The ever-impressive Millfield School, Glastonbury, played host to the annual Royal Navy Masters Meet...the only one of its kind in the calendar that serves as both seasoned swimmer competition and charity event, with a decent share of the proceeds contributing to the Armed Forces Veterans. Shame in many ways that the final weekend of February also saw several age-group gatherings across the South of England - with both Hampshire and Devon seeing their final weekend of action, in addition to the ever-popular British University and College Sports Society (BUCS) draining...

The New Year begins as always with the Masters South East Regional Long Course Championships at the ever-familiar K2 Centre, Crawley - a venue that's certainly been getting its revenue from the forever aging racing swimmer! Always a challenge to pick the training up so close after the festive period, but some added incentive with British National Masters this year having some steep qualifying times and the COVID-19 pandemic no longer being much of an excuse. That said, opportunities to register a 50m pool time for Masters are extremely limited...

An Olympic effort and near-decade long first for the South East Regional Masters as 2022 saw all Seven of the County Regions field exceptionally strong teams for the annual Inter-County Masters Championships...including the ever-elusive Middlesex ASA, sadly absent for a number of years but now back with a vengence. Hosted by Kent ASA, quite the coup achieved to win the venue of the London Aquatics Centre for the Sunday afternoon...its prestige undoubtledly stirring all regions into rangling their very best Masters swimmers aged 18yrs right up to over 75yrs. The...

2019 saw the last time Southampton Masters made the trip to the Steel-City of Yorkshire, the venue of Ponds Forge always proving popular with its so called 'magic water' (as many a coach will tell you, a pool is a pool...although I'll confess to being amazed at what the Sheffield site can do to your Personal Bests!) and the three-day Swim England Masters Short Course Championships quickly selling out across only a few days of entries first opening. A full capacity programme saw over 2,000 discipline representatives on show from...

Arena League Round 1 of South League Division 1 West Gala 2 Report From Head Coach Matt Heathcock What a great first round of Arena League 2022. Having only rejoined Division 2 west last year, coming first and being immediately promoted , coming third was a great result in the first round of the more competitive Division 1 West. I am very honoured to be leading my home City in this great team event. Big thank you to our team helpers poolside and our officials. Supporters in the balcony well...

Gone now are the social restrictions and strict protocols of 2021 for South East Masters swimming where teams were ring fenced by region, ordered down to poolside with two meter spaces between heats and ushered round the 50m long pool of K2, Crawley. The more familiar and friendly atmosphere returned to Short Course Championships of 2022 with a record breaking entry list and experimental relays-only third session. All Masters clubs from the East Coast had their work cut out both individiually and as a quartet of all ages and genders,...

Fresh (as much as anyone can be!) from a phenomenal 25k power swim at the Vidosternsimmet Distance event in Sweden only a week before, Open Water Masters swimmer Fiona Carroll (30-34yrs) travelled to the South Coast of Wales to partake in the British Open Water Championships. A slick 3km distance through the waters of Aberdovey - practically a sprint for the Sotonian at a brisk 42mins - saw our first Masters Open Water Champion ever. Not content with that alone, Carroll made it a true long weekend with a follow...

What a great start to the 2022/23 season for the City of Southampton Swimming Club - winners of Round 3 with 229 points and winners overall of the Rother League West Division. Congratulations and well done to all the swimmers that took part in the Rother League on Saturday night. It was a great fun gala to meet the swimmers. For me the team spirit was fantastic from start to finish. A lot of great swims so early on in the season makes the future look bright. We now need...

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A big welcome to our new Head Coach Matt Heathcock!! Matt, originally from Southampton, is no stranger to City of Southampton Swimming Club, having grown up on and around the poolside where his father Dave was the Head Coach for many years. Once a City of Southampton swimmer himself, Matt is experienced in all levels of competitive swimming having been coaching for 23 years, with 20 being full time. Matt has coached swimmers to win medals at County, Regional, National and International level. Over the past 20 years he has...