ASA Swim 21 web link
To find out more about Swim21, what it is about and what it means to the club and it's members just click the logo. Here you will find all the info on what ,where, how and why.
Swim 21 Update
At Club Night on Tuesday 25th March 2008 Jane Roche (Swimming Development Officer for Tees Valley Sport) sat on poolside with Head Coach Fiona Miller, Diving Coach Steve Jackson and Chairman Roy Rossington to review the clubs progress in preparing for Swim 21 accreditation.
"Well done, your right on track" was the encouraging final comment after two and a half hours of questions, answers and advice. We may be "right on track" but there is still a lot to be done over the next 6 weeks or so when we are aiming to present our evidence for review by the Swim 21 panel. Add to this the preparation for the AGM in April and swimming and diving galas almost every weekend as far ahead as we can see and there are a few of us who feel we are eating, sleeping and dreaming DASC at the moment.
Jane also took the chance to talk to committee members and parent volunteers on poolside during her long evening with us. Jane was particularly pleased to meet with Steve Bell, one of our newly appointed Squad Representatives and spent time explaining how and why Tees Valley Sport and Darlington Borough Council are working to support DASC and other local swimming clubs through the Swim 21 process.
The work that Jane Roche is putting in to explain some of the trickier requirements and help us through the process which is Swim 21 is very much appreciated. We are having to address many of the issues that we have known needed addressing for some time and I am confident that we will all see the benefits when we have put the organisational and administrative changes in place.
Roy Rossington
DASC ChairBehind the scenes a lot of work is going on preparing the club to apply formally for accreditation to Swim 21. Fiona Miller is leading the process assisted by a small band of committee members who are pulling together the evidence we will need on the day. But what is Swim 21 and why is Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) suddenly such an issue?
To answer these questions Craig Nicholson - North East Regional Development Officer for the ASA, will be in the Dolphin Centre from 5:30pm to 6:30pm on Sunday 30th March '08 to give a presentation on the aims and benefits of Swim 21 and to explain the importance of LTAD to the club and our swimmers.
All parents are welcome and we would encourage you to come along and take the opportunity to meet Craig who is a senior ASA Officer in the North East, and is doing a great deal to support and help the club through our process of rebuilding.
Regards
Roy DASC take next step towards Swim 21
On Tuesday 19th February Jane Roche (Swimming Development Officer for Tees Valley Sport) visited Club Night to talk to Fiona Miller (Head Coach), Steve Jackson (Head Diving Coach) and members of the committee who are working hard behind the scenes to prepare the club for Swim 21 accreditation.
Jane brought the Action Plan papers that we now need to complete to provide the evidence that we are complying with the requirements of swimming’s top quality system. Fiona and Steve have already put in place many of the requirements to meet the coaching criteria but there is a long way to go in many of the club management procedures and you should start to see the changes around the club as we progressively implement the improvements.
We were hoping to arrange a parent communication meeting this month at which Craig Nicholson (ASA North East Regional Development Officer) was to address the club on the benefits of Swim 21 and the requirement for LTAD (Long Term Athlete Development). Due to a recent family bereavement we have had to re arrange this meeting for the end of March and details will be issued over the next few weeks.
Parents Meeting Sunday 30th March '08
Swim 21 Registration Complete
On Monday 4th Feb 2008 we handed over the Swim 21 Registration documents and the completed internal audits to Craig Nicholson - ASA Regional Development Officer. Not a bad achievement in less than two weeks from the kick off meeting previously reported. A big thank you goes out to the coaches and committee members who shared the workload and to Fiona Miller (Head Coach) for coordinating the effort, collating the information and making sure it was delivered safely.
Next step is for the sub group to meet with Craig and his team again later this month and agree the Action Plan. This will indicate what is required by the ASA to bring all of the DASC systems and management controls up to the standard required for Swim 21. At that point we will know the size of the task in front of us and we can get to work. Darlington Borough Council Sports Department and Tees Valley Swimming are continuing to support the club with professional advice and access to the specialist training courses we will need to ensure we are armed with the latest thinking and qualifications. Once the Action Plan is in place we will try and determine a timetable to complete the actions and keep you informed of our progress via the web site and the club notice board.
For anyone interested in helping with Swim 21 or the running of the Club this is a great time to get involved as we enter a new era and introduce systems that will be new to all of us. If you would be interested being on the committee, a parent helper or a poolside official just contact a committee member at the desk on Club Night or via the "Contacts" page of this web site.
Roy Rossington
Club Chair
Swim 21 Kick Off Meeting
On Wednesday 23rd January 2008 the full committee and the coaching team met in the Town Hall for an introduction to Swim 21 presented by the ASA North East Regional Development Officer Craig Nicholson. Also attending to support Craig and the club was Jane Roche - Swimming Development Officer for Tees Valley Sport, Rebecca Burrows - ASA Diving Development Officer (North) and Paul Foreman - Darlington Sport and Physical Activity Development Officer. The presentation lasted about one hour during which time Craig explained the process of registration, auditing and developing an action plan to bring the club up to the required standard of administration for accreditation.
In order to gain accreditation the club has to have in place a robust management structure that meets all the ASA standards and this ensures that the club is well managed and provides a safe and friendly environment for swimmers to thrive in. All this involves a great deal of work and over the next few weeks the committee will be asking for volunteer members to come along and get involved and help to move this great club onto the next level.
Roy Rossington
Club Chair
DASC is working towards Swim 21 accreditation
Club Chairman Roy Rossington said "For over two years the committee has wanted to commence the process of registering for Swim 21 accreditation and with the arrival of our new Head Coach (Fiona Miller) and assistant Coach (Glen Fenby) we are now in a position to move forward and ensure that our organisation complies with the latest "best in class" standards as required by the ASA. Over the next few weeks we are meeting with experts from the ASA regional offices and they will be advising and supporting us through this demanding process"
Swim 21 is the ASA's Club Development model - a planning tool, based on the principles of Long Term Athlete Development, enabling clubs to help athletes, teachers, coaches and administrators to achieve their full potential. It focuses particularly on the needs of athletes - striving to provide them with the best possible support and environment. Accreditation is a 'Quality mark'. It recognises nationally and regionally the clubs that are committed to providing safe, effective and quality services for the benefit of their members.