THE NAIRN STORY OUR GROWTH
THE STARTING POINT
Took over as Head Coach, March 2007 – “please restore the competitive ethos of our club” An era of ‘fun, fitness and friendship’ had led to a lack of thrust in swimmer development with no obvious structure to squads and lanes. It wasn’t dreadful but there was work to be done!
Getting priorities right! • • • • •
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Defined roles – job descriptions. Finances – income generation with fundraising. Communications with members – website, email, newsletters. Ladder of progression/squad criteria and structure/programme outline published on the website - a ‘defensible’ programme. Agreed development plan – coach driven.
Some early challenges – pool closures for maintenance and threatened permanent closure due to regional council financial cut backs! I learned how to ‘campaign’ and got on the TV!
Committee. •
I’ve been lucky with solid committee backing.
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People in positions that add value - maintaining this isn’t easy – succession planning is vital!
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Appropriate knowledge and skills - finance, business, management, emotional intelligence, good communication.
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Managing ‘dynamics’! Feedback mechanism on website for addressing concerns early.
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Leadership – head coach has ‘benevolent control’! This bit was scarily easy at first but becoming harder as we get more successful!!
Coach recruitment and education. • • • • • • • • •
Good recruitment practice – keep the children safe! Aim for a quality programme - expect high standards. Advertise if you can’t recruit what you want from within parent cohort - local paper, volunteering groups. Persistent searching has enabled us to develop an excellent land based programme with a qualified trainer. Coach Personal Development Plan’s. CPD events, at no cost to the coach – only their time. Licensing – this is hard!! Input from experienced coaches – club visits from Alan Lynn. Remember disability swimmers!
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Achieved in March 2011.
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Used as the main developmental framework to a swimmer centred safe programme.
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Now well on the way to swiMark plus.
Member generation.
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Market the club – posters, flyers. Brand special events – professional design but involve the kids. Swim Camp – upper end lesson programme targeted – before they are ‘lost’. Using the Olympics – BBC Sport branded taster sessions – register with BBC ‘Things To Do’. Regular newspaper articles of club results - with photos – the kids love it! Word of mouth! Swim School – joined up working with Highlife Highland lesson programme is in the planning stage.
Swimmer development and retention.
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Personal Development Planning – regular meetings with parents and swimmers. Personalise their programme, encourage swimmer to take ownership. Follow LTAD! World Class 200m IM programme – evidence based skills and drills. Encourage disability swimmers! Recognising effort e.g. swimmer of the month. Achievement awards – either for time banded swims or effort. Financial help for swimmers at the ‘sharp end’ of training and competing.
CELEBRATE ACHIEVEMENT
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Yearly awards night and disco - achievement award certificates – shows development year on year - everyone goes home with one – and if they’re not there it is given later!
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Criteria driven awards: Club Champion, Medley Champion, Pride of the Club. Squad specific awards. Endeavour and volunteering awards.
Swimmer retention for the ‘wobbly’ years!
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Level 1 teacher/coach training – most really enjoy input to the younger swimmers. Saltire volunteering awards – CV development. Links with sports leadership initiatives and Duke of Edinburgh awards. Club volunteer of the year award.
Enhancing the programme.
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Member club of Highland Swim Team (HST) – improves access to pool time. Involved in training day/camp initiatives e.g. David Carry, Caitlin McClatchey visits to Highland. Linking in with others – joined up working and supporting each other – we are all Scotland! Sourcing expertise for the swimmers and coach development – Alan Lynn visits. Be creative!
WHERE WE ARE NOW! Club is ‘maturing’. • • • • • • • • • •
Club records broken – in their ‘masses’ initially but still happening! The swimmers coming through are breaking records from the year before! Doing well at regional competitions – little ones too but we ‘nurture’ them - I don’t get too excited by early success and always link to what they do in the pool! Swimmers making DRP for the last 5 years. Toughening criteria hurts! Senior Bronze swimmer last year. Disability swimmer in DSE Senior Squad. Swimmers being selected for stroke camps. Swimmers regularly participating in HST National and Junior Development Squads. Swimmers making Scottish National competitions – and medalling. Handing swimmers over to higher level programmes e.g. University teams.