Race in the Pool: Blackness and Swimming

In creating this series we've been privileged to speak to some incredible swimmers including; Seren Jones, Alice Dearing and Cullen Jones. All with their own stories and rich, unique relationships to swimming and the water. In a series like this, we can’t always use every part of an interview, but we felt like these interviews were too good not to be heard in full, and so, we’re releasing these as bonus episodes for you to dive deeper... This week it's Alice Dearing. Alice is a Team GB athlete and the first Black woman to represent Team GB at an Olympic games. This was an interview of firsts, a unique identity that Rebecca and Alice will share forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In creating this series we've been privileged to speak to some incredible swimmers including; Seren Jones, Alice Dearing and Cullen Jones. All with their own stories and rich, unique relationships to swimming and the water. In a series like this, we can’t always use every part of an interview, but we felt like these interviews were too good not to be heard in full, and so, we’re releasing these as bonus episodes for you to dive deeper... This week it's Seren Jones. An award winning filmmaker, broadcaster and podcast producer. Seren was also a decorated elite athlete who Rebecca swam with for many years. This interview is part therapy, part exploration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the final episode of this series of Physical Capital. We’ve explored the human relationship with the water. What draws us to it. How we use it, what we gain from it… and what it can take from us. We’ve looked at swimming from multiple angles and hopefully, painted a near complete picture of the sport. If you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for joining us on our journey to the heart of swimming and back again. We’ve looked at swimming from so many angles over the past few weeks but we come together this one last time to finally say - We Know Why We Swim. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You enter the pool. You front crawl, freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, or butterfly your way from one end to the other… and back again. It’s not complicated and essentially, swimming is the same for most people, right? Well, no. Like any sport there are many factors that divide how different genders enter the pool. In this episode of the podcast we explore what it's like for women in the sport of swimming. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our Physical Capital - the physiology we have at our disposal - can only take you so far, when races are won and lost by milliseconds, small adaptations can be the difference between a place on the podium or not.  In this episode, we explore how the physiology of your body can give you an advantage in the sport of swimming and we shine a light on the impact swimming can have on your body and its development. Being ahead at the start of the race is physically important, it also gives you a mental edge, which some argue is even more important in this largely individual sport. So, we’ll also be diving into the mental side of swimming - how do you mould your mind to compete at the highest level? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Open water swimming is on the rise and has been for the past few years but what’s the pull and why do people do it? In this episode we’re exploring what open water swimming is, how it makes you feel, how people can get involved and what the benefits are of swimming in open water. Episode guests:  Jack Hudson Alice Dearing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It is a widely perpetuated stereotype that Black people can’t swim. On paper, the statistics appear to back-up this perceived notion. Sport England reports that 95% of Black adults and 80% of Black children in England don’t swim, with very similar statistics within Asian communities; and according to the World Health Organisation, people from ethnic minorities are at an increased risk of drowning. But where has this dangerous myth come from? And how do we change this negative and often fatal narrative? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Swimming as a sport is well and truly international. As we heard in the last episode, swimmers and teams from all over the world compete. But in order to compete at the highest level, athletes need the right resources…and the one thing about resources the world over, is that they are not equally distributed - in all areas of life, swimming being no exception. And so the question really is - how can a swimmer's geographic location affect how far they can progress in the sport? Hosted by Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell. Episode guests: Nick Hope Shikha Tandon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When you think of swimming, what images come to mind? It doesn’t take long to see a row of athletes, lined up on the edge of the pool - slim, long, muscular bodies, swimming caps, goggles - ready to dive into the water and RACE. Getting to this level doesn’t happen overnight, those athletes have been training - day and night - for years to get to that point. In this episode of the podcast we explore the world of competitive swimming to better understand what it takes to be a competitive swimmer. Hosted by Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell. Episode guests: Cullen Jones Alice Dearing Nick Hope Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why do we swim? It’s not new, we’ve been swimming for 10,000 years… apparently. But why? We don’t live in the water and so what draws us to it? In this first episode of the podcast we explore the history of humans in the water to get an idea of why we do it. Hosted by Rebecca Achieng Ajulu-Bushell.  Episode guests:  Bonnie Tsui, Why We Swim Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices