11 year old introduces the first new swimming stroke for 50 years!
An 11 year old girl, Ella Batchelor, from Essex, has beaten off hundreds of entries to win a national competition to invent a new swimming stroke.
The Dolphinella stroke, inspired by Ella’s love of dolphins, received more than 1,000 votes from the public, and praise from the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) and Loughborough University swimming expert, Ian Armiger, for its use of rhythm and timing and ability to lead to the development of other key swimming skills. The stroke will now rival the butterfly – which was the last new stroke to be recognised over 50 years ago.
The stroke won a nationwide Swim4Life competition launched this summer by Change4Life, which asked kids to get creative in the water and come up with an idea for a new swimming stroke which encourages more kids to take up swimming and get active. Judges shortlisted Ella’s stroke from the hundreds of entries, ranging from the Hippo-Operus to the Caterglider, and it was put out to public vote with four other shortlisted entries, where it was selected as the nation’s favourite
Ella’s stroke will be formally announced by the Secretary of State for Health, Andy Burnham at this weekend’s Great North Swim, in which he will be participating
Ella was delighted to hear about the success of her stroke, saying: “I can’t believe my stroke won. I got the idea when I kissed a dolphin on the nose during my holiday and watched it swim away. I’m really excited and happy to hear that other people might now try it too”.
John Glen, Head of Learn to Swim at the ASA commented: “We were delighted that so many young people entered the Swim4Life competition and they came up with some really innovative and inspiring ideas. The ASA uses fun and games to take children from their first splash to full competence in the water and the Dolphinella stroke will give swimming teachers another option when running swimming lessons, especially as it could introduce swimmers to the Butterfly swimming stroke.”
Swim4Life was launched by the Change4Life campaign to inspire more families to get active in the water and help them towards their recommended 60 active minutes a day. It builds on the success of schemes such as the Government’s Free Swim initiative, which launched in April this year. To find out where kids aged 16 years and under and adults aged 60 and over can swim for free, visit http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/sport/5810.aspx, or for more tips on eating well and staying active search Change4Life online.
To swim the Dolphinella
Clasp your hands together and put your arms out in front of you and kick your legs together like a fin. Wiggle your bottom up and down with your legs moving too so that you stay afloat and move forward. Move in bursts of 4 wiggles then pause to breathe.
Notes to Editors:
- For media enquiries only please contact Jo Wheeler at Freud Communications on jo.wheeler@freud.com / 020 3003 6399
- It’s important kids are safe in the water and so they should always be supervised by an adult swimmer
- The Competition was open to children aged under sixteen
- *The ASA is the English National Governing Body for Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Open Water and Synchronised Swimming. It organises competition throughout England, establishes the Laws of the Sport and operates comprehensive certification and education programmes for Teachers, Coaches and Officials as well as its renowned Learn to Swim Awards scheme. The ASA supports 1,220 affiliated swimming clubs through a National/Regional/County structure. The ASA aims to ensure everybody has an opportunity to learn to swim.
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Change4Life is a groundbreaking movement bringing government, community groups, health workers, teachers, and businesses together. Our shared goal is to help everyone eat well, move more and live longer. For more information visit http://www.nhs.uk/change4life
- Ella and her family will win an overnight family trip to Alton Towers Water Park