Barrow ASC provides swimming facilities for children who have attained NPTS Level 3, for developing swimmers, for age group swimmers and swimmers of national standard.

The club aims to provide an atmosphere where swimming is an enjoyable and sociable experience.

The Coaches

The head coach is Keith Minnican. Coaching duties are shared between all our coaches. Each squad has its own coaching co-ordinator. They are:

A Development squad - Keith Minnican

A squad - Keith Minnican

B squad - Brendan Warriner

C squad - Paul Yates

D squad - Paul Yates

Dolphins - Alan Heaton

All of the coaching staff are volunteers who give up their time freely to work with the swimmers. The coaches are assisted by poolside helpers, consisting of parents whose assistance is invaluable.

The other coaches are:

Andrew Dawson	Sonja Foster
Mandy Jefferson	Nicola Kavanagh
Neil Kerr	Eamonn McCracken
Kirk Minnican	Tracey Reid
Alison Sharpe	Mandy Steele
Kevin Thompson	Julie Wren

Parent helpers:

Maureen McBratney	Paul Eacott
Dave Ellis

The coaches' list of qualifications

Coaches' picture gallery

View current squad times & coaching rota

Training Squads

Squad System Explained

Squad Structure

Joining the club

Information pack for new members - ( as issued April 2007, MS Word Format 76Kb) - This contains the training squads information included on these pages.

In an attempt to be an all-encompassing swimming club, Barrow ASC carry out evaluations on individual abilities. Trials are held on the last Sunday in every month (during school term) at 4:30 pm. If the Club is full at any time, a waiting list will be in operation. For further details please contact Mandy Steele on 813288 or email (address at the bottom of the page).

Medical Form (MS Word 2003 or pdf format) - The club are required to hold medical and emergency contact details of all swimmers. These details will be stored securely. Please give the completed form to one of the coaches.

Standing Order Mandate (MS Word 2003 format)

Current squad fees

After the evaluation (trial) the parent/s and child/ren will be advised of the most suitable course of action to allow the child to progress and develop his/her swimming skills.

All squad movements are in line with the following policy, provided that there is room to accommodate the swimmer in the next squad.

Squad Movement Criteria

Barrow ASC consists of the following sections and a description of the structure of each is detailed below:

DOLPHINS:

SUNDAY 4.30pm – 5.15pm Beginners/Improvers/Capables

The Dolphins section of the Club is aimed at children from the age of six years onwards and we take swimmers who have attained Level 3 of the National Plan for Teaching Swimming (NPTS). This involves teaching them the basic principles of swimming e.g. getting confidence in the water, teaching the child to swim and hopefully increasing their ability.

After initial basic water training, children work through the sections from Beginners, through Improvers to Capables, in linne with the NPTS.

When children reach the required standard in the Capable stage (deep end), at the discretion of the coach, will be considered for squad D (dependent on ability):

‘D’ SQUAD:

WEDNESDAY 4.30 – 5.35pm
SATURDAY 5.15 – 6.15pm

Total Training Time – 2 hrs

D Squad is the first stage of entry into competitive swimming and is aimed at children between the ages seven to eleven. The objectives of the group are to teach children the mechanics of the four strokes, how to do starts and turns, what the flags are for, and to swim in teams.

The swimmers are reminded that at this stage poolside discipline is of paramount importance. The swimmers are expected to have been to the toilet, showered and to be on the poolside, ready to swim with their hats, goggles and flippers with them, (flippers may be used to increase the swimmers’ leg kick and to aid in giving confidence in stroke work).

‘C’ SQUAD:

WEDNESDAY 4.30 – 5.35pm
THURSDAY 8.15 - 9.00pm
SATURDAY 5.15 – 6.15pm

Total Training Time – 2 hrs 45 mins

C Squad are those members of D squad who are trialling for B squad. Swimmers attend normal D squad sessions plus the B squad session on a Thursday evening where they will use one lane of the pool. Transfer to B squad full-time is at the discretion of the coaches

Again the swimmers are reminded about discipline. In particular they should have attended the toilet, showered and be on the poolside complete with their hat, goggles and flippers or hand paddles before the allotted start time. The swimmers should be courteous and polite to the coaches and each other and should show respect in the lane to other swimmers.

‘B’ SQUAD:

MONDAY 7.15pm – 8.15pm
TUESDAY 7.15pm – 8.15pm
THURSDAY 8.15pm – 9.00pm
SUNDAY 5.15pm - 6.30pm

Total Training Time – 4 hrs

B Squad continues to promote good technique with the swimmers taking more responsibility for their individual application, but with increased workload and pool time.

The swimmers should be courteous and polite to the coaches and each other. They should show respect in the lane to other swimmers.

‘A’ SQUAD:

WEDNESDAY 5.30pm – 7.30pm
FRIDAY 7.30pm – 9.45pm
SUNDAY 6.30pm – 9.00pm

Total Training Time – 6 hrs 45 mins

'DEVELOPMENT' SQUAD:

MONDAY 6.30 to 8.15pm
TUESDAY 6.30 to 9.00pm
WEDNESDAY 5.30 to 7.30pm
FRIDAY 7.30 to 9.45pm
SUNDAY 6.30 to 9.00pm

Total Training Time – 11 hrs

Each swimmer is expected to attend as many training sessions, for which they are eligible, as possible.

Obviously, we don’t expect swimmers to train when sick, injured, or they have other commitments, however, missed sessions (unless previously discussed with the treasurer), still have to be paid for due to the cost of hiring the pool.

The swimmers are expected to be punctual, on the poolside 5 minutes prior to the start of the session, ready to swim.

PLEASE REMEMBER we do NOT expect swimmers to attend training if the swimmer is feeling unwell or carrying an injury.

If chosen to represent the Club in any competition, the swimmer is expected to comply with this request, unless they have a good reason not to.

It is an ASA rule that competitive clubs keep records of all swimmers times. To comply with this Barrow ASC hold galas called "CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS" five times a year and for this reason it is expected that all squad swimmers will attend. See Club Championships.

Galas Information

Club Championships

Cumbria Age Group Galas

Dave Coulson Memorial Gala

Useful Information

Guide to Galas

Additional Information

If you require further information regarding any aspect of swimming or water based activity please contact:

Amateur Swimming Association - ASA (Tel: 01509 618700)
British Long Distance Swimming Association - BLDSA (Tel: 01606 76298)
Masters Swimming (Tel: 01509 230431)
Water Polo - Northern Area (Tel: 0161 8668588)
Synchronised Swimming - Northern Area (Tel: 01772 745091)
Diving - Northern Area (Tel: 0161 4325944)
Aquafit and Babes in water - contact your local swimming pool - Barrow (Tel: 01229 871146), Dalton (Tel: 01229 463125) or Ulverston (Tel: 01229 584110)
Royal Life Saving Society - RLSS (Tel: 01789 773994) for NPLQ training

You can also find information in the ASA's official publication "Swimming Times" or the ASA's website.

The Institute of Swimming Teachers and Coaches (ISTC) can be contacted for guidance on teaching and coaching practices.