Places to swim in Berkshire after Tom Dean won the Olympics
MANY locals feel proud of their city’s athletes competing in the Tokyo Olympics.
And it’s no surprise when people like Tom Dean smash two gold medals, making family and friends proud in Maidenhead.
If you’ve been following the Olympics you will have seen Dean’s fantastic historical achievement and maybe it inspired you to start swimming along the way.
Not only does the Olympics open our eyes to different sports, it shines a light on people who have trained hard and who have their own story behind their success.
READ MORE: Tom Dean’s mom celebrates son’s second Olympic gold by jumping into the Thames
So if you’re feeling inspired we’ve rounded up a few swim clubs around Berkshire that you or your kids can join.
Maidenhead Marlins Swimming Club
Want to train where our Olympic gold medalist swims? Then you can join this club directly in his hometown.
Based in the new swimming pool at the Braywick Leisure Center, the club offers competitive opportunities at the club, junior league, national league, county, regional and national championship levels.
READ ALSO: Tom Dean’s family celebrate Olympic gold in his mother’s garden
The club caters to a wide age group of swimmers, with the youngest club members being 8 years old, to masters age groups starting at 18 and over.
They also offer a swimming academy program (from 5 years old) which is organized in collaboration with the club and is an excellent entry point into the club.
Contact [email protected] to find out more.
Bracknell and Wokingham Swimming Club
If you are based in Bracknell you can join this swim club with multiple locations including Harmans Water Primary School, Heathfield School, Lambrook School, Eagle House School, Bracknell Leisure Center, Sandhurst, Licensed Victuallers school.
The club was founded in 1961 and aims to ensure that all members “reach their maximum potential, while having fun”.
We have an 11-person coaching team led by our Head Coach, Matt Tuff. Along with Nigel we have 2 level 3 coaches, 5 level 2 coaches and 1 level 1 coach plus 2 level 2 teachers and pool side helpers.
Reading swimming club
The club offers classes at Kendrick School in Central Reading, Highdown School in Emmer Green and Sonning Common Primary for children of all ages from around three and a half years old.
Kids can participate as complete beginners or to improve their skills, and progress through a series of graded levels via colorful hats.
The club’s qualified teachers are assisted by enthusiastic helpers among our older teenage swimmers and everyone working in the program is checked by the police, as are all of their coaches.
The club provides a “no-pressure” environment dispelling the myth that club swimming automatically puts pressure on children.
They said “the more you put in, the more you get out” so the club can offer up to 10 sessions per week and competitions if you want to get involved.
Windsor Swimming Club
The Windsor Swimming Club (WSC) is another option if you live in Slough or Maidenhead. The club is dedicated to competitive swimming; from Learn to Swim groups to competitive teams that include national and international athletes, and a successful masters group.
WSC swimmers have achieved frequent success at the county, regional, national and international levels, which has resulted in recent years.