Phineas' story

What is it that you like about participating in sport at the University?

I think regular exercise is essential to improving and maintaining my mental health; it is one of the few activities I can do that fully gets me distanced from the stressors of university and day-to-day life.

Have you always played sport/led an active lifestyle?

I haven’t always led an active lifestyle, which was exacerbated with the Covid-19 pandemic, but I’ve always known swimming was my favourite activity. I’m a big wild swimmer but as that was hard to do on a regular basis, I knew I wanted to find a way to improve my indoor swimming and Out to Swim was the perfect place to do so. The coaching is outstanding and my skills as a swimmer have improved faster than I could have imagined. Out to Swim is unique in its capability to take on casual swimmers alongside much more advanced and competitive members.

How have you found participating in activity here as someone who identifies as being bisexual?

I have struggled to find and explore queer spaces at university, especially as it requires confronting internal struggles and the more tangible issues of finding the right queer space for me. No matter the level of acceptance UoB provides, being queer always puts you in the minority and it is only once you are on the inside of a group like Out to Swim that you truly get those regular periods of liberation where you can experience the joy of being in a space for you.

What would you say were the biggest barriers to participating in activity for you, if any?

I do think that the greatest barrier to partaking in activity is motivating yourself to join, and understanding how great it can be. So any way that the University can show and tell people how brilliant sports and activities can be to socialise, unwind and look after yourself is important.

Interested in joining Out to Swim?

Out to Swim sessions take place at the University's swimming pool in the Richmond Building on Queen's Road. Find out more on the Out to Swim website.