Out swimmers have the opportunity to compete both as individuals and in team competitions when selected. We therefore thought it would be helpful to provide some clarification about what we expect from swimmers when they are representing Pershore Swimming Club..
At least one of the Pershore coaches will be poolside around 30 minutes before the start of warm-up at both Open Meets and inter-club galas. Please ensure that your swimmer arrives no less than 15 minutes before their allocated warm up starts.
Quite often we don’t know until just before warm-up the order in which we will be warming up and we have had several swimmers miss their warm- up. Immediately on arrival, swimmers should make sure that one of the coaches knows they are present. At some Open Meets we have to sign a form at the start of warm-up to say which of our swimmers are present.
Any swimmers who we note down as absent will be removed by the organisers from all events in that session. Some Open Meets also fine the club for any swimmers who we mark as being present and then they don’t swim. In inter-club competitions we will also reallocate swims if someone isn’t present at the start of warm-up. Any problems or delays en-route to the pool, just send us a text.
It is really important that ALL swimmers report to one of us immediately before they go to marshalling for their event. In most cases we know what a swimmer needs to do to perform better in a particular stroke and/or to avoid being disqualified. We really do want to talk to every swimmer to remind them of this either individually or in a small group before they compete. Just as importantly, we watch each swimmer compete and make notes about their performance including technical faults and split times etc. We need to feed this back to swimmers whilst the swim is still fresh in their mind. It is therefore really important that swimmers come to see one of the coaches for feedback immediately after their event. Please could parents not hijack the swimmers en-route back to us, but let the swimmer get feedback from the coaches first. This is one of the best opportunities we have to give swimmers 1:1 feedback and we must make the most of it.
Please also remember that we will give swimmers honest feedback about their performance. We will be the first to congratulate swimmers on good performances but If we need to be critical we will be. We always make sure that we tailor our criticism to the age/ability of each swimmer and our knowledge of what they can do. The best role parents can play is to be parents and provide a hug, console disappointed children, or celebrate their success.
Previously at inter-club galas, several parents have asked us why their son or daughter can’t leave the pool or at least get changed once they have finished swimming and why we make them stay until the end of the gala. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, if any other swimmer is unable to swim in their event at the last minute (e.g. due to illness or injury) we have to make an immediate substitution. This happens more frequently than you may think. If swimmers have either left or got changed it means we are unable to consider them as an immediate substitute. We also consider it unfair on the swimmers who are competing in later events if they have no support from other Pershore swimmers poolside. In inter-club competitions we enter as a team, compete as a team and support each other as a team.
This is also why for many important inter-club galas , we ask all our swimmers to wait for the final results before leaving poolside so they can applaud the other teams, and give themselves a big cheer – wherever we have finished. On occasions where we know that the results will be delayed we relax this rule but this is in exceptional circumstances.
There are occasions when swimmers may need to leave an Open Meet early and not compete in all the events that they have entered for. Please ensure that we know this so we can remove your swimmer from the start list for these events to avoid us looking for the swimmer, or in some cases a fine being incurred.
Please also let us know if you have decided to not attend an Open Meet that you have entered for – for the same reasons.
For reasons of safety, we need to insist that swimmers stay with the coaches and/or Team Manager unless specific permission has been given for them to go elsewhere. As coaches, we cannot send out search parties looking for swimmers because they are needed at marshalling. Working out how far in advance of an event to send swimmers to marshalling is complex as it depends on both the distance of the previous event and the number of competitors in that event. Sometimes swimmers assume they have half an hour when in fact they only have 5 minutes between races. Swimmers must not go and sit with parents between events.
At Open Meets the information that we are supplied with about who is swimming what is very variable depending on the organisers and we also don’t always have entry details . It is therefore really helpful if your swimmers know what events they are swimming both to allow us to tailor warm-up to those events and to ensure that we don’t make any mistakes when we are looking after upwards of 30 swimmers on some occasions.
Swimmers visiting parents in the spectator gallery
At Open Meets, if a swimmer has swum all their events in a session and they have checked with us if it is OK, then it is fine for them to get dressed and go and sit with their parents or go out for lunch etc.Swimmers should be dressed and completely dry before they enter any public areas.
Swimmers should always be back at least 15 minutes before warm-up for the next session (check with us for the time of warm-up). In club competitions, swimmers should not leave the team area in case we need them to swim again or make last minute changes to who is swimming in what event.
We don’t like these poolside! There is published evidence that swimmers perform less well if they have been glued to a screen before competing. Also, they are expensive and can be broken, lost or stolen. Please don’t bring them, or if your swimmer must bring them please keep them out of sight (and use!) apart from before and after sessions .
Please be reasonable in what food you pack for your swimmers. There is plenty of information about nutrition and hydration on the club website. If you are unclear on what to bring please ask the coaches. As a rule, swimmers should have a good breakfast and them keep themselves topped up with sensible food during the day. Sweets are fine – in moderation, but have to be shared with the coaches!
We always used to wonder why schools are so paranoid about having everything labelled – we now know! Please, please can you label Pershore shirts and drinks bottles. We always come away from galas with at least one or two items of lost property. Anything that we rescue will be on the club desk at the leisure centre for the next training session. Please can you encourage your swimmers to use the bins provided or take rubbish home with them.
(Head Coach)