On 31st May 2024, Swim England East Region took its first ever Artistic Swimming Squad to the Artistic Swimming Regional Games (this was a first for the region too!). Seven of the eight Swim England regions were competing at Hengrove Leisure Centre, Hengrove Park, Bristol.
After holding three training sessions, a squad of 14 was selected to compete at the Games, formerly the Beacon Games. The event has three core components, that being Figures, a competitive relay and a land based video of four members. The event is held in Bristol which is the hub of Artistic Swimming in the UK. Team GB train here and the swimmers were able to see the GB squads, duets and soloists, and had a sneak peak of the routines heading to European Championships in Belgrade later this month.
The competition was extremely tough, which we expected, however everyone really enjoyed the experience, making new friends, and enjoying different styles of coaching. We had some very encouraging results, with one swimmer finishing in 3rd place for her age group. Swimmers came from Aqualina (Stevenage) Artistic Swimming Club, Chelmsford City Swimming Club, Norwich Synchronized Swimming Club and Potters Bar Artistic Swimming Club. Feedback from the squad and coaches, Kerri Clewlow, Jayne Jarvis and Emily Gower, is such that the region would hope that this becomes a regular feature on the Artistic Swimming calendar.
