Richard Moore's blog

Please note that there will be no widths, junior or senior squad training on Sunday 22^nd January due the the Open Meet.

Each year at Easter the Wiltshire County ASA run a 5-day taining course taking swimmers from across the county. This is an excellent training environment run by top coaches and provides sessions in the pool, theory, gym work and outdoor activities. The deadline for completed forms with payment is February 20^th. 

This has proven very popular with our swimmers, many of whom return year after year as there is great camaraderie and they learn and develop as well as making new friends from other clubs who they then meet at Galas. 

The locations and start times for the Galas on Saturday 14^th January are

A Team - The Link, Swindon (Doors Open 6:30pm)

B Team - Devizes (Doors Open 6:30pm)

As we look forward to the imminent arrival of 2012, it is worth casting our eyes back over the events of 2011, the achievements and the challenges.

The Corsham Open Meet 2012 will be held at the Springfield Centre on the weekend of January 21/22^nd 2012.

This is an ASA Level 3 Licensed Meet and we welcome entries from across the County and further afield, and especially from our own Club. This meet has the reputation of being a friendly and as far as possible relaxed event, and while being a great Meet for all swimmers it is therefore ideally suited for those attending their first such event. This is scheduled in late January so that competitors will have an opportunity to attain County qualifying times for the County Sprints and Championships that will take place in February and March.

Your coaches will be talking to you about the events to enter and preparation for this Meet, which is one of the Premier events in the Wiltshire County calendar. This has always been a successful and highly enjoyable event to participate in, with all times being officially recorded using electronic timing equipment.

Full details of the Open Meet including schedule of events and qualifying times are attached below.

We also need volunteers to help with preparing for and running the event so if you can help in any way then please contact Dave Jones or Richard Moore.

On what was a highly emotional evening for me, it came as a wonderful surprise to receive such thoughtful gifts from Club members. I haven’t summoned up the courage to read the card yet, because a brief glance was enough to make me realise the level of warmth and affection in some of the comments. Thank you.

Julie and I have had such great times with the Club, and it will be a real wrench leaving behind such a wonderful bunch of friends. However, it is important, for me that is, to leave before becoming stale and I know that the Club will benefit from fresh ideas. I know that our paths will cross in the future and I will keep an eye on the website to see how well you are all doing.

Time to go.

Alan

Even though my gala blogs may not bear me out, I am a man of few words! But then it’s always easy to write about others and not necessarily yourself. So for what will definitely be the last time, can I just express my thanks for the warm tributes paid by the coaching team, the swimmers and the parents on this, my last night at a Club training session.

Looking back on the past twelve years or so, I can honestly say that I have enjoyed almost all of it. Yes there have been some lows and some difficult times to overcome, but as the “Best Club in Wiltshire” we have always managed to pull together and revitalise ourselves for the next challenge. I am sure that with the continued support of parents, which many Clubs do not enjoy, we will remain at the forefront of swimming in the County for many years to come. 

Special thanks go to everyone who helps at Club, in whatever capacity. You are all very special people, who deserve more credit than you are given. I must also thank my family, because without the special talents of my two daughters, and Julie’s tolerance of the amount of time I have spent at Club, I would not be writing this. 

Finally a word of advice to the coaches & teachers. Don’t be afraid to take some time off occasionally. It’s vital that you recharge your batteries from time to time, so that when you return, it will be with a fresh mind and new ideas. Good luck.

Best wishes for the Club’s continuing success.

Alan 

The recorded times from the Club Championships 400m Freestyle are attached. There were some very close finishes, great swims and excellent PBs recorded.

That's it for the 2011 Championships and thanks to everyone who organised and helped in any way - we are lucky to have many such people and the Club couldn't run without you. We certainly welcome anyone who would like to help out in the future.

But most of all well done to the swimmers! I am constantly impressed by the competitive attitude, great improvements and PBs.

There remains but one "Event" left and that is the Annual Presentation Evening on November 18^th at the Corsham Community Centre at which the trophies and medals will be presented by the President of the Wiltshire ASA, along with other Club trophies and awards for the year of 2011. This is a great and fun night to which everyone is invited to come along and enjoy a social evening with friends and to recognise the achievements of the swimmers.

The 2011 Annual General Meeting of Corsham ASC will be held on Tuesday 8^th November at the Corsham Cricket Club, Station Road, Corsham, commencing at 7:30pm with a FREE BAR!.

This is a very important meeting, so please come along and have a say in the future running of Your Club plus an opportunity to discuss your child's progress with the Club's coaching team.

Parents/guardians of width swimmers are especially encouraged to attend.

The nomination form for Club officers and Executive Committee is set out in the attached document. All nominations and proposals for discussion at the AGM must be received by the Secretary (see contact details below) at least 14 days before the date of the meeting.

Wednesday 19th October

The 400m Freestyle will be held on Wednesday 19^th October at 7:30pm.

  The dates for this years Club Championships are Saturday 8th October and Sunday 16th October, from 2:00pm to 8:30pm on October 8th (split into 2 sessions each day starting at 2:00pm and not earlier than 5:15pm) and from 2:00pm to 7:30pm on October 16th (split into 2 sessions each day starting at 2:00pm and not earlier than 5:00pm).  All races will be heat declared winners, i.e. no finals.