In July’s Swimming Times

Swimming Times is the official monthly magazine of the Amateur Swimming Association and the Institute of Swimming.

FEATURES

Conversion! Gregor Tait   
Roger Guttridge asks how an Olympic backstroke finalist became an IM champion                   

World Cup window – Visa Paralympic World Cup
Giles Long reports on the showcase event for disability sport
                   
King of the Channel – Mike Read          
Peter Hassall meets the man who has swum the Channel 33 times                 

Hunks in trunks – top boys revealed
Photographer Ben Duffy takes his lens behind the scenes at Loughborough         

Pool of opportunity – Volunteering    
Helen Gorman meets volunteers who hope to be on duty at London 2012

Model management! Barnet Copthall
Pool operators Greenwich Leisure have found way to keep club swimmers happy

Conversion! Gregor Tait 
Forget the boasts about the English and Scottish men’s team both finishing above the Australian men in the swimming medals table at the Commonwealth Games.  As someone from the Welsh ASA pointed out to me recently, the City of Cardiff men alone finished above the male Aussies in Melbourne.  And when I drew Gregor Tait’s attention to this remarkable statistic, he pointed out an even more extraordinary one:  ‘With two gold medals and two bronzes, I finished above the Australian men!’

‘A key factor in the Cardiff-based Scot’s impressive personal medal tally is his rapid and equally remarkable conversion from out-and-out backstroker to world-class medley swimmer.  If we were able to wind the clock back 18 months or so, we would be hard-pressed to find anyone who had even seen Tait swim an IM.  Yet, less than two years on, the 200m backstroke finalist at the Athens Olympic Games suddenly finds himself as the world’s ninth fastest 200m IM swimmer as well as the Commonwealth champion in both this and his traditional event.  And, according to his coach Dave Haller, the best may be yet to come.  ‘We need to get under two minutes at the European championships,’ says the Cardiff coach.  ‘I have no crystal ball but he has the artillery to do it.  He has four good strokes.  If he can get down to 1min 58 sec, anything is possible.   A time of 1:58 would put him in with the big boys – top three or four in the world.

For the full report and photographs see pages 18-21 of Swimming Times.

PLUS...
Results and reports on:
· Diving
· Disability
· Masters
· Open Water
· Synchro
· Water Polo

Subscription to Swimming Times magazine
An annual subscription may start with any month (subject to availability).

The subscription is for twelve months and notice of renewal is sent with the twelfth issue.

Individual Subscription:
British Isles £22.00 per annum (postage paid)
Europe £30.00 per annum (postage paid)
Rest of the World £32.00 per annum (postage paid)

Airmail:
Zone 1 (N Africa, M East, USA, Canada) £42.00 per annum

Zone 2 (Far East, Australia) £52.00 per annum

Club subscription rate:

£17.50 per person per year (minimum of three copies per month delivered to one address.)

Single copy: £2.80 including p&p. (Back copies are available)

Telephone orders are accepted quoting your credit/debit card details or you can subscribe online at: www.britishswimming.org

Contact: Ann Green, Swimming Times Limited, 41 Granby Street, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 3DU
Tel: 01509 632230
Fax: 01509 632233
E-mail: swimmingtimes@swimming.org

Editor: Peter Hassall
Deputy Editor: Roger Guttridge
Editorial/Subscriptions: Ann Green
Advertising: Felicity Chambers

E-mail:  advertising@swimming.org

Editorial Offices: 41 Granby Street, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 3DU

Tel:  01509 632230 (Subs/Editorial)
Tel:  01509 632231 (Advertising)
Fax: 01509 632233