Blog 502: AGM Notice

The AGM will be held at West Park Leisure Centre on Friday, 27th November, starting at 7:45pm.

Full details and nomination forms are available on the Notice Board at West Park.

John Hidle
Hon. Secretary.

Blog 501: Notice of Important Meetings

J1, J2, and J3 Squad Parents' Meeting

Thursday 12th November, 8:10pm Curzon Room (West Park)

The following items will be discussed:

• Changes to training during the closure of West Park
• Procedure for entering competitions
• Changes to training to commence January 2010, including details of additional evening training time for J3
• A brief explanation of Long Term Athlete Development, and the types of training needed in each group for long term success
• An opportunity for parents to ask questions

Coaches Meeting

Thursday 19th November, 8:10pm Curzon Room (West Park)

The following items will be discussed:

• Confirmation of training during the closure of West Park, including coaching cover of each session
• Coaches' recommendations for squad movements. Can all lead coaches please complile a list of their recommendations. Other coaches / helpers should submit their recommendations to Ian Bexon (Development), Sue Wilmot (J1), Greg Cherry (J2), Me (J3 & Elite) and Spencer (Senior) before this meeting

Please make every effort to attend the above meetings.

Blog 500: Presentation Evening

Please support the Presentation Evening On Saturday November 7th at Chicago's, on Westgate, Long Eaton. There are awards for every swimmer who competed in the Club Championships.

Pay at the door. 7pm for 7:30 prompt start.

Blog 499: National League Round 2 - Saturday 14th November 2009

A Team - Bus 4:45pm Prompt from WP - Nuneaton

The following swimmers have confirmed their availability to swim:

Oliver Davidson, Simon Barnatt, Matthew Groves, Gabriel Calland, Ryan Cendrowski, George Severn, Mischa Menzies, Ben Jackson, Alistair Groves, Jacob Shaw, Greg Cherry, Callum Henley, Steve Barratt, Sam Parker, Elle Pryce, Chantelle Ridgway, Connie Jackson, Amy Hawthorn, Jo Parker, Tyler Black, Alex Brown, Katherine Wheddon, Beatrice Roberts, Jess Walker, Kelly Towle, Aimee Baxter, Ellis Middleton, Helen Akers, Livi Sefton, Becky Fox

The following swimmers have not yet confirmed whether they are able to swim, please email me as soon as possible:

Chloe Scattergood, Katie Elcock

B Team - Warm Up 5:30pm - Ilkeston

The following swimmers have confirmed their availability to swim:

Oliver Severn, Will Barker, George Barker, Alex Baxter, Joshua Langfield, Joshua Hawthorn, Joshua Halford, Jacob Hunt, Nathan James, Joe Heffernan, Matthew Knott, Andy Noyes, Ian Frearson, Adam Dundas, Sam Burton, Imogen Marshall, Lydia Marshall, Maria Wood, Bethany Sharples, Francesca Harris, Bethany Sharples, Jess Thorpe, Molly Sheehan, Chloe Tipping, Alice Allsop, Hatty Barker, Laura Marinelli, Liz Simpson, Emma Keeton, Kate Williamson

The following swimmers have not yet confirmed whether they are able to swim, please email me as soon as possible:

Joe Wheelhouse, Olivia Duckworth, Paige Cantrell

Please email me as soon as possible if you have not yet confirmed your availability.

If you have not been selected, but would like to swim, please let me know also, as there may be some spaces in the B team due to the large number of withdrawals.

Blog 498: Bonfire Night

Please note that there will be no training for Development, Junior 1 and Junior 2 Squads on Thursday 5th November. This is due to West Park being inaccessible, and to feedback from swimmers that the vast majority are planning not to attend. The Masters' session will continue unaffected. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Blog 497: OCTOBER SQUAD FEES

IMPORTANT NOTICE RE OCTOBER FEES

It is very disappointing to note from our bank statements that a substantial number of parents and swimmers have failed to submit their new Standing Order mandates to their bank, resulting in incorrect October monthly fees.To rectify this situation would parents and swimmers please arrange to pay any underpayment by cheque to the Club Treasurer Graham Meadows as soon as possible and furthermore ensure that the mandate is forwarded to their bank immediately so that the correct November fees are paid.

Graham Meadows (Treasurer)

Blog 496: Belper Open Meet

Long Eaton swimmers emerged from the Belper Marlin Open Meet with an impressive haul of trophies and medals.

The gala held at Derby’s Queens St pool, gave the swimmers a chance to gauge their early season form in a competitive environment. Leading the way was 13yr old Katherine Wheddon who powered home to win the 100m breaststroke. She also gained two second place trophies and a medal for a sixth place. Matthew Groves was also in fine form in the 11yr old boys events, gaining a silver and three bronze positions as well as a 4th place medal. Joshua Halford also enjoyed success in the 13yrs old boys races. Having gained place medals in three events Josh produced his best performance in the his final event, gaining a bronze position in the 100m freestyle race.

Nine year old training partners Connie Jackson and Imogen Marshall seemed to have their own private battle to see who could finish the day with the most trophies. Connie gained three silver and one bronze trophy as well as medals for two 5th positions. Imogen’s haul included three bronze trophies and medals for finishing in 5th and 6th position in the 100m IM & 200m freestyle respectively. Connie’s 14yrs old brother Ben was also in sparkling form finishing the day with a silver and two bronze trophies in the very tough 14yrs and Over age group. Completing the list of medal winners for top six positions were 9yrs old Josh Bestwick (four 6th position medals); 12yrs old Joe Heffernan (three 5th position medals) and 11yrs old Bethanie Dennis gained 5th place in the 50m breaststroke.

Mention should also be given to the other swimmers who competed, namely Beth Sharples, Alistair Groves, Katie Tew, Lucy Heffernan, Owen Morris, Kathryn Parsons and Emily Rogerson. They all gained valuable racing experience and many of them smashed their personal best times in a number of events.

Thanks to Bob Cherry for producing this meet report, and to Paul Wheddon and Bob for their help on poolside on Sunday.

Blog 495: Long Course Training, Sunday 15th November 2009

This Session is open to swimmers attending the Derbyshire Long Course Championships at the end of November. The club has booked 5 Long Course lanes at Loughborough University, and all eligible swimmers are expected to make every effort to attend at the following times:

4-5pm – Development & Junior 1 Squads
5-6pm – Junior 2 Squad
4-6pm – Junior 3, Senior & Elite Squads

The following sessions will also take place on this date at West Park (for swimmers not attending the session at Loughborough):

5-6pm West Park – Development Squad
6-7pm West Park – Junior 1, 2 and 3 Squads

All other squad sessions at West Park and QLC sessions are cancelled. Please note that all Learn to Swim sessions on this date are unaffected.

Blog 494: National League Round 2 - Saturday 14th November

A Team - Nuneaton - Warm Up 6pm - Bus 4:45pm

B Team - Ilkeston - Warm Up 5.30pm

Teamsheets have been on the WP notice board for the past couple of weeks - please confirm your availability by the end of the week if you have not already done so. The A Team currently lie 13th in the league (higher than last year's finish), and have a tough round draw, including City of Derby, so please ensure you attend. Swimmers are reminded that these league dates have been on the blog for the past year, and that all swimmers in the competitive squads are expected to attend a minimum of 75% of team competitions for which they are selected.

Blog 493: CHESTERFIELD OPEN - ENTRIES DUE THIS WEDNESDAY

There are still a number of swimmers who have not submitted entries for the Chesterfield Open in December. This is a focus meet for J2, J3, and the majority of Senior and Elite Squads. Entries for J3 and Senior Squads are particularly low, with just one swimmer entering from each.

All swimmers received a competition plan at the start of the season, outlining all key meets. Competitions have been carefully selected to fit in with your training plan. YOU are responsible for submitting entries to meets on this plan.

All entries for the Chesterfield Open should be submitted to Angela Hidle by this Wednesday (tomorrow).

Blog 492: Poolside Shirts

We have 12 of the new poolside shirts left over in stock ready for overprinting. If anyone would like one of these ordering in time for the Derbyshire Sprints please contact Andy Baxter asap. andy@centralcolour.co.uk. These are the last shirts that will cost £15. (After this they will be made to order and will cost £18). There are still 4 shirts ready to collect from the first order and several still to be paid for. Please could those still to pay contact Andy Baxter asap. Thank you.

Blog 491: Etwall Masters and Derbyshire Championships

Anyone who hasn't entered the above meet but still wants too, please can you email Catherine Stray on strays55@hotmail.com. The Etwall meet managers have decided to allow email entries due to the impending postal strike. Please send her your name, asa number, d.o.b., event and entry times and she will forward them on. Then please give her your official entry form with the appropriate payment and she will take them to the organiser. She will be at Trent on Tuesday 27th and Friday 30th, and West Park on 28th to collect them. Please remember that this event includes the Derbyshire County Masters Championships.

Blog 490: Derbyshire Sprints

The draft programme is now available. To see it
click here

If you have any queries about your entry please contact me.

Blog 489: Double Gold for Helen at Masters Nationals

Helen Akers took 3 medals in the ASA Masters SC National Championships at Sheffield this weekend. After winning the 200m Free on Saturday, Helen followed this up with Silver and Gold in the 50 and 100m Freestyle respectively.

There were also bronze medals for Elizabeth Simpson in the 100m Butterfly and Catherine Stray in the 200m Backstroke.

For full results click here. Congratulations to all the Long Eaton swimmers who took part.

Blog 488: Swine Flu

Swine Flu is coming into the News again, and the club needs to be prepared to deal with it.
Detailed advice can be found by following the links on the ASA web-site http://www.britishswimming.org/

In summary:
If you suffer flu-like symptoms, you should not come training.
If you suffer flu-like symptoms during training, you should tell the Coach, get out, get changed, and make arrangements to go home as soon as possible. Adopt good hygene practice, avoiding close contact with others.
Do not return to training until the symptoms have cleared - typically five days after first appearing.

The picture is changing daily as the vaccine has now become available. Please keep up to date with Government advice.

Blog 487: West Park Closure

Following a notice appearing at West Park announcing the pool closure, I have received a number of enquiries about training arrangements during this period. The pool will close for 3-4 weeks from 23rd November. Angela and I have already begun contacting pools and other clubs in the area to make alternative training arrangments, and I am confident that there will be little (hopefully no) drop in training hours during this period. Please continue to check the blog regularly for updates on this matter.

Blog 486: Changes to Sessions Sunday 25th October 2009

Due to the 800m Club Champs and Belper Open Meet taking place, there will be no training for Junior 2, Junior 3, Senior and Elite Squads on this date. Development, Junior 1 and Learn to Swim (apart from the 7-8pm session) are unaffected.

Blog 485: URGENT: Competition Entries

For the past 2 seasons over 70 Long Eaton swimmers have entered the Derbyshire Sprints competition, and this season we were expecting to beat this.

However, as of this morning Angela has received only 27 entries. This is extremely disappointing, as ALL swimmers age 9 and over in Development, J1, J2, J3, Elite and Seniors Squads are expected to enter this meet. Angela needs entries by THIS WEDNESDAY, so please get your entry to her urgently. With questions on how to enter please email Angela.

Swimmers and parents, please remember that it is your responsibility to submit your entries on time for the key competitions outlined in the competition plan which I have produced for you. That said, can coaches, helpers and committee members please remind swimmers to submit their entries at every session this week.

Note that entries for the Chesterfield & Leeds focus meets are also due, so why not submit all entries together so its out of the way!

Blog 484: J2 SWIMMERS

If you were at the Trent College sessions this evening (Sunday October 18th), please check you have the correct float ( Triboard float). Josh Bestwick appears to have picked up the wrong one.

Please make sure all your equipment and Club shirts, etc., are named or marked so that you can identify them as yours!

Blog 483: 1500m & 800m information

The 1500m competition is Saturday October 24th at West Park - warm up 6.45pm and open to all male and females 11 & over years of age. Certificates for all competitors will be awarded at the Presentation Evening, November 7th

The 800m Time Trials on Sunday October 25th at West Park, warm up 7pm. will be for all the Elite & Senior Squad swimmers instead of training. All other swimmers 10 years and over are welcome to attend too. This is an opportunity to get times to enter the Derbyshire Competitions next Spring.

All swimmers must email Angela Hidle by this Tuesday 20th October if they intend to swim the 1500m. All Elite Squad swimmers are expected to enter both events, while swimmers in Junior 2, Junior 3, and Senior Squads should enter at least one of the distances.