Channel Relay

6 Winchester City Penguins swimmers have been inspired by their coaches to swim the English Channel. These 6 girls, Alice, Darcy, Maddie, Eva, Cat and Em, will be attempting to complete the challenge as an all girl Junior Relay Team in July 2021. If the girls are lucky and the tides are with them, we might even be able to get a Record Breaking Time! Even just managing to complete this epic challenge will be an amazing accomplishment fir such young swimmers.

In 2019, the girls started being coached in Open Water Swimming by Kate Steels and Rory Fitzgerald. After a short period of Open Water Swimming, the girls were hooked and inspired by the coaches stories of amazing accomplishments they had undertaken. The girls will be training hard over the next year to make sure they are ready for this huge challenge.

Darcy Hunt

Aspire

Eva Johnson

Performance Development

Em Menlove

Performance Development

Cat Tarmey

Performance Development

Maddie Thomas

Performance Development

Alice Whyte

Performance White

They are raising money for Solent mind, a charity close to all our hearts. Mental health is so important and this charity helps support young people across the southern region. 1 in 10 children and young people are currently affected by a mental health problem and 50% of mental health problems in adult life take root before the age of 15. Supporting children and young people to look after their mental wellbeing and build emotional resilience is so important so please help us to raise money.
£1927 of £10000

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Alongside their normal training in the pool, the girls are being coached by fellow club members Rory Fitzgerald and Kate Steels, both of whom specialise in Open Water and Ice Swimming. They have been coaching the girls and accompanied them on a number of river and sea swims to prepare them for their relay.

Rory Fitzgerald

  • 4 English Channel Relays
  • 1 Solo English Channel Swim (2013)
  • 1st at the 22km Isles de Medes Race (2015)
  • Inaugural Isle of Man to Ireland Relay (2017)
  • 3rd at the Gaston Memorial Swim (2017)
  • World Record as part of 6 person Relay for 2 way North Channel Crossing (2018)
  • 1st in the 1000m and 200m at the 2019 IISA World Championships
  • Completed 1 Ice Mile

Kate Steels

  • English Channel Relay (2011)
  • Lake Zurich Solo Swim (2014)
  • English Channel Solo Swim (2016)
  • 2nd at the Gaston Memorial Swim (2017)
  • 2nd at the Manhattan 20 Bridges Swim (2018)
  • 1st in the 500m and 2nd in the 1000m at the 2019 IISA Word Championships
  • Inducted into the International Ice Swimming Hall of Fame as Honour Swimmer (2020)
  • Completed 8 Ice Miles

Winchester City Penguins Swimming Club, 2021. Register Charity No. 1153439.