Katie Irving’s swimming profile

26 April 2008

 

My name is Katie Irving and I am currently 15 years old. I started off swimming from a young age of 5, and ironically hated it! Although as I grew older I started to take all the badges, until I reached my honours, and then decided to go one step further and join a club. I started off in Greenwich swimming club, just doing the minimum of twice a week.

I did various tudor galas and was recommended by one of the swimming coaches to try for the Beckenham trials. It took a lot of deciding, as I loved greenwich and everyone there and wasn’t too sure whether i was ready for the big commitment. Although I went for it and it was Di and Jacky at the trials. It was Di who told me that I was going to be a breast swimmer, and well that is one of my best strokes now!

I started in gold squad and even now I still have with me the good memories. What I enjoy most about swimming is that I get so much out of it. It has helped and progressed all my other sports.

Especially my stamina for running. Another thing that I like most about swimming is that feeling when you do a PB, and the fact that all the training and pain through the heartrate sets has paid off. I mean, of course there are times in swimming where you think during that long and painful heartrate set, why am i doing this? Am I completely off my head? As you lie there gasping for breath. But at the end of the day when it comes to training I look forward to being with my friends and swimming.

It’s the fact that hardly anyone at school puts in as much commitment and effort as you do, and as you come into school after morning training and all your class mates are moaning at how tired they are, frankly, it makes you want to show them what you have been through to know the meaning of tired! Although, at the end of the day, your unique, nobody can take that away from you, or your talent in the water.

My favourite part of swimming is the thrill of racing and seeing that your training has paid off. As soon as you enter the water, its your chance to shine and rise above everyone else. The most important part of racing though is leading up to your race, and the way in which you prepare for it.

It is important to be on poolside 20 minutes before warm-up to do a poolside warm-up (don’t worry if you don’t know what this is because it is a club thing and someone will lead it and everyone else will follow). Then During the warmup make sure that you don’t under-warm yourself up, it’s important to get your muscles ready. Drink lots of fluids and relax, you’ve trained for this so go get them!