7 Jun 2008 - June Newsletter
Frome Swimming Club June Newsletter
Results
South West Regional Championships
During the course of the County Championships, one of our swimmers made the qualifying standard for the Regional Championships. Over the first May bank holiday this swimmer competed against clubs from all over the South West in this high class event. Antony Lockyer qualified in 6 events: 800m Fc (9:40.28), 200m Fc (2:08.59), 100m Bk (1:07.08), 100m Fly (1:04.79), 400m Free (4:35.28) & 200m Bk (2:27.19). Ant was representing Bath University at this event. He swam 6 personal best times, all improvements made on swims at the Avalon L3 open meet.
Cotswold League Final
The Cotswold league C final was held at Strode pool, Clevedon. We were racing against Bristol Central, Backwell, Lydney, Cheddar and Minehead. The squad started well with a number of first placed swims gaining valuable points from Dan Brown, James Godwin, Rachel Palarm, Sophie Evans and Emily Dixon. However the lengthy competition programme of previous weeks was beginning to show in the swimmers. Later first placings came from Ryan Hann and Luke Hibberd. Frome went on to finish 4th with 181 points. Backwell won the C final with 229 points, followed by Bristol Central (210 points), Lydney (197 points). Cheddar finished with 144 and Minehead with 121.
Avalon Open Meet (Level 2)
This event is the second of three events throughout the year that Frome, Wells & Shepton Mallet (WASM) and Street come together to host each year. The Level 2 meets are of a higher standard than Level 3 and are for swimmers aiming for regional and national qualifying times. Over the weekend Frome had 17 swimmers taking part in 100 events. Swimmers achieved 65 personal best times throughout the event. Frome had 2 top 3 finishes (Alice Dixon bronze in the 50m Br and Antony Lockyer bronze in the 50m Bk). Frome had a total of 29 top 8 finishes. Well done swimmers and a big thank you to everyone who helped to organise and run the event.
Coach’s Report - Squad training
The training groups are progressing in line with the seasonal plan. The seasonal plan outlines the programming and planning of the swimming calendar. This week for the first time our senior swimmers will be consistently training at a rate of 3,000m/hour. This is a landmark in the club’s development, and well done to everyone who is working hard to make this happen.
National Swimming League
Following the committee’s decision to work with WASM SC for the National Swimming League (previously the Speedo League) we have recently had a number of questions about the League. We have therefore put together this article to help everyone to understand these new changes to our programme.
Clubs across the country compete in the National Swimming League throughout the winter months. Each region has a league, and of all the local galas this one is the most important. This is why it is a claiming date in our calendar. Prior to our coach’s arrival WASM had made the decision to leave the National Swimming League as the club was having huge difficulty in raising a team for this event. Rather than leave, a proposal was made to Frome SC (who were not in the league) to form a joint team with WASM for this event. Both committees have agreed this. The team – to be known as East Mendip – will be selected using times from the pb databases. The fastest swimmers will be selected first.
We believe in participation and opportunities for all swimmers. At many clubs, the same swimmers get picked for every gala every time, and this means that swimmers are regularly left out of the team. Our fastest swimmers will be picked to compete in the Speedo League – therefore putting out our strongest team. However, we plan to increase competition opportunities for everyone by allowing only those who have not swum in individual events or not swum at all in the National Swimming League to be picked for individual events in the Cotswold League. In this way more swimmers will be selected to represent the club throughout the year.
Our aim is that every swimmer will have the opportunity to participate in suitable competition and represent their swimming club. Both clubs are fully in support of this.
How will it work? We will compete as ‘East Mendip’ purely for the Speedo League. This team will take the place of WASM and so we will not be subject to a waiting list. To do this we need to form a new club so that we can compete under a new name; however, this will be a ‘virtual’ club as it will have no pool time. The club will have a committee and appropriate staffing and all costs will be split 50:50. The two clubs are now working quite closely together – this includes teamwork at galas and one shared training session where the swimmers work together. There is no plan to merge the clubs – it’s just in everyone’s benefit to work together. Our swimmers meet regularly at SASP camps and county competitions. In addition teachers, coaches, team managers and volunteers work together at Avalon open meets and at training courses. There are no plans to separate a squad for the National Swimming League. New captains will be chosen for the National Swimming League from those qualifying for the team.
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Swimmer of the Month
The swimmer of the month for May is a junior swimmer who has put himself forward for the last few months and has worked hard in training. This swimmer particularly impressed me with his attitude towards racing.
The swimmer of the month for May is
Caspar White
Well done!
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Karen’s Top Tip – Race preparation
Sometimes the harder we try, the harder it is to succeed. We put so much pressure on an important event, we get tight and anxious and end up swimming slowly. Then on “less important” events, we don’t stress about them, and we end up swimming fast. You are probably much more relaxed for these races and allow your body to swim the way it was prepared to swim – loose and strong. So before every race, I’d recommend that you take some long, deep breaths behind the blocks, and do the same thing before important races as you do for the others. Visualize feeling smooth and strong in the water, and remind yourself that you are ready to perform.
Dates for your Diary
Taunton Deane Open Meet 12th & 13th July
Entries are now in and we are awaiting confirmation of events.
Frome SC Club Championships 28th June & 5th July
The information for the Club Championships is now on the notice board. This event is open to all swimmers in the club from grade 5A upwards. This is another great opportunity to post personal best times and develop your racing ability.
SASP Summer Camp 5th & 6th July
This event – hosted regularly at Millfield by Somerset Activity and Sports Partnership (SASP) – is open for entries now. This is a 2 day camp aimed at the specific development for swimmers in competitive clubs to emphasise and further on programmes delivered at home clubs. It is a great opportunity to learn more about your sport in a professional environment. For application forms please contact Karen and please hand entry forms back to Karen asap as places are limited.
Summer Holiday Training
We are currently in the process of organising training for during the summer holidays so watch out for information regarding this.
Avalon Autumn Open Meet (Level 2) 18th & 19th October
Meet information is now on the Frome website. Please download the generic entry form, fill this in and hand to Karen by the 7th July. As previously you will be invoiced for payments. For more information on how parents can help our open meet run smoothly please contact Elaine Gilburt.
Tigersharks Level 3 Open Meet 23rd November
This will be the target meet for the autumn for all squad swimmers. Entry forms will be available soon.
Get with the Lingo – Competition warm up etiquette and swimming down
Warm up – The time at the start of any event where swimmers are given the opportunity to warm up their muscles. This is also a critical time to get used to the feel of the pool and its surroundings and equipment. For backstrokers it’s an opportunity to plan how to execute their start. Even if you train at the pool you are racing at, it is critical to your performance to take part in a warm up at an event. Skipping the warm up so that you don’t have to sit around waiting for your race is not an option and swimmers doing this in future will be asked to leave the session.
Competition warm up plan – This is the plan for what the swimmer is going to do in their warm up time. If a swimmer does not have a plan going into a warm up prior to competition, this can affect their performance. There are many distractions in the warm up time and these can be threatening and unnerving. Examples are other swimmers, their attitude and behaviour, other coaches, and the format of sprint lanes. These can be used as tactical tools by clubs to psych inexperienced swimmers out. Your warm up should therefore be planned and you should focus on this, rather than who else is in your lane and what other coaches from other clubs are telling you to do.
Sprint lanes – This is a time towards the end of the warm up held mostly in open meet and championship events, which allows the swimmers to sprint for a short distance to prepare them for the events that they are swimming. It is a fallacy that doing sprints in a warm up will tire you out for your race. In fact sprinting will actually prepare proteins in your muscles to remove toxins whilst you are racing. Sprint lanes are always held in the outside lanes of the pool and are always one way. Don’t get held up in long queues at the sprint lanes. Always be looking for the shortest queue and don’t be too polite – the time for sprint lanes is too short. If you want feedback from your coach, make sure you have alerted him/her with a signal before you set off. Coaches are not mind readers and often there are many swimmers in a warm up (another reason for you to wear your club hat at all times). If your coach is feeding back to another swimmer, step down and let another swimmer set off, then resume your place when he/she is ready.
Pace lanes – Pace lanes are used instead of sprint lanes for swimmers who are competing in longer distance events 400m fc and above. Anyone doing these distances should incorporate pace swims into their warm up on advice from their coach.
Swimming down – After any race in an open meet or championship event, where a swim down facility is available, the first thing you MUST do before ANYTHING else is to swim down. You shouldn’t seek feedback from your coach or parents until you have done this. This should be done slowly and on mixed strokes. In future, coaches will not be giving feedback to anyone who doesn’t swim down first. Parents, you can help with this, too: if your child seeks feedback from you, a thumbs up and ‘go swim down’ is the best answer. The swim down is also a time for reflection on your performance in your own space and should be treated so. It gives you the chance to think ‘What did I do well?’, ‘What could I do better?’ and ‘How can I improve for next time?’ – all things that you will discuss with your coach during your race feedback.
Workforce Development Officer Position
We have an exciting position within the club available to an individual who is keen to help from their desk. This role manages the development of volunteers within the clubs and seeks for opportunities for their training. This position is critical to the development of the club. If you are interested in this position, please contact Mandy Crook for more information.
Coaches Development Seminars
Our next seminar will be on Saturday 19th July at Frome Leisure Centre 7.30am and will be on progressive practices for front crawl. Following this there will be a short presentation about the new selection criteria for the squad. This will affect all grades teachers and we recommend that you are there to ask any questions that you might have. These criteria will be implemented from September.
Teaching Courses
I have included information of upcoming teaching courses. Frome SC does have funding available to assist with your training as a coach in exchange for your volunteering, so if you are interested, please contact me and we can move on from there.
ASA/UKCC Teacher of Aquatics Level 2 Millfield
Friday 15th August - Log book session
Saturday 16th August through to Tuesday 26th
Cost to be announced
Contact – Caroline Marsh 01458 444519
E Mail – carolinemarsh@millfieldschool.com
ASA/UKCC Teacher of Aquatics Level 2 Bridport
Sunday 19th October – Log book session
7,8,9,14,15,16 November 2008
9,10,11,16,17,18,23,25 January 2009
Contact – Fiona Forman 01308 427464
E Mail – F.Forman@bridportleisure.com
ASA/UKCC Teacher of Aquatics Level 1 HMS Heron – Yeovilton
Friday 21st November 2008 – Log book session
28,29,30 November 2008
5,6,7,12,13 December 2008
Contact – Ali Parnell 01935 424922 / 455054
E Mail – ali_parnell@hotmail.com
Karen Pinniger
Email: kpinniger@somerset.gov.uk Mob: 07500028404
Karen’s Top Tip – Race preparation
Sometimes the harder we try, the harder it is to succeed. We put so much pressure on an important event, we get tight and anxious and end up swimming slowly. Then on “less important” events, we don’t stress about them, and we end up swimming fast. You are probably much more relaxed for these races and allow your body to swim the way it was prepared to swim – loose and strong. So before every race, I’d recommend that you take some long, deep breaths behind the blocks, and do the same thing before important races as you do for the others. Visualize feeling smooth and strong in the water, and remind yourself that you are ready to perform.
Get with the Lingo – Competition warm up etiquette and swimming down
Warm up – The time at the start of any event where swimmers are given the opportunity to warm up their muscles. This is also a critical time to get used to the feel of the pool and its surroundings and equipment. For backstrokers it’s an opportunity to plan how to execute their start. Even if you train at the pool you are racing at, it is critical to your performance to take part in a warm up at an event. Skipping the warm up so that you don’t have to sit around waiting for your race is not an option and swimmers doing this in future will be asked to leave the session.
Competition warm up plan – This is the plan for what the swimmer is going to do in their warm up time. If a swimmer does not have a plan going into a warm up prior to competition, this can affect their performance. There are many distractions in the warm up time and these can be threatening and unnerving. Examples are other swimmers, their attitude and behaviour, other coaches, and the format of sprint lanes. These can be used as tactical tools by clubs to psych inexperienced swimmers out. Your warm up should therefore be planned and you should focus on this, rather than who else is in your lane and what other coaches from other clubs are telling you to do.
Sprint lanes – This is a time towards the end of the warm up held mostly in open meet and championship events, which allows the swimmers to sprint for a short distance to prepare them for the events that they are swimming. It is a fallacy that doing sprints in a warm up will tire you out for your race. In fact sprinting will actually prepare proteins in your muscles to remove toxins whilst you are racing. Sprint lanes are always held in the outside lanes of the pool and are always one way. Don’t get held up in long queues at the sprint lanes. Always be looking for the shortest queue and don’t be too polite – the time for sprint lanes is too short. If you want feedback from your coach, make sure you have alerted him/her with a signal before you set off. Coaches are not mind readers and often there are many swimmers in a warm up (another reason for you to wear your club hat at all times). If your coach is feeding back to another swimmer, step down and let another swimmer set off, then resume your place when he/she is ready.
Pace lanes – Pace lanes are used instead of sprint lanes for swimmers who are competing in longer distance events 400m fc and above. Anyone doing these distances should incorporate pace swims into their warm up on advice from their coach.
Swimming down – After any race in an open meet or championship event, where a swim down facility is available, the first thing you MUST do before ANYTHING else is to swim down. You shouldn’t seek feedback from your coach or parents until you have done this. This should be done slowly and on mixed strokes. In future, coaches will not be giving feedback to anyone who doesn’t swim down first. Parents, you can help with this, too: if your child seeks feedback from you, a thumbs up and ‘go swim down’ is the best answer. The swim down is also a time for reflection on your performance in your own space and should be treated so. It gives you the chance to think ‘What did I do well?’, ‘What could I do better?’ and ‘How can I improve for next time?’ – all things that you will discuss with your coach during your race feedback.
We have an exciting position within the club available to an individual who is keen to help from their desk. This role manages the development of volunteers within the clubs and seeks for opportunities for their training. This position is critical to the development of the club. If you are interested in this position, please contact Mandy Crook for more information.
Our next seminar will be on Saturday 19th July at Frome Leisure Centre 7.30am and will be on progressive practices for front crawl. Following this there will be a short presentation about the new selection criteria for the squad. This will affect all grades teachers and we recommend that you are there to ask any questions that you might have. These criteria will be implemented from September.
I have included information of upcoming teaching courses. Frome SC does have funding available to assist with your training as a coach in exchange for your volunteering, so if you are interested, please contact me and we can move on from there.
Friday 15th August - Log book session
Saturday 16th August through to Tuesday 26th
Cost to be announced
Contact – Caroline Marsh 01458 444519
E Mail – carolinemarsh@millfieldschool.com
Sunday 19th October – Log book session
7,8,9,14,15,16 November 2008
9,10,11,16,17,18,23,25 January 2009
Contact – Fiona Forman 01308 427464
E Mail – F.Forman@bridportleisure.com
Friday 21st November 2008 – Log book session
28,29,30 November 2008
5,6,7,12,13 December 2008
Contact – Ali Parnell 01935 424922 / 455054
E Mail – ali_parnell@hotmail.com