Women in Sport With Katie Catherall

One of the most underrated and difficult sports requiring both mental and physical determination is synchronised swimming. 

Denton Artistic Swimming Club is home to some incredible athletes, two of these being talented mother and daughter duo, Lesley and Skyla Layton. 

Partaking in the sport since she was herself a child, Lesley took her daughter along to normal swimming lessons to find the coach who had taught her as a child, was to be her daughters’ teacher also. 

Speaking with previous Head Coach, Frances Pegg, Lesley was invited down to swim with the children on a Wednesday evening as she was looking to formulate a master’s squad. 

Having loved swimming since she started lessons, Skyla was asked if she would like to try her hand at synchronised swimming and discovered a newfound passion for the artistic sport. 

Lesley says she ‘got back in the pool and fell in love with it again’. Synchronised swimming is perfect for her to maintain her fitness and she finds it much more entertaining than visiting a gym, ‘it is such a hard sport, but it is so good for you’. 

Since rejoining the club, Lesley has achieved her level 2 in judging, has become an assistant coach and is a part of the masters swimming team. However, she says her most proud moment was placing 4th at Nationals with her master’s team. 

‘I’d love for us to win at Nationals, so that’s my next goal’. 

Skyla herself has also hit some remarkable heights but is most proud of her club award for ‘best attitude’ last year. In order to constantly see progression with her training, Skyla sets herself both short and long-term goals. Setting her sights for the future, Skyla is looking to pass all her swimming grades and win at the championships with her duet partner. 

Lesley says it is ‘lovely’ having a shared interest with her daughter but sometimes it can be ‘challenging to take off her mum hat’. 

Synchronised swimming is as Lesley says, ‘a demanding sport’ and often those who speed swim but get bored transition over to synchro as it requires both stamina and strength as well as variation. 

‘To be a good synchronised swimmer you need advanced water skills, great strength particularly from the core, aerobic endurance, grace, artistry and precise timing as well as exceptional breath control when upside down under the water’ Lesley says. 

Strength and conditioning outside of the pool is just as important as training in the pool and Lesley finds yoga a good compromise for this. Denton Artistic Swimming Club has been an incredible place for both to bond over a shared interest as well as develop key skills to aid them in their physical and mental wellbeing.