Annual General Meeting Report
The club's 2010 AGM took place on Tuesday 25 May at St James. A number of the presentations from the night may be of interest to the wider club membership, so they are published here. Here's the Head Coach's Report.
Head Coach's Report, May 2010
Recap on 2009/2010
International Selections/ Talent Programmes
Chloë Selman achieved her first call up to the Great Britain team at the IPC World Championships (August 2010) and has also been selected for the British Swimming Development fast track for S14 swimmers. Max Litchfield was selected for the ASA England Talent level 2 and the Beacon programme at Leeds. This gives him an opportunity to train with some of the best swimmers in the region and access to long course training and sport science support. James Mullen and Joe Litchfield were selected for a beacon taster session for talented swimmers 13yrs and under this enabled them to get an idea of the beacon and experience the type of environment they could utilise in future years.
British Swimming Championships 2010
Max had a first opportunity to compete at the highest domestic level during the British Swimming Championships at Ponds Forge in March where he produced some quality swims against top level international swimmers in the 100m and 200m Backstroke and 200m and 400m IM. In the 200m Backstroke he was in the fastest heat racing against Olympians and British Record holders; this was a valuable experience for him and will hopefully inspire him to push on for next year where he has an opportunity to qualify for the European Youth Olympics, although qualification is very difficult for this meet. Chloë Selman also competed at this meet and came away with Silver in the MD 200m Freestyle which was an excellent swim and a big personal best in the heats.
ASA National Championships
DARTES had the most successful Nationals in many years with more qualifiers and more medals than we have had for over a decade. This was led by Max Litchfield with 3 Bronze medals (200m/400m IM and 200m Backstroke) and Sophie Taylor 1 Bronze medal (100m Breaststroke) each also had a 4th place finish. The boys 11-14yrs Medley team also finished 6th in the 4x100m.
National Squad 2009
12 swimmers with a total of 35 swims
Current National Squad 2010
7 swimmers with a total of 27 swims
North Eastern Regional Championships
At NERs the focus was to increase the number of swimmers achieving finals and increase participation at this level again we have achieved this successfully so far with the Short Course and Junior/Senior Long Course Championship results all improving from 2009-2010. There is obviously still the NER BAGCAT results to come.
NERs 2009
NER Junior/Senior (25m) Championships - 02/11/08 @ Durham
0 medals
NER BAGCAT (25m) Championships - 29/11/08 @ Sunderland
17 medals (4 Gold/ 7 Silver/ 6 Bronze) with Heat Declared Winners
NER Youth/ Senior (50m) Championships – 03/05/09 @ Sunderland
0 Medals with 6 Finalists
NER BAGCAT (50m) Championships – 21/06/09 @ Ponds Forge
23 Medals (9 Gold/ 10 Silver/ 4 Bronze) with 54 Finalists/ Top 10
*including 2 Silver Boys teams, 2 top 10 Girls teams
NERs 2010
NER Junior/Senior (25m) Championships - 08/11/09 @ Durham
2 medals (1 Gold/ 1 Silver)
NER BAGCAT (25m) Championships - 28/11/09 @ Sunderland
27 medals (14 Gold/ 8 Silver/ 5 Bronze) with Heat Declared Winners
NER Youth/ Senior (50m) Championships – 02/05/10 @ Sunderland
2 Medals (2 Silver) with 12 finalists
NER BAGCATs (50m) Championships held in June 2010 @ Ponds Forge
. . .
Yorkshire SA Championships
At the Yorkshires we improved by 12.5% over results from the 2009 championships. This helped us to reach 4th place overall in the top club standings and 4th in both Junior/senior and BAGCAT making DARTES the second best short course scheme in Yorkshire. The aim for the championship this year was to increase the number swimmers making finals and convert finalists from 2009 into medallists in 2010 we were very successful in achieving this.
Yorkshires 2009
YSA Senior/Junior LC Champs – 08/02/09 @ John Charles
6 Medals (6 Bronze) with 19 Finalists
YSA BAGCAT LC Champs – 21/02/09 @ Ponds Forge/ John Charles
42 Medals* (17 Gold/ 12 Silver/ 13 Bronze) with 127 Finalists*
*including LC sprints
YSA BAGCAT LC Teams Champs – 22/03/09 @ Ponds Forge
8 Medals (1 Gold/ 4 Silver/ 3 Bronze) with 18 Finalists
Yorkshires 2010
YSA Senior/Junior LC Champs – 07/02/10 @ John Charles
13 Medals (7 Gold/ 2 Silver/ 4 Bronze) with 38 Finalists
YSA BAGCAT LC Champs – 28/02/10 @ Ponds Forge/ John Charles
44 Medals* (10 Gold/ 13 Silver/ 21 Bronze) with 144 Finalists*
*including LC sprints
YSA BAGCAT LC Teams Champs – 21/03/10 @ Ponds Forge
6 medals (2 Gold/ 2 Silver/ 2 Bronze) with 14 Finalists
*Dual age groups
Squad Information
The junior development system continues to produce some exciting prospects for the future with some excellent 9/10/11yrs olds currently training in phase 1-3. But we are limited by space and require more pool time in order to provide DARTES with an effective performance pyramid and a suitable swimmer pathway that can ensure a consistent flow of talented swimmers through to Premier Squad (phase 5) is possible over the next few years. The Age Group Squad (phase 4) is again restricted in available squad places due to limited pool space and is therefore effectively full so this squad will now operate on a one out and one in basis. This is a positive development for DARTES as it will make competition for places and should increase the standard of the swimmers training within DARTES. The Premier Squad (Phase 5) currently has 18 members and due to the level of training that these swimmers require and the environment that they need to be able to achieve their full potential I do not feel this can increase by too many more so again people will be moved out before any other swimmers are moved in. If we wish to make a high performance club we need to think like one and act like one. Some swimmers are being held back by people in higher squads not achieving current training criteria and it is necessary use the places these people are taking up for more deserving athletes. With this in mind short term success should be outweighed by long term potential for high level achievement.
Monthly Review
Training Performance
As the top 2 squads are becoming full due to limited pool space on Tuesday evening and even Saturday morning to an extent, myself and the other DARTES coaching staff feel it is time to start chopping the dead wood by replacing swimmers not achieving the required number of sessions for their age. Swimmers not achieving set criteria in phase 4 will be moved back to their feeder club and their place will be given to the next potential swimmer in the JDS 3 squad. We feel this is necessary if we are going to create a successful culture at DARTES the negative individuals within each squad that consistently fail to meet set standards are effectively taking up space in what should be an elite scheme. Ultimately the same system will be used at the start of next season with phase 5 with all swimmers aged 13yrs + having to hit 8 sessions per week and 12yrs – hitting 7sessions per week anybody not achieving this will be asked to leave the squad.
General Information
The morning sessions at Sheffield are now up and running with 6 premier squad sessions taking part Max, Elliot, Heidi, Jamie, Luke and Emma. These were all selected on consistency of training attendance and attitude to training. I have recently been filling in a form to apply for a ‘big lottery fund - sports for all grants’. The idea is to get two sets of land training equipment including med balls, skipping ropes and stretch cords. One set for storage at hall cross and the other for storage at Adwick. The funding if successful will also help with coach education hopefully getting myself and Leanne Dodson on to some land training courses. Leanne expressed an interest in doing her level 3 gym instructors as well as some courses in pilates, boxercise and yoga. This would increase the amount of activities we could use to further develop our swimmers and provide our coaching staff with CPD opportunities. Max Litchfield won the ‘One-Call Doncaster Sports Awards – Hope for the Future Award’ which is a fitting tribute to one of Doncaster’s most committed and successful swimmers.
Coaching Information
Neil Stephenson has decided to take a step back from coaching on the Sunday JDS session due to family commitments but has said that he will be happy to help out if we require cover for sessions at any time and help will also help out on poolside at meets. I would like to thank Neil for his help in establishing the DARTES JDS system and all the support he has given Kevin over the past year.
Competition Results
NER Junior/Seniors at Sunderland, this is always a tough competition with it being so close to the tapered meet at the end of cycle 2 and many swimmers struggle to come out of the taper and back into training then get up and race again but on the whole we performed well with Max Litchfield coming away with 2 silver medals and making three other finals, Katie Johnson made four finals, Richard lee made two finals and Nicholas made two finals. Manchester Open was a new experience for many of our athletes and that was the intention to take them away from familiar surroundings to race a different set of swimmers and teams and see how they coped. This was a successful meet with some good quality performances Joe Litchfield was top performer with (3 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze), Max Litchfield (3 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze), Heidi Smith (1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronze), Elliot, Jamie and Jarvis (1 silver, 1 bronze) Nicholas (1 silver) and Richard (1 bronze). There were also good quality swims from Holly Lewis in the 100 and 200 Brs and Rachel Grainger in the 200 Fr. We have also received a bonus this year with Chloë Selman achieving the qualifying standard and being selected for the Great Britain team for the IPC world Championships in the 100 back and 200 free a fantastic achievement for Chloe and DARTES. Congratulations to both Chloe and Dave C.
The National Qualifying list keeps getting bigger after each meet we currently have 27 times spread between 7 swimmers list is as follows (excluding Sophie Taylor 100 Brs).
National Age Group LC
Age On: 01/08/10
Course: LCM
Year: 2010
| Athlete | Event | Time Std | Best Time | Status | Time Diff | Diff | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reece Fielding | 11 YRS Boys 200 Breast | 3:08:74 | 3:16:20 | LC | Near | 7:46 | 3.95% |
| Jarvis Parkinson | 11 YRS Boys 200 Back | 2:43:38 | 2:49:76 | LC | Near | 6:38 | 3.91% |
| Jarvis Parkinson | 11 YRS Boys 200 Fly | 2:51:01 | 2:48:30 | LC | Yes | -2:71 | -1.58% |
| Jarvis Parkinson | 11 YRS Boys 200 Free | 2:23:47 | 2:25:25 | LC | Near | 1:78 | 1.24% |
| Jarvis Parkinson | 11 YRS Boys 200 Medley | 2:43:86 | 2:47:36 | LC | Near | 3:50 | 2.14% |
| Jarvis Parkinson | 11 YRS Boys 400 Medley | 5:51:18 | 5:55:10 | LC | Near | 3:92 | 1.12% |
| Joe Litchfield | 12 YRS Boys 100 Back | 1:11:60 | 1:11:76 | LC | Near | 0:16 | 0.22% |
| Joe Litchfield | 12 YRS Boys 200 Back | 2:33:73 | 2:33:30 | LC | Yes | -0:43 | -0.28% |
| Joe Litchfield | 12 YRS Boys 100 Fly | 1:10:44 | 1:12:84 | LC | Near | 2:40 | 3.41% |
| Joe Litchfield | 12 YRS Boys 200 Fly | 2:38:09 | 2:37:84 | LC | Yes | -0:25 | -0.16% |
| Joe Litchfield | 12 YRS Boys 400 Medley | 5:29:31 | 5:37:67 | LC | Near | 8:36 | 2.54% |
| Shannon Dodson | 13 YRS Girls 100 Back | 1:10:58 | 1:12:34 | LC | Near | 1:76 | 2.49% |
| Heidi Smith | 13 YRS Girls 100 Back | 1:10:58 | 1:12:50 | LC | Near | 1:92 | 2.72% |
| Heidi Smith | 13 YRS Girls 200 Back | 2:30:48 | 2:32:99 | LC | Near | 2:51 | 1.67% |
| Heidi Smith | 13 YRS Girls 100 Breast | 1:19:83 | 1:23:23 | LC | Near | 3:40 | 4.26% |
| Heidi Smith | 13 YRS Girls 100 Free | 1:02:15 | 1:04:94 | LC | Near | 2:79 | 4.49% |
| Caitlin B Dixon | 13 YRS Girls 100 Fly | 1:09:13 | 1:10:80 | LC | Near | 1:67 | 2.42% |
| Caitlin B Dixon | 13 YRS Girls 200 Fly | 2:32:35 | 2:34:16 | LC | Near | 1:81 | 1.19% |
| Caitlin B Dixon | 13 YRS Girls 100 Free | 1:02:15 | 1:03:13 | LC | Near | 0:98 | 1.58% |
| Caitlin B Dixon | 13 YRS Girls 200 Medley | 2:31:66 | 2:37:34 | LC | Near | 5:68 | 3.75% |
| Jamie Clarke | 13 YRS Boys 100 Back | 1:07:94 | 1:10:48 | LC | Near | 2:54 | 3.74% |
| Jamie Clarke | 13 YRS Boys 200 Back | 2:25:85 | 2:27:29 | LC | Near | 1:44 | 0.99% |
| Jamie Clarke | 13 YRS Boys 100 Fly | 1:06:15 | 1:09:17 | LC | Near | 3:02 | 4.57% |
| Jamie Clarke | 13 YRS Boys 200 Fly | 2:28:19 | 2:29:60 | LC | Near | 1:41 | 0.95% |
| Jamie Clarke | 13 YRS Boys 800 Free | 9:25:17 | 9:32:28 | LC | Near | 7:11 | 1.26% |
| James Mullen | 13 YRS Boys 100 Back | 1:07:94 | 1:11:08 | LC | Near | 3:14 | 4.62% |
National Youth LC
Age On: 07/08/10
Course: LCM
Year: 2010
| Athlete | Event | Time Std | Best Time | Status | Time Diff | Diff | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rachael Grainger | 14 YRS Girls 50 Free | 28:72 | :30:02 | LC | Near | 1:30 | 4.53% |
| Rachael Grainger | 14 YRS Girls 100 Free | 1:01:46 | 1:02:86 | LC | Near | 1:40 | 2.28% |
| Rachael Grainger | 14 YRS Girls 200 Free | 2:12:17 | 2:14:32 | LC | Near | 2:15 | 1.63% |
| Rachael Grainger | 14 YRS Girls 400 Free | 4:36:84 | 4:41:83 | LC | Near | 4:99 | 1.80% |
| Rachael Grainger | 14 YRS Girls 800 Free | 9:28:66 | 9:34:88 | LC | Near | 6:22 | 1.09% |
| Holly Lewis | 14 YRS Girls 100 Breast | 1:18:82 | 1:22:69 | LC | Near | 3:87 | 4.91% |
| Holly Lewis | 14 YRS Girls 200 Breast | 2:50:09 | 2:56:58 | LC | Near | 6:49 | 3.82% |
| Holly Lewis | 14 YRS Girls 200 Free | 2:12:17 | 2:16:76 | LC | Near | 4:59 | 3.47% |
| Stephanie Hynes | 15 YRS Girls 50 Free | 28:46 | :29:20 | LC | Near | 0:74 | 2.60% |
| Stephanie Hynes | 15 YRS Girls 100 Free | 1:00:94 | 1:03:33 | LC | Near | 2:39 | 3.92% |
| Elliot Trofimowicz | 15 YRS Boys 50 Free | 25:82 | :26:74 | LC | Near | 0:92 | 3.56% |
| Elliot Trofimowicz | 15 YRS Boys 100 Free | 55:79 | :58:18 | LC | Near | 2:39 | 4.28% |
| Max Litchfield | 15 YRS Boys 100 Back | 1:04:05 | 1:01:10 | LC | Yes | -2:95 | -4.61% |
| Max Litchfield | 15 YRS Boys 200 Back | 2:18:04 | 2:10:91 | LC | Yes | -7:13 | -5.17% |
| Max Litchfield | 15 YRS Boys 100 Breast | 1:12:08 | 1:11:08 | LC | Yes | -1:00 | -1.39% |
| Max Litchfield | 15 YRS Boys 200 Breast | 2:37:79 | 2:30:35 | LC | Yes | -7:44 | -4.72% |
| Max Litchfield | 15 YRS Boys 100 Fly | 1:01:77 | 1:00:54 | LC | Yes | -1:23 | -1.99% |
| Max Litchfield | 15 YRS Boys 200 Fly | 2:18:19 | 2:15:96 | LC | Yes | -2:23 | -1.61% |
| Max Litchfield | 15 YRS Boys 50 Free | 25:82 | :25:64 | LC | Yes | -0:18 | -0.70% |
| Max Litchfield | 15 YRS Boys 100 Free | 55:79 | :54:87 | LC | Yes | -0:92 | -1.65% |
| Max Litchfield | 15 YRS Boys 200 Free | 2:01:57 | 1:59:06 | LC | Yes | -2:51 | -2.06% |
| Max Litchfield | 15 YRS Boys 400 Free | 4:17:71 | 4:09:98 | LC | Yes | -7:73 | -3.00% |
| Max Litchfield | 15 YRS Boys 800 Free | 9:01:19 | 8:40:27 | LC | Yes | -20:92 | -3.87% |
| Max Litchfield | 15 YRS Boys 1500 Free | 17:06:65 | 16:39:07 | LC | Yes | -27:58 | -2.69% |
| Max Litchfield | 15 YRS Boys 200 Medley | 2:18:57 | 2:10:27 | LC | Yes | -8:30 | -5.99% |
| Max Litchfield | 15 YRS Boys 400 Medley | 4:55:58 | 4:37:24 | LC | Yes | -18:34 | -6.20% |
| Richard Lee | 15 YRS Boys 100 Back | 1:04:05 | 1:06:37 | LC | Near | 2:32 | 3.62% |
| Richard Lee | 15 YRS Boys 100 Breast | 1:12:08 | 1:13:15 | LC | Near | 1:07 | 1.48% |
| Richard Lee | 15 YRS Boys 200 Breast | 2:37:79 | 2:38:72 | LC | Near | 0:93 | 0.59% |
| Richard Lee | 15 YRS Boys 100 Fly | 1:01:77 | 1:00:99 | LC | Yes | -0:78 | -1.26% |
| Richard Lee | 15 YRS Boys 50 Free | 25:82 | 25:26 | LC | Yes | -0:56 | -2.17% |
| Richard Lee | 15 YRS Boys 100 Free | 55:79 | 55:79 | LC | Yes | 0.00 | |
| Richard Lee | 15 YRS Boys 200 Free | 2:01:57 | 2:02:61 | LC | Near | 1:04 | 0.86% |
| Richard Lee | 15 YRS Boys 400 Free | 4:17:71 | 4:22:11 | LC | Near | 4:40 | 1.71% |
| Richard Lee | 15 YRS Boys 200 Medley | 2:18:57 | 2:18:94 | LC | Near | 0:37 | 0.27% |
| Richard Lee | 15 YRS Boys 400 Medley | 4:55:58 | 4:52:28 | LC | Yes | -3:30 | -1.12% |
| Nicholas Grainger | 15 YRS Boys 100 Breast | 1:12:08 | 1:12:34 | LC | Near | 0:26 | 0.36% |
| Nicholas Grainger | 15 YRS Boys 200 Breast | 2:37:79 | 2:36:55 | LC | Yes | -1:24 | -0.79% |
| Nicholas Grainger | 15 YRS Boys 200 Free | 2:01:57 | 2:05:15 | LC | Near | 3:58 | 2.94% |
| Nicholas Grainger | 15 YRS Boys 400 Free | 4:17:71 | 4:20:89 | LC | Near | 3:18 | 1.23% |
| Nicholas Grainger | 15 YRS Boys 800 Free | 9:01:19 | 8:57:87 | LC | Yes | -3:32 | -0.61% |
| Nicholas Grainger | 15 YRS Boys 1500 Free | 17:06:65 | 16:59:11 | LC | Yes | -7:54 | -0.73% |
| Nicholas Grainger | 15 YRS Boys 200 Medley | 2:18:57 | 2:19:36 | LC | Near | 0:79 | 0.57% |
| Nicholas Grainger | 15 YRS Boys 400 Medley | 4:55:58 | 4:53:61 | LC | Yes | -1:97 | -0.67% |
| Emma Humphreys | 16 YRS Girls 200 Breast | 2:49:53 | 2:54:11 | LC | Near | 4:58 | 2.70% |
| Emma Humphreys | 16 YRS Girls 100 Fly | 1:07:66 | 1:08:38 | LC | Near | 0:72 | 1.06% |
| Emma Humphreys | 16 YRS Girls 200 Fly | 2:29:48 | 2:27:81 | LC | Yes | -1:67 | -1.12% |
| Emma Humphreys | 16 YRS Girls 200 Medley | 2:29:24 | 2:33:77 | LC | Near | 4:53 | 3.04% |
| Emma Humphreys | 16 YRS Girls 400 Medley | 5:16:33 | 5:14:66 | LC | Yes | -1:67 | -0.53% |
| Sophie A Coy | 17 YRS Girls 100 Breast | 1:18:80 | 1:18:14 | LC | Yes | -0:66 | -0.84% |
| Sophie A Coy | 17 YRS Girls 200 Breast | 2:49:53 | 2:51:31 | LC | Near | 1:78 | 1.05% |
| Sophie A Coy | 17 YRS Girls 100 Fly | 1:07:66 | 1:06:39 | LC | Yes | -1:27 | -1.88% |
| Sophie A Coy | 17 YRS Girls 50 Free | 28:45 | :28:54 | LC | Near | 0:09 | 0.32% |
| Sophie A Coy | 17 YRS Girls 100 Free | 1:00:72 | 1:00:97 | LC | Near | 0:25 | 0.41% |
| Sophie A Coy | 17 YRS Girls 200 Free | 2:10:57 | 2:14:69 | LC | Near | 4:12 | 3.16% |
| Sophie A Coy | 17 YRS Girls 200 Medley | 2:29:24 | 2:33:68 | LC | Near | 4:44 | 2.98% |
| Sophie A Coy | 17 YRS Girls 400 Medley | 5:16:33 | 5:25:57 | LC | Near | 9:24 | 2.92% |
National Senior Championships
Age On: 21/08/10
Course: LCM
Year: 2010
| Athlete | Event | Time Std | Best Time | Status | Time Diff | Diff | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Katie Johnson | Open Girls 50 Fly | 29:64 | :29:88 | LC | Near | 0:24 | 0.81% |
| Katie Johnson | Open Girls 100 Fly | 1:04:71 | 1:05:57 | LC | Near | 0:86 | 1.33% |
| Katie Johnson | Open Girls 50 Free | 27:49 | :27:93 | LC | Near | 0:44 | 1.60% |
| Katie Johnson | Open Girls 100 Free | 58:92 | 1:00:58 | LC | Near | 1:66 | 2.82% |
* Achieved NQT
* Within 2%
Final Words
Developing a successful system requires everybody within it to be pulling in the same direction, while we have people not meeting the set standards Doncaster swimming will never be as productive as it is capable of being. Tough decisions need to be made to provide opportunity to the swimmers that require and will utilise what we offer most effectively. I want to coach international athletes and I believe Doncaster is capable of doing this at junior level if all of our athletes and parents buy in to this idea and start to do what is required. The next 6-12 months will show whether this faith has been miss placed.
Up-Coming Meets
No Frills (Distance Events) - 28th-30th May
NER BAGCATs Ponds forge – 5th-6th, 12th-13th June