Two amateur swimming clubs from Inverness in Scotland and America have officially ‘twinned’.
Inverness Amateur Swimming Club, based in Scotland, and Inverness Recreation Club Swim Team, based in Potomac, Maryland, on the outskirts of Washington DC, dived into the collaborative relationship on Saturday 21st September with the unveiling of a banner at Loch Ness.
Both club logos depict the Loch Ness Monster, and the American club uses tagline ‘Rock the Loch’, so Loch Ness was a fitting location to mark the twinning.
Having swapped club kits, around 90 swimmers and coaches of the Scottish club were piped onto a boat, provided by Jacobite Loch Ness Cruises, for a cruise of the Loch before unveiling the banner against the backdrop of Urquhart Castle. Among the attendees from the club were the youngest member, aged seven, to the oldest member, aged 84.
“We are delighted to officially twin with our American counterparts,” explains Matty Watson, Vice-Chair of Inverness Amateur Swimming Club, which is based at Inverness Leisure. “We think that having two clubs so similar but almost 3,400 miles apart is quite special, so we’re excited to build our bond across the pond!
“A massive thank you to Jacobite Loch Ness Cruises for providing the cruise for our members and coaches, to Leader of Inverness and Area, Councillor Ian Brown, and Councillor Alex Graham for joining us, and to all club members who came to celebrate the occasion. We hope that, by working together with Inverness Recreation Club Swim Team in the US, we can promote friendship and sponsorship opportunities for both clubs now and in the future. I look forward to seeing how our clubs continue to grow together.”
Brian Kilner, Head Coach for Inverness Recreation Club Swim Team in Potomac, USA, continues: “It makes everyone at our club here in the US really excited to know that we now have this connection with others who are also passionate about our sport in Inverness, Scotland. Our club is known as ‘Nessies’ so to have our friends in Scotland officially mark our twinning at Loch Ness in our club kit is amazing. We hope they all had a great day out on the Loch!”
Councillor Alex Graham, who represents Inverness Amateur Swimming Club’s home area, said: “This is a fantastic event, creating connections between our local Inverness Amateur Swimming Club and fellow swimmers three thousand miles away. I hope it is the first of many such happenings.”
Colin Barber, Operations Manager at Jacobite Loch Ness Cruises and also master swimmer and coach at Inverness Amateur Swimming Club, added: “When we heard there was an Inverness swimming team in the USA - also with Nessie on its logo - we knew we had to get in touch and see if we could work together somehow. So, it’s great to officially mark our twinning and the start of a relationship we hope will benefit both clubs. Hopefully we can welcome some of the American ‘Nessies’ to Scotland soon!”