Adult Swimming, the Aussie Way

Project in Brief

At Fossils, we believe everyone can learn to swim. We've trained pregnant triathletes, Hawaii Ironman qualifiers and athletes with heart-valve repair. But the person we wanted to impress most was Lyn. Known as 'Mom' and 'Mom-in-law' to our club's co-founders Treena and Ian, she took up swimming lessons with us at the tender age of 61. After a few months of lessons, she now merrily swims 1200-2000 meters. So we finally got what we wanted most: Her approval. (Phew.)

A bit of background. Fossils is the only true Masters Swim group in Singapore. We've sent representatives to the last three World Masters Swimming Championships. Our athletes come from all over the world: Singapore, Australia, the UK, South Africa, the US, Canada, France and New Zealand. And they all come to us with different swimming abilities: non-swimmers, recreational and fitness swimmers, and elites.

Fossils places emphasis on technique. We want our athletes to enjoy swimming long after they stop bankrolling our electricity bills. So we refine body position and cut down drag factors. And we improve rhythm and breathing. This helps our athletes train better and longer. Ultimately our end goal is to make swimming easier to understand and easier to do.

Swimming is more than just for race-day preparation. It's forever. Our aim is to stamp out stress, obesity and water phobia (we frown upon drowning). We want our swimmers to keep fit for life.

Swimming is a wonderful, relaxing, low-impact sport with great cardio benefits. A study by the Cooper Clinic in the US analyzed almost 46,000 male and female walkers, runners, swimmers, and couch potatoes, and found that swimmers had some of the best blood- pressure, cholesterol-level, and maximum-energy output numbers.

Swimming also spares joints from wear and tear. A 6-year follow-up study of 14,356 adults by Spanish researchers at the University of Navarra concluded that swimmers had "low injury risk", compared to runners who had "higher risk".

(Bottom line: Swimming is great for the heart, lungs, muscles and mind. But it's important to remember that this sport needs to be supplemented with some type of weight-bearing exercise, like strength training or walking, to maintain healthy bones.)

Fossils sessions take place at the Australian School in Singapore. Our 8-lane pool accommodates athletes of different abilities. This frees up our swimmers to concentrate on getting their technique right. No crowding, no fighting for a lane. During the evening sessions, we often have two or three swim programs happening at the same time, as Fossils occupies the entire pool.

We believe athletes learn best in an encouraging environment. That means competition is kept to competition. At our pool, training is meant to be fun and a good workout at the same. Fossils is about swimming, a healthy lifestyle and friendship first.

Fossils' FAQ

Do I have to be an über athlete to join Fossils?

Nope. Our program caters to all abilities. Our primary groups are fitness swimmers, triathletes, competitive swimmers, and those who'd like to tune up their swim stroke (or learn a new one or two).

Is competition experience a prerequisite?

No. Competition experience is not necessary. The definition of 'Masters Swim' is swimming for adults over the age of 18.

What does technique-based swimming mean?

To us, it means our swimmers understand the 'feeling' of correct technique. We want swimmers to maintain good body mechanics long after they have left Fossils. We assign sets to reinforce a particular skill. And we give constant feedback and correction. (But we're nice.)

Does Fossils just train?

No. Fossils is part of the Southern Cross Dragons Club. So we also have competitive and non-competitive events like target swim meets and club nights. Our swimmers have also gone on to compete at Singapore Masters, Australia Masters, and World Masters events. And we always have people training for triathlons.

Our goal is to provide a fun and friendly environment so everyone can achieve their goals.