Slow Swimming

noun - Slow Swimming is an outdoor social swimming concept held along rivers where individuals swim - slowly - and picnic for the pure pleasure of experiencing the nature and the open body of water. Co-founded by Stuart Hamilton and five friends in 2013, Slow Swimming has expanded to 3 events with 2,000 swimmers and 4,000 supporters and picnickers.
Slow Swimming has no timing chips, no results sheets, and no maximum cut-off times where swimmers are encouraged to take their time, with a special mention for the slowest swimmer (“They must have enjoyed the swim the most”).
Slow Swimming is a very social event with most participants swimming breaststroke so as to be able to experience the countryside that they are literally immersed in, and allowing them to chat at the same time with 70% of its swimmers female of the average age of 45.
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Slow Swim Picnic Events
The ideal Slow Swimming event takes place in idyllic surroundings, doesn’t start too early in the morning. 10 O’clock is early enough for anyone to be doing some exercise, encourages swimmers to take their time and enjoy the experience, has a reasonable amount of cake involved at some stage, and ends with a picnic for friends and family.
History
The idea of a Slow Swim and picnic started on the River Stour in Dedham on the Suffolk-Essex border in the UK in 2013.
2019 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year Nomination
Stuart Hamilton’s Slow Swimming was nominated for the 2019 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year award as follows:
Titles, medals, cash, awards, prizes, psyche sheets, timing chips, results, maximum cut-off times are par for the course with open water swimming competitions. But Stuart Hamilton boiled down open water swimming to its essence: enabling swimmers of all abilities and ages to experience the pure pleasure of Mother Nature and swimming in the open bodies of water. Then he added a very social picnic and cake sharing element to the event and the Slow Swimming concept took off. With 70% of its participants women with an average age of 45, Slow Swimming events in Bradford-on-Avon, Cambridge and Dedham Vale attract thousands of happy, fully satisfied, fully satiated swimmers and their supporters. For empowering and enabling people of all ages and abilities to fully immerse themselves enjoyable and without stress in meandering rivers, for creating an ambiance of highly social and interactive outdoor swimming among like-minded people, and for promoting an enjoyable means of healthful exercise with the added bonus of sharing cakes and having a picnic among thousands, Slow Swimming by Stuart Hamilton is a worthy nominee for the 2019 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year.
Waves
- Wave One: Seriously Need More Cake (known as Serious) for swimmers who race.
- Wave Two: Relaxed 'cause we know where the cake is hidden (known as Relaxed) for swimmers who hold a steady pace without a rush.
- Wave Three: Enjoying the Journey (known as Enjoying it) for swimmers who scull along, maybe with a bit of paddling, smiling and chatting.
- Wave Four: Pooh Sticks for people who want to enjoy the scenery and float along using floaty things and stick out the occasional hand or foot to paddle.
2019 Slow Swimming Events
The events that make up the Strawberry Cheesecake Tour 2020 include:
- Bradford-on-Avon Slow Swim and Picnic on 15 June 2019
- Cambridge Slow Swim and Picnic on 7 July 2019
- Dedham Vale Mill 2 Mill Swim and Picnic on 11 August 2019
2020 Slow Swimming Events
- Bradford-on-Avon Slow Swim Picnic on 13 June 2020
- Cambridge Slow Swim and Picnic on 11 July 2020
- Dedham Vale Mill 2 Mill Swim and Picnic on 9 August 2020
Cake Sharing
In the early days, with only a few swimmers and supporters, they were encouraged to bring cake to share. This has now grown into one of the most popular parts of the picnics: the cake sharing table. Swimmers and supporters are encouraged to bake extra and share it amongst other picnickers. The social media pages are now used as much for swopping family recipes as for swimming-related chat.
Synonym
social swimming, Slow Swimming Picnic
Contact
Stuart Hamilton at stuart@SlowSwimming.co.uk
2019 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year Nomination
The Slow Swimming concept was nominated for the 2019 World Open Water Swimming Offering of the Year by the World Open Water Swimming Association:
External links
- Have Your Cake And Eat It
- Swimmers Have Their Cake And Eat It Too
- 2019 WOWSA Award Winners Announced
- Travesía Interminable Is 2019 World Open Water Swimming Offering Of The Year
- Gulf Of Finland Relay Is 2019 World Open Water Swimming Performance Of The Year
- Adherbal Treidler de Oliveira Is 2019 World Open Water Swimming Man Of The Year
- Mariel Hawley Dávila Is 2019 World Open Water Swimming Woman of the Year
- 2019 World Open Water Swimming Man Of The Year Nominees
- 2019 World Open Water Swimming Woman Of The Year Nominees
- 2019 World Open Water Swimming Performance Of The Year Nominees
- 2019 World Open Water Swimming Offering Of The Year Nominees
- Have Your Cake And Eat It Too
- Slow Swimming
- 2019 WOWSA Awards Nominees
- 2019 World Open Water Swimming Offering Of The Year Nominees
- Slow Swimming on Facebook
- Bradford-on-Avon Slow Swim and Picnic
- Cambridge Slow Swim and Picnic
- Dedham Vale Mill 2 Mill Swim and Picnic
- World Open Water Swimming Association
- Open Water Swimming
- Taking It Slowly - Slow Swimming Defined