Emmie 21 has been swimming almost all her life but hadn’t swum competitively since the pandemic however since moving to university she’s decided to jump back into the pool.
Up until the age of 18, Parsons said she would train 8-9 times a week, training every single day and saying that she would “prioritize swimming as a big priority” in her life.
Parsons gives credit to the Swimming & Water polo society in helping her regain a love for swimming competitively saying that the society has a “nice sense of community.”
“I would 100% recommend joining the Swimming & Pool society” Parsons goes on to say.
“We have a very strong swim team, and we just hopefully get more numbers up next year and we’re working on ways to strategically do that.” The Swimming & Water Polo society is just one of many sporting societies at UOG that has been competing or will be competing in this year’s varsity events.
Parsons emphasises the community feel of the society saying “I know a lot of the other clubs are quite intimidating, whereas swimming doesn’t have that vibe to it at all. Like I got there straight away, and I felt really comfortable. And yeah, it’s a great swim team.”
Last week the society competed in the long course BUCS in Sheffield with Emmie swimming in the 50,100 and 200 metre backstroke races.
Emmie currently studies Education & Special educational needs at The University of Gloucestershire and teaches swimming as a job alongside studying. She has been teaching from the age of 16 and swim teaching since the pandemic.
Teaching three times a week, Emmie’s love for swimming and teaching is clear to see. This, she explains, “links in really well” with her degree because she is getting teaching experience and works with a lot of children with different disabilities & learning disabilities as well.
“It’s a very eye-opening job because you get to learn a lot of things. And I think now even when I’m writing essays and for my degree, I can look back to my experience working so closely with children of all types of learning disabilities and put that inside of some work that I do.”
When asked about who it was that inspired her to start Swimming professionally, she says?
“It was probably one of my coaches when I was younger because he was really alright, just the way he taught something. He just inspired basically me, and all my friends were younger to really push ourselves and that definitely helped me really get into something and stay swimming.”
Emmie says she looks to compete in the nationals next year so remember the name!
