Step Rock ASC

Good Luck to our 2026 Leavers:
Finch has been with the club since the age of 8 and has been one of the club’s most successful athletes

From his earliest days competing at the Novice leagues in 2017 where he helped the team to win the Geordie Wotherspoon title, to claiming a National title in the 200m free at this year’s Scottish Schools, he has shown that limited pool hours and facilities are no match for hard work and determination.

He has represented the club at National and District level in both the pool and the open water and has achieved a whole host of accolades along the way

· Racing in his first Open Water event in 2018, he has won numerous National and District medals, as well as qualifying for Swim England champs, and winning the Senior East District title in 2025. A core member of the Step Rock OW A team helping the club to claim District and National titles for the last 6 years

· A long and varied EDAGS career, initially qualifying for EDAGs at the age of 10 in 2019, helping the boys team win a silver in the 4 x 50 freestyle relay, all the way to a team bronze in 2025, and an individual bronze medal at the age of 17 in the 200m free in 2026.

· He qualified for his first SNAGS in 2019 and has qualified every year since, qualifying for eight individual events and two relays in 2026 and gaining a place in the 200m free final
· Selected as part of the Scottish Swimming Junior Academy in 2019, 2020 and 2022.

· Winning the Scottish Schools 200m free event in June 2026.

· He holds numerous club records and is the first (and only) Step Rocker to ever clock under 2 minutes in the 200 free with a time of 1:55.98

Thank you Finch for setting such a great example to all our swimmers.

Anna has had many achievements over the years at Step Rock and her greatest asset is her willingness to get involved in all and any initiatives. From appearing in full costume for our Comic Relief night to undertaking the hundred hundreds and leading the Water Safety workshop as part of our Aquamark 2 accreditation, Anna is a great example of swimming being more than what happens in the pool

She first represented the club at the National Leagues in October 2023 at the Carnegie pool, and she has gone on to represent the club at numerous pool galas since then, always a key part of our Fife leagues and National league teams.

And whilst in her last couple of years, she successfully navigated the balance of swimming with studying for exams, it’s great that one of her biggest swimming achievements was only this year. Having only started her Open Water journey in 2025, she went on to race a 10km this July at Loch Tay.

A superb club captain, it’s been a pleasure to have Anna with us for the last three years.

Alex also moved to the club at the age of 15, and his contribution to Step Rock, in particular our team events, has been fantastic.

His positive attitude and respectful manner meant that he very quickly became a much-loved member of the squad and his sense of fun has made swimming a more enjoyable experience for everyone!

Alex first represented the club at the National Leagues in Oct 2023, and since then he has gone onto represent the club at district and national events every single year.

As an individual, he has medalled at numerous Open Water events including SNOWS as well as our own club champs and distance champs. But his biggest contribution has come from the role he has played in our teams

Alex has been part of the SNAGS squad every single year since he joined Step Rock. From 2024 through to 2026, he has always given his best swims as part of our relay teams. And never more so than in Feb 2025 when he helped the team of Finch, Sam and Rowan to a fantastic East District bronze medal in the 4 x 50m medley relay. This was a massive achievement for our small club

Thank you Alex for always giving your all for the team and for bringing a lot of joy to the senior squad

A fantastic end to yet another great Open Water season for the Step Rock OW squad at Knockburn yesterday

The individual progress that our swimmers have made is admirable with yesterday seeing many more season’s objectives being achieved by several of our squad members:

Four of our squad raced their longest ever distances with Siena smashing her 1.5km finishing 4th in her age group and Eva, Elsie and Matthew taking on the 5km for the very first time, finishing 5th (Eva) and 6th (Elsie and Matthew) in their respective age groups

Ella continues to impress with her commitment taking on her season’s longest race in the 5km and being rewarded with a bronze medal for her efforts

Freya set out at the start of the season with the aim of racing multiple events in one day. However, a nasty shoulder injury which caused her to retire from her races at SNOWs, has meant a lot of hard work in recovery. It was therefore great to see her back on top form, racing to 4th in the 5km and then taking the top podium spot in her 1.5km, a gold medal for effort and resilience!

Two of our new recruits this season, Ellen and Ingrid, have gone from strength to strength and looking like they have been racing forever, they raced to silver and bronze in the 500m event.

Mhairi is another swimmer who has worked really hard this season, focussing mostly on longer distances so it was great to see her changing it up and racing so well in a ‘sprint’ distance and walking away with a well-deserved silver medal in the 1.5km.

Also in the 1.5km, Caera was rewarded for her efforts with a bronze in the 17-24 age group and Hannah raced to a great 6th position.

With numerous withdrawals because of illness and injury, Elodie was the club’s solo swimmer in the 3km and with all eyes on her, she didn’t disappoint. A fantastic race where she demonstrated real progress in her technical skills, taking a great racing line and adapting her stroke, she raced to a very impressive 4th in a hugely competitive age group.

The final event of the day was the team time trial where all of our swimmers stepped up to the challenge. With limited training hours and facilities, Step Rock may never be able to compete with the performance teams but where we miss out on pool time, we make up for in team spirit and determination. The fact that we can field four relay teams in spite of so many squad members being absent is testament to the great team ethos and willingness to go the extra mile (or kilometer in this case) for our team mates. Thank you to Sam, Oscar and Finch who turned up to represent the club in the team event only.

Last minute changes saw many swimmers switching teams and distances with Holly and Siena finishing one 1.5km and going straight into the same distance again! However, all 16 Step Rock swimmers gave it their all. The A team of Elodie, Freya, Sam and Finch worked especially well finishing off the season by claiming a fantastic bronze.

Well done to the squad – a great season of which you should all be very proud.

It was the last training session of the season for the OW squad this evening.

With only one event left in the calendar, North District Open Water Champs, which takes place next weekend, we can reflect very positively on yet another fantastic year in the Open Water.

With new recruits, big personal challenges as well as medals galore and Swim England qualifications, it’s safe to say that every single swimmer has enjoyed significant progress over the season. Well done to you all.

At this point it’s also worth celebrating the huge contribution of the support team that make our OW training and events happen:
Thank you to Helen, Kirsten, Gayle, Jamie, Jane, Katie, Kieron, Peter, Ronan, Stuart and Sally for supporting our training each week as well as Steph, Maria, Nicola, Kath, Laura, Louise, Eoghan, Beth, Jonathan, and Anne for supporting the events as officials and time keepers.

It’s that bittersweet time of year when the senior squad starts to say farewell to some of our squad members as they head off on their exciting new life adventures.

Last night was Euan’s last session with us before he heads to Spain for a year to study in Bilbao.

Euan has been a hugely valued member of the senior squad since he joined us back in 2023. An excellent role model who fully applies himself to his swimming, he also adopts a respectful, calm approach to his peers, the coaching team and the club in general, making him a positive addition to any session

Whilst training with University of Aberdeen during term time, he has remained committed to Step Rock, training with the club over the holidays and representing the club at a number of National events, providing an important boost to more than one of our relay teams.

Euan’s one flaw is that, as his own harshest critic, he sometimes forgets to reflect on his amazing achievements. As he goes into this next chapter, we hope he takes the time to recognise all that he has achieved and we look forward to hearing all about his future successes.

Thank you Euan and good luck in Spain. Bilbao is lucky to have you!

Well done to Anna B, Mhairi and Oscar who all raced at the Go Swim event in Loch Tay yesterday

In changeable conditions all three swam really well, with Oscar winning the 5km, Mhairi finishing top 10 (3rd female) in the 10km and Anna swimming brilliantly to complete her very first 10km.

Anna, last year’s worthy recipient of the Step Rock Golden Bobble, is such a fantastic example of personal challenge. Only starting her Open Water journey in 2025, she’s gone from the 250m novice event at EDOWS ‘25 to a 10km swimmer in only 14 months!!

Well done to all three

We are delighted to introduce our new Club Captains, Max and Mhairi

Both are committed members of our Senior and Open Water squads, as well as volunteers, and in Mhairi’s case, part of our coaching team as a qualified swim teacher

We know they’ll both be fantastic in their new role and look forward to seeing them lead the swimmers over the next year.

Thanks go to our outgoing Club Captains, Anna and Oscar, who officially handed over the reins to Max and Mhairi this weekend at WDOWS.

Well done all!

A fantastic day today at the West District Open Water Championships at Loch Venachar with 20 Step Rockers in action.

With so many different meets in the Open Water season swimmers gets the chance to challenge themselves in different ways whether it’s their longest ever swim, a podium challenge or putting into practice key skills. Today didn’t disappoint with amazing efforts from the whole squad.

The 4km saw medals for Eva, Isla and Max who all took silver in their respective age groups. It also provided an opportunity for Anna B, Eddie and Eva to take on their longest ever swims. Freya smashed her swim with a fantastic 4th place in her first race since returning from injury and for Ella, it was a fantastic effort in her longest swim for over a year.

In the 1km, Finch and Alex dominated the male race finishing first and second respectively, with Anna H taking the gold in the female race. Ellen topped off the medals with a silver in the 11-12 age group. A great race from Hannah saw her just miss out on the medals in 4th place. The 1km also provided Ingrid and Siena with their longest ever swims, both looking fantastic and putting into practice all their OW skills.

The 2km provided more medal opportunities with Isla, Sam and Oscar finishing within touching distance of each other and claiming gold (Isla and Sam) and silver (Oscar). Maia and Mhairi, who so far this season have challenged themselves with distance swims, switched up their race plans to take on the shorter sprint distance, both adapting and racing really well. Murray also showcased his skills, sighting brilliantly and looking really strong in only his second ever 2km.

The final event of the day saw all 20 swimmers take part in the relay event with first ever relay swims for Ellen, Ingrid and Siena and a fantastic silver medal for the A team of Sam, Finch, Anna and Isla

Well done to all the swimmers. Each of you should be really proud of your individual and team achievements

Thank you to SASA West District for a fantastic day!!

Good luck to the 22 Step Rock swimmers who are heading to Loch Venachar for the West District Open Water Championships tomorrow

Taking on individual distances of 1km to 4km, our swimmers will also (hopefully) finally get the chance to take on the now infamous Open Water Medley Relay. The event has unfortunately been cancelled for the last two years so we are still waiting to see what a 200m backstroke or butterfly leg looks like in the open water!!

Good luck all (and let’s all keep everything crossed for good weather!)

A huge well done to Max who smashed his race today at the Swim England Open Water Age Group Champs

Max has had a fantastic season in the open water so far, earning himself medals at District and National level.

He’s arguably one of our most skilled OW swimmers with fantastic pacing, great sighting and the ability to use those around him in a race, and today’s race didn’t disappoint.

An excellent 5km race with exemplary pacing, holding his own against the best in the country.

Congratulations Max. Fantastic job!!

Well done to Eddie, Elodie, Max and Murray who have all qualified for the Swim England Open Water Age Group Championships

The event sees the top three regional qualifiers in each group racing against the best from around Britain with the Step Rock swimmers qualifying based on their performances at SNOWS

Congratulations to all