Stroud Masters have had a busy March so far competing at both the Bracknell Masters Open Meet, and the Welsh Masters Championships in Swansea. A team of three swimmers made the journey to Bracknell to compete in the annual open meet hosted by the local Masters club. This is a popular meet and attracted many of the fastest swimmers in the South East region. Richard Searle was the busiest swimmer of the team competing in four 200m events during the day.

Stroud Masters swimmers kicked off 2013 with a busy weekend of competition. On 5th January a team of seven travelled to compete at the Shrewsbury Masters New Year Gala. Unlike the majority of competitions, swimmers could only enter one event in each of the four strokes from a choice of three distances and also an individual medley. Swimmers gained points for each event which were added together and resulted in an overall age group placing.

It's the middle of winter, this lake is 6C…and I'm about to jump into it - I MUST BE MAD Josh Layton prepares for his early morning dip with Richard Searle of Stroud Masters josh_layton_article

On Tuesday 1st January, Stroud Master's Lorraine Savagar and Richard Searle, together with ten other open water swimmers - and watched by just as many family and friends - saw in 2013 with a swim in Cirencester's Lake 32 (much as they did last year when they saw out 2011). Some of the twelve simply opted to swim a hundred meters, but Lorraine and Richard choose a longer cold water swim, with Lorraine swimming 750m and Richard 1km in the calm 7oC water.

It should come of no surprise to Stroud Master's members that Richard Searle took part in his now customary non-wetsuit dip at Cheltenham Lido on Christmas Day - along with 249 other fools, all of who were watched by 300 sensibly dressed spectators. This year, due to the large number of people attending the swim, the usual start time of 11am was delayed by 30 minutes. Fortunately the rain (who could forget it in 2012!

Last Saturday, whilst most of us were waking up in the comfort of our warm and cosy beds, and other members of Stroud Masters Swimming Club were travelling west to Cardiff for an indoor swim meet (and a temperate 28oC water temp), two members continued their weekly outdoor swimming pursuits in the picturesque setting of Lake 32, Cotswold Water Park. Swan, Lorraine Savager, Richard Searle Swan, Lorraine Savager, Richard Searle

Results from Etwall Eagles Open Meet Swimmer Event Time Position Jessica 100m Breaststroke 1.30.99 2nd 50m Butterfly 34.32 2nd 100 Freestyle 1.08.71 1st 50m Backstroke 41.42 3rd 100m IM 1.20.92 2nd Lorraine 50m Freestyle 35.59 7th 50m Butterfly 43.37 6th 100 Freestyle 1.17.07 3rd 50m Backstroke 48.

A small team of swimmers represented Stroud Masters at the recent National Masters Swimming Championships held at Ponds Forge International in Sheffield. Kerrie Aldridge, Mark Patridge, Jessica Wooddisse Backstroke specialist Kerrie Aldridge narrowly missed out on a national medal in the sprint event finishing in 4 place and secured 5 and 6 place finishes in the 100 and 200 metres backstroke events. Mark Partridge won a bronze medal in his best event, the 50 metres breaststroke.

The recent Gloucestershire and Somerset Count Masters Swimming Champs held at Horfield saw a team of twelve Stroud Masters’ swimmers travel down to Bristol to compete in the event. Back: Nikki Gaunt, Mark Partridge, Bob Wilson, Joe Lewis, Elaine Lewis, Alex Belcher Middle: Richard Searle, Lorraine Savagar Front: Richard Long, Jessica Wooddisse, Kerrie Aldridge Among the contingent was Bob Wilson who was competing for the Club for the first time and put in a number of excellent performances during the day to secure two gold and one silver medal in the men's freestyle events.

On Saturday 21st July, three members of Stroud Masters Swimming Club travelled to South Yorkshire's Rother Valley Country Park to take part in the ASA's National 3km Open Water Championships. Mark Partridge, Jessica Woodisse, Richard Searle The Masters session (run in conjunction with the seniors 18-24yrs competition) in the afternoon consisted of a men's and ladies mass start. Both events commenced with a dive from a 30m long jetty, with a nearby buoy funnelling swimmers between the jetty and the first / second lap turn buoy, creating a great spectacle for all the spectators present and those just visiting the country park for a day out.