1 June 2023

Rugby headquartered Quartzelec, a leading independent engineering service provider with facilities throughout the UK and an ever‑extending global reach, in March donated £400 to support the ‘grassroots’ activities of local Rugby Artistic Swimming Club (ASC), to help with kit and equipment needed to enable squad athletes to compete at the highest level of National Competition during 2023.

This sponsorship would help ensure access and opportunity is not limited by the financial aspect, meaning that all swimmers could arrive at the National events in hoodies and kit looking as one club, one team. The hoodies are also used as ‘warm kit’ to ensure the swimmers body temperature doesn’t dip whilst waiting to compete.

The first major competition for 2023, The Swim England Artistic Swimming National Age Group Championships, was held at the GL1 Leisure Centre, Gloucester on the 25-26^th March 2023.

This premier competition for young artistic swimmers (up to 15 years of age) attracted over 160 athletes from clubs across England.

A total of 20 athletes from Rugby ASC qualified to participate in this event with two squads - the 12 and under age group and the under 15’s. Each swimmer participated in the individual figure element competition, with club entries also in the solo, duet, mixed duet as well as free team categories. A hugely successful event taking away 5 medals (2 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze) from the 2-day competition.

The Swim England Artistic Swimming National Junior and Senior Championships is the highest level of domestic competition for English artistic swimmers – with this year over 150 swimmers participating including those currently on the GB training pathway.

18 swimmers from Rugby ASC qualified to participate in the 15+ years age group which took place 22-23rd April at the Harvey Hadden Sports Village, Nottingham. Both the Junior and Senior Rugby teams were entered in the free team event whilst the Senior Team also swam the technical team event. Rugby also had an entry in the free and technical solo programme.

With such a huge level of competition, the stakes were high – but the club pulled out all the stops to secure 3 silver medals at the event – the first time in the club’s history they have managed to take a medal in a team event – taking silver in their free team and technical team events as well as a silver in the free solo.

Hannah Secher, Head Coach at the Rugby Artistic Swimming Club, that boasts over 100 competitive swimmers and was founded in 1972 when Artistic Swimming was an Olympic demonstration sport stated: “We are extremely grateful for the support of local businesses who generously continue to help support the club and the athletes who work so hard to compete at the highest levels. Even in these difficult, and ever costly times meeting equipment and pool hire costs can be hard but it is also important to be inclusive and to arrive and be seen as a club that’s highly supportive of all participants. We are extremely proud of not only the swimmers that qualified to swim at the highest level of national events, but the whole club who were behind them”. 

Stephen Morrison, Managing Director for Quartzelec added: “It is important for us as a business to integrate with and support our local communities, we see this as an integral part of our operation, actively seeking ways to be supportive. In this instance the equipment and kit we have helped purchase will hopefully help the squads develop and continue to compete at the highest possible level.”

Quartzelec continues to support both national and local charities and communities with a CSR programme designed to work in partnership with these organisations. At group level the business has chosen to support the Smallpeice Trust and Trussell Trust for 2023 – encouraging our employees to participate where possible. But, for our individual business units, local community initiatives also play a key part as we look to make a positive difference.

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