Progress Report
As we continue to build the entire Dartes programme, you can find out how things are progressing on these pages.
Junior Development Squad
This article was written mid-Dec 2008 so the facts and figures relate to that period. Since then, the squad has continued to grow and representation has increased from a number of clubs. This increase will be reflected in a future report.
In The Beginning
Back in April, the DMASA and Dartes (the DMASA's training scheme) announced the launch of a new Doncaster wide development programme for the town's eager young swimmers. Two former Dartes coaches offered to run these sessions for an initial 3 month period (later extended for another 3 months). Mick Nicholson and Jeff Buxton (head coaches of Adwick and SAS at the time) did a fantastic job of building the initial Saturday morning session into a well attended and enthusiastic squad of over 20 swimmers.
A big thank you to both Jeff and Mick for their hard work, and the support of the DMASA during the early months of this squad.
Then in October, Dartes employed a new assistant coach to take over the reins. Kevin Nicholas (head coach at Spa Askern) was given the responsibility for building the squad into what will hopefully become a powerful force in age-group swimming, from Yorkshire Championships to Nationals.
The Junior Development Squad was born...
Phase 1-3: The Junior Development Squad
Since the inception of the Junior Development Squad (Phases 1 to 3 in the Dartes squad structure) it has been growing steadily. The quality of swimming among those attending regularly has been improving dramatically. It's always a big surprise to see the improvements an extra 2 or 3 weekly sessions can make for 8, 9 and 10 year olds!
The objective of this squad is to prepare Doncaster's younger swimmers for County level competition at Yorkshires and open meets of a similar standard. So far, 23 members of the squad have gained at least one Yorkshire qualifying time with most having 4 or more. 9 year old Mark Beech (Spa) is on course for 8 events, while 11 year old Caitlin Dixon (Arm) is close behind on 7.
Although the short term goal for the squad is to radically increase Doncaster's representation at Spring Yorkshires, going forward, the objective is far more grand. Doncaster needs to make a big impression over the next few years and by Winter Yorkshires in October 2009, our 9 and 10 year olds need to be ready to challenge for finals, some of those also need to be in the fight for the medals. Hopefully a few will be doing so by the first round of Yorkshires in March. Hard work, attention to detail, and regular attendance at all available sessions will be required if that is to happen.
Growing Resources: Doncaster-wide Involvement
The entire Dartes programme is a joint effort between all of Doncaster's clubs, their coaches, and of course their swimmers. It was established in the 1970s by the DMASA to provide Doncaster's swimmers with the best training and competition opportunities the town could provide, and that tradition is still embraced today.
Over the past couple of months, the amount of water time available to the Junior Development Squad has increased dramatically and more coaches have come on board to help run the programme. Initially, just a single 2 hour session at Hall Cross on Saturday morning was available. Today, Dartes is running 4 different practice sessions for the Junior Development Squad (Sat morning, Sun afternoon, and Tue/Fri evenings) with Phases 1 to 3 spread between them.
The growing list of coaches getting involved with running this squad alone (shown below) looks promising for the future. With 3 of our clubs' head coaches regularly helping on deck (including the ASA's North East Regional Development Officer), and more coaches expressing an interest to get involved in the new year, the quality on offer for the top young swimmers in Doncaster is set to rise still further.
| Club | Coaches |
|---|---|
| Spa Askern | Kev Nicholas* (Head Coach)
Dave Cuthbert Leanne Dodson |
| Armthorpe |
Derek Fretwell
Matthew Davies** |
| Rossington |
Vicky Norman (Head Coach)
Clive Greenhalgh |
| Adwick | Neil Stephenson (Head Coach) |
| Edlington | Jeff Squires |
| * Employed by Dartes
** Dartes swimmer | |
Convincing young club swimmers and their families to try Dartes is always an uphill struggle. We rely on the eagle eyes of our clubs' coaches to spot those enthusiastic young swimmers as they progress through the teaching groups at their home club. Whether they possess an early ambition to become future Olympians or they just enjoy swimming and want more hours in the water, the Junior Development Squad is a relatively low-commitment introduction to what Dartes is all about.
To be honest, Dartes is not much different to the club you already belong to. The real difference is that you will regularly train alongside the best swimmers in your age group from all of Doncaster's clubs. You will get to match yourself against them every week and race along side them on the same team in top class competitions. Then, the following week, you may well be racing against them as your home clubs clash in a local league gala.
Every single one of us at Dartes belongs to your club or one of the other clubs in Doncaster. As you can see in the table below, the current membership of the Junior Development Squad includes swimmers from most of Doncaster's clubs. You will quickly meet new friends from all over the town and have fun racing against them when your clubs clash in league fixtures.
| Club | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Spa Askern | 16 |
| Rossington | 13 |
| Adwick | 7 |
| Edlington | 7 |
| South Axholme | 6 |
| Armthorpe | 4 |
| Thorne | 1 |
| Dearne Valley | 0 |
| Don Valley | 0 |
| Swimmers of Phase 1-3 by club | |
To understand the significance of these figures, consider that the Junior Development Squad caters for 7 to 11 year olds. A representation of 16 swimmers might well provide a club with 2 full age groups of Dartes trained swimmers; a full compliment of 4 boys and 4 girls for both 9 and 11 year teams perhaps. Not only would this provide Doncaster's clubs with extremely competitive young teams for Pocklington League galas, but Dartes could also field 2 or 3 teams per age group at Yorkshire and North East Championships!
It would be nice to think that Doncaster's clubs could each rise to the challenge and increase their representation into double figures over the course of 2009.
Expectations for 2009
Over the past year or so, Dartes has been slowly building itself a reputation for classy, technically skilled swimmers. So much so, that one of Yorkshire's top coaches recently praised the technical skill demonstrated by our older swimmers at NER Championships. This reflects the over riding emphasis on skills that permeates through the entire Dartes programme.
We strongly believe in developing good skills and building a team ethos at the earliest age possible. We only gradually increase an athlete's training volume as they become ready to handle it, in line with the ASA's recommended guidelines for Long Term Athlete Development. Our intention is for our athletes to reach their full potential as Senior level swimmers (late teens) and to develop the skills they will need at that age as early as possible.
It is therefore useful to introduce kids to Dartes early. Those flying through learn-to-swim programmes quickly are welcome to attend the single Phase 1 session as young as 7. As mentioned above, these early sessions are heavily focused towards developing the advanced skills they will need as they progress, as well as helping their club coaches instill great technique into their youngest stars.
Considering these phases of Dartes are only a few months old, the numbers are looking strong and the quality of work being done looks very promising. We hope to be able to reflect that in our results from the big meets and championships throughout 2009. We'd like you to be a part of that.
We anticipate most young swimmers to arrive in Phase 1 as 7 or 8 year olds. This provides a year or so to prepare them for their first Yorkshire Championships at age 9 (they need to be ready to compete over 200m at this age). So far they've been arriving a year or so behind the curve but this is expected to correct itself through 2009 as the Junior Development Squad establishes itself.
| Age | Quantity |
|---|---|
| 7 years | 2 |
| 8 years | 6 |
| 9 years | 13 |
| 10 years | 14 |
| 11 years | 8 |
| 12 years | 6 |
| 13 years | 4 |
Also due to the lack of a development squad in recent years, there are a small number of swimmers taking part, who are outside of the advertised age range for this squad (12+ years). Over the next few months they well be assessed and fast tracked into Phase 4 where appropriate. This will be dependant on them showing the correct attitude and level of commitment to progress to the higher levels. Where their skills are weak, they will be expected to show the commitment necessary to improve them to the required level and will be given every help in making that happen.
Any of Doncaster's swimmers wanting to get involved with Dartes should speak with their club's coach in the first instance. A coach recommendation form is required prior to attending a trial. More information about the Dartes programme as a whole is availble on this website. For an informal chat or advice as to where you might fit within Dartes, feel free to contact the appropriate coach or official. We're all very approachable and enthusiastic about Doncaster Swimming so please get in touch if you have any queries.
Summary from Junior Development Squad Coach, Kevin Nicholas
To summarise the progress of Phase 1-3 so far, Kevin Nicholas, the Junior Development Squad coach, had this to say:
Overall it's been a good start for the JDS. I believe we have made a strong foundation that can be built upon and developed into the future.
Strong Areas:
- 54 swimmers have attended JDS training sessions since 18th Oct
- A number of coaches and lifeguards from the feeder clubs have helped out at the sessions
- Lots of talented swimmers are getting involved: 23 with Yorkshire qualifying times for the 2009 competition
Areas that need improvement:
- Need stronger support from many of the clubs
- Need more younger swimmers getting involved i.e. 7 and 8 year olds
- Very few of these swimmers have ever performed a competitive 200m event
- Inconsistent attendance from some swimmers
- Few phase 2 & 3 swimmers are taking advantage of all the sessions available to them