With the new diving FUNdamentals programme Flip n Fun becoming ever more popular, we invited a Swimming Teacher from Tandridge Leisure, Surrey to provide a critique on the exciting learn to dive programme.

Launched last summer and developed by the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA), Flip n Fun introduces children aged five to eleven to the basics of a sport that has achieved Olympic, Commonwealth and World success over the last three years.  As the first stage of six within the ASA’s Long Term Athlete Development model for diving, the programme is structured to teach children a series of basic movements and skills in the water and on dry land.

Swimming Teacher Maggie Crowe recently taught an intensive five-day Flip n Fun course and believes the programme is a great way of getting children into the sport.

“I found that participants really enjoyed the course, they were very enthusiastic and tried really hard to achieve the correct shapes,” she said.

“As part of the course, each participant received a Flip n Fun progress report card. This gave them a clear picture of what they achieved and provided motivation to carry on and complete the course.  I like the cards, they look good and it is encouraging for the children to see a record of their success so far.  They also provide an effective feedback mechanism for parents to see the outcomes of the course.”

“The centre had advertised the course in the local paper and thus the uptake was good.  It was interesting that there were so many more girls than boys - I would expect such a big difference in a synchronised swimming class but I had anticipated a more even balance for diving.”

“There was also a large age range - the youngest being about five and the eldest eleven, which made for interesting teaching.  The younger participants lacked body awareness and control, while some of the older participants felt too embarrassed to attempt new tasks.  I am always keen to encourage participants and happily demonstrated the practices, which relaxed them and they felt more comfortable in giving it a go!”

She added, “I thoroughly enjoyed teaching this course and I am looking forward to more courses taking place in the summer.”

Integrated into the new National Plan for Teaching Swimming, Flip n Fun is also available as a standalone programme and can be taught from the poolside (in pools with a minimum depth of 1.8m) with no need for specialist diving equipment, which means it can take place at hundreds of school pools and facilities nationwide.

Level 2 swimming/diving teachers/coaches can learn the basic skills to deliver Flip n Fun sessions by attending an Institute of Swimming (IoS) Continuing Professional Development (CPD) seminar.  Lasting just four hours, the course includes practical sessions in the water and on dry land as well as theoretical guidance and support.

CLICK HERE to view the IoS Calendar and find a Flip n Fun CPD Seminar near you, or contact Customer Services on 0871 200 0928 for more information.

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For more information please contact Claire Freeman, ASA PR Assistant on claire.freeman@swimming.org or 01509 638238.

British Swimming
British Swimming represents the home countries of England, Scotland and Wales and holds the Coaching Standards Group licence to develop and award qualifications meeting UK Coaching Certificate (UKCC) standards for all swimming disciplines.  British Swimming contracted the ASA Awarding Body to develop the qualifications and granted them the licence to award its qualifications in England and Wales.  The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has the licence to award qualifications in Scotland.

Amateur Swimming Association (ASA)
The ASA is the national governing body for swimming and its related disciplines in England. In order to comply with national education and training standards it has developed two separate and independent arms – the ASA Awarding Body and the Institute of Swimming (IoS) which represent the awarding and delivery channels for all ASA qualifications.

ASA Awarding Body
The ASA Awarding Body develops, assesses, awards and quality assures all ASA qualifications. It is the equivalent of other awarding bodies such as City & Guilds and OCR (Oxford, Cambridge and RSA Examinations). The ASA Awarding Body is licensed by British Swimming to award qualifications in England and Wales. It also has the remit for quality assurance of all areas of UKCC standards.

Institute of Swimming (IoS)
The IoS is a licensed training provider, like a school or college. It is one of many ASA Awarding Body Approved Centres.  The IoS is also a membership body for qualified swimming teachers and coaches, providing insurance, advice and learning opportunities to its members.
 
About Speedo®
Synonymous with swimwear, the iconic brand celebrates 80 years of dominance creating revolutionary new technologies, designs and innovations.  In the 1920s Speedo® made history with the Racerback: the world’s first non-wool suit. In 2008 Speedo® redefines swimwear again with Fastskin® LZR RACER®  - the fastest and most technologically advanced swimsuit ever created; meanwhile designer collaborations with Comme des Garçons put Speedo® at the cutting edge of design. As the world’s leading swimwear brand, Speedo® is passionate about life in and around the water, supporting swimming from beginners through to elite level, including the phenomenal Michael Phelps.  Speedo® is owned by Pentland Brands and distributed in over 170 countries around the world; to find out more visit: www.speedo.com. SPEEDO, the ARROW device, FASTSKIN, LZR PULSE and LZR RACER are registered trademarks of Speedo Holdings B.V. The LZR RACER suit has worldwide design rights and patents pending.

 

A group of British divers who will be vying for a place on the Olympic squad in June will be competing at the FINA Diving Grand Prix in Fort Lauderdale.

The group of seven takes to the boards from 8-11 May with 2004 Olympic silver medallist Peter Waterfield (Southampton Diving Academy) leading the squad.

He is joined by Gareth Jones (Southampton Diving Academy) Nick Robinson-Baker (City of Sheffield), Jodie McGroarty Baker (City of Sheffield), Louise Van Hoof (Southampton Diving Academy), Stacie Powell (Southampton Diving Academy), and Tonia Couch (Plymouth Diving).

The FINA Diving Grand Prix is a high profile, annual competition series that gives elite divers from around the world an opportunity to compete against each other more often.

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For further details contact Steph West, British Swimming Media Assistant, on 01509 632 236, 07917 876 459 or email stephanie.west@swimming.org

British Swimming is the National Governing Body for Swimming, Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo and Open Water in Great Britain.  It is responsible internationally for the high performance representation of the sport. The members of British Swimming are the three Home Countries national governing bodies of England (Amateur Swimming Association), Scotland (Scottish Amateur Swimming Association) and Wales (Welsh Amateur Swimming Association). British Swimming seeks to enable its athletes to achieve gold medal success at the Olympics, Paralympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games.

About Speedo®
Synonymous with swimwear, the iconic brand celebrates 80 years of dominance creating revolutionary new technologies, designs and innovations.  In the 1920s Speedo® made history with the Racerback: the world’s first non-wool suit. In 2008 Speedo® redefines swimwear again with Fastskin® LZR RACER®  - the fastest and most technologically advanced swimsuit ever created; meanwhile designer collaborations with Comme des Garçons put Speedo® at the cutting edge of design. As the world’s leading swimwear brand, Speedo® is passionate about life in and around the water, supporting swimming from beginners through to elite level, including the phenomenal Michael Phelps.  Speedo® is owned by Pentland Brands and distributed in over 170 countries around the world; to find out more visit: www.speedo.com. SPEEDO, the ARROW device, FASTSKIN, LZR PULSE and LZR RACER are registered trademarks of Speedo Holdings B.V. The LZR RACER suit has worldwide design rights and patents pending.

World, European and Commonwealth medallist Liam Tancock has launched a new website so you can keep up-to-date with everything he has been up to.

The site contains his latest news and blog, a photo gallery, a section where you can leave a message for Liam and much more.

Visit www.liamtancock.com to find out more.

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A small British contingent travelled to Montreal to compete in the FINA Diving Grand Prix event to take on some of the world’s best athletes.

Sarah Barrow and Monique McCarroll competed in the women’s 10m Synchro event, taking seventh position with 316.62 points in an event that ran from 1-4 May.

Gold went to Ruo Lin Chen and Xin Wang of China, with Mellisa Wu and Briony Cole (Australia) with Canadian pairing Emile Heymans and Marie-Eve Marleau taking silver and bronze respectively.

Rebecca Gallantree came fourth in her respective semi-final in the women’s 3m Springboard, finishing with a score of 303.00.

Louise Van Hoof also competed in the same event and came 18th with 250.75.

Stacie Powell featured in the women’s 10m Platform and came 17th with a score of 276.15

Many of the athletes competing at this Grand Prix event will descend on Sheffield from 24-25 May to take part in the FINA Diving World Series.

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For further details contact Steph West, British Swimming Media Assistant, on 01509 632 236, 07917 876 459 or email stephanie.west@swimming.org

British Swimming is the National Governing Body for Swimming, Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo and Open Water in Great Britain.  It is responsible internationally for the high performance representation of the sport. The members of British Swimming are the three Home Countries national governing bodies of England (Amateur Swimming Association), Scotland (Scottish Amateur Swimming Association) and Wales (Welsh Amateur Swimming Association). British Swimming seeks to enable its athletes to achieve gold medal success at the Olympics, Paralympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games.

About Speedo®
Synonymous with swimwear, the iconic brand celebrates 80 years of dominance creating revolutionary new technologies, designs and innovations.  In the 1920s Speedo® made history with the Racerback: the world’s first non-wool suit. In 2008 Speedo® redefines swimwear again with Fastskin® LZR RACER®  - the fastest and most technologically advanced swimsuit ever created; meanwhile designer collaborations with Comme des Garçons put Speedo® at the cutting edge of design. As the world’s leading swimwear brand, Speedo® is passionate about life in and around the water, supporting swimming from beginners through to elite level, including the phenomenal Michael Phelps.  Speedo® is owned by Pentland Brands and distributed in over 170 countries around the world; to find out more visit: www.speedo.com SPEEDO, the ARROW device, LZR PULSE and LZR RACER are registered trade marks of Speedo Holdings B.V. The LZR RACER suit has worldwide design rights and patents pending.

 

Two of the country’s most promising young swimmers are to tell MPs how their ground-breaking sport apprenticeship is helping to shape their careers.

17-year-olds Andrew Willis and Jenna Turner are taking part in an ‘Apprenticeships Reception’ hosted by the Associate Parliamentary Skills Group at the House of Lords on Wednesday 7 May 2008.

The event will highlight the success of the Advanced Apprenticeship in Sporting Excellence (AASE) – an initiative that aims to meet the needs of young people to achieve sporting excellence as their main career goal while continuing with their education.

The swimmers are just two of the 235 athletes from swimming, diving, synchronised swimming and water polo who are currently involved in the AASE programme. Other success stories from the scheme include swimmers Jemma Lowe and Rebecca Addlington, who have both made the Beijing Games 2008; synchronised swimmers Jenna Randall and Olivia Allison who are also heading to China and divers Jodie McGroarty and Sarah Barrow, who both won gold at the British Championships this year.

Willis and Turner enrolled onto the AASE programme in September 2007 and have attended training camps and workshops as part of the programme.

The overall apprenticeship will be awarded to the swimmers by Skills Active after they have completed three components: a sports specific National Vocational Qualification, a Technical Certificate (made up of a minimum of 780 guided learning hours in qualifications such as GCSEs or BTEC Awards) and Key Skills in Numbers and Communications.

The cross-party event will give politicians the chance to learn about the scheme and try to encourage them to promote the good work of the apprenticeships nationally and within their constituencies. The Amateur Swimming Association’s Chief Executive Officer David Sparkes will also be attending in a strategic role.

And Turner is relishing the chance to talk about her experience with AASE. “It’s a good scheme because it offers a lot of support and you get an extra qualification at the end of it,” she said. “The event at the House of Lords should be good too - I’ve never spoken to politicians before so again this is something new I am doing because of the apprenticeship.”

Turner, who swims and trains at Ealing Swimming Club and is coached by Dave Heathcock, will be representing Great Britain at the World Youth Championships taking place in Mexico in July.  She has already represented Great Britain at the European Championships 2007 and won a silver medal in the Medley Relay. 

Willis, who trains at Bracknell Swimming Club and is coached by his dad Nigel Willis, recently made his first GB selection and will be representing Great Britain in the 200m Breaststroke at the European Junior Championships taking place in Serbia in July. 

ASA National Education Officer Michelle Kiff said: “The feedback from the athletes about the programme has been really good and it will be great to get that message across to the MPs because they are the ones who can help to support the scheme and also make local employees and universities aware of the apprenticeship so they can recognize it as a qualification.”

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For further details contact Sharon Rose, Amateur Swimming Association PR Manager, on 01509 632 262, 07876 652318 or email sharon.rose@swimming.org

The Amateur Swimming Association is the English National Governing Body for Swimming, Diving, Water Polo, Open Water, and Synchronised Swimming. It organises competition throughout England, establishes the Laws of the Sport and operates comprehensive certification and education programmes for Teachers, Coaches and Officials as well as its renowned Learn To Swim Awards scheme. The ASA supports 1,220 affiliated swimming clubs through a National/Regional/County structure. The ASA aims to ensure everybody has an opportunity to learn to swim.
www.britishswimming.org

About Speedo®
Synonymous with swimwear, the iconic brand celebrates 80 years of dominance creating revolutionary new technologies, designs and innovations.  In the 1920s Speedo® made history with the Racerback: the world’s first non-wool suit.  In 2007 the legacy continues with the launch of Fastskin® FS-PRO - the fastest and most powerful lightweight suit on the market - and with Speedo®’s acclaimed designer collaborations with Comme des Garçons. As the world’s leading swimwear brand, Speedo® is passionate about life in and around the water, supporting swimming from beginners through to elite level.  Speedo® is owned by Pentland Brands and distributed in over 170 countries around the world; to find out more visit: www.speedo.co.uk

About AASE
AASE is a Government funded initiative that has been designed to meet the needs of young people (aged 16-18) who have the realistic potential to achieve excellence in their sport and are seeking to perform at the highest level as their main career goal, whilst continuing with their education.  Notionally taking two years to complete, the AASE framework will provide for the first time a structured national training and development route across all sports for talented young athletes, many of whom may go to represent their country on the world stage.

 

 

Cassandra Patten took to the water again today after qualifying for the Beijing Olympics in the 10km event at the weekend.

The Stockport Metro swimmer claimed the silver medal to qualify in the 10km for the Beijing Olympics in Open Water – the first time the event has featured at the Games.

Patten was joined by Charlotte Woolliscroft in the women’s 5km event today, finishing in 31st position with a time of 1:02:34.2.

17 year-old Woolliscroft touched home in 1:01.27.7 to finish ten places ahead of Patten in what was a strong field.

In the men’s event, Daniel Fogg took on the likes of Thomas Lurz in the 5km swim. He came 20th in 55:36.3.

The events bring Britain's campaign in Spain to an end, with Cassandra Patten, Keri-Anne Payne and David Davies all posting the qualification results needed in the 10km event to make the Beijing Olympic squad in open water swimming.

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The squad comprised:

Cassandra Patten (Stockport Metro)
Kerri-Anne Payne (Stockport Metro)
Charlotte Woolliscroft (Shiverers)
David Davies (City of Cardiff)
Alan Bircher (Bath University)
Daniel Fogg (Waltham Forest)

For further details contact Steph West, British Swimming Media Assistant, on 01509 632 236, 07917 876 459 or email stephanie.west@swimming.org

British Swimming is the National Governing Body for Swimming, Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo and Open Water in Great Britain.  It is responsible internationally for the high performance representation of the sport. The members of British Swimming are the three Home Countries national governing bodies of England (Amateur Swimming Association), Scotland (Scottish Amateur Swimming Association) and Wales (Welsh Amateur Swimming Association). British Swimming seeks to enable its athletes to achieve gold medal success at the Olympics, Paralympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games.

About Speedo®
Synonymous with swimwear, the iconic brand celebrates 80 years of dominance creating revolutionary new technologies, designs and innovations.  In the 1920s Speedo® made history with the Racerback: the world’s first non-wool suit. In 2008 Speedo® redefines swimwear again with Fastskin® LZR RACER®  - the fastest and most technologically advanced swimsuit ever created; meanwhile designer collaborations with Comme des Garçons put Speedo® at the cutting edge of design. As the world’s leading swimwear brand, Speedo® is passionate about life in and around the water, supporting swimming from beginners through to elite level, including the phenomenal Michael Phelps.  Speedo® is owned by Pentland Brands and distributed in over 170 countries around the world; to find out more visit: www.speedo.com SPEEDO, the ARROW device, LZR PULSE and LZR RACER are registered trade marks of Speedo Holdings B.V. The LZR RACER suit has worldwide design rights and patents pending.

The May 2008 edition of Wavelength, the Amateur Swimming Association's official newsletter is now available online.

To view this edition, or previous editions, please CLICK HERE.

St George’s Hospital in London is conducting a study into how the menopause affects swimming performance and training.

The hospital is asking for women, who are going through the menopause, to take part in an online survey that will take 5-10 minutes and will be completely confidential. It will be analysing how the menopause has affected your training and whether it has had any impact on your performance.

The link to the survey is: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=nVxqyPHchKrtlQxTxBWExA_3d_3d

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Masters Swimming in Luxembourg is a relatively new sport. Started by Olaf Chalmer in 1992 it has grown quickly and for several years Oldies de Lux have run an open International Masters Meet each October.

The meet has become more popular recently and within the past few years the event has moved from a 25 m pool in Dudelange, to a 50m pool in Luxembourg.

This years meet was held at Piscine du Campus Geesseknäppchen in the school 50m, 10 lane pool, plus a 25m swim down pool. The event attracted swimmers from 90 clubs across Europe, including Holland, Denmark, Germany, France, England and Switzerland.

English swimmers include clubs from London and the West Midlands. Anne Bourne from Camp Hill Edwardians took the British Record, 50-54 age group in the 800m freestyle. Jane Asher, Christine Goodair, Jackie Patel, (Kings Cormorants) Hayley Bettinson, Kate Chase (Camp Hill Edwardians) and Lesley Cook (Romford) all won medals.
 
The meet is well run and not too costly to go to. Accommodation is available at the school- all you need to do is bring your sleeping bag and a lilo as you can sleep in the gym, for a small fee. Breakfast is also available, as was a very substantial lunch for 10 euros per person. On Saturday evening a small party for swimmers took place.

Relay teams were awarded bottles of Luxembourg Cremant ( a local sparkling wine) and the Swiss team from Aquatic Masters, Zurich were very successful, going home with at least eight bottles. I heard that they had a good train journey home!

I would recommend this meet to those who have not competed abroad before as it is friendly, not too large and you get to swim in an excellent pool! Entry fees are reasonable and include a programme. Another bonus is that all the announcements were in English, so no language worries. Next year’s meet is on the 17-19th October 2008.

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Written by Kings Comorants swimmer Christine Goodair

British Swimming is the National Governing Body for Swimming, Diving, Synchronised Swimming, Water Polo and Open Water in Great Britain.  It is responsible internationally for the high performance representation of the sport. The members of British Swimming are the three Home Countries national governing bodies of England (Amateur Swimming Association), Scotland (Scottish Amateur Swimming Association) and Wales. (Welsh Amateur Swimming Association)  British Swimming seeks to enable its athletes to achieve gold medal success at the Olympics, Paralympics, World Championships and Commonwealth Games.

About Speedo®
Synonymous with swimwear, the iconic brand celebrates 80 years of dominance creating revolutionary new technologies, designs and innovations.  In the 1920s Speedo® made history with the Racerback: the world’s first non-wool suit.  In 2007 the legacy continues with the launch of Fastskin® FS-PRO - the fastest and most powerful lightweight suit on the market - and with Speedo®’s acclaimed designer collaborations with Comme des Garçons. As the world’s leading swimwear brand, Speedo® is passionate about life in and around the water, supporting swimming from beginners through to elite level.  Speedo® is owned by Pentland Brands and distributed in over 170 countries around the world; to find out more visit: www.speedo.co.uk