THE LONE SWIMMER - CASTING COUCH - PAULINE SQUIRE
Like you do when there are a million other things that you could be and probably should be doing...i was sat on my sofa trawling through the open water swim groups on facebook, since its recent change in format its become increasingly difficult to keep abreast of what is going on in the swimming world.My trawling caught a fish so to speak...an advert for an open water swimmer wanted for a film. Eyes speed reading across the page...should i do this nor not...then Dan Grey from the.......swim group via chat said..go for it. So thinking to myself that they would have been inundated with open water swimmers applications put together a cheeky email sent it off and thought no more of it!
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| Yep this is the one that Jo Brand jumped off in her show! |
THE EMAIL
Hi,
I have seen a request on facebook about a wild swimmer required for some filming in Devon and various other places, Dan Grey suggested i speak to you about it so here i am. I am 5 ft 6in, 8 stone 3, brown eyes, brown hair (curtosy of l'oreal!!!), 42 years old, and been wild/ open water swimming for about 5 years. Numerous races behind me and always in the top third of the woman (and occasionally the men) have wetsuit, gloves, boots, hats and a sense of humour...will tolerate cold water in response to promises of coffee and cake or even red wine! Love being in the water, have started a small swim club for open water swimmers to get people into the water and also write a blog about it (http://paulinesquire.blogspot.com/2011/09/bashed-by-buttermere.html), Hope to hear from you soon and like the pics
Pauline Squire
Please note i have removed my address....wouldn't want Daniel Craig knockng down the door...but not when i would happily open it for him! A girl can dream.....oh listen to the collective groans from the men!
Not expecting to hear anything i resumed my normal life...a week later, again in one of those moments to avoid having to do housework i sat down to check my emails and low and behold there is an email....now was i about to find out that i had won the spanish lottery (without having entered....or had i been left 3 million pound by some wealthy aunt in anther country (one presumably that i did not know as we don't have any family in that location! For some reason something made me open my unexplained email and at that point in time my heart was attempting to exit my body via my ears, nervously i opened it half expecting to it say thanks but no thanks!
But no that was not the case it said they were interested and could i be in Devon the next day to attend an audition....!!! WHAT!!! Hasty made phone calls, checks on the Internet for flights, facebook soon made me realise that the open water swim group is wonderful, Dan Grey and Bryn Dymott both made wonderful and extremely generous offers of lifts etc so that i could get there, aren't open water swimmers wonderful!. In the end i spoke to Emma who was organising the auditions and it was decided that it was too far for me to travel at such short notice and that could i send some footage of me swimming in the open water instead. HD camera (borrowed) at the ready and off i headed to Ellerton lake, the weather wasn't too bad and rather amazingly i had the lake to myself (spared my blushes) whilst i did as Emma requested....even footage of me walking...now ordinarily i just do it one foot in front of another...but all of a sudden i had to think about it..did i wiggle, sashy, slump, drag my feet, did my thighs look big, did i walk like a duck.....oh the dilemia's!!. Video's are here...laugh til you vomit!
Hastily getting changed i dashed home to upload the video and email it off to Emma. Then came the wait. Do i post on facebook what i was doing and possibly make a fool of myself or should i just keep my mouth shut. So post away i did, better that i make a fool of myself i thought than someone making a fool of me!. The comments that came through were really heart warming and made me feel quite special.
Again normal life resumed and during another break from domestic life i checked the emails....with the words The director viewed your footage and would really like you to attend. Would you be able to come down to meet us? in it, double gulp, it was put up or shut up time. I duly spoke to Emma, who gave me all the details. Slightly confused i came off the phone trying to figure out why they were going to see me in a swimming pool!But there i was getting up at 4am on Saturday morning and driving down to Chelsea's National Sports centre, in London.
The journey down thankfully was uneventful, but did afford me the most wonderful sunrise, what a wonderful way to start the day. Typical London traffic added 40 minutes onto the journey as certain drivers in their inherant rush to reach their destination changed lanes at will, forgot to look in mirrors or even that they had indicators...why is it that sat nav's don't adjust for this.
Thankfully we arrived in plenty of time to have a look at the venue. Entering the building i asked the woman at reception where i was to go, oh she said you will be in the diving pool. Oh i could feel a Mr Bean moment coming on, it had been years since i had dived. If you have not seen it here is the link on YouTube -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4cmrMJul1g
Before i could inquire further Emma glided into the reception area with her crew in tow, full of cheer and with a fantastic attitude towards swimmers.And what a fab bunch they were, very into what i was oing, full of questions and full of stories or their wonderful careers. No chance of backing out now i thought.! Emma soon had us gathered up and poolside, there were seven of us in total. Now you know that feeling you have when you see a face and think to yourself....i know you. but can't remember where from...i was looking at five of those faces and thinking this!!! Where they doing the same i wondered!!!
Emma came to confirm details then wandered off to the diving area, we sat chatting....now given that the film was meant to be about open water swimming i naturally presumed (maybe i shouldn't have) that we would all be open water swimmers...but no, i was in the presence of the swimming elite. A pro diver (and trainee stunt woman), an ex pro back stroker, two Olympic hopefuls (for 2012),a pro butterfly and an ex Olympian and common wealth medal winner, one other woman who arrived late and none of us got to know oh and then there's me...the only open water swimmer. Normally i would have found this intimidating company especially when they started talking times (in seconds) for lengths, swims they had done, places they had swam, those that had swim portfolios, agents etc..instead i found it quite amusing that 4 of those i was sat with did not even realise that the film was about open water swimming.
Feeling a naughty sense of humour coming on, which i tried for all of three seconds to contain, i waited for them to finish postulating then informed them that the film was about open water swimming. Total silence!!! I could feel bubbles of laughter starting to rise as i desperately tried to keep a straight face. Well i thought to myself if i did not get to play the part of the open water swimmer at least i could make sure that i enjoyed myself today. For swimmers so knowledgeable about pool swimming they knew nothing of open water swimming. A nonchalent comment from my right brought the bubbles of laughter to the surface....'thats ok, i'll just get in and swim fast and it will be fine'. Trying to control my laughter amid the confused faces in front of me i chose my words carefully.. swimming in open water IS NOTHING LIKE POOL SWIMMING i informed then...still more blank looks. No nice neat squares of water, no sides to hang on to, very rarely clear water, no chlorine, weather conditions, water temperatures, fish and weed. Gulps from two of them, pale faces from several others!
A volley of questions came my way, one woman declared that she had just had her hair dyed and would not want the colour messed up....i hasten to add that she had turned up in full make up to do a swim film casting!!! Time to get changed...some had swimsuits on already so just stripped off...i can tell you it was hard work keeping my jaw closed as superb athletic bodies revealled themselves, one male was in particular was worthy of a pause in breath!! The pain i was prepared to suffer for my art!!! Duly changed we sat waiting in the heat of the pool area....after the open water the air in the pool seemed stifling. Two in front of me then it was my turn. As i had already sent in video they did not need to see me go through the whole session like the others which was a shame, so i had to swim several laps, then continiously dive and swim round the divers who were filming me in the water. Then the final bit was to lie on your back while they photographed you.
Easy really, but given that we were not able to see how each other was doing it did make the nerves bounce around abit. Job done....it had to be said...there was a 50 metre pool calling me...can i ...yes they said so in i dived!!!!
The pool, both for filming and for swimming was unbeleivably warm, too warm in fact, one woman stated that if you got in at 5 am it was 1 degree colder...colder???? I was red hot, and it was that that drove me from the water. After getting changed it was time to say goodbye to Emma and her crew.
I must say the experience was a wonderful one, i have never been filmed before swimming, not seen the footage but it was great to know that it was happening. Emma has promised to send over what they got of me so that will be fantastic to see. The organisers and crew were wonderful, interested in open water swimming and made it an overall exciting project to be a part of.Emma told me she would try to let me know by friday so after saying my goodbyes, it was time to get back in the car and head home..along the way...sunset, which again was a sight to behold!
Home, feed the cats and bed......checking the emails almost on an hourly basis in the few days that followed...nothing. Then i get the phone call, Emma, i didn't get it. Never mind, its one of those things, i made their discision hard to make, after all i have the experience and the back ground...but after much arguement (some apparently wanted me), they went with the young man who will have the part. Its not all doom and gloom though, this 18 year old has never been in open water so i have the task of getting him open water ready. Am i bitter, nope, it was a hoot and a lovely experience, tv and film is not an accurate protral of real life, the fact that i expected it to be is my own illusion to be shattered, it will be interesting to see that the finished article is like. Fingers crossed this young manwho as yet i am will not name..but who will be coming to my home to be put through his paces, i have between two days and a week ( its not been determined yet) to get him into the water and used to swimming in it. As for cold water acclimatisation well i shall do my best but those of us that do open water swimming know its something you don't get used to in a week, but if he can put in the work i will get him as ready as i can...and you know me i will blog about it!!!
Oh and a special mention to the team of Jetprint in Whitby (www.coast2.co.uk) to say thanks for reading the blogs, but now get back to work :) x If you wish a challenge can be laid.....a suitable design for the group.....and maybe a t-shirt or fleece/hoodie (size 8) for me to show them off, IF you are interested you know how to contact me.....just incase...pauline_squire@sky.com...i will give you details . Oh aren't i terribly forward.....but you know i will blog the product to death and back xxxx Enjoy this one and let me know what you think....but seriously get back to work now !!!
YES, wild swimmers are 'wonderful' as you say, especially when they offer each other a lift and share it in Facebook....:D
ReplyDeleteI hope wild swimming gets really popular for the simple reason that nature is far away from us and through this 'crazy' hobby we get back to its essense. We have gone astray living in cemented cities..
I go check the duck walk on video now:) YES< we all wild swimmers walk like ducks when getting out of..the river/lake and its rocky, not very gallant or nice sight but anyways, we ddon't care how it looks, or the pain of getting out, we care for the fun parts!:)