Swimmer Emily hopes to make a splash with England squad

A Coleshill School student is making a splash after being called up to the England Junior Artistic Swimming Squad.

Sixteen-year-old Emily Taylor is hoping to make a name for herself in the fast-growing sport, which is often referred to as synchronised swimming.

She said: “It’s a very exciting time to be involved in the sport, because its reputation is growing all the time.

“The GB squad are aiming to get to the next Olympics in Paris, and the set-up is very impressive now. The squad is based at a brand-new leisure centre in Bristol, where they have brilliant training facilities.”

Emily is a sixth-former at The Coleshill School, which is part of the respected Arthur Terry Learning Partnership.

“The school has been very supportive,” Emily said. “I swim for the City of Birmingham, which means training six days per week, but after being selected for the England squad I’ll be going to Bristol once a month too for a training camp.”

The training can be very tough but being part of the squad also has a rewarding social side.

“Training camps are very varied, because you have do everything,” Emily explained. “You have to build your flexibility, your strength, your cardio and build teamwork too.

“I think people underestimate what’s involved, because it’s quite a niche sport and they don’t realise just how hard it is.

“It has all the physical and fitness requirements of sports but is artistic as well.

“People compare it to ballet in the water. There are all the aspects of dance and elegance, as well as the strength to get yourself out of the water as high as you can.”

Emily started training when she was 11 and was first called up the Junior squad last year, although she didn’t manage to win a place in the competition team.

Now she is determined to seize her chance to compete.

She said: “I’ll be going to the training camps each month at Bristol, and the squad will be training there up until June and July next year when the competition season starts.

“My hope is to prove myself at the training camps so that I am chosen to travel with the team.”

But while Artistic Swimming is becoming bigger and a bigger on the world sporting stage, Emily is staying focused on improving her own performances, rather than dreaming of Olympic gold.

She said: “You do think about things like that, but that’s far in the future, and a lot can change. Right now I’m just concentrating on proving myself in training so I can travel with the squad to competitions.”

Coleshill’s Head of Sixth Form Glyn Owen said: “We are all so proud of Emily – being called up to the England squad is a fantastic achievement that she has earned though determination and hard work.”

Captions:

Emily Taylor has been called up to the England Junior Artistic Swimming Squad.

‘Ballet in the water’: Talented Coleshill student Emily in action.