Meet Scott
Masters Section
Meet Scott one of our hard working masters swimmers and find out more about recent swim meets, his training and his motivation for competing.
2024 has been an amazingly successful year for a lot of Glenrothes swimmers, and no-one more so than Masters swimmer SCOTT MITCHELL….
How and when did you get involved in swimming?
I grew up in Dundee and at the age of seven I joined what was then City of Dundee Swimming Club, later after a merger changing its name to DCA (Dundee City Aquatics). I was keen and did all the competitions, got better and made it into the national age groups. I would qualify for five or six events, but my best placing was never better than 7th or 8th. Unfortunately, when I was 17 I got injured playing rugby at school and had to stop swimming. I was then out of the water until I was 24 which is when I moved to Fife for easier commuting to work. I then took up Masters swimming and here I am!
What do you do for a living?
I’m an iPhone app developer. I work for an agency to build and develop apps for companies. Recently I’ve been the lead developer for the Martin Lewis app, MSE.
How do you find time to train?
I’m lucky enough to work from home, so I have plenty of time at night. I train six times a week – some as independent sessions, and some under Craig’s guidance at Glenrothes. I also do three one and a half hour land training sessions a week. It’s my main hobby, so I’m very committed to it.
Were you always as keen as you seem to be now?
I’m certainly enjoying training a lot more than I used to do. I do the sprint work on my own and then Craig keeps me right on the fitness stuff in the club sessions. I am also a lot more motivated than I was when I was younger. In those days my coach entered me for swims without speaking to me which were often longer distance events that I didn’t enjoy and didn’t want to do. I can now swim what I want and that makes it all much more enjoyable.
Glenrothes has a growing Masters section – it seems to be doing well?
Yes, the club has a really good Masters section and it has been growing since Craig started it up. We are a really diverse group – there are those that train with the club and some who train on their own. Some want to train for galas, some for fitness, then others who are triathletes who use it for improving the swimming element. It’s also fun – we make an effort to do the social side as well, so we will meet up after an event to go for a meal and to the pub.
Do you follow any specific training programmes?
Yes I do. I follow a training style called USRPT, which stands for Ultra Short Race Pace Training. It’s a programme that was developed by Michael Andrew, an American Olympic gold medalist. Basically, it is about doing 25s as fast as you can with short rest– it seems to work for me.
Do you follow any land training programmes or diets to help with your performances?
I follow my gym regime three times a week, but stop a week or two before a major competition – it’s not good to do strength work in the week building up to a competition. My routine involves short repetitions (5 to 8) with progressive overload, using heavier weights each week. I do keep to a strict diet, because (especially in master swimming) putting on weight adds time to swims. The main thing for me is to have good food when I am in training.
You recently took part in the Welsh Masters - why Wales?
It really comes down to how far you are prepared to travel. If you only swim in Scotland, there is only one major national meet in a year. If you travel there are five national meets every year in Britain. Preparing for big meets also keeps me motivated, so I have no problem with the travel
Were you pleased with the outcome?
Yes I was. I trained hard for it and good some really good times. I have been training in all four strokes so it was great to get silver medals in them all. My one disappointment is that I have never got under the minute for 100 Backstroke because I was really close with a 01:00.02!
How did you prepare for a big event like this?
As soon as the entry process is complete, I count backwards so that I know when I need to do certain things. The good thing for younger swimmers is that Craig will already do this and help with the taper. At a personal level, I make sure I get an extra hour’s sleep for the two weeks before the event because it helps the muscles fully recover. I reduce gym work and I make sure that I have a high protein diet and skip any extra desserts! If I was advising our younger swimmers I would say that the extra hour’s sleep is the most important thing in the build up to a big meet.
What next for Scott?
To continue doing what I enjoy doing! 2024 sees a brand new Scottish National long course meet in Aberdeen in March, which I am really looking forward to. The British Nationals are in Wales next year as well, so there’s lots to get stuck into.
And longer term plans?
I’d love to coach one day and try to pass on the knowledge that I’ve gained from being a swimmer. But for now, I want to keep going as a swimmer, and I’ll do that for as long as I’m having fun!