Sportsmans Week 2023

On Sunday 21st May we held the prestigious annual Louth Sportsmans Week event. The afternoon was a fantastic opportunity for the club to showcase a full events programme for all age groups. 

Officially the 26th event held by the swim club and an amazing 70 years since it all began the Sportsmans Week started back in 1953 to mark the Queen's Coronation. Originally the events included swimming, cycling, darts, angling, clay pigeon shooting, to name just a few. The rules meant only athletes within a 10-mile radius of Louth could compete.

Unfortunately, the event folded in 1994. Our chairman Bob Wells, was on the Committee at the time, and the club agreed to take ownership of the swimming trophies reintroducing the swimming events in 1996 with a promise to keep the swimming event going... which it still is to this day! 

It's a real team effort and takes a lot of organising an event like this with many volunteers behind the scenes. Big shout out to the Event Organiser Charlotte Elliott-Wright pulling together an amazing band of volunteers. It was great to see some new members of the team as poolside officials but we always need more! We even had 11 volunteers helping to make this event possible, who no longer have children in the club. 

The event saw lots of swimmers achieve PBs and county times. The evening came to an end with the event finale - the Skins race. This sees some of the fastest swimmers from the older age groups compete in a series of 25m elimination races with the last race crowning the winner of the fastest two swimmers. It was an exciting race to watch and great inspiration for the younger swimmers too! 

The results will be announced at our annual outdoor activity and presentation day on Saturday 15th July when the historic trophies will be presented, and the 2023/2024 Captains revealed.