Junior Development Work

Over the past year we have run several junior swimming development days in different parts of the country. At the last one in Featherstone, West Yorkshire we tried something new. In the morning Jill Stidever, CP Sport Swimming Co-ordinator, presented a workshop ‘Disability in the Pool’ and ‘Pathways for Swimmers with Disabilities’ aimed at existing swimming teachers / coaches. In the afternoon there were two swimming sessions for the children during which the participants from the morning workshop were able to gain some practical experience.

The day proved to be a great success and a positive outcome from the day is that Featherstone pool are now forming a disability swimming club.

Another encouraging result from our development days is that we had 10 very promising new young swimmers enter the national swimming gala this year, several of whom won medals. This is tremendous news for CP swimming.

There are plans to run at least three more similar days this year along with a junior gala in October in Staffordshire and possibly one in the south later in the year. We would love to do more but everyone has so many other commitments it is really difficult to find free dates.

On a personal note, I would like to take this opportunity thank Jill Stidever, Anna Levan, Rebecca Gilbertson, Jane Stidever, Caroline Read and Neil Smith for their help and support with the junior swimming development work we have been doing during the past couple of years.

National Gala 2007.

There was a good entry this year in the national gala with several new young faces as well as many of our loyal senior swimmers, including some of those from the Great Britain squad. It is a wonderful opportunity for the young ones too have the chance to swim against such great opposition; they can only gain from the experience.

With 35 events on the programme there were some terrific results including 19 new records!

Record breakers this year were; Sarah Timms, Jan Langton, Stephen Gordon, Craig Dewart all setting one new record each, Sophie Grant-Brown setting two, Zoe Cain setting three, James Whale a fabulous four and Zoe Clayton and Ryan Crouch setting a fantastic five each!! (one each at Sheffield)

During the gala the there are two awards made. The first being ‘The Swimmer of the Year’ which went to Nyree Lewis for yet another terrific years swimming. Well done Nyree!

The second award is the ‘Andrew Stubbs Award’ presented on the day by Mr and Mrs Stubbs to William Holland-Leavens for his determination in working towards his goal of making the GB team while working and supporting the CP squad.
Congratulations William!

See the full set of results and records.

From 2008, IPC classification will be adopted for the CP Sport National Gala.

In 2005 CP ISRA took the decision to no longer use their own classification system for the 2005 World Games in Connecticut USA and for subsequent CP ISRA swimming events. This decision no longer leaves a pathway for our swimmers to progress beyond our own national gala in competition using CP ISRA classification. CP ISRA swimming events, few as there were, were the only other competitions where people with cerebral palsy could compete using their own disability specific classification.

This decision for change within our own event has not been made lightly, but if we are to move forward and give our swimmers the best possible chance to progress we have to go with this decision.

2006 successes..... Firstly, congratulations must go to the swimmers who competed in the IPC World Championships in Durban in the summer. There were 9 CP swimmers in total in the British Team, once again bringing back medals. Well done to all who competed, we are very proud of your achievements.

In May a team of 13 swimmers travelled to Belgium to compete in the IPC sanctioned Belgian Open Swimming Championships bringing back a host of medals between them. Once more flying the flag for CP Sport and making us all proud.

The team travelled out on the Friday lunchtime by Eurostar, later that afternoon the phone rang in the office and it was Jill, she was ringing from inside a lift at the station, they were stuck in the lift!!! We get some funny phone calls at times in the office but it’s the first time we’ve been called to rescue someone from a lift overseas!!

Despite that little episode, and some excitement on the return journey, the weekend was a success and enjoyed by all.

There will be a team going to Belgium again this coming May, I wonder what adventures they will have?? Beware the lifts !!

It’s been a real pleasure being involved with ‘swimming’ this past two years, a totally different sport to ‘Bowls’ the one I am used to dealing with. Very rewarding!

A big ‘thank you’ to Jill for her expert guidance.

Margaret Smith
National Junior Sports Development Officer.