Masters swimming in Scotland is on the
up - why? Because more and more people are looking for
ways to keep fit and to socialise as we become more
health conscious. The Masters swimming scene ticks both
these boxes for anyone who takes up the sport. To be
a Masters swimmer you don’t have to be a past
champion or even plan to be a future one!
You can take part on any level. You can
choose to just train for fitness and friendship or to
compete. Competitions are open to all registered masters
swimmers and there are no qualifying times for most
events (unless you are looking at European or World
events) so anyone can enter just to try out their technique
in a competition environment. Of course, if you are
competitive you can enter the events to see how you
fare against others in your age group.
In order to take part in Masters Swimming
you need to firstly join a Swimming Club. There are
some dedicated Masters Clubs in Scotland and some other
Swimming Clubs have masters sections to cater for all
ages and abilities. Check out the clubs pages of this
website for information on these. Once you have joined
your club they will ask you to join Scottish Swimming
and register as a member. There is an annual charge
for this which covers you for Personal and Public Liability
Insurance whilst taking part in any aquatic related
activity whether it be in the water or even if you are
doing a spot of land training in the gym. You also receive
a quarterly newsletter keeping you up to date with all
aspect of Swimming in Scotland.
If you decide you want to compete as well
as train for fitness then there are a few competitions
in Scotland each year, details of these will appear
on this website as soon as they are available. The competitions
are organised to ensure you compete in a race with other
people of similar ability/entry time however the results
depend on how the other people in your own age group
fare. The medals are won by the fastest in each age
group not the fastest in each race.
The Masters’ social scene is very
good. The motto for masters is Fitness, Fun and Friendship
and to most the fun and friendship elements are just
as important as the swimming itself. Most Masters clubs
organise social nights when the swimmers get together
for a meal or a few drinks. There are often large social
events after the big competitions too giving the competitors
a chance to get together after the day’s exertions.
If you are interested in taking up Masters
Swimming please contact one of the listed clubs in the
first instance. If you need any further information
please do not hesitate to contact either Melanie Findlay
at the Scottish Swimming office at m.orr@scottishswimming.com
or one of the National Masters Committee whose email
details follow:
National Convenor: Eddie Riach (eriach@aol.com)
West District: Sheila Buchanan (buchanansg@googlemail.com)
East District: Stuart Forbes (satelliteproperty@hotmail.com)
North District: Karen Howells (the.Howells@btinternet.com)
Midland District: Sandy Galletly (Sandygalletly@aol.com)
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