WASC Newsletter

No. 230 – December 2016

New Club Captains for 2016 / 2017

Finlay Goodman, Ross Balderson,Grace Manning, Sophie Lawson

At the Club Championships on the 26th November, our new Captains – Finlay Goodman

and Grace Manning – and our new Vice Captains – Ross Balderson and Sophie Lawson

were presented with their Captains t-shirts.

Craig Brown also awarded the Chairmans Award to Teresa and Kevan Pack.

Club Records

Congratulations to all those swimmers who were recently awarded long course records.

These provide new targets for swimmers at counties, regionals and long course meets.

Claiming records

Parents are reminded that they must claim records within 28 days on the form that is

available on the website. Forms must be completed along with evidence, unless the swim

is at a team gala. Being 1st in a relay requires evidencing, please ask for a print out of

results on the night. All records are displayed on the notice board and updated on the

website. If a swimmer achieves an open record, but is in for example 15& under age

group, please check both boxes for 2 records (15&u and open). Team records do not have

to be claimed as the club does this automatically, but please bring these to the

committee's attention for ratification.

Karen Ross, Head Coach WASC

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Ho! Ho! Ho! Christmas Fun Gala, Monday 19th December

The annual Christmas Fun Gala will be held on Monday, 19th December and is open to

all swimmers, including the Development Squad and Masters. Please be on poolside for

6.30 pm. It is anticipated it will finish between 8:00 and 8.30 pm.

It would be helpful if parents would allow their children to stay until the end as the team

managers have difficulty filling the races if half the team are

disappearing from poolside. Please bring a t-shirt and pool

shoes to wear on poolside between races.

We are hoping Santa will be able to take time off from his

toy production to come and join us.

WASC

Masters News

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Hello readers. Please excuse the following terse, bullet-pointed synopsis of the WASC

Masters year but there really is a lot of reporting to do round about now. By the time

you read this we will have had both the club and county AGMs, but will still be waiting

to finish the club championships with the distance events. Right, my round-up of the

Masters year -

Set-Up and Training

• 31 WASC Masters in regular training

• 6 training opportunities per week

• Several joined during the past year - including from our Seniors

• Several left including Mark Reeves, now with Harrogate & District SC

• Occasional visitors to WASC training sessions from other county clubs

• Returning Uni' students catered for

• External enquiries about WASC Masters received and responded to

Competition:

• 16 earned Decathlon points taking part in open competition this year

• 3 (Amy V, Oli C, Bradley C) took part in British Masters (LC) at Sheffield April

• 15 took part in European Masters Championships (LC) at London in May

• 13 took part in Midland Masters Championships (SC) at Leamington Spa in October

• WASC relay teams swum at Euro's and Midlands

• 1 ( Amy V) swam in ASA Masters Championships (SC) at Sheffield in October

• 15 on NASA team for ASA Inter-County Competition at Rugby in November

• NASA came 4th out of 7 teams at Rugby. Finished 22nd out of 28 counties nationally

• 2 (Caroline Wrightson, Steve Strangeway) have done their first competition

• Amy V. Masters county team manager

• 7 Masters & 9 Seniors have taken part in the Club Championships during the year

• 7 Seniors (19-24) have competed at open Masters events during the year

• Conversely, 2 Masters have competed at NASA Championships in open age group

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Masters News (continued)

Records:

• As of 5th Oct. WASC Masters hold 16 Regional individual SC records

• As of 21st Sept WASC Masters hold 4 Regional individual LC records

• As of 15th Jan. WASC Masters hold 1 Regional SC Relay record

• As of 30th May WASC Masters hold 1 Regional LC Relay record

• Club records broken this year by Aaron Flynn

Open Water:

• Mark R, Paula T, Colin S swam the 'Nippy Dip' races at Box End Lakes last Boxing

Day

• Jim P swam 3K events at Midland Championships and ASA Championships

• Steve S took part in Bournemouth pier to pier swim raising £'s for charity

• Ian P swam 5K race in Great East Swim at Oulton Water in June

• Sheila H swam 3.3K race in British Championships in Serpentine in September

• Kevin O swam 5K race in the Barbados Open Water Festival in November

Other Sporting Achievement/Involvement:

• Several participate in Triathlon, Duathlon and running events

• Several, members of Wellingborough & District Athletics club

• Amy Vaughan has run countless Marathons and Half-Marathons for charity

• Louisa Bellamy took part in Maastricht Iron Man Triathlon in July

Social & Networking:

• Good bonding with other county Masters. Networking opportunities.

• Meeting with former WASC members at Masters Championships

• Occasional visitors to WASC training sessions

• Masters Xmas Meal, Curry evening for departing Mark Reeves

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Masters News (continued)

Volunteering & Inter-action with Wider Community:

• Masters provide coaches, officials, gala organisers and committee members

• Licensed officials for club, county, regional and Euro' events (Jean & Paula T)

• Representation at NASA Committee

• Amy Vaughan: County Masters Team Manager

• Jim P: NASA & EMASA Masters Rep'. Attended EMASA meetings & Masters

Conference

• Good relations with pool provider. 3 Masters work as swim teachers for WLC .

Swimming pathway from WLC Swim Academy to WASC.

Benefits to the Club by having Masters:

• Provision of volunteers with skills, business expertise and contacts

• Source/Sourcing sponsors (Thank you Dan O'Shea/Zinc)

• Continuity pathway for Seniors wishing to continue in the sport

I've now run out of bullet points so let's finish on a much warmer note and read Kevin

Odam's verbatim account of his trip to the Barbados Open Water Festival -

'And so the time finally arrived… It had been nearly two years since Jim sent out the

website link to the Barbados Open Water Swim Festival, and after ten months of

doing nothing but freestyle on training sessions, for which I apologise to all that have

had to share a lane with me during that time, I was on my way! It was a foggy drive

to Gatwick and it was raining on arrival, although it was definitely ‘warm rain’.

A couple of days sunbathing and then the festival started with three ‘practise’ swims,

the first in Carlisle Bay, the place where the races were to take place, the second at the

St Charles Yacht Club further up the west coast and the third at Miami Beach on the

south side of the island. The water was crystal clear at each venue and, with the

weather systems moving round to the east as the week progressed, the conditions for

swimming got better and better. There were turtles seen on each beach and plenty of

tropical fish too.

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Masters News (continued)

After these swims there were social gatherings and with swimmers from Canada,

USA and several other countries there was ample opportunity to make new

friends……oh yes, and drink rum punch!!

Saturday was the 1.5K race with 264 swimmers in the water, but this was the worst

day in respect of weather, it was pouring down, a real prolonged tropical downpour,

but undeterred, the winner, an ex-Olympian and World 25K champion, Alex MEIER,

paddled round in 18mins 08secs.

Sunday, and it was my turn, 5K, in near perfect conditions, flat calm, lovely and

sunny. There were 127 of us, and also another 20 or so more doing 10K. It was a three

lap course, and despite setting off at a pace that was a little too frantic, at the end of

lap one I’d settled in with a couple of swimmers from Canada who were going at the

same pace and swam comfortably from there on. The only real distraction was seeing

one of the obligatory turtles swimming in the other direction, half way round lap

two!!

For the record, the aforementioned Alex MEIER won again, in 1hr 01min and 28 secs

and I completed the course, in 1hr 17mins and 15secs, coming in at 23rd place overall

and 2nd in the 55-64 age group, for which I was presented with a $50 lunch voucher

at a local restaurant and a beautiful book about the National Trust and their

properties on the island of Barbados. I will admit that I was very pleasantly surprised

at my time, being at least five minutes quicker than I thought I would, given the

timings I’d been doing in the pool.

The 10K was won by a 15 year old from Canada in, 2hrs 22mins 51 secs, and ladies

aged 44 and 62 came second and fifth, proving that swimming truly is a sport for all

ages and gender.

A couple of days spent doing the tourist things, and it was all over, far too

quickly……..

A lovely holiday, a beautiful place, had great time, met some lovely people, including

a lady from Isham who swims at Waendal at 7.15 in the morning, and swimming is

as good a reason to go as any, I believe I may now have to invest in a wetsuit for some

more open water stuff…… one of the girls there said Coniston End to End, 8.5K, should

be next!! Kevin'

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Masters News (continued)

So, there we have it. Now a headlong plunge towards the festive season. A Merry

Christmas and Happy New Year to you all.

Jim Peto, Masters Coach

Northants Masters team at the Inter-county

competition at Rugby on 20th November

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Masters News (continued)

WASC Fixtures

For all the latest fixtures please visit the WASC Calendar on the club website.

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Raise funds for WASC everyday!

Please use this search engine and shop online through Easyfundraising.

Rules for all Spectators and Swimmers

The use of MOBILE PHONES including the taking of photographic images is strictly prohibited

in the changing rooms and on the poolside. At some galas, depending on promoters’ and venue

conditions, film or digital images may be taken provided the registration book at the entrance has

been completed in advance.

Useful Links and Information

WASC Head Coach: Karen - 07966 591700 / Secretary: Jean – 01933 226649

WASC Website

Swimming with ASTHMA

The problem with VERRUCAS

Taking care of your SKIN

FOOD for swimming

Child Protection

Swimline 0808 100 4001

Child Protection information and guidance about clubs’ and members’ responsibility towards

Children and young people in the sport.

Signposting Help Desk - email signposting@swimming.org

NSPCC Adult Helpline - Tel: 0808 800 5000

Child Line: Tel: 0800 1111

CYBER BULLYING & online safety: Kidscape / ANTI-BULLYING helpline for parents 08451 205 204

DRUGS banned in sport which can include prescription and over the counter drugs and remedies.

WASC Sponsors

Impact Recruitment Services - Tel: 01604 239555

Just Racing UK - Tel: 01933 353 216

KDK Business Consultancy Limited - Tel: 01933 228091

WASC is run by volunteers and seeks support from parents, friends and local

companies. Please contact our Secretary if you would like to join our

volunteers or business sponsors.

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