Artistic swimmers head to Ponds Forge for national event double header

Around 1000 artistic swimmers will be in Sheffield to compete in a double header of Swim England National Events at Ponds Forge this weekend.

First up is the GoCardless Swim England Artistic Swimming Combo Cup on Saturday 6 July before the GoCardless Swim England Artistic Swimming National Masters Championships rounds out an exciting weekend on Sunday.

Both events represent the fun, energetic but competitive spirit of the artistic swimming community with swimmers nationwide looking forward to showcasing their routines on a national stage.

We start off with the Combo Cup, where City of Leeds Synchronised Swimming Club will look to defend their crown.

The Yorkshire based team managed to grab a medal in all five swims in 2023 to come away with an impressive total of 42 point – nine clear of second place Rugby.

After a celebratory jump in the pool, an emotional City of Leeds’ Head Coach Deanne Ward said the club was “like a big family” and they’ll look to use that bond to help them repeat their success in Sheffield.

Athletes from 33 clubs will be looking to help their club to this year’s title in the unique event which only features free combination events for young athletes from across the country.

If you can’t make it to Sheffield, you can follow all the action from the Combo Cup with our live scoreboard here.

Tickets available on venue

We then move onto the National Masters Championships on Sunday where athletes aged 18 and over get their chance to take centre stage.

They’ll take part in a variety of events with solo, duet and team events across the day in South Yorkshire.

Around 200 athletes from 26 clubs have entered that competition with age groups ranging from 18-24 Years right up to 60 Years and over in a competition which has something that everyone can enjoy.

Last year, City of Leeds’ Jeanne Ansley stole the show with her Free Solo performance which received a standing ovation from the judges.

The 79-year-old has since gone onto compete at the World Championships in Doha with this year’s event in Sheffield featuring a number of swimmers who have just returned from the European Masters Championships in Belgrade.

You can follow the live scores for the Masters Championships here.

Tickets for both events will be available to purchase on venue if you wish to attend. More information on prices for the Combo Cup is here whilst Masters tickets are priced at £7 per person with tickets for under 5’s available for free.

Event photography from the weekend will be provided by Will Johnston Photography whilst regular updates from each competition will be posted on both the Swim England website and social media channels.