My Swim Story:Martyn Webster
Swimming has enriched my life immeasurably in so many ways. I feel that I have gone through many chapters and at each stage swimming has played a part
Lake Constance marathon swim
LEARNING TO SWIM
As a seven-year-old boy back in Pudsey, West Yorkshire the pull to swim was mainly to be part of a friendship group. Swimming was something my friends started and was the centre of life for our small group. I guess I was like most British kids in a small swim club back then, learning to swim properly, completing water survival badges, lifesaving and starting to compete. The local swim club become the centre of our lives.
FINDING A TALENT… AND MORE
I am not sure when it happened, but suddenly I found I had a talent, and was moving upwards in the swim hierarchy. From local club to regional training groups, to city team, from D squad to A squad. This brought structure and discipline, and success at national level brought self-confidence and belief in myself. I visited parts of the country I would have never visited had I not been competing, and it sowed seeds of wanderlust that have stayed with me to this day. Overseas travel with the national team brought a love of other cultures and showed me how different life could be, offering endless possibilities.