Learning to FLY

"More than a record of results, this journal shows how patience, setbacks, and the right environment can shape both a swimmer and a person."

My Journey with Bluefins — Ollie Smith

When Spencer asked me to write about my journey with Bluefins, his usual short instructions left me wondering where to begin or what to say. Trying to sum up seven years at the club — a time that challenged me both mentally and physically — wasn’t easy.

What follows might not be perfect. It’s the most I’ve written in over two years, and once I start talking, I don’t stop. But I hope it gives you a glimpse into my life with the club.

2018–2019

I joined Bluefins over the summer break, having just turned 11, not really knowing what to expect from a new club where I didn’t know anyone. I was small, skinny, and hardly looked like a swimmer. My parents only put me in lessons because they couldn’t swim themselves. Little did they know they’d end up driving me to 5:30am training years later.

The meet I remember most from that season was Counties, which almost got cancelled because of a snowstorm. We even gave Coach John a lift, which was quite a sight considering he’s 6’9” and had to squeeze into the back seat. During the meet, we had a heated but funny space dispute with Rushmoor — which, for once, they actually lost.

My best result that season was around 10th at Counties. Regionals and Nationals weren’t even something I was thinking about yet.

2019–2020

The start of the 2019 season felt pretty similar to 2018 with Arena League, Club Champs, and steady progress. What I didn’t expect was breaking my collarbone while playing rugby just before Christmas.

Not long after that, the pandemic hit.

Counties still went ahead, thankfully without a snowstorm this time, and I finished around 8th with times like 3:05 in the 200 breaststroke, which was one of my main events back then. But once Covid started spreading, the rest of the season was cancelled, and everything changed.

2020–2021

By now, Covid had completely taken over. Training became a mix of limited pool sessions and Bluefins online workouts over Zoom.

To keep us motivated, the club organised something called Level X — a fun series of in-house competitions at the Aquadrome where everyone swam every event. It was chaotic but genuinely enjoyable, and reminded us why we loved swimming in the first place.

Bluefins note: Level X was part of Swim England’s Level X Racing initiative, introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic when licensed competition was paused. It allowed swimmers to complete time trials in their home pools across a range of strokes and distances, with results submitted by clubs and published on national online leaderboards. For Bluefins, it proved especially valuable in helping swimmers stay engaged during disruption and experience competition in a supportive, club-led environment.

2021–2022

After what felt like forever, we finally got to travel for an away meet again. In August 2021, almost two years since the last one, I competed at the Festival of Swimming. There were so many Covid rules it was hard to keep track, but it was great to be racing again.

Despite the break, I managed to improve some of my times, including a 2:48.09 in the 200 breaststroke.

Counties 2022 was a turning point for me. It was my first ever long course Counties, and I had started focusing more on butterfly instead of breaststroke. I came away with my first Counties medals — silver in the 100 fly and bronze in the 50, 100, and 200 breaststroke.

That meet also gave me my first Regional qualifying times. Regionals was a whole new level of competition. I went from medalling at Counties to finishing 10th, but it was an important experience. I ended the season with a 2:23.98 in the 200 fly at the Rushmoor Royals Open Meet.

2022–2023

Coming off the success of the previous season, I was excited for what was next. I kept working on my fly, especially the 200, which was a race I never thought I’d be competitive in.

At Counties, I added two golds, two silvers, and three bronzes. The highlight was dropping my 200 fly to 2:19.35.

Then came Regionals, where I made my first ever final. I went in as the top seed with a 2:16.63 and finished second with a new personal best of 2:14.27. That race earned me my first Regional medal and, even better, a qualifying time for the British Summer Championships.

Sheffield was surreal. It was my first national-level meet, and the standard of swimming was incredible. The atmosphere was electric, and although I didn’t get a new personal best — finishing with a 2:14.39 — it was an experience I’ll never forget.

2023–2024

After such a strong season, my goal was to build on it. I won gold at the Regional Winter Championships, even though I still wasn’t a fan of short course.

When the long course season started, everything picked up speed. I won three golds and two silvers at Counties, and then we headed off to swim camp in Lanzarote, which was as tough as it was fun.

At Regionals, I won gold in the 200 fly with a 2:12.17 and silver in the 200 breast with a 2:31.94. That qualified me for Nationals once again.

At the English Summer Championships, things went even better, with a few new personal bests — including breaking a minute in the 100 fly with a 59.82.

2024–2025

The first half of the season was quiet because it was short course again, but Counties brought a big breakthrough. I swam a 2:10.77 in the 200 fly, which was my first personal best in 10 months and a qualifying time for British Championships.

Lanzarote was another highlight. There was sunshine, tough sets from Graeme, and ice cream for breakfast on the last morning. A go-kart crash six weeks before Champs left me with a bruised spine, but I still raced a week later and somehow swam a 2:10.51 — which is still my personal best.

At British Champs in London, I raced alongside world champions, which was an incredible experience. After that, studies took priority. Regionals became more of a training swim, and Nationals in Sheffield wrapped up my final season with a 2:13.55 in the 200 fly and a 2:36.70 in the 200 breast.

Painful — but also a perfect way to close this chapter.

Beyond the pool

Alongside swimming, another big passion of mine has always been go-karting. Racing gave me a different kind of adrenaline and focus, and for a long time it ran alongside swimming as something I really cared about. Balancing the two wasn’t always easy, and the crash that left me with a bruised spine was a sharp reminder of the risks involved. But it also gave me perspective, taught me a lot about recovery, and made me appreciate how much swimming meant to me when I was suddenly forced to step back.

2025—

Coming into the new season and starting university, training away from home has been a massive change — but also a very enjoyable one. One new experience was competing at Masters Nationals in Sheffield, which turned out to be one of my favourite competitions to date.

Looking Back

Although this write-up has focused heavily on times and competitions, there are far more memories than I could ever list.

The people I met over those seven years changed my life. They made the great moments unforgettable — and the hardest moments just about bearable.

Ollie Smith

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