New Swimming Teachers/Coaches in Orkney
Fri, 15 Jan 2016
Two coach/teacher training courses were held last year in Orkney at the Stromness Swimming pool, and the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Stromness. The tutor was Hilary Stewart (UKCC-registered).
A UKCC Level 1 Teaching Aquatics course was held 13–16 August 2015. Thirteen candidates from Orkney Amateur Swimming Club, the Pickaquoy Centre, and Westray Swimming Club completed the course, along with a local authority PE teacher. The age range of candidates was 16 to 40 years. Some of these candidates progressed directly to the Coaching Swimming course below.
A UKCC Level 1 Coaching Swimming course was held 30 October–1 November 2015. Fourteen candidates from Orkney Amateur Swimming Club and the Pickaquoy Centre, Westray Swimming Club completed the course, along with a local authority PE teacher. The age range of candidates was 16 to 39 years.
All members of Orkney swimming club benefitted from the scheme (current membership ~120 swimmers aged 7 – 55 years) with the increased number of coaches and improved quality of coaching provision.
Training of coaches is an ongoing priority in the club and in the isles pools and our aim is to increase the number of trained coaches and improve the quality of instruction delivered to our swimmers, as well as providing a vocational qualification to the candidates who can now be employed in local authority "learn-to-swim" schemes, which in turn feed into the swimming club. The candidates all plan to continue in their education, and we plan to deliver a UKCC Level 2 Coaching Swimming course in 2016. All the Orkney ASC club candidates are now actively coaching with the club under the direction of a qualified level 2 coach, helping to prepare our young swimmers for competitive performance swimming. Likewise, the Westray (outer isle in Orkney) candidates have brought their new skills back to their home club, and the Pickaquoy Centre teachers/coaches are delivering lessons to both children and adults.
The candidates have benefitted enormously in gaining expertise and confidence from the course and have gained a qualification. Orkney swimming has also benefitted greatly in now having an additional 13 teachers and 14 coaches. This also links in well with Scottish Swimming's current initiative to maximise inclusion and benefit from young volunteers and parent volunteers within the sport of swimming to secure a sustainable future for clubs by provision of a healthy and growing pool of trained coaches.
Orkney ASC would like to thank sponsors Green Marine, Fletts Butcher and the North End Garage for support, Orkney Islands Council for providing pool time, EMEC for provision of classroom facilities, Scottish Swimming for course administration, SportScotland for bursary support, the NatWest Sports Development Programme administered by the International Island Games Association for grant support. In addition, the course organisers would like to thank all swimmers who took part in extra sessions during the course, Stromness pool staff for their help as ever, and Stella MacLeod for supplying muffins!
