Welcome to the January 2020 edition of the Swim Ireland Newsletter! Happy New Year to you all and we hope you had a nice break!
We're very excited to move into 2020 with so much to look forward to including the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Irish Trials take place in April (1st-5th) so make sure you have the date in your diary.
In this month's Newsletter we take a look back at some of our December highlights; European and Irish SC Championships and U14 Boys at ASA Inter-Regional Championships and we look ahead to 2020 including Swim for a Mile, our annual Club Days,Club Children's Officer Forums, Masters and Open Water Swimming Events and Education Courses available.
Irish swimmers were in impressive form in December at both the European and Irish Short Course Championships.
A team of 19 swimmers (junior and senior) competed at Euro Swim 2019 in Glasgow coming home with 2 x Bronze Medals from Mona McSharry (50m Breaststroke) and Shane Ryan (50m Backstroke), set 20 National Records (fifteen Irish Senior Records and five Irish Junior Records), competed in ten semi-finals and nine finals.
Back in Dublin, the following weekend, another 35 Irish Records were set across 4 days of competition at the NAC, bringing a total of 55 new Irish Records in just 2 weeks!. Full reports on both competitions are available at www.swimireland.ie.
The annual Club Days for 2020 are now open for bookings to all club committee members, coaches and volunteers.
This year we will be holding 5 club days around the country from January-March with three interactive workshops planned in the following:
Fundraising and Grants
Club Meetings
Annual Planning
Attendance is free, with 2 CPD points available to coaches.
Swim For a Mile 2020 - Now Open For Bookings!
We encourage swimmers of all abilities to take part in the Swim For a Mile (SFAM) Challenge, whether you’re a lapsed swimmer, triathlete or novice - "If you can swim 2 lengths comfortably, we will take you to the mile!".
We want the people of Ireland to dive into 2020 as confident swimmers, so if you have a friend or family member that wants to improve their swimming ability, invite them to SFAM! To book an event, create a free SFAM account at www.swimforamile.com. The 12-week training program will be available to download from your SFAM dashboard come January 13th , with most participating pools starting training at the end of January. You can see a list of ourparticipating event and training pools here 10% of all registration fees go towards our official charity partner: Temple Street Children’s Hospital Foundation, with the exception of our Northern entries, who will donate to MacMillan Cancer Support.
Event merchandise for Irish Minor Schools is available on pre-sale until 31st January. Event t-shirts, programs and swim hats on sale. For more information click HERE
Our Women in Sport Coaching & Mentoring Programme continues in 2020. The aim of this programme is to address the lack of female coaching across Irish aquatics, by providing increased accessibility and further development opportunities to females interested in coaching. Check out our upcoming coaching courses taking place across the country in 2020 with available Women in Sport spaces. WIS places are provided via application process, with successful candidates receiving a discounted course fee, along with mentoring opportunities post course. Find out moreinformation here.
The CCO Forum is an ideal opportunity to get information and support in your role as a Club Children's Officer. Existing and new CCOs are welcome; if you are planning to become a CCO, come and meet the other CCOs in your region.
We will be covering topics of interest to you for your role:
Updates on Safeguarding Policy
How to involve young people
Dealing with issues
Being a CCO in your Club
Dates and Venues Leinster: 10th February at 6.30pm in Irish Sport HQ Ulster: 11th February at 6.30pm in the Lisburn Island Centre, Lisburn Connacht: 13th February at 7pm venue: tbd Munster: 15th February at 10am in the Absolute Hotel, Limerick Book your free place by clicking on your region above and using your Go Membership profile to log in to register.
Congratulations to the 22 participants form Shamrock Diving Club and Diving Academy Northern Ireland who completed the FINA Development School for Judging Diving in December.
Participants learned the FINA rules of diving, how to run a competition and how to judge individual & synchronised diving.
December saw the final international Tournament for 2019, the U14 Inter-Regional Championships in Walsall, UK. The U13 Boys National Team travelled from 6th – 8th December where they finished in a birlliant 4th place. The boys were second in Group B finishing with 4 points on the board, two behind the group leaders North West Tigers, they then went on to a 4-6 playoff which saw them beating South East 5-2 to leave them finishing just outside the medals. Congratulations to all players and team staff who took part in the event and a special mention to Thomas Francis who was awarded Irish MVP.
Boys Team: Paschal Ayres, St Vincents WPC, Ross Brennan, North Dublin, Fionn Byrne, St Vincents WPC, Sean Clarke, Corrib WPC, Cormac Creagh, Cú Chulainn, Padraig Cunningham Smyth, Corrib WPC, Cian Donohoe, Corrib WPC, Thomas Francis, St Vincents WPC, Enda McGurk, Cathal Brugha, Peter Murchan, Cathal Brugha, Ethan Noonan, St Vincents WPC, Charlie O'Kane, Cathal Brugha, Colm Shaughnessy, Corrib WPC
Swim Ireland Tutor Deirdre Barry delivered a Blended Level 1 Assistant Teacher course in December at Coral Leisure Arklow, to eleven learners (pictured). The course comprised of eLearning, classroom and practical time. It was a great success. Such great news to have eleven more newly qualified Swim Ireland level 1 teachers. Well done to all involved!
Spotlight: ASDST Swimming Teacher
We have a number of Level 2 Autism Spectrum Disorder Swimming Teacher Qualification (ASDST) now available for booking. Join us to expand your knowledge and expertise and give children with Autism the gift of learning to swim in 2020.
The course will equip Level 2 Swim Ireland Swimming Teachers with the knowledge and practical skills to plan and deliver lessons for children and young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Eligibility: Must hold a Swim Ireland Level 2 teaching qualification, a valid safeguarding certificate and have cleared Swim Ireland Vetting.
This course is limited to 10 places and the cost to learners is €200. The ASDST is a one-day course and it is delivered by our Swim Tutor Johanna Tilley-Rock.
Limerick Masters SC look forward to welcoming swimmers to Limerick on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th March 2020 for the Irish Open Long Course Masters Championships 2020.Again this year, a full programme of events are on offer, with the 1,500M event taking place on Friday evening, followed by a full day of swimming on Saturday. Some events are already full! and a wait list is operating.
The number of entrants per event is limited and is on first-come, first served basis. All individual entries will be through on-line process only, a wait list will operate and organisers will do their best to accommodate requests. You may only enter 6 individual events.
Last year there was a very strong team competition with Aer Lingus Masters taking the Best Visiting Club. As usual there are individual trophy prizes up for grabs for 1500m FS, 50m FS, 50m BS
The closing date for the receipt of all entries is Friday 31st January 2020.
The post gala entertainment will be held in the Castletroy Park Hotel and we invite you all to join us there. We will also present the Swim Ireland Masters Decathlon Awards that night.
No doubt this year we will expect records aplenty to be broken as swimmers get ready for the Europeans in Budapest! Check out www.limerickmasters.com for all the gala information including online entry link.
Open water swimming in the winter has it challenges, extra risk of hypothermia and joys (you feel alive!!).
Some of you will have taken a “dip for charity” over the break and if you are looking for the next steps:
There will be swim training in Clontarf (outdoor) Dublin on 11/01 and then three events at the Baths:
18/01 – Winter / Ice Qualifying Swims – certification for individuals wishing to qualify for winter / ice swims. Please email fergal.somerville@gmail.comif you wish to participate.
25/01 –Dublin Cold Water Gala– the inaugural offering of a fun, fast and cold gala for the willing. A number of events of 80m, 160m and 320m are offered in varying strokes. You must book in advance.
All swimmers must be over 18 and members of Swim Ireland or international FINA registered clubs.
Upcoming Events
January
6th, Swim for a Mile Starts, Nationwide
25th, Leinster Club Day, Sport Hq, Dublin
February
9th,Irish Minor Schools, NAC, Dublin
15th, Ulster Club Day, Lagan Valley Island, Lisburn
16th, Connacht Club Day, Radisson Hotel, Athlone
20th – 23rd, McCullagh International, Bangor, Co. Down
March
1st, Leinster Club Day, Hoban Hotel, Kilkenny
6th-7th, Irish Open LC Masters Championships, UL Sport, Limerick
14th, Munster Club Day, Absolut Hotel, Limerick
April
1st – 5th, Irish Open Swimming Championships, NAC, Dublin
(2020 Olympic & Paralympic Trials)
