Swimming

About us:

We are an outgoing and sociable club that welcomes intermediate and competitive level swimmers. Our members enjoy working together to improve in the pool while making friends and showing their talent when it comes to competition as part of the QMBL Swim community. 

Our club is made up of 2 squads, Intermediate and Competitive, and offers 3 pool training sessions a week, taking place at various pools across East London, including Mile End Park Leisure Centre, Poplar Baths Leisure Centre and the London Aquatics Centre. We also have a run club that takes place on Sunday mornings in Victoria Park.

Training:

Our training sessions are designed to be both enjoyable and effective, with dedicated coaches ready to support swimmers of all levels.

Intermediate:

In the Intermediate Squad, you'll work on developing your strokes and learning competitive skills - such as dives and turns - all while building endurance. The training is more relaxed and fun, helping you get comfortable with training in a club setting. It's a great way to keep fit, learn new skills, and meet like-minded people. Our focus is to develop you as swimmers and prepare you for LUSL and Merger competitions by the end of the academic year, setting you up to advance to the Competitive Squad. There will also be additional opportunities to move squads throughout the year.

Competitive:

The Competitive Squad is for swimmers with prior competition experience or strong knowledge of competitive swimming skills. This squad is dedicated to further developing technique in your chosen events, increasing overall speed, and preparing you for both long and short course BUCS Swimming Championships.

Squad Requirements:

Intermediate Squad: 

• Able to swim 150m without stopping in freestyle and one other stroke. 

Competitive Squad: 

• Proficient in all strokes 

• Able to swim 400m without stopping 

• Knowledge in tumble turns and dives 

Other General Training Bits...

We understand our members lead busy lives, so while we encourage regular attendance, our membership is designed to be flexible. You have access to all sessions, allowing you to join as often as your schedule allows. 

Whether you swam at national level or just for fun as long as you are a QM or BL student or employee, we can offer you training to match your ability and offer you encouragement to aim even higher!

Competition:

All QMBL Swimmers are given the opportunity to train for and compete in LUSL Championships (where we compete in a gala against other universities across London) and Merger Cup (QMBL Swim vs BL Waterpolo, swimming gala and waterpolo match)

For more competitive swimmers, we also race at our target meets in November & February - the BUCS Short Course & Long Course Swimming Championships held at Ponds Forge International Sports Centre in Sheffield. This is a great opportunity to swim amongst some of the best in Britain, as well as a great time to bond as a team, particularly if you decide to come along as a social member!

• 2x British University Championships (BUCS) in Sheffield:

  • Short Course Champs (14-16th November 2025) 

  • Long Course Champs (13-15th February 2026) - additional long course training sessions will be put on at LAC in the new year in preparation for this competition!

• LUSL Swimming Championships in London around end of March (TBC)

  • Compete against other London University teams in individuals and relays

• Friendly Short Course Galas with London based Universities (TBC)

  • Ideal Galas for those new to competing or for getting race ready for BUCS

  • Sprint distance and relays only

• Merger Cup (Varsity) - end of March (TBC)

  • Friendly Swim Gala against BL Waterpolo

Social:

The club holds a range of social events throughout the academic year; this includes going to the monthly Hail Mary events (where we like to go a bit wild!), to more relaxed socials such as movie night, ice skating and curry nights! There is something for everyone. We try to keep up with a minimum one social a week, although this can drop within busy periods during the semester e.g. exam season but we're always down for a trip to spoons after a Friday training. Our social events cater to everyone, with both non-alcoholic and alcoholic options available.

But that’s not all—this year, we're stepping up our community involvement! We’ll be organizing charity events like swimathons and volunteering opportunities. We know how lucky we are to have the opportunity to swim, and we’re eager to support those in the UK who don't have the same access.

Aylin and Julian, our social secs and the rest of committee are looking forward to the year ahead for some of the best nights (and swims) of your life!

Please note that training sessions are not included in the Social Membership: this membership is for social events only.

Get Involved:

1. Follow our Instagram page for swim updates and DM us if you have any questions!

2. Email Jan (address below) to ask to arrange a taster session.

3. Attend a taster session - this first session is free!

4. Purchase your subs - at the Hub (Mile End), BLSA reception (Whitechapel) or online. NOTE: All memberships will cost an addtional £5 at checkout for club sport memerbship fees. We do not offer refunds, do not buy a membership unless you have had a taster session!! (On purchasing your membership, you will receive a complementary QMBL swim cap)

5. Enjoy! Take part in the training sessions, socials and competitions all year round!

Committee and Contact Details:

President: Jan Poulton (email: ha23515@qmul.ac.uk)

Treasurer: Arjun Dosaj

Competitive Captain: Sienna Goodale

Intermediate Captain: Charlotte Coeurdacier

Social Secretary: Aylin Altay

Social Secretary: Julian Lui

Alumni & Welfare Officer: Olivia Gamil

Charity Officer: Izzy Ross-Archer

Social Media Officer: Wenqing Han