Sea swim challenge Smith masters windy weather for athletic Kirsty
Swimming Golf
The 25-year-old marketing consultant from Sandgate swims off Mermaid Beach in Folkestone and said: “I discovered the Folkestone sea swimming scene and it’s amazing how popular it is! There are so many people of different ages.
“Storm Dennis was quite frightening and I had to battle 50mph winds on the bike just to get to the beach. But I timed it right and just did a short breaststroke. I almost abandoned the bike on the way home!”
It was that same month on her bike journey home that led to her saving someone’s life. “I was stood up on my bike and noticed someone fully clothed in the sea – motionless,” she recalled.
The woman, a local artist, had gone down the steps to pick seaweed but had been washed away by a wave. Despite the woman’s best efforts, the waves were too strong for her to drag herself back. By the time Kirsty and another man found her, she had given up.
While the coastguard were alerted, the man jumped in. Kirsty said: “I knew not to go in and the coastguard were on their way. He jumped in and got battered. I went in a bit of the way and we managed to drag her out.
“The ambulance crew said had we been five minutes later she would be dead.”
The person she helped rescue happened to be the neighbour of one of her swimming buddies, Penny.
“It was so cool to have helped save her,” Kirsty said. “I had actually met her with Penny two weeks before and she said we were both mad to go into the sea!
“I’ve seen her since and she’s fine but it did leave me a bit scared about swimming the next day – I get scared a lot! But I went in anyway and what I have learned over the year is that you have to respect the sea. “I always check the tide times, the wind and the conditions and don’t put myself at risk.
“I’ve gone in when I’ve had a cold but I don’t seem to get them as bad and maybe that’s the healing properties that comes with sea swimming. Many people talk about how it can help your immunity.
“Sea swimming does make you feel alive. It’s transformative. Just the act of going into the sea is like a micro adventure and you can then challenge yourself to see how far you can go.” Kirsty used to play football but joined the South Kent Harriers after returning from university. “Before joining the club I couldn’t even do 5k,” she admitted. “I would just run too quick and burn out. But I love anything athletic and outdoors.”
Her injury is healing but it still might be a couple of years before she is able to run a marathon distance again as there is a still a weakness in the ligament. “This has just been about doing something for myself,” she said. “It’s less competitive and has enabled me to build up some resistance in the ankle. “You don’t get a medal at the end of it but I feel stronger, fitter and I am now addicted to it!” Now all she needs is an excuse to give herself a day off.
Terry Smith shot his lowest completed round for seven years to win Sunday’s Lefevre Cup at Canterbury Golf Club. Smith produced a stunning 85 (net 65) in blustery winds from a field of 104, with no less than 24 players failing to register their score.
Despite a bad start, Smith
(h20) came good in the end to secure the win, a year after finishing second in the same competition.
He said: ‘’I’ve been playing quite well lately, so when I started off really badly I thought ‘oh no, I’ve ruined everything’ but there you go. ‘’It was good fun, my short game was good and my putting was very good.’’
Smith (h20) thought he had blown his chances when he dropped six shots to par in his first four holes. Second on count back to Paul Davis in the same competition 14 months ago, Smith recovered with four successive pars before a double bogey at the 9th saw him out in 44.
But he dropped only six more shots on the back nine to win by three from Ben Rutherford (h9), who ran up a nine at the par four 10th to ruin his hopes, despite covering the last eight holes in three under par for a 77(net68).
Terry added: ‘’Last year I lost on countback from Paul and it’s great just to get back in it really and my handicap down. ‘’I had some time off because I had my hip replaced in 2018 but it’s slowly got better and better and everything is good now.’’
Jonathan Warman needed only 24 putts as he won Wednesday’s Stableford, the first men’s competition after the easing of the lockdown, on countback from Steve Girdwood (h9.3) and third placed Ian Cooper (18.3) and from a field of 80.
Warman, who turned 18 in May and was last season’s CGC Junior Captain, racked up 37 points from a 6.4 handicap in difficult, blustery conditions. Both Girdwood and Cooper went off like rockets, dropping just two shots on the front nine with Girdwood making 20 points and Ian a terrific 22. But a double bogey for Girdwood at the 17th and no-scores for Cooper at the 12th and 16th cost them the win. Better still for Warman he also saw off his sixth placed dad Tony (h14.5). Warman, who showed his potential by winning his first Men’s Stableford as a 16-yearold, said: ‘’It’s always a bonus to beat my dad. It was just nice to get out playing again.” Beverley McNeil (h20) returned to competition in top form to win the July Stableford overall last Wednesday and then doubled up in the ladies’ past captains’ cup two days later.