2023 Swim England Fees
It's that time of year again - when Swim England Fees are due. If you swim with the club, membership of Swim England is mandatory. Year 2023 fees are:
- Club Train: £16.50
- Club Compete: £37.00
If you plan to compete in open competitions you'll need Club Compete, otherwise Club Train.
Northern Wave celebrates 25 years
2023 marks 25 years of Northern Wave and 15 years of the women's session. This is quite an achievement and something we should be very proud of. As a committee, we have a few ideas in the pipeline to celebrate this milestone details of which we will share soon.
Aside from marking this anniversary, we want to make sure we keep the club going for another 25 years. As it is our keen members that make Northern Wave what it is, we’d love to know what you would like to see from the club going forward. What do you want to get out of attending Northern Wave swimming sessions? Do you have any goals you want to achieve this year? Perhaps you have an idea for a club social and might have some time to organise one? As it’s the start of the year we would like to invite you to join the committee for a drink and chat to share ideas following the swim on Saturday 14th January. Our usual Saturday after-swim haunt is Sandbar and the first drink is on us.
Christmas Party
Last month we were able to get together for the Northern Wave Christmas party. We had another potluck supper with, once again, an array of tasty treats. As has become tradition at these events the annual awards were presented.
This year's award winners were:
| Determined Improver | Calin Walmsley Sam Dunne |
| Gill Wright Award | Barry Cox |
| Highest Attender (Saturday) | Amir El-Agabani |
| Highest Attender (Tuesday) | Barry Cox |
| Highest Attender (Wednesday) | Julie Parker |
| La Femme Disciplinée | Marie Coquet |
| Rush shower queen | Abi Holt Josh Wharton |
| Swimmer of the Year | Eric Fewster |
Gill Wright Award 2022
This year the Gill Wright award goes to Barry Cox who, after 18 years of slogging up and down the pool, finally gets the recognition he deserves.
The club felt he deserved the award not just as a long-standing member, but because of the encouragement given to new members both in the pool and socially.
In 2022 Barry was able to take up swimming with Northern Wave again after overcoming some health issues. His welcome return has seen him help reunite members, engaging with and involving new recruits, getting them to the post-swim social in the pub and re-establishing the community feel of the club. His ability to engage with people, and tell a good story, make him a great advocate for the club.
In his own words, he has “been enthusiastic to encourage new young fast swimmers to get moving and improve their stamina. This has paid off because they have progressed with confidence and more importantly, moved up a lane - so peace has returned to Lane 2.”
Barry is a constant, he embraces the essence that our club is a place for people to improve their swimming, a group united by their common interest, and a great group of friends too.
Without him, the club would be a poorer place.
Competitions
Edwin thought some of our swimmers might be interested in competing at the North West Masters. Let him know if you're thinking of attending and whether you'd like to compete in any relays.
| 25 Feb | Swim England North West Masters 2023 |
Other forthcoming Masters swimming events can be found here.
Paying for your swim sessions
If you don't pay for your swims by standing order you can pay by bank transfer or by card/contactless 'on the door' of each session.
Not booking your swim
You no longer need to book your club swim sessions - just turn up as we did in the days pre-pandemic.
Dates for your diary
| Sat, 14th Jan | Post-swim drink and chat | Sandbar |
| Tue, 31st Jan | Open committee meeting | Moss Side Leisure Centre |
| Sat, 25th Feb | Swim England North West Masters 2023 | Palatine Leisure Centre, Blackpool |
Julie (she/her) & Pete (he/him)
Co-Chairs, Northern Wave Swimming Club
chair@northernwave.org