Tag: Swimming

Splashpoint Leisure Centre Construction.

Currently under construction and due to finish soon is the new Splashpoint Leisure Centre in the seaside town of Worthing.  After a bit of to-and-fro, I finally made it down to the site on a very cloudy and cold day.  The forecast was for fine spells in the afternoon but they didn’t eventuate.

Wilkinson Eyre Architects designed the new pool complex and it is being constructed by Morgan Sindall.  The complex comprises of a 25 metre six lane pool, a learner/diving pool with a variable depth, indoor leisure pools with hydro slides and an outdoor paddling pool. For the non swimmers a health and fitness centre, café, crèche and what I was told were dance rooms complete the building.

The unique copper cladding was definitely a talking point for many of the contractors on site and lead to a couple interesting conversations regarding the use of the material as a cladding.  I was also bombarded by a few local residents voicing their opinions about the project whilst having a coffee break in a nearby cafe. I guess you can’t please everyone!  I thought it was pretty cool and look forward to seeing what effect the salt air has on the copper cladding a few months from now.

 

 

2012 Aviva 70.3

2 years ago when I shot this event there was not much of a crowd and access to good locations, especially for the swim exit, was fairly easy.  2012 was a totally different story.  I got there early to get a good spot for the swim but to my surprise the place was rammed.  There were people every where and the majority had cameras.  The guy next to me said this was just his hobby – I was dying to have a go with his 400mm f/2.8 lens attached to his Canon 1Ds Mk III.  Probably 25k worth of kit!  I later found out that there was a photography competition and money up for grabs, hence the hoards of happy snappers.  It wasn’t until the cycle leg had started that the crowds thinned and spots became available, by this time I’d made my way up the road to find a better vantage point.  Being a fairly straight course these were limited, but I did manage to find a spot which provided lots of entertainment with lots of crashes due to a tight bend just after a drinks station.  That might be a topic for a later blog.  It was a long hot day and I headed home not long after the Pro’s finished.  You can see more images here.