AGM

The Club AGM and fun gala took place last Saturday 13 November. After an energetic 90 minutes of relays, expertly coordinated by Steve, we gathered to complete the administrative necessities of the AGM, followed by all important Pizza and presentation of our annual awards.

At the AGM, our Committee for the next year was elected. We’re very pleased to welcome them to their new roles:

Chair – Michael Barnett

Treasurer – Sara Luder

Club Secretary – Emma Sweetland

Membership Secretary – Laura Kerrigan

Team Manager – Olegas Petrikas

Kit Secretary – Tracy Wheeler

Communications Officer – Willem Heskes

Social Secretary – Vacant 

We’re still seeking a volunteer for the role of Social Secretary – if you think you could arrange a fun night out please consider volunteering. If you’re interested, email spencerswimteam@gmail.com

Awards

We awarded a short list of four awards this year, in recognition that this year has had slightly less swimming than we would have liked.

Dave Mace Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Club: John Gordon (Posthumous), Club Founder

Irving Dixon Award for Freestyle Swimmer of the Year: Georgina Quayle, for 4 medals (3 individual, 1 team) at Nationals

Outstanding Performance of the year: Fran Baker, for 5 individual national medals including 3 golds.

Open Water Swimmer of the Year: Rachel O’Riordan for circumnavigating the Scilly Isles!

Congratulations again to all of our winners.

Inter Counties Champs 2021

Spencer swimmers were seen racing for four different County teams this Sunday (14 Nov) with Amanda Heath for Berkshire and South Bucks, Di Ford for Hampshire, Clive Benson for Sussex, Sue Lauder and Abba Newbery for Surrey. The racing was fast and furious, 50m only, and with most also racing at least 4 relays. Di Ford’s Hampshire took home the Cup.

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Special mention should go to Gillian Hodgson who managed to complete a pool based 1500 race in March. Georgia Quayle who did a number of open water swims. The brave club members who defied lockdown to do socially distanced sea and river swims in May, June and July.

There were also the Thorpe 27, no not a film, but those who did the annual Spencer mile, this time twice around Thorpe Park lake on the last swim of the summer season. Literally.  We got out and they closed the lake.

Moving on to the two prizes that are being awarded in 2020.

Dave Mace Award.

After many years of being the driving force behind Spencer Swim Team amazing success in the pool, with relay teams and picking up the (fast) waifs and strays of masters swimming, and of course winning countless points from her own swimming, our erstwhile manager Amanda Heath is retiring.  Irreplaceable, I hear you cry.

Winner of multiple World, European and National medals and records both in the pool and in the lake.

Whatever happens, Amanda deserves her place in the annals of the club as the winner in 2020 of the Dave Mace award for outstanding contribution to the Club.

Irving Dixon Award.

Ostensibly for the freestyle swimmer of the year. Irving’s family wanted this to be for the sprint freestyler, but we had precious few of those this year.  

Irving’s daughter, Karen commented, 

“The channel swimmer did make me smile as Dad always wanted me to be the youngest person to swim the channel, but I wasn’t having any of it aged 12! Come to think of it any age I wouldn’t of been up for it.  So a massive success to swim the channel is very deserving recipient.“

The winner therefore is Jo Milnes, the first Spencer swimmer to do a solo channel swim since Dave Mace.

Jo’s comment after finishing in a very creditable 12 hours and 10 minutes, “Glamorous it isn’t.”  C’est la Vie and they say at Point Gris Nez.

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