Newsletter #1
Vol. 2017

Out with the old, in with the new

Happy New Year everyone and welcome to our first newsletter of 2017. With new year's resolutions and January detoxes high on people's agendas let's relive a few of the highs from 2016. And what an exciting year it turned out to be with the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games taking pride of place on the Swim Ireland mantlepiece. 2017 also looks set to be an eventful one as we welcome our new National Performance Director and look ahead at some of the events and meets you can look forward to.

Out of the Water

Looking at stories affecting our sport and development
#Waterpolo - Latest Developments
#Education - Swim Ireland Synchro Swimming Course
#Vacancies - Swim Ireland Education Development Officer And Membership And Water Polo Administrator

#2016 - Inspired By Water

As 2016 begins to fade in the memory we decided to look back at what was an incredibly eventful and exciting year for Irish swimming. 2016 not only saw our athletes perform incredibly at the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games but closer to home lots of records were broken by Irish swimmers both nationally and internationally as well as participation in the sport reaching all new heights. For a full archive of news and press releases from throughout 2016 visit our Swim Ireland website.

The theme of Swim Ireland's 2016 was Inspiration. Our goal for the year was to inspire all ages and abilities to get into the water and improve their overall health and well-being. To see how we achieved this and a number of memorable moments and stories from the year click here.

#2017 - A Look At What Lies Ahead

"Memories take us back, dreams take us forward"

With training for #SwimForAMile entering into its third week and over 3000 signed up for the programme, this years event looks set to be the biggest yet. If you haven't already signed up it's not too late and with 30 pools across the country facilitating your swim you're sure to find one close to you. To sign up click on the link here. You can also see a list of pools available.

With our new National Performance Director now appointed exciting times lie ahead. The coach of 2012 Olympic gold medalist Ruta Mieilutyte and former head coach of Plymouth Leander Swimming Club Jon Rudd brings not only the relevant skills and experience to the roll but his ambition and drive making him the perfect candidate to lead Irish swimming forward to Tokyo 2020. For full details on his appointment see here.

Competition continues in 2017 starting with the SU International/Dave McCullagh Memorial which takes place in Bangor from Friday 3rd - Sunday 5th February. After that we have the Irish Minor Schools at the NAC, Dublin February 12th followed by the Irish Open LC Masters which will begin Friday 3rd March in Limerick. April sees the Irish Open Swimming Championships commence at the NAC on Thursday 6th through to Sunday 9th. You will be able to keep up to date with all competitions taking place by visiting the Swim Ireland Website. Read more.

Thanks to the Pillo Hotel, Ashbourne special rates are now available during competitions. To avail of these rates simply use the promo code "swim17". All rates will be subject to availability. See the Pillo Hotel website for more.

Out of the water...

A round-up of some of the stories around the development of our sport.

#Water Polo

Water Polo has continued its progression of coaching clinics and continued professional development courses given mostly in Belfast & Dublin to date. Galway and Lisburn will be new additions for water polo advancement clinics in the coming weeks.

With the water polo season for all ages and levels in full swing, many athletes have begun to perform well, of note the Ireland U19 National Cup for Boys & Girls held in November at UL Sport Limerick. We also look forward to the Ireland u17 National Cup for Boys & Girls to take place in Lisburn LeisurePlex on January 27-29.

Any questions or queries, please contact wpdevelopment@swimireland.ie

#Education

Level 1 Coaching Synchronised Swimming

This is an exciting opportunity to gain an additional qualification in aquatics with a course led by world renowned tutor Jenny Gray MBE

Dates: 20th,21st, and 22nd February 2017
Practical: National Aquatic Centre
Theory: Irish Sport HQ, NSC
Time: 9am-6pm daily
Cost: €200/€175 non-member/member

Minimum of Swim Ireland Level 1 qualification in Teaching Aquatics, Coaching Swimming or Coaching Water Polo required.

To sign up for this course click here

#Vacancies

Swim Ireland is seeking to appoint a dynamic and enthusiastic Education Development Officer who has a strong interest in sport and education with a strong administrative background and experience in online learning.

Some key responsibilities include:

Support the day to day development of Swim Ireland’s online CPD platform
Liaise with key stakeholders in the development of Swim Ireland’s online CPD platform with a particular emphasis on Coaching Swimming
Support the development of technical content of Swim Ireland’s online CPD courses

To apply for this role or to find out more information you can head to our Swim Ireland website

Swim Ireland are also seeking to appoint a membership and water polo administrator to coordinate the day to day administration of the membership department.

Some Key Responsibilities include: