Information For New Members

Welcome to Newbury District Swimming Club ...
 

	Sponsorship		Squads		Social Events
	Equipment		Training		Getting Information
	Membership		Competitions

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Newbury Swimming Club is one of the oldest clubs in Newbury, dating back to 1948 when members swam in Northcroft open air pool. The club moved to St Bartholomew's School pool and then back to Northcroft in the mid seventies with the building of the recreation centre and the indoor pool. With the refurbishment of Northcroft in 1994 and the addition of poolside seating, Newbury has gone from strength to strength. We now have a swimming membership in excess of 200  competing at local, county and national level. In addition to Northcroft, we now run  training sessions  at Hungerford, the Kennet Centre (Thatcham),  Brockhurst school and Downe House school  (Cold Ash). As a result of our expansion into the locality, Newbury SC changed it's name to Newbury District SC, or, as it is frequently known NDSC.

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ISponsorship enables the club to recruit and train more coaching staff, take more pool time and extend our teaching programme.  Some of our past main Sponsors have included Vodafone and Kerridge as well as a number of local companies who have been generous in sponsoring individual events. The club is actively seeking a main sponsor at this moment in time. Please contact any committee member if you feel that you could help or if you know of a local company that might be interested.

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The club is run under the squad system which basically means that it is divided into groups or squads where swimmers train with other swimmers of similar age and ability. Progression through the squads is based upon a number of factors including technical skill, age, strength and the ability of the swimmer to cope with the training up at the next level. Squad moves are decided at coaches meetings which are held at 1 - 2 monthly intervals but the main  changes tend to be  over the summer break and at Christmas. Each squad has a representative (squad rep) who, for practical reasons, is very often the parent of one of the swimmers in that squad. The squad reps help the coach to keep a register of swimmers and assist the treasurer in collecting squad fees. If you have any queries questions or problems this is probably the best person to ask first. Squad reps tend to change as their children move through the squads so check the NDSC web site for latest list. Training times and squad fees  vary according to squad.

 NDSC swimming is organised into the following squads: Cruisers, Sprinters, Challengers  B2, B1  A, Youth and  Masters. Click here to see how these squads are organised and the criteria for entry

Cruisers and Sprinters are known as the “development” squads.  Most new members enter the club in Cruisers or Sprinters although occasionally older more experienced swimmers may start in one of the other squads. Cruisers and Sprinters are where swimmers learn and “develop” the basic stroke and training techniques. Swimmers in Cruisers are typically eight to ten years old although it should be emphasised that age is not the main criterion. By the time a swimmer has progressed through these two squads the vast majority should be capable of performing all four competitive strokes according to ASA laws and they will have been introduced to competitive dives and turns on the various strokes

 Challengers is the first competitive squad. Swimmers in Challengers typically swim three or four 1-11/2 hour sessions per week. There is still a great emphasis on stroke and technique work but in addition longer training sets are introduced to build stamina.

 B1 and B2 squad.   From Challengers, swimmers will progress to either B1 or B2 ( see squad structure).  In general the technical skills and level of commitment and  requirements to enter B1 is greater than B2 but there is scope for moving from B2 to B1 at a later date if these requirements are met. Currently the performance requirement for B1 is a County 200m IM time - or very close  Sessions usually last one and a half hour to two hours with skill development and requirements more on an individual basis. There is more emphasis on endurance training and depending on the type of session and length the distance covered would be typically around 4,000 - 5,000 metres. All swimmers, but particularly those in B1 are expected to take part in competitions throughout the year.

Youth squad.    Provided they train regularly (and properly!!)  most swimmers have the potential to rise to this squad by the time they have reached the age of 15 or 16. Swimmers in this squad are frequently at county level or above and will compete in competitions at all levels. When it comes to league competitions and galas swimmers are very often drawn from this squad. Upon reaching the age of 18, youth squad swimmers move into the Masters squad

A Squad A few swimmers will have the talent and commitment to compete at the highest level - Regional level, National level and possibly higher! Entry into this squad is mainly via B1 although Youth squad swimmers will frequently move across  if they are sufficiently committed. The age range will be anywhere from 11 to 18 and possibly beyond. but the main requirement  is the commitment to train regularly and to compete in competitions. Squad members are expected to train at least 7.5 hrs per week, but some do all the hours available (14) plus land training.. The performance requirement for entry into this squad is to have achieved a regional base time or close to it. 

Masters swimming is becoming an increasingly popular part of competitive swimming, not only at Newbury but throughout the country and the world! Masters swimming is geared towards competitive swimming for those over 25 yrs old. Having said that we have a number of members who enjoy a 'good workout' and come along to the training sessions just for fun! There are a number of masters competitions held throughout the year which we enter if there is a demand. So if there are any parents out there who are former swimmers, or if you simply want to have a go, then why not give it a try?    

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Most of the items that will be needed for training and competitions may be obtained from the club shop, which will be open on Sunday evening at Northcroft between 7 and 8pm.

Although not essential, most swimmers prefer to wear goggles in training. Goggles prevent the eyes becoming sore after long exposure to chlorinated water as well as enabling clear vision particularly important when swimming in galas. Goggles are frequently a problem to novice swimmers. They may come off when diving in, they may leak or they may simply be uncomfortable. Goggles tend to be an individual thing; what suites one person may not suite another and (beware!) the most expensive is not always the best. The trick is to persevere, find the make and style of goggles that you are happy with and stick with them! 

All swimmers need a kickboard and flippers. As swimmers progress from Cruisers up through the squads pull buoys are also used increasingly as a training aid for concentrating on pulling technique and strengthening the arms.   Hand paddles and finger paddles tend to be used by older swimmers in A/B/Youth/Masters squads to develop power, although swimmers in Challengers are allowed small hand size paddles as an introduction to their use and to help with some aspects of technique.

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The current training programme makes use of Brockhurst school, Kennet at Thatcham, Hungerford, Downe House at Cold Ash and our main competition pool, Northcroft. Cruisers and Sprinters sessions are for a maximum of an hour,  and Challengers sessions are between 1 and 11/2 hours. B squad sessions are between 11/2 to 2 hours as are A squad sessions -  although we are actively seeking to increase all of the A squad sessions to 2 hours.

Whilst a few of the older members swim for pleasure or to keep fit (nothing wrong with that!) the training squads are geared towards competitive swimming and we enter or hold a number of competitions throughout the year. One thing that often confuses the parents of young new members is the minimum age rule. This means that swimmers must have reached the age of 9 on the date of the competition in order to enter an individual event in an externally run event.  This is an ASA (Amateur Swimming Association) rule NOT just a club rule. Swimmers of ANY age may enter internally run competitions and we run a number of these throughout the year. Please refer to the ASA web site  for more information.

These are the main types of competition:

Age group Championships - There are three basic levels namely: County, Regional (South East Region), National. Qualifying times are required to enter each of these events. County championships are usually held in the spring and  qualifying times can be downloaded from the Berks and South Bucks web site. All of A squad plus a number from B squad and Challengers reach the level to enter the county championships each year. Times achieved at county championships can be used as entry times for Regional and National Championships.

Newbury are in the South East Region and these Regional Championships are usually held over May/June. Qualifying times (which are regularly reviewed) are somewhere between County and National qualifying times. The majority of swimmers in A squad have reached Regional  standard (base time) plus a few from B1 squad.Times achieved at these championships can be used as a qualifying time for the National Championships.

The National age group and Youth championships are held in the summer, usually at end of July to the beginning of August. If you achieve the qualifying time to enter the Nationals you are probably in the top 30 or 40 in the country - or at least very close. Over the last few years Newbury has sent between 1 and 6 swimmers up to the Nationals each year. During that time we have had a national champion and a twice fourth placed national finalist (both on backstroke).

Open meets - These are similar to championships but individual clubs hold them and they are often graded. Level 1 (L1) is the highest grade followed by level 2. and level 3. There is also a level 4 but these tend to be rare.  In L3 meets there will probably be a maximum ('not faster than') entry time for each event. In L1 and L2 meets there is more likely to be a minimum entry time. Times achieved at L1 and L2 meets can be  used as an entry time for the National championships

The Newbury Open Meet is usually held in June at Northcroft Leisure centre. There are maximum (not faster than) times for this event which correspond approximately to Regional qualifying times

Leagues - We are currently entered in: 
The Thames Valley Junior League (12/under)
The Arena National league (Everyone) - the youngest age group being 11/U

In league galas the emphasis is on team rather than individual performance although there is obviously a link between the two. Teams are picked by the coaches and for both the National and The Thames Valley league the basic aim is to pick the best team possible. Swimmers are informed well in advance of the event and the dates for these events are published in Diary of Events. So if you are picked please make every effort to attend. 

Internal Competitions -  The main Club Championships are usually held in the autumn over three evenings and all club members are encouraged to take part. In addition two further rounds are held for the 400m and the 800m/1500m which is mainly for Challengers and above.  For swimmers nine and over this is an ideal opportunity to gain county qualifying times for the County Championships which take place early in the following year. In addition we hold a 50m sprint and novice gala which is usually held in July.

ASA/Competitive Start Awards - This award is given to swimmers who have demonstrated that  they are capable of safely executing a racing dive from starting blocks at the shallow end of the pool. All swimmers are expected to have achieved this level by the time they enter the Challengers squad.

Internal Competitions and Monthly Time Trials and testing are important, particularly if you have not swum in galas before. It enables you (and us) to see the effect of all that training and above all we need your time. We choose teams on the basis of recorded times so if we don't have your up to-date time you are unlikely to be chosen for league galas - NO TIME...NO SWIM!  

All current times (rankings ) are published on the NDSC web site and updated approximately every 1 -2 months.

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Our main social events of the year are the River Carnival which is usually held sometime in July and the Presentation Evening and Disco held usually in January. In spite of its name the River Carnival has nothing to do with rivers (at least not now!) although the evening does begin with a swimming competition in Northcroft open air pool. To aid recovery (for those brave enough to swim!) the rest of the evening is devoted to a barbecue and liquid refreshment on the pool side. This is a great fun event for swimmers parents and friends. - NOT TO BE MISSED! The Presentation Evening as its name suggests is the evening upon which all the cups and trophies (over 60 in all) are presented in recognition of the achievements of all members throughout the previous year.

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Getting Information

IThe annual calendar is published in 'diary of events' on the web site. This includes such things as forthcoming competitions but it is also where announcements will be made of sudden pool closures or a cancellation of a training sessions etc. Please look at  'diary of events' regularly and use it as your first port of call if you are looking for the latest information. The web site also provides useful contact numbers, a news/competition report sections and two download pages containing results and club information documents.

Please also look at the ASA web site. There is a wealth of information here - although not always easy to find. Happy navigating!!

Watertime news, the club newsletter,  is published monthly. It is distributed electronically  to squad members by the squad reps but if you clicked on the 'Subscribe to newsletter' box on the news page of the website you will receive a copy anyway.

In this age of the internet please don't forget the club notice boards. The main notice board at Northcroft is in the corridor on the left just past the changing room entrance. In addition we have a notice board at Thatcham and there is also a board at Hungerford (kindly donated by the Trustees of the Town and Mayor of Hungerford).

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Membership

The first month's membership is free. Thereafter squad fees are payable half yearly together with an annual membership fee. A family membership scheme is in operation which enables brothers and sisters to swim at a reducing rate details of which can be obtained from our Club Treasurer. 

Finally, if you have any questions regarding swimming  not covered here or would like to arrange for a trial swim please Sarah Porter  through our enquiries facility. For other issues (fees etc) please contact the appropriate person

We sincerely hope that you will come and join us at Newbury District Swimming Club where we hope your stay will be a long, happy and above all - a successful one!

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