“Calm”
The last in our current series of stories from behind the watercolours, painted by the fantastic artist Emily Moncuit, here she chat’s to Jane Crosby, who some say is a very lucky lady.
When I set out with my sketchbook to capture images for this swim club, I had no idea who the people were behind the goggles and swimsuits! That very quickly became a good thing. As soon as you hit that water it doesn’t matter who you are, what you do or where you come from. You can just be.
I was therefore super delighted when I found out I’d sketched @janeyc1965 (aka Jane Crosby). And how apt to have titled this one calm, because let’s face it that is what she truly is! Jane works for Swim your Swim alongside Leon (they incidentally met through open water swimming) and you’ll often see and meet her signing people in, teaching them, and then scanning the horizon checking the water is safe and no one is floundering. “I first started open water swimming over 10 years ago when I decided to do a beginners triathlon,” says Jane.
If you sign up for the Introduction to Open Water Swimming course like I did a few months ago, chances are she will get into the water alongside you and work on your technique! “Bubble bubble breathe bubble..are you going to front crawl now?” Is her favourite sentence to me. “It’s a privilege taking people into the water for the first time and seeing the joy in their faces.”
A retired science teacher I asked her about this swim shot. “I love open water because it’s my chance to forget everything for a while but simultaneously an opportunity to unravel problems while I’m swimming. I like keeping my head down and getting into my own little world while I swim – it gives me time.”
“What’s also a privilege is watching the friendships develop between people who share the same passion, and who otherwise wouldn’t have met if it hadn’t been for open water swimming.”
Print available on emilysnotebook.co.uk
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