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BERMUDA AMATEUR SWIMMING ASSOCIATION: A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
THE BERMUDA SUN
BASA
A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION OF THE BERMUDA SUN
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Swimming association dives into new era with pool BY AMANDA DALE adale@bermudasun.bm
For more than 80 years, the Bermuda Amateur Swimming Association has taught people how to swim and trained athletes to international standards. Tomorrow, club members will hold a swimathon to raise funds for the charity, from 6am to 6pm. The event also marks the official opening of BASA’s resurfaced pool at the Saltus Grammar School campus.
Inspire The project took two-anda-half months to complete and will provide young athletes and members of the public with a first-class training facility. BASA’s mission statement is: “To inspire and enable the entire Bermuda community to have access to and achieve excellence in aquatics and in life.” “We play a role in all aspects of swimming, from learning how to swim to competitive Olympic swimming,” said Tim Petty, BASA president. “In Bermuda we are surrounded by water so it’s important to teach as many people to learn how to swim as possible, not just for safety but also for health reasons.
‘In Bermuda we are surrounded by water so it’s important to teach as many people to learn how to swim as possible, not just for safety but also for health reasons.’ TIM PETTY
BASA president
“We also aim to help facilitate them to achieve excellence in the sport.” BASA was founded in the 1930’s as a FINA (International Swimming Federation) member, ahead of the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Since then it has taught swimming at every level in Bermuda, from taking those first few strokes to
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TALENT: Lisa Blackburn, a member of Sharks Swim Club, trains with BASA and competes for Bermuda at an international level. She is just one of many talented local swimmers. Olympic qualifying times. In 1981 BASA built its 25-metre pool at Saltus to encourage more children to take up the sport. It has also taught thousands of youngsters to swim through its successful Summer Island and Get Wet programmes. The Summer Island programme attracts up to 400 children each year, age
seven and up. That and the Get Wet programme are usually oversubscribed. Get Wet teaches primary and middle school students how to swim plus water safety over six weeks. The programmes take place twice a year, in the summer holidays and in September. BASA also has four competitive swimming
clubs — Dolphin Swim Club, Harbour Amateur Swimming Club, Sharks Swim Club and Sandys 360. Up to 200 youngsters regularly compete in BASA’s local competitive swimming programme, and have the opportunity to progress into elite athletes through BASA’s Training Programme and the National Training Squad.
From there they can train up to international standards and compete in overseas meets. BASA regularly sends teams to the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) Games, the Caribbean Island Swimming Championships (CISC) and the Central American and Caribbean Confederation (CCCAN) Swimming Championships. It also sends senior teams to the Island, Commonwealth, Pan Am and Olympic Games, and the World Swimming Championships. There are currently 10 swimmers recognized by the Bermuda Olympics Association, two of whom, Kiera Aitken and RoyAllan Burch have competed in Olympic Games. BASA is a non-profit organization run by a Board of Directors, consisting of individuals from member clubs. Aquatics manager and national coach Ben Smith manages the pool and swim programmes, assisted by national coach Richard Goodwin and administrator Lisa Hines. BASA also has a general swimming club for members of the public. The Bermuda Masters Swimming Association promotes See TRAINING, page 36
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TRAINING Continued from page 35 health and fitness among adults, as well as competitive swimming. There are clinics to improve strokes and training, as well as general lane swimming for people of all abilities. Mr Petty said: “The aim
BERMUDA AMATEUR SWIMMING ASSOCIATION: A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION of our organization is, we run it as a pyramid and get as many kids as we can at the base. “We take them right from the start, with classes in learning how to swim and our Get Wet programmes, which we start teaching at age five. “The club memberships tend to start from age eight and up, once you can swim
25 metres in each of the four strokes. “As young people go through the sport, you quickly find out who is good and who wants to race competitively overseas. “The costs of taking people away to swim are high, however. We rely on a grant from Government, and the Bermuda Olympic Association assists us
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tremendously.” He said: “We get sponsorship of our local swim meets through companies, typically Mailboxes, Makin Waves and BEST Shipping. They’ve all been sponsors for a number of years now. “BASA also runs a training camp at Coral Springs, Florida, once a year, where there is also a good swimming meet for the various age groups.” Mr Petty said: “As the governing body of swimming on the island, we get a Government grant but unfortunately this is never enough. “We have to cover our staff, the costs of running the pool (heated in the winter), electricity and maintenance. This is in excess of $2-300,000 a year.
Exercise “The Government grant can only be used for the development of kids, such as taking them away to overseas swim meets. So we raise revenue for the pool through our swimming programmes and club membership fees. “The club members are aged up to about 16, as once they go off to university we tend to lose them. We do have a 41-year-old club swimmer, Lisa Blackburn, but she is an anomaly. “Then there are our Masters club swimmers — people who typically swim for exercise. They swim in the early morning and at lunchtimes, using the pool like a gym. “Our national coach and aquatics manager Ben Smith also runs individual and group classes to improve people’s technique.” BASA leases the land for the pool from Saltus Gram-
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OLYMPIAN: Bermuda’s top swimmer Roy Allan-Burch, right, competing in the 2012 London Olympics. mar School, with whom it also has an agreement for usage. “There’s an inter-school swim meet in the Fall and so for a few weeks beforehand the students use the pool,” said Mr Petty. “We have a peppercorn lease with the school for the land and so they use the pool for about one-anda-half hours a day, for a month.” Tomorrow’s Swimathon will be the fourth such fundraiser of its kind organized by BASA. The swimathons of the previous two years raised $75,000 towards the costs of resurfacing the pool. This year the funds will go towards various BASA programmes. “We do a number of fund-
raising events throughout the year but the Swimathon is our number one fundraiser,” said Mr Petty. “It’s one of the ways by which we reach out to the community at large rather than just the swimming community. The kids each have pledge sheets they take home to their friends and families.” The event also marks the official reopening of the pool and will feature the Saltus Jazz Band and a cocktail reception. “The pool looks great,” said Mr Petty. “We had a ‘soft’ opening in March but are making this Swimathon our gallery reopening. It’s good to have it back. “As an old concrete See TRAINING, page 37
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BASA welcomes Aquatics Centre as boon for sport BY AMANDA DALE
adale@bermudasun.bm
The Bermuda Amateur Swimming Association (BASA) is to work with the new Aquatics Centre in developing more youth swimming programmes. Tim Petty, BASA president, said: “We are working
TRAINING Continued from page 36 pool it was in dire need of repair. It was resurfaced with a product called Diamond Brite, installed by M & M Construction. “We also put a fresh coat of paint in the changing rooms, resurfaced the starting blocks and bought new lanes. We replaced some of the lights with LED lighting, to make them brighter and more energy-efficient. “While the pool was out of service, our swimmers went PETTY to Warwick Academy or Sandys 360 to train.” Mr Petty said up to 250 swimmers use the 25 x 10 metre pool each week. For local swim meets, up to 30 people are needed poolside to ensure competitors swim the correct stroke and complete their turns. Referees are also needed, while individual swimmers’ times are recorded by computer. “We run clinics to train up our officials,” said Mr Petty. “It’s not like a football game where you just
in conjunction with the National Stadium trustees to try to build swimming into an even bigger sport, where we can reach more people and get more schools involved. “At the moment it’s difficult for us (BASA) to get the schools to come out to the pool at Saltus because they
have to drive there. So, having more venues available will make this easier.” The Aquatics Centre has been purpose-built for international competition at the 2013 Island Games in July, but Mr Petty said it would have a long-lasting legacy for local sport. It will provide the first
have a referee and a couple of linesmen.” He said BASA actually oversees five disciplines: Swimming; synchronized swimming; diving; water polo; and open water swimming. “BASA is extremely important. The national governing body of any sport has an important role to play in overseeing that sport, and we oversee swimming and aquatics in general.” The organization is crucial to the development of Bermuda’s future athletes. “Swimming is an intense sport and when you get to an international level there’s a lot of early mornings and mileage to be swum,” said Mr Petty. “The peak of the pyramid gets sharp quite quickly. “Right now we have Roy-Allan Burch as our top swimmer. He competed in the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympic Games. Kiera Aitken also competed at the 2008 Olympic Games but has recently retired. “Then in diving we’ve had Katura Horton-Perin-
chief, who competed in the 2004 Athens Olympics.” Ms Horton-Perinchief was the first black woman to compete in diving at an Olympic Games. The BASA pool is open to public membership and has on-site changing and shower facilities. It is located just a few minutes walk north of Hamilton, off Canal Road on the Saltus Grammar School campus. Memberships can be purchased on an annual or monthly rate, or by the session. There are discount rates for seniors and students, and coaching rates of $50 for a one-hour session. The pool is cooled in the summer and warmed in winter to maintain a constant temperature of 78-82 degrees. It is open from 11am-2pm Monday to Friday, and 6am-9am Monday, Wednesday and Friday (but closed on public holidays). ■
50m length Olympic-sized pool on the island and will also have diving platforms and facilities for water polo and synchronized swimming. The BASA pool at Saltus Grammar School, the Warwick Academy and Sandys 360 pool are all 25m in length.
The Aquatics Centre is due to open on May 27 and will be open to the public. “This will enable more people to swim,” said Mr Petty. “It will be run by the National Stadium Trustees and they are hoping to get learn to swim programmes up and running as well.
“They are actively marketing the pool now to the general public and to the clubs, as well as to us for competitive swimming. “Even though we (BASA) are in competition of sorts, this adds another venue for people, and so having See AQUATICS, page 38
FOR MORE INFORMATION on BASA contact 292-1713 or e-mail admin@basa.bm or aquatics.basa@logic.bm. See http://basa.bm.
Glad to be of service, BASA. While you’re in the water... we’ll be taking care of your plumbing.
Congratulations on completing the Saltus pool renovations, and good luck with the Swimathon tomorrow! Best wishes from all of us at the BAC Group.
9 Mill Creek Road Pembroke HM 05 Tel: 441-292-0881 Fax: 441-292-6887 www.bac.bm
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AQUATICS Continued from page 37 more pools on the island also helps us to build up our base.” He said the 50m pool would help to train future champions “up to Olympic standard”. And the facility will also nurture the growth of other aquatic sports, such as water polo and synchronized swimming. “We haven’t had water polo on the island for 20-30 years and there’s never been a formal synchro-
BERMUDA AMATEUR SWIMMING ASSOCIATION: A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION nized swimming team, so with this new pool we are looking forward,” said Mr Petty. “Before, we’ve had divers but not the facilities. Our pool (at Saltus) was too shallow for diving, water polo and synchronized swimming. So now we have somewhere for people to train and the regulation length 30m for water polo.” Mr Petty added: “If anyone wants to start a synchronized swimming programme we would be more than happy to assist.” ■
THE BERMUDA SUN
Training: How BASA is helping BY AMANDA DALE adale@bermudasun.bm
Bermuda has the potential to produce world-class swimmers of the future, thanks to BASA’s training programmes, according to national coach Ben Smith. Mr Smith said: “We have several swimmers now at the CARIFTA level and we
had multiple winners at the CISC championships last year, so we are doing very well in our region. “We also have many swimmers now overseas at prep schools and at the university level. It’s a tribute to our programme that we’ve taken these athletes from seven and eight-yearolds to students now in their twenties who are still swimming at a competitive level.” Mr Smith is a former competitive swimmer who swam for the Sharks Swim Club, the national Bermuda team and then for his college, Springfield College in Massachusetts, US. “When I returned home
from college I started helping out with the Sharks Swim Club and got involved with coaching,” he said. “I then applied for the aquatics manager’s job at BASA and have been working here for eight years now.
Dedication “From a national coach standpoint, I’m really pleased with the dedication of the national team. “With the swimmers we are producing, there is the talent to progress further on the international stage. “They are focused and determined and it’s great to see the work they are
doing. They will be great role models for the next generation to come.” He said: “It’s important to get a new crop of swimmers each year. “We have 28 swimmers currently participating in the BASA Training Programme (from age 10 to late teens). This takes place on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings, and from this we select our overseas competitors for Bermuda. “Most of these swimmers swim five to eight practices a week, plus workouts out of the water. “The training, under national coach guidance, helps to get them to
How parents help to drive the sport
BY AMANDA DALE
adale@bermudasun.bm
BASA is vital to nurturing the talent of young swimmers, but the sport’s survival rests in the hands of parents and volunteers, according to one club president. Nicky DeSilva is the president of Sharks Swim Club and is also secretary of the BASA board of directors. “The Sharks is a competitive club and we strive to take kids from pups to as high as they want to go,” said Mrs DeSilva. “BASA is very supportive of local swimming. It organizes meets and supplies funding for children to go
on overseas trips. It does a good job. “The Sharks train at Warwick Academy but we attend all the local meets and will be attending the Swimathon. “The new pool is a beautiful facility. It looks fantastic.”
Fundraising Mrs DeSilva said: “BASA does a great job but it’s really up to the parents to move swimming forward as a sport. “The renovations are great and we needed them badly but swimming is a volunteer sport, so if you sit on the sidelines it won’t go anywhere.
“Tab Froud, a former president of BASA, has two daughters who swim with us. “He helped to manage BASA’s pool renovations. He organized the resurfacing of the starting blocks, the painting of the changing rooms and helped with the relighting.” Mr Froud, a volunteer project manager, assisted project manager Phil Mason. Mrs DeSilva said: “It’s only the volunteers who can move BASA and swimming forward, because without them, there are no meets or fundraising, so you have to give them kudos.” ■
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BERMUDA AMATEUR SWIMMING ASSOCIATION: A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
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to produce the Olympian athletes of the future Thank you
‘ ...with the number of young swimmers and the good results we’ve been able to get over the last several years, I think BASA has been very successful in moving swimming forward.’
BASA would like to thank the following for their assistance with funding and the renovations of the new pool: ■
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BEN SMITH
National coach
the level of competition they need to be, and the results of the last several years suggests that the programme is leading to some really good results in our region. “Hopefully this will also lead to more swimmers reaching the Olympics. “But we can only do that by having more swimmers at each year age group and pushing them to reach this high level.” Mr Smith also praised BASA’s wider role. “BASA is in charge of not just swimming but all aquatics. There hasn’t been much in the other disciplines but with the new pool (the Aquatics Centre) coming on line, you will be seeing more involvement with other sports. “But with swimming itself, with the number of young swimmers and the good results we’ve been getting over the last several
years, I think BASA has been very successful in moving swimming forward.” The renovations to the pool at Saltus will only assist in this goal, he said. “With a 30-year-old pool made of concrete, it had reached the point where it needed a facelift, and we also needed to make sure the structure was sound.
Safety “So it was an opportunity for us to really get inside the tank and make sure it was sound, which it was. “The resurfacing of the pool also makes it more pleasant to look at. Things had started to erode and the bottom didn’t look as good as we would have liked. “The water was very clean but now the pool is beautiful to look at, and this makes it better for cleaning as well. “With a brand new
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POTENTIAL: CARIFTA gold medallist Jesse Washington is tipped to be a future star. surface you can also make sure the clarity of the water is at a high level. “We repainted the changing rooms and Tab Froud organized getting the starting blocks resurfaced. After a while they start to wear away and so become more slippery. The new surface makes a huge difference in grip for swimmers making starts.” He said: “We also installed new lane lines and lighting. “This was important for safety because when you have the national team and the Masters swimmers both training at 6am in the morning, for most of the year it’s quite dark,
with not enough light. It’s important to make sure people can see where they are going, particularly when diving in, to be safe. “Technology has changed over the years and so now with the LED lights, it looks like it’s light outside when we have them on. “All in all, these changes have made a huge difference to the facility.” Mr Smith stressed that everyone should learn how to swim. “It’s a priority for us at BASA to try to get as many people as possible to learn how to swim. “The idea is to start as young as possible and to get children to learn how to be
safe around the water. “A lot of times, people jump off the dock. But you should know the depth of the water before you do that, and even then, it should be a feet-first venture rather than diving in. “Knowing how to be able to tread water is also important. “Children in Bermuda are around water so much of the time, whether it’s at a swimming pool or the beach, or boating. “Just having the basic ability to keep your head above water to be able to breathe, this is so important to teach.” ■
Frontier Reinsurance Ltd ■ Keen Ltd ■ M&M Construction Ltd ■ Mason and Associates Ltd ■ Saltus Grammar School ■ Tim’s Pools ■ Kitson Group of Companies ■ Zobec Group of Companies ■ Bermuda Air Conditioning (BAC) Ltd ■ Bacardi Ltd ■ Makin Waves ■ Mailboxes Unlimited Ltd ■ BEST Shipping ■ Harbour Amateur Swimming Club ■ Dolphins Swim Club ■ Sharks Swim Club ■ Bermuda Masters Swimming Association ■ Sandys 360 ■ Department of Youth, Sport & Recreation, Government of Bermuda ■ Bermuda Olympic Association ■ Ian Pilgrim of Mayflower Management Services Ltd ■ Jim Ferguson of TOPS Ltd ■ Ian Gordon, architect ■