Autumn 2004 - Newsletter

Big fish, big ponds and Elagen makes a splash

Swimming to stardom and Olympic gold is the focus of many of the youngsters who train with the Manchester Aquatics Team.

Not many of the aspiring dolphins that pound up and down pools for various clubs and teams throughout the UK can boast the superb facilities on offer to this team. The Manchester Aquatics complex was unveiled in July 2000 when it hosted the diving, swimming and synchronised swimming events for the XVII Commonwealth Games and it is the only centre in the UK with two 50m pools.

Experienced coach, Paul Remmondes, established the City of Manchester Aquatics Team in September 2001 and has been head coach ever since. A sports science graduate of Liverpool John Moores University, Paul has so far coached 29 swimmers to international level at major games, including two swimmers to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. He first heard of Elagen Sport six years ago and decided to introduce it to some of his elite swimmers. Prior to using Elagen Sport he found 15 year old Claudia Powell regularly succumbed to illness, disrupting her training programme and since taking Elagen the disruption has been significantly reduced. She is now able to train with far greater consistency and her competitive results since have been outstanding.

“I train ten sessions per week and can do 6000-7000m a session plus land work including one hour sessions in the gym,” says Claudia. “Getting ill and missing sessions ruins my specially planned training cycle and has devastating effects on my fitness levels.

“I have always wanted to represent my country in swimming but before taking Elagen I was always ill from the hard training running me down. My coach recommended I Start taking Elagen as it would boost my immune system and prevent my many illnesses – it worked and I haven’t looked back since.”

The City of Manchester Aquatics Team is unique in that its funding arrangement is based on a partnership between different companies and organisations including Manchester City Council, Speedo UK and the University of Manchester.

“In striving for perfection,” say the team officials. “The resulting emphasis on character, discipline, perseverance, desire, determination and confidence will better prepare our athletes to successfully encounter the challenges presented in elite level swimming, as well as in other aspects of their lives beyond swimming.”

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