SwimExpert splash for Team GB
Andy Slater- 4 years ago
Jacuzzi is helping Team GB swimmers with their preparations to make a splash at the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games with the donation of cutting-edge swim spas as part of a collaboration with Bedfordshire Hot Tubs.
Team GB swimmers Adam Peaty MBE, James Guy, Ben Proud, Anna Hopkins, Sarah Vasey, Jack Burnell, Luke Greenbank, and Tom Dean have been fortunate to have had SwimExpert models delivered to their homes to compensate effectively for not being able to attend their traditional swimming pool training sessions during the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic lockdown.
To continue to train in water and enhance their swimming techniques the golden generation of swimmers have been putting their advanced WhatSwimSpa? Best Buy Award-winning SwimExpert technology to good use and have praised the Jacuzzi swim spas for their ability to compensate for ‘big pool’ practise sessions.
“I can practise my technique just as I can in a big pool,” divulged Adam Peaty, pictured, who is the reigning Olympic and World Champion record-breaking breaststroke swimmer and has also achieved Gold Medal-winning status on three occasions at the Commonwealth Games and is a twelve-time European Champion.
“It’s great to have a pool to train in at my house,” said Adam; “Putting some great sessions in without putting anyone at risk. I work on buoyancy and getting high out of the water.
“We don’t know when things will return to normal, so this is a great tool to continue my training.”
The Team GB swimming boost is due to a friendship between Bedfordshire Hot Tubs owner Jim Rumley and British swimmer Ed Baxter, who is Director of Ed Baxter Swimming and a training partner of Adam Peaty.
They realised that the Team GB swimmers would be at a disadvantage, compared to their international counterparts, without their designated pool time practise sessions during the Covid-19 lockdown period. So, they launched a quick action plan in collaboration with Swim England and Jacuzzi Brands UK, which authorised the donation of SwimExpert swim spas to be delivered to the eight home locations of the swimmers throughout the country.
“We craned, positioned and installed eight swim spas into eight back gardens from Plymouth to Chester in five days,” divulged Jim, who runs the largest Jacuzzi display site in Bedfordshire, based at the Poplars Garden Centre in Toddington, Dunstable.
The show site stocks a wide range of WhatSpa? Best Buy Award-winning Jacuzzi hot tubs and options from the WhatSwimSpa? Best Buy Award-winning SwimLife range, including the SwimExpert 17, as well as the SwimExpert 14 and SwimExpert 19; along with the newly-introduced SwimFun12, and SwimFit options, including the SwimFit 14, SwimFit17 and SwimFit 19 models.
“Looking back, it’s weird that it was just a week from when the idea started,” said Jim; “The only reason this was at all possible was thanks to the fantastic team I had, plus contractors who stopped working elsewhere and bent over backwards to help us.”
Head Coach for Swim England Mel Marshall had informed Jim that she was worried about the Covid-19 lockdown hampering her swimmer’s Olympic hopes due to them being locked out of swimming pools. Now they can swim and train safely at home thanks to Jim’s efforts in helping with the delivery of their SwimExpert technology in collaboration with Jacuzzi Brands UK Business Development Director Andy Bewicke.
“Once you speak with Mel, you realise she is one of those very special coaches. totally committed to doing anything she can to help her swimmers reach their goals, and a real person of action,” divulged Jim.
“She explained she was already worried about the effect the lockdown would have, as after about three weeks her top swimmers would desperately need to get back into water so as not to fall behind. But they needed to stay safe in their homes.
“After chatting with her she could instantly see how this could help, and hence we started putting a plan together. To be safe we would need Jacuzzi swim spas for each home for up to six months
“All the swimmers and their families were wonderful in giving us access to their driveways and gardens and being so kind. On a personal note it just feels good when you see them getting back in the water.”
Mel Marshall has revealed that the Team GB swimmers are grateful for the SwimExpert boost from Jacuzzi and the work by Jim to ensure that the collaboration plan and swim spa delivery and installation process went smoothly and complied with Covid-19 restrictions.
“With the Olympics moved to 2021, we had a window of three weeks where no swimming was going to be OK for the athletes,” explained Mel; “However, beyond that we needed to somehow find our way to water.
“Jacuzzi were able to do one better and bring water to us!
“Jim has worked tirelessly to make this possible and the team will be forever grateful for making this happen. On a personal note the current climate is incredibly hard, and it’s important that we stay safe. To now be able to do this and train at the same time is just incredible.”
Jacuzzi Brands UK Business Development Director Andy Bewicke, has thanked Jim Rumley, Mel Marshall and Ed Baxter for their support as part of the joint collaboration, which he believes will help to showcase the Jacuzzi Swim Expert models and SwimLife swim spa range and enhance the performances of the Team GB swimmers at the Olympics.
“This is an amazing collaboration on a number of levels,” enthused Andy; “First and foremost getting our GB Swimmers back in water and training for Tokyo was our number one concern.
“We are huge supporters of what these people achieve for the nation and the opportunity to help and become a small part of the journey was incredible. In addition, we see it as a valuable opportunity to showcase the training and wellness benefits that our products can create which in turn can help drive performance in the Olympic Swimming Pool.
“ I’m excited to see how the collaboration can develop and would like to thank Mel Marshall, Ed Baxter and Jim Rumley for their continued support “
