Founded in 1892, OUSC has a long and prestigious history. We welcome contact from previous members and would love to receive photographs or memories from past OUSC events.
Varsity Cross-Channel Relay
1998 marked the first of the Varsity Cross-Channel relay tradition, in which a team of 6 swimmers from Oxford and Cambridge battle it out in a race across the English channel. Each swimmer rotates after completing a 1 hour swim until they have crossed the channel from Dover, England to Calais, France, with the first team to reach the French coastline being declared the winner.
Below is the first ever Cross-channel relay team pre-race in pictured in Dover College alongside Nick Thomas, who co-founded the event with the captain, Martin Davies of Balliol college. And an iconic photo picturing Martin Davies, OUSC Captain, and Gareth Earl, CUSC Captain, at the start line for the first ever Cross-Channel Relay, which finished in a draw, with both teams crossing the channel in a very credible time of 9hrs25mins.
Following the success of the 1998 Cross-Channel Relay swim, this event has been held biennially ever since, with the most recent event taking place in September 2018, which saw Oxford victorious after Cambridge failed to even field a team for the event.
Club Dinner
OUSWPA holds annual club dinners to which alumni are warmly invited to attend. This is a great occasion, which allows current members and alumni to come together to celebrate the club’s achievements, occurring every year in late May. The most recent dinner in 2023 saw over 70 alumni and current OUSWPA members attending, and we’re hoping for an even bigger turnout next year!
OUSC on Tour
Pictured below shows OUSC in Gibraltar in 2005, a year which saw P.J. Thum win the Round the Rock race vs. OUSC and Gibraltar Relay Teams. Later the same year, P.J. Thum went on to successfully complete a Channel Solo in July.
Each year the Blues team now attend a warm weather training camp during the first week of January, this year located in Tenerife. This is a crucial aspect of the training season, ensuring the team is in peak physical fitness in preparation for the Varsity Match, but also allows swimmers to spend time together as a team.
Dolphins
The Dolphins are Oxford’s second team, pictured below in 1960.
2018 saw the return of the Oxford Dolphins vs Cambridge Marlins match for the first time in over 40 years. The Dolphins team has expanded hugely in recent years, allowing the team to secure a huge win over Cambridge, making Varsity swimming history.
