Army Swimmers Compete For 2018 Inter Corps Championships

The Army has showcased its swimming talents in Aldershot at the 2018 Inter-Corps Swimming Championships.

In the men’s competition, the infantry side took the trophy for the third consecutive year while the women’s side was won by the Army Medical Services.

The event also gave the swimming sportsmen an opportunity to stake their claim for a place in the Army squad.

Bulford-based Captain Marcus Roberts is the current Army men’s team captain but was in action leading the Infantry side to victory. While he was proud of his team’s performance, Roberts spoke about the scouting mission as Army captain.

He said: "The infantry have placed top three in every single final so far. Sadly, no women yet. Maybe next year will be our first team. This time round, I think we are doing relatively well.

"We need new talent. Sport is growing in the military and especially the Army. Army swimming has only grown with it."

For the women, their main focus each year is the Inter Services Championship where they have dominated for 21 years.

That winning streak is a matter of pride for Lieutenant Colonel Catherine Jardine, manager of the Army Open Water Swimming team, as is their Team of the Year award at this year’s Army Sports Awards.

She said: "To have that recognition is excellent. We've got a couple of big competitions coming up. Next year we have the European Masters Games in Turin where we’ll be taking a team which is good.

"As a swimming master, you only have to be 25 or older so we are able to have privates through to senior officer rank as well which is really good.

"If it is anything like our Masters in New Zealand in 2017, we’ll hopefully come back with a heavy medal haul again."

Another lady who has been making waves in the Army swimming world is Officer Cadet Jasmine Holmes. She currently competes for the Exeter University Officers Training Corps but has an eye on joining the Army team when the time is right.

"I’m definitely thinking about it but I’ve got a couple of years left at University to decide anyway," she said.

"It’s really nice that everyone is so welcoming and supportive. You can even hear that everyone is cheering on their teams and it is really nice to be a part of that."