Blog – West London Penguin

Henley Thames Half Marathon

21 August 202121 August 2021
Masters Swimming, Open Water Swimming

By Penguin masters swimmer, Jennifer Gambrell.

Last weekend, I joined 800 others to swim the Henley Thames Marathon. I swam the ‘half marathon’ distance, which covered 5.5km from Hurley to the Marlow Suspension Bridge. There was also a 10k swim option, which started closer to Henley and then joined in with the half distance route.

Swimmers in the river at the Henley Thames Half Marathon 1 — Swimmers in the river.

This was my first open water swim. I signed up in the middle of lockdown as something to look forward to and motivate me to get back in the pool once we were able. The river setting was good for a beginner as sighting was straightforward, there were minimal wakes and currents, and the multiple start-waves created generous spacing between swimmers.

The views while swimming were lovely. We passed by gorgeous residential areas, a grassy, tree-lined towpath, and a church garden where wedding photos were taking place. Spectators could walk the majority of the route, which was a lot of fun. Boat traffic was minimal, and the race had organized plenty of staff in kayaks to keep us safe and to one side of the river. The water temperature was around 18 degrees – most swimmers were in wetsuits, as the organizers required, though they did have a limited number of non-wetsuit slots. I’m far too acclimated to warm, indoor pools, so it was the wetsuit for me!

Swimmer climbing out of the river at one of the locks. — Climbing out of the river at one of the locks.

At the end of the race, I made sure to drink a can of Coke, which many fellow Penguins recommended to me as the ultimate cure for any river bacteria I might have come in contact with. This turned out to be sound advice. Now, back to the pool!

Herne Bay Pier to Pier Swim

1 August 20211 August 2021
Masters Swimming, Open Water Swimming

Last weekend some of our masters swimmers – Suzy, Ashley, Sarah. Johnny and Clemence – headed to Herne Bay on the north Kent coast for the Active Life Pier to Pier swim.

They were joined by ex-Penguin Fran, and Ed who cheered them and took lots of photos.

Penguin swimmers wearing team hoodies — Penguin swimmers before the start

Waiting for the start it was cold, raining and windy and the sea was pretty choppy. Even though the event was timed to coincide with the slack tide, it promised to be a challenging swim.

Penguin swimmers on the beach — Clemence, Johnny, Sarah, Ashley and Suzy

Fran set off in the first wave for the full 3km distance from Hampton Pier to Herne Bay Pier and back.

View across the bay from the start line — The start line looking along the swim course

A few minutes later Ashley was on her way in the 1.5k wave, with Johnny, Suzy, Clemence and Sarah to follow in the final wave swimming 750m.

Ashley waving from the start line in the sea — Ashley waving as she swam to the start line.

Swimmers in the sea — Clemence working out her swim line with Suzy and Johnny in line behind

All distances featured an outward swim parallel to the beach, turning at the appointed buoy and heading back to the exit on the beach.

Beach huts with line of swimmers in the seas behind — The race is on

The outward leg was into the wind and made for slow progress but everyone found their rhythm and settled into their stroke to battle through the waves. The way back benefited from the tail wind, but the turning tide made it hard to hold a good line.

view of the beach towards the swim start line — The swim exit on the beach.

Afterwards the skies cleared and Team Penguin made the most of the warm, sunny afternoon with well-deserved fish and chips and gelato in nearby Whitstable.

Penguin swimmers eating fish and chips — Fish and chips in Whitstable

Penguin results

750m
Sarah Wren: 5th overall, 3rd female and first in category
Clemence Grochalska: 9th overall and 2nd in category
Johnny Wren: 12th overall
Suzy Carter: 13th overall and 3rd in category

1.5k
Ashley Henley: 26th overall

3k
Fran Lou: 37th overall and 3rd in category

Frankie Snell – Penguin and the London 2012 Olympics

23 July 202123 July 2021
Frankie's Blog, Olympics, Penguin 100 Centenary, Penguin members, PenguINspiration, Team GB, Water Polo

As the belated 2020 Olympics get underway in Toyko, one of Penguin’s Olympians, Frankie Snell, looks back at her time with the Club and with the Team GB women’s water polo squad at London 2012.

I can remember my very first Penguin water polo training session. Tt was a cold autumnal evening in 2007 and I was lost in the maize of tunnels you had to conquer before finding the pool in the basement of the Shell Centre. I was just 20 years old and had recently arrived in London from New Zealand.

It was an easy decision to join the Penguin club,. A few older NZ players were already members so I was looking forward to seeing familiar faces when I nervously turned up to that first session. I had nothing to be concerned about though. Right from the start with Shakey and the girls, I felt the strong sense of family and community within the Club.

Frankie Snell playing water polo — Playing in the London 20212 Olympics

That feeling carried with me over the following six years playing not just for Penguin, but professionally for clubs in France and Spain, and at the London 2012 Olympic Games with Team GB. I was born and grew up in NZ with a kiwi dad and English mother, hence having eligibility to compete for both nations.

I was the youngest in the Penguin team when I joined. I had a lot to learn from the older more experienced players and not just in the pool! They instantly took me under their wing and looked out for me throughout my time playing in Europe. This is my greatest memory and appreciation of being part of the Penguin Club, the lifelong friends I’ve made. We’re from all over the world, a lot of us now living back in our birth countries, but we’re still close and keep in touch from afar.

I must admit the friendships were bonded not just in the pool, but also in the pub. Our weekends away for national league games were always work hard, play hard. We would battle it out in the pool during the day and then enjoy the local night life until the wee hours before being back in the pool first thing the next morning.

I have very fond memories of playing for Penguins at the LEN Trophy tournaments round Europe. We weren’t quite up to the standard of the fully professional club teams we were playing against, but we always fought hard, had the biggest smiles on our faces and definitely had the most fun!

Penguin women's wtare polo team on the poolside before a match — At a LEN Championships match with the Penguin women’s team

I played for Penguins for a couple of years before a season for ASPTT Nancy in France. From France I moved up to Manchester in 2009 to join the Team GB squad in preparation for London 2012, on moving up there I made sure my home club stayed as Penguins.

Competing at the Olympic Games was obviously a dream come true for me, a truly unforgettable, totally amazing experience, but it was also the hardest, most disappointing time in my life.

We went into the Olympics as massive underdogs, we weren’t expected to medal but within our team we had full belief that we could, and would!

London 2012 Women's water polo team photo in the changing room — Team photo

In the weeks leading up to the Olympics we’d drawn with top countries Russia and Spain (the eventual silver medalists) so we knew within our squad that we could do it. That’s why when the final whistle blew on our quarter final match and we’d lost against Spain by one goal in the last minute of the match, it was so utterly disappointing and heart breaking. To have your dream of medaling at an Olympics – everything you’ve worked towards for years – squashed in an instant by one blow on a whistle.

Spectators with a banner supporting Frankie Snell — Penguin team mates supporting from the poolside

We went to hell and back throughout our training in Manchester, pushed to our absolute limit physically and mentally so words can’t describe how broken we all felt. I still struggle now actually, almost 10 years later, when I think about how different everything would have been if we’d won that one match, if I’d made that one block or scored that one shot. All our games are up on Youtube but I haven’t yet been able to watch them back.

The whole Olympic experience was an extreme rollercoaster ride of highs and lows. We lost four out of our six games by one goal… one goal…

It was so hard to deal with but on the flip side, I had the most incredible experience. Being part of the home nation Team GB with all of the support behind us was the best feeling. The athlete village was amazing, I could’ve lived there forever (all the rumours you’ve heard about the village are true!).

London 2012 Team GB women's water polo team in the Olympic Village — Moving into our accommodation in the Olympic Village

The opening and closing ceremonies were so much fun and real ‘dream come true’ moments.

Frankie and team mates at the London 2012 closing ceremonyy — Me, Chloe Wilcox and Rosie Morris (my team mates and house mates for three years in Manchester) at the London 2012 closing ceremony

We went to Buckingham Palace and met the Queen. The countless parties after the event and the athlete parade through the streets of London were all some of the best times of my life.

It was a true honour for me to represent the Penguin Club at the Olympic Games. The support I felt by the whole Penguin family not only during the actual tournament but in the years before during the grueling preparation was immense. Being a part of the Penguin family is a very special part of my water polo journey.

I’m now very happily living back in NZ with my partner Rich Chambers, also a fellow proud NZ-Penguin water polo player, and our 1 year-old daughter Cleo.

We would absolutely love to be at the Penguin 100 Anniversary Dinner next year but this is unfortunately looking unlikely. I can remember dancing the night away at the 90th Anniversary Dinner ten years ago so I hope this next celebration is just as spectacular!

Use the tag at the top of this post to read the brilliant blog that Frankie wrote in 2012 documenting her journey to the London Olympics.

This article is part of our Penguin 100 Stories, a series of stories from Penguins past and present, recoding what being a member of our Club means to them as we celebrate the Club’s centenary.

Water Polo – The Olly Story!

21 July 202121 July 2021
Uncategorized

To celebrate the Club’s centenary we are publishing a series of stories from Penguins past and present, recoding what being a member of our Club means to them.

This post comes from junior water polo player Olly Castell, who was highly commended for the Ron Turner Memorial Trophy in 2020.

I feel lucky to say I have been playing water polo now for six years. It all started when I met Shaun (the current coach of the Under 16s at Hillingdon Penguin) for a sports scholarship trial at my school and we played some water polo as part of the day. I thought to myself, what is this sport? And why is it so much fun? I had been a competitive swimmer at regional level at that point, but I had never experienced water polo properly until then.

Even in that first game, I recall the feeling of loving shooting the ball, receiving and throwing passes, the thrill of moving past opponents in the water and scoring goals. The sport seemed to have the best of so many worlds: the competitive team element of football mixed with the physicality of swimming, combined with clever chess-like tactics. My love of water polo was born!

Water polo player shooting at goal

At that point, there wasn’t any real school team that was in place, but Shaun suggested that I went for a trial at Hillingdon and play with the year 11s. That’s when I met Mickey, who with Shaun truly inspired me to think about how I could play at a high level.
What I enjoy about the Club

There are so many things that I love about Hillingdon Penguins. I love the training sessions, the team camaraderie, the togetherness we show in competitive matches and the fact that our team spirit always drives us on to succeed and never give up, even when we are several goals down!

Water polo player shooting at goal

There have been so many amazing, proud and fun moments in my water polo experience so far. I could mention the individual accolade of winning the coach’s player’s cup for my efforts, winning a particularly tough inter-county match, or even my great pride at being asked to train with the regional academy group at Crystal Palace amongst amazing players such as Elliot McHugh.

But one of my best memories of the Club and this unique team spirit we seem to have was a time I recall us being down 7-2 at half time at a game in Croydon, and against the odds the team pulled back to narrow the margin. We were playing off each other so well, it was like there a synergy in all our minds, and this enabled me to score five goals in the half! Despite the fact that we still lost by one goal, it was this unique team feeling of everyone supporting each other and a combined willingness to play our hearts out – that the Club has inspired through the years – that was the most striking and proud element.

Watetr polo player shooting at goal

I would say to any young player considering getting into the sport, it’s definitely worth trying out – in my experience this is one of the most fun things you can do. It’s great exercise and also brilliant for your own mental wellbeing with the team in a frenetic, busy world of school, exams and life. Plus, nothing can beat the feeling of rising up waist high in the water and smashing a shot past a keeper in the top corner! In terms of future growth, the sport still inspires me and has opened up my interest to looking at opportunities with US scholarships too which is exciting.

This is such a special Club. We are so lucky to have a great set of supportive coaches, friends, team-mates, parents and the wider Club community. This year has proven, even despite the unexpected calamity of a global pandemic and not being able to play together for what felt like an eternity, that spirit of Hillingdon Penguin has shone through.

I look forward to many more years of great water polo experiences (and goals). Thank you, and Go Penguin!

Penguin100 Stories: Elliot McHugh

22 May 202121 July 2021
Penguin 100 Centenary, Penguin members, PenguINspiration, Team GB, Water Polo

To celebrate the Club’s centenary we are publishing a series of stories from Penguins past and present, recoding what being a member of our Club means to them.

This post comes from our men’s first team and GB U19 water polo goalie Elliot McHugh.

I joined West London Penguin back in 2018 as a young junior, having progressed from Ealing SC – the club had undergone some staffing changes and there was good pool time on offer at Penguin, which was only 20 minutes away. At the time, there was also the opportunity to compete in the senior national league which had, and still has, some great players.

As a young goalie, I was thrown into the deep end (literally) and I gained experience playing with seniors at an early point in my career. This was something that really helped my development and something I really like about the Club, because it’s so critical to have that exposure to a higher standard when you’re in the early stages of development.

Water polo player shooting at goal with Elliot McHugh as goalie

For young juniors, there is always an opportunity to progress your game and, while it’s tough at first, there is often support from the older guys who can steer you in the right direction. I remember my first national league in in division 2 in Sheffield and all of the team where very supportive if I ever made a mistake during a game – after matches they would check to see I was in a good place psychologically, which of course is crucial for goalies. In my opinion, if a player is committed and really wants to improve, there is an opportunity for most juniors to play comfortably at national or international level when training at Penguin. Our team experiences outside of the water during national league weekends were also great fun, with memories probably not suitable for this blog!

After lots of hours training, in 2019 I was selected to be part of the Great Britain U19 squad. This involved many training weekends around the country, usually in Manchester, and a number of trips abroad, including training camps in Croatia and Barcelona. I also travelled out to Serbia with a friend from the Club (Andre) and trained under some of the best players and coaches in the world – later our GB team visited the same place and were coached by Dejan Savić, who led Serbia to Olympic gold in 2016. These trips were a great opportunity to develop as a player, and were experiences I won’t forget.

Water polo player shooting at goal with Elliot McHugh as goalie

In early 2020, I was selected to be part of the GB U19 team and to compete at the European Qualifiers in April 2020, which had been my goal since I started playing polo. It all seems quite surreal looking back now – I had never been a swimmer or football goalie, and started from scratch at around 16 years old. I think my successes are down to a combination of great coaching, a motivating environment, hard work and persistence. It’s great to see some of those qualities coming through in the younger players at Penguin.

What makes West London Penguin special? I think for me, it’s the sense of community and the people that make Penguin a great club. Water polo isn’t just about the skill or the fitness – it’s also about the experiences and memories you share with teammates over the years, and the games (good and bad). What’s interesting about Penguin is that it attracts such a wide range of cultures, and you meet so many different people, from special unit commanders operating in Bulgaria to Italian chiropractors in London!

Penguin mens water polo team holding trophy — Penguin: British Water Polo League Men’s Championship 2 winners 2019-20
Giampaolo de Rosa, Lorenzo Cacciola, Alex Waller, Matteo Baldelli, Filippo Varetta. Elliot McHugh, Taka Ota, Toby Robers, James Salt, Joe Ortiz, Bence Kadar, Dragos Ungureanu, Grimbo.
© Trevor Hyde

I think the future is bright for water polo – it will be interesting to see how the recent £375,000 funding injection from UK Sport will influence the direction of the sport, and how the water polo development strategy will change in the coming years. On a personal level, whilst COVID-19 disrupted my opportunity to play at Europeans, I still remain positive and will endeavour to represent GB and Penguin at the World University Games in China next year, as well as the Commonwealth Games tournament. I also hope to pass on some of my knowledge and experience to younger goalies, and continue to support Penguin growing its talented pool of players.