January 23, 2025 By Dorset ASA
President: Karen Yendole
Day 1: Sunday 2 February at Dorchester Programme
Day 2: Saturday 8 February at Littledown Programme
Day 3: Sunday 9 February at Littledown Programme
Day 4: Sunday 16 February at Dorchester Programme
Day 5: Saturday 22 February at Littledown Programme
Visiting Presidents:
Maurice Cleaver, Swim England South West
Paul Chillingworth, Somerset ASA
Day 6: Sunday 23 February at Littledown Programme
January 21, 2025 By Dorset ASA
Two Dorset Masters swimmers have just completed a chilly few days taking part in the Sixth International World Ice Swimming Championships 2025 in Molveno, Italy having been selected to represent GB. With the water hovering around 2C most days and the air temperature sub-zero, Liz Mills from Poole SC and Seagulls’ Wendy Bates nevertheless took to the water with Wendy telling the BBC that “Once you warm up, the buzz is such a good feeling afterwards.”
Ice swimming events take place in all four strokes, but swimmers do not dive at the start and they push off, rather than tumble, on turns; the longest distance is 1km.
Competing in the 45-49 years age group, Liz brought home silver and bronze medals in the 100m Butterfly and 50m Butterfly respectively, while finishing in fifth place in the 200m Individual Medley. In the 40-44 years age group, Wendy took fourth (500m Freestyle), seventh (250m Freestyle) and eighth (100m Freestyle) places. With 48 countries and 750 swimmers taking part, a significant achievement for both. Well done ladies!
Liz and Wendy train together at Shaftesbury Lido as well as with their home clubs. However, we doubt ice has to be removed from the pool very often before they can dive in!
December 29, 2024 By Dorset ASA
The Dorset Novice Trophy Gala will be held at Littledown on Saturday 18 January 2025. Doors open at 6pm.
For a programme of events click here 2025 Dorset Novice Gala Programme
This gala is a time-limited event. Upper cut-off off times are as shown 2025 Dorset Novice Gala Team Sheet
November 30, 2024 By Dorset ASA
A six-man relay team that included two Dorset Masters has set a new Guinness World Record for swimming the English Channel.
Departing from Shakespeare Beach in Dover on 8 October 2023 at 2.42 am and arriving at Sangatte, France at 7.47 pm, 81-year old Robert Lloyd Evans from Poole SC and 76-year old Weyport Masters Bob Roberts, together with team-mates of equally senior years from 74 to 80 years of age, made the arduous crossing in an impressive 17 hours 5 minutes.
The record was set under the auspices of the Channel Swimming & Piloting Federation and the team, known as ‘One Foot in the Wave 3’, was piloted by Simon Ellis onboard High Hopes.
With an average age of 77 years 105 days, this bettered the previous record (average age of 73 years 318 days) set by ‘The Septuagenarians’ on 7 September 2015, a team of British swimmers which also included the-then 72-year old Robert Lloyd-Evans.
The oldest solo male to swim across the English Channel is South African Otto Thaning who made the swim aged 73 years 177 days on 6 September 2014.
The female solo record is still held by another Dorset swimmer and Triathlon Age Group World Champion, Weyport Master Linda Ashmore who swam the Channel aged 71 years 305 days on 21 August 2018.
November 25, 2024 By Dorset ASA
On Remembrance Sunday a small team of Dorset Masters swimmers made the trip to Millfield for the South West Region round of the National Inter-County Masters Competition. The team comprised of nine men and 17 women from the following clubs: Poole (9), Seagulls (6), Weyport (4), Swim Bournemouth (3), Weymouth (1) and Wareham (1). With so few men on the team, including no men in the 25-34 years or 65 years age group, the event was always going to be a challenge but the team hoped to improve on Dorset’s National position of 28th last year.
On the day, Dorset finished in fifth place in the South West just one point behind Somerset. When the National results were collated Dorset finished in a creditable 23rd place just in front of county neighbours Somerset and a move up of five places from 2023. Next year the aim is to make the top 20!
Top ten National placings were as follows: 2nd – Liam Small (35+) 50m Backstroke; 5th – Viv Jones (65+) 50m Freestyle, Alex Sims (35+) 50m Butterfly, Liam Small (35+) 50m Butterfly; 6th Alex Sims (35+) 50m Breaststroke; 7th Liam Small (35+) 50m Freestyle; Liam Small (35+) 50m Breaststroke; 8th Tilly McHugh (18+) 50m Butterfly, Mixed 260+ Years Freestyle Relay (Clare, Viv, Neil and Andy); 9th Viv Jones (65+) 50m Butterfly, Female 140+ Years Medley Relay (Basia, Alex, Fiona, Sian), Female 140+ Years Freestyle (Sarah, Basia, Alex, Sian).
Dorset County hats were awarded to 17 swimmers for First County Selection and Dorset County lead crystal cubes were awarded to four swimmers (Andrew Small, Jude Barton, Kelly Stocker and Dorset County President Karen Yendole) for their third time representing the County since the records were started in 2020.