Rosie’s Swimming Success

We love to share the achievements of our members inside and outside of Accuro, and we’re so proud to celebrate Rosie’s brilliant swimming success.

Rosie attends the Accuro Under 19’s Youth Group, Saturday Play Group and Holiday Scheme. She has been swimming for over 7 years and has recently achieved her 800m certificate. Last year, Rosie’s Mum spotted a post from the Down’s Syndrome Association about the British Down Syndrome Swimming Championships and decided to enter Rosie. The event took place at the K2 in Crawley over the weekend of 15th–16th November, with more than 170 swimmers taking part from across the UK and around the world, including Canada, Japan and Egypt.

Rosie entered four races across the weekend — freestyle and breaststroke events — competing as an individual swimmer, with her dad Steve proudly acting as her coach. She did amazingly well, finishing 4th in her very first race and giving every swim her all.

After the final race, Rosie finished 9th, and as medals are usually awarded only to the top three, the family headed home feeling proud but not expecting a podium finish. However, later that evening they discovered that several swimmers had been disqualified for not following the strict breaststroke rules — meaning Rosie had actually finished 3rd and earned herself a bronze medal!

Swimming plays such an important role in Rosie’s life. Her family believe it’s the best exercise for Rosie as it is low-impact and supports her physical health, strengthens muscles, and boosts her mental wellbeing. In the water, Rosie feels supported, confident and free — and most importantly, she absolutely loves it.

Getting up early every Sunday morning to swim at her inclusion club in Saffron Walden is no problem for Rosie. Her passion, determination and commitment are truly inspirational, and we couldn’t be prouder of her.

Well done, Rosie — you’re a star!