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| Last updated | 20 July 2021 |
| News Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Wythenshawe Training | This is for the attention of the swimmers who train at Wythenshawe on a Thursday night only. Wythenshawe have changed the pool availability time for us and have brought our slot half an hour earlier. Therefore, going forward from this Thursday, 22nd July, training will be 7.30 - 9.00pm. Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause, but hopefully you'll understand that this is beyond our control. |
| Freedom Day! | With Freedom Day looming tomorrow, Swim England have removed their Covid guidance measures, so from tomorrow there will no longer be a Covid Liaison volunteer checking swimmers into each session. Can you please ensure that all swimmers are aware of this change. Swimmers should arrive as usual and go straight onto poolside as they do now, but there will be no need to check-in before they enter the leisure centre. As before, please make sure swimmers arrive no more than 5 minutes before the start of the session, to ensure they're not waiting around in the public areas. The leisure centre will still have some Covid measures in place and we're meeting with them this week to discuss these, so there will be more information when we have this, but face masks will still need to be worn until swimmers get onto poolside. Until we have some more guidance, there will still be no access to changing rooms. A huge thank you to our Covid Liaison volunteers, some of whom have even made themselves available for sessions in which they haven't had a swimmer. Your help has been hugely appreciated and has meant that we were able to return to training and comply with the Swim England guidance for this, so you have been invaluable throughout this time and we really can't thank you enough for your time. Thanks also to Michael G who has co-ordinated the whole process. We hope that we all move forward and there'll be no need for a return to Covid restrictions, but we will obviously keep you updated with any changes. |
| Club Records | Following the conclusion of our Level X galas, the Club Record information has been updated and is on the website in the Members Area, under 'Personal Best Times'. It lists all the Club records that currently stand, in all events and age groups. Well done to Emily I, Ashley D and James P who all achieved New Records this year. We look forward to more being broken at our Club Champs, that we hope to hold later in the year. All Category 2 times have now been loaded onto the Swim England Level X Leaderboard. |
| Level X Racing Results | Well done to all the swimmers who took part in our final two sessions of racing on Monday and Tuesday 12th & 13th July 2021 and a huge thank you to Helen who, after officiating at all Level X events, then went on to stay up into the small hours on Monday and Tuesday night to process the results from these final two days, in the hope that Swim England will post them by the end of today, so that the times can be used in the Festival of Swimming entries. Results from all sessions are now available in the Members Area of the website, under 'Club Championships'. Results for all the Category 2 swimmers from all sessions have been submitted to Swim England and have been uploaded to the Level X Leaderboard. Thanks to all volunteers who helped with Level X. As always, we rely on our volunteers, as we can't run these events without you - so your help and time is much appreciated. We hope all swimmers enjoyed the racing and we hope to do more of it soon! |
| Training Sessions – Parents dropping and collecting swimmers | In reviewing an incident this week, we would like all parents to review the current guidelines for dropping and collecting swimmers from training. (These are from the revised ASC Code of Conduct signed by all parents July 2020).
Whilst we may be approaching slightly changeable times in regard to Covid regulations, its worth noting the core principles, specifically:
Extract from current ASC Code of Conduct Training Sessions: Altrincham Swimming Club Parents/Guardians should:
Any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Pete SingletonWelfare Officer – Altrincham SC |
| Level X - COVID Precautions | In light of the recent numbers of positive tests, particularly within the school age population locally, we think it would be prudent that, where possible, every swimmer should take a Lateral Flow test prior to attending each of the forthcoming Level X /Club Champs Gala’s.
Due to the nature of the racing we will not be keeping the usual lane bubbles but will instead be working on a heat based bubble system. I would therefore ask that all swimmers stay outside the Leisure Centre building until we have allocated a heat to them. After which they can enter onto poolside and remain in socially distanced groups depending on their heat. By doing this , if we do have a positive test from a swimmer at some stage in the next fortnight, we should be able to minimize the need for others to isolate. Thankyou in advance for your co-operation and assistance in this matter. On a separate note - if your swimmer is not able to attend the Level X gala tonight or tomorrow and hasn't already withdrawn from this, can you please let us know, so that we don't end up with empty lanes. You can email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
| Head Coach News | Following on from the the earlier news that I will be retiring from swimming, I am delighted to be able to reveal your new Coaching team, who will take charge from September. Your new Head Coach will be the fantastic Kate Offord. She has been my assistant during my time as Head Coach and there is no one else that knows the club and swimmers better than Kate does. She's been at the club for over 8 years and she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience with her. Your new Assistant Head Coach will be Dan Brint. Dan has been a swimmer and coach at the club for around 14 years now and is a highly respected member of the team. He has worked alongside me for a while now, developing his knowledge on performance swimming and race preparation. Dan will be assisted by Tom Broadfoot and Andy Walton - both long standing club members and great coaches. Jade Ong will be stepping up since gaining her Level 2 coaching award this summer. Jade has been a fantastic swimmer over the years and is growing into a brilliant coach. I'd like you to join me in congratulating Kate and the team and wish them the best of luck. I have no doubt the success will continue 🏆 Chris |
| News From Chris | Unfortunately, the time has come where I will be stepping down as Head Coach of this amazing club at the end of the summer. I have been a member at the club for 20 years, joining as a 9 year old swimmer in September 2001. Since then, I've swam, captained, coached and head coached the club to where we are today. As lots of you know, I have my little girl, Ava, who turns 1 later this month. I am at a point now where family time is priceless and fitting Zoe and Ava in around swimming and work has been a challenge. Outside of the swimming world, I am a primary school teacher. In September, I will be moving to a new role at a different school in Stretford, working as a Year 6 teacher and Key Stage 2 lead. The workload will be significantly higher, meaning the juggling act will get harder! During my time as Head Coach, along with the unwavering support of my assistant, Kate, we have taken the club to heights we could only ever of dreamed of. We've broken county records, won regional titles, National titles, got swimmers to the Olympic trials, won Club of the Year for the North West and runners up for England's club of the year. More importantly, we have built a club with a vision and a name people now fear. It will be hard to leave what has been a huge part of my life for so many years. It's hard to remember life before swimming! I want to take this time to thank every single one of you. My committee who have supported all of my ideas over the years, my 4 chairmen/ women who I've worked alongside, the countless volunteers who help run the club, my coaching team who are a really talent group and are pivotal to where we are today and most importantly, my swimmers. We really do have some fantastic swimmers in this club and they are a pleasure to work with. I want to enjoy the last two months and finish on a high. I will continue to support the club and guide them in their next steps. Hopefully, restrictions will lift and we can all see each other soon and finish the summer with one big Altrincham Gala, with spectators in attendance and swimmers screaming their teams on. Chris |
| Session Time Changes During Level X / Club Champs | There will be a few changes to sessions during Level X racing weeks, so to make this as simple as possible, I have done a timetable, so all squads know when they are training, racing or have had a session cancelled. Please can you refer to these timetables for session times up to and including the 16th July. Please note that the Wythenshawe session is on as normal for those swimmers invited to attend this. Timetable for Saturday 10th - Friday 16th July 2021 Please also note that there is a slight change for Squad 2 than the sessions previously advised as they don’t now have a session on Saturday. |
| Land Training | Understandably, land training attendance numbers have taken a dip in recent weeks, since our return to the pool. We're now down to single figures most weeks, so the decision has been taken to discontinue the Zoom land training sessions. Thanks for your support with these over the past year - we hope you found these sessions valuable whilst we were forced to be out of the pool. We aim to get land training back up and running at the leisure centre as soon as we're able. |
| Competing in Galas | As mentioned previously, we’ll be doing more Level X galas in the coming weeks. If your swimmer has never competed in an external gala or Level X before, then there’s a fair chance that they are Category 1 members. In order to compete in any gala (except our Pointscore and Club Champs) swimmers need to be registered with the ASA as Category 2 members and there is a cost of £18.55 incurred in doing this. If you’re not sure what category your swimmer is you can find out by logging into Coacha and checking your ASA Membership Number under 'Member Profiles' or by logging into the Members Area of our website. If you’d like to upgrade to Category 2 so that you can take part in the forthcoming Level X galas, can you please let our Membership Secretary know This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and she can arrange it. If you’d like your swimmer to remain as Category 1, they can still take part in Level X, but their times can’t be uploaded to the Level X Leaderboard. |
| Check Your Swimwear | The Coaches have asked that all parents check their swimmer’s swimming costume / trunks / jammers please. We know that it's easily missed at the moment as parents aren't able to attend training and see their swimmers in the pool. As we’ve been out of the water for a long time, swimming costumes tend to degrade over time due to the chlorine in the pool and can start to become see through if they’re not replaced when this starts to happen. Also, there are a number of swimmers who have grown considerably during lockdown, so if you could check their swimwear to make sure that it still fits and is still pool worthy, it would be greatly appreciated. |
| Welfare Officer | We are always looking for volunteers and we are currently recruiting for a new Club Welfare Officer. We have a male Welfare Officer who is experienced and continuing in the role, but it’s recommended that we have both a male and female Welfare Officer, so we’re looking for a female volunteer please. If anyone is interested in taking on this role, please get in touch This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we can give you more details of what’s involved. |
| Manchester Marathon Marshalling | The Manchester Marathon and Half Marathon is taking place this year on 10th October 2021 and they are looking for volunteer marshalls for the event. Volunteers earn money for the Club as the event organisers pay the Club for everyone that volunteers. It’s a great event to take part in, Kate is planning to organise an ASC group of marshals. If you’re interested in volunteering for this, please can you contact Kate This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and she will coordinate this. |
| Use of Masks | Just a quick reminder that all secondary school age swimmers must wear masks when entering through the foyer of the leisure centre. We've had some swimmers arriving without masks, so can you please ensure your swimmer arrives with their mask and remind them that they need to wear this until they get onto poolside. This rule is a prerequisite that the leisure centre have specified and so we don't want to be in a position where we have to turn swimmers away from training because they can't enter the centre. |
| Swim England North West Update | There are still placed available on the Swim England Young Volunteer Award course below.
Young Volunteers will be required to commit to 2 online sessions, and then complete all online work within 12 months. November 2021 – click here to book your place |
| Self-Isolation Reporting | If your swimmer needs to self-isolate, please let us know by completing our online form here. This will ensure that the Coaches are aware which training sessions you cannot attend. |
| Kit Shop | As we no longer have the facility for selling kit, if you're looking for any kit, please see the shop on our website, where the remaining stock is being sold. |
| Judge 1 Qualification | Please see the email sent out previously (copy here) regarding becoming a Level 1 Judge. It would help greatly if you can get involved in this. Remember - swimming is for life, not just for Christmas! - so if you're likely to be spending the next few years watching your child compete at galas, why not consider becoming an official. If you're interested in getting qualified, please email us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. |
| Lost Property | Please remember that we have a Lost Property section on the website. There have been a few things added to this recently, so, if your swimmer has lost anything during training sessions, please check this on our website or here. |
| Volunteering Opportunities | As always, we have several opportunities for you to get involved with the Club. Full details of vacant volunteer roles within the Club is on the website. |
| Medical Records | Can you please ensure that any updates to Medical Records for swimmers are communicated to our Membership Secretary. |
| Fundraising by Shopping | Please consider raising funds for our club via the Easy Fundraising online service. Shopping doesn't cost you a penny more, but as you make purchases online shops make a donation to the club. All you do is register (it's good to click the "Find & Remind" button) and start shopping. Please give it a go and encourage others to do so too – it's effectively free money to benefit the members of our club! Thank you. More information is on the website, or via the link http://www.altrinchamsc.org.uk/index.php/club-information/fundraising |
| Free Swimming | A reminder that as a member of Altrincham Swimming Club, swimmers are entitled to free swimming at Altrincham Leisure Centre. You will need to complete a form which needs to be signed by your coach. If you need a form please let our Club Secretary know at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
| Calendar | For all the galas and events coming up, please click here |
| Club Contact | For any queries or questions, please email us here |
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