points, no matter where they were placed and we ended up 570.5 points ahead of the winners, DCAC.

Over the week, there were many PB’s and some valuable learning experiences. Both swimmers and coaches found out what they need to work on and those who found unexpected strengths.

For us, the most exciting part was the relays. We entered teams in all age groups from 100+ to 280+, covering Men’s, Women’s and Mixed (open) categories. Swimmers stepped up throughout the week to fill gaps due to personal circumstance demonstrating the fantastic team spirit we have. The medal tally for relays was: 14 Gold, 4 Silver and 3 Bronze.

To quote an Out to Swim first-time swimmer – ‘This has been so much fun. I want to do it again.’

Hannah & Christopher
OTS Swimming Competitions Captains