Event schedule
The 2008 Winter Swimming Championships will take place over 2 days from Saturday 9 to Sunday 10 February 2008. The Championship races, the format of which is prescribed by the IWSA, will take place on Saturday.
For the Championship races the standard stroke is 'head up breaststroke', introduced by the organisers of the Finnish Ice Swimming Championships as a way of levelling the field between elite pool swimmers and hardy ice swimmers. Competitors race 25 meters in water as cold as 3°C for their place in the finals. Nothing warmer than a woollen hat to protect the head is allowed!
In between timed races, the less competitive amongst us can take part in untimed swims of different distances:
- Polar Bears - 60 metre swim, no timing
- Seals - 30 metre swim, no timing
- Penguins - a dip in the pool
Sunday will consist of a fun program of International relay races, longer endurance swims for the hardier swimmers and a water performance competition for teams of 3 - 20 swimmers.
Game for a laugh - the water performance competition
The zany water performance competition on Sunday is a chance to get creative with your swimming buddies and put on your own special show. Acts can be performed both in and out of the water, using costumes, movement and music to tell a story. Points will be awarded for originality, technical quality and artistic impression. A prize of £600 will be awarded to the winning team.
How to take part in the Championships
Entry for the Championships is now closed.
FRIDAY 8 FEBRUARY 2008
Registration for Saturday’s competition races opens.
Tooting Bec Lido0800 – 1330: Registration open
Lido open to competitors for acclimatisation swim.
SATURDAY 9 FEBRUARY 2008
Tooting Bec Lido0730 - 1230 Registration open
0900 Opening ceremony
0910 Races and heats start
0930 – 1430 Penguins, seals and polar bears
1000 - 1400 Cold water swimming seminar and Petcha Kutcha
1620 Finals
1645 End of days events at the Lido
Award ceremony
Glaziers Hall, London Bridge, SE1
1900 – 2300 Evening party
SUNDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2008
Tooting Bec Lido
0730 Registration
0915 Individual 60 metre freestyle races
1100 International team relay races
1220 Endurance swims (450m)
1240 Water performance competition
1400 CLOSING CEREMONY
The 2008 Winter Swimming Championships have been awarded to SLSC by the International Winter Swimming Association. The event has not been sanctioned, or is otherwise endorsed in any way, by either the Amateur Swimming Association or FINA.
