BSSC has a vibrant, fun and welcoming Masters squad with swimmers aged 18 to 60+. We have a wide range of abilities with fitness swimmers wanting the incentive of a regular, motivating training programme, competitive triathletes and open water swimmers striving to enhance their swim performance and competitive European and World Masters swimmers. The squad is offered eight coached pool sessions each week across two different local pools. There are different Masters membership price plans based on your chosen attendance hours.
The photos and articles below show the variety of events attended and achievements gained by our Masters squad, from the more social aspects of Swim Serpentine, Marathon Swims and charity galas, to representing Hertfordshire in Intercounty competitions and winning medals and breaking records at National and International competitions.
World Class Master Strikes Gold
BSSC Masters star, Lizzie Bellinger, had a golden time at the Swim Wales Masters Long Course (50m) Championships in Swansea on 2-3 March 2019. Swimming in the 40-44 year age group, she kicked off an impressive weekend with the 200m Individual Medley, dominating the field to take Gold and an East Region Long Course record, with her 2nd best ever time of 2:39.17. She outclassed the field twice more with Gold in the 50m Fly (30.22), followed by Gold in the 100m Freestyle, gaining another East Region LC record and 2nd best ever time of 1:04.89!
Day Two saw Lizzie become the fastest woman in the pool in the 100m Butterfly in a time of 1:06.57, over 11 seconds faster than second place in her age category, nearly 4 seconds faster than the winner of the 18-24 year old age group, and just 0.17 seconds off her 2018 British record. Congratulations on a superb weekend of national swimming!
To add to her amazing achievements, the International Swimming Federation (FINA) recently published the 2018 Masters WORLD Top 10 Swimming Rankings, and Lizzie is ranked 2nd in the world for Long Course 100m Fly (40-44 age group) with her British record of 01:06.40 and 5th for 50m & 200m Fly, whilst for Short Course (25m pool) she is 5th for 50m & 100m Fly and 6th for 200m Fly. Outstanding performance!
Focus now turns to the ITU World Multi Sports Championships at the start of May where she will be competing in the Aquathlon (1,000m swim followed by 5km run). Good luck Lizzie!
BSSC Masters dominate at 2018 Swim England Masters National Championships
This weekend, two Bishop’s Stortford Masters swimmers headed to Ponds Forge in Sheffield for three days of swimming in one of the biggest events of the domestic Masters calendar, the 2018 Swim England Masters National Championships.
Sally Winter, (competing in the 55/59 Yrs Age Group) and Lizzie Bellinger (competing in the 40/44 Yrs Age Group for Out to Swim) were always tipped to do well in their specialist events, and they did not disappoint!
Lizzie’s campaign started well with a silver in the 200m IM (2:33.43) and her good form continued across her favoured butterfly events. Lizzie, who is the current British record holder for the 100m butterfly in the 40-44 yrs age category, dominated all three butterfly events with 3 Gold medal performances, smashing the fields to win the 50m Fly by 1 second (29.55), and both the 100m and 200m Fly by 3 seconds in times of 1:06.58 and 2:34.03 respectively. Lizzie does also currently hold British records in the 50m and 100m butterfly events in the age category below and she will be looking to target the 50m record in her new 40-44 age group category as the year progresses. She finished off three fabulous days of swimming with a gold in the 400m IM (5:33.53).
Sally, Bishop’s Stortford’s club president, kicked off with a fantastic bronze in the 100m IM (1:21.51). It was in the 200m freestyle though that Sally really showed her class. The current British record holder (age 55-59 yrs category), dominated the 200m Free to win the National title in a time of 2:24.9, beating her nearest competitor by over 10 seconds. Sally’s gold medal winning performance means that she maintains her 100% unbeaten record in this event, having won the event on the five previous occasions that she has swum it since 2013 (she missed the 2016 Championships due to injury). She also showed that she is not far off her best over the sprint distances, with a very respectable 5th place finish in the 50m Free 5th (31.42).
The Masters squad will now look towards the East Region Inter County Competition, to be held in Basildon on 17th November.
