Tour de Doncaster - Dearne Edition

It's been a busy few weeks for Head Coach Jordan Allerton, following a hectic period of 7 meets in 9 weeks, but there's no rest for the wicked and the show must go on.....so he begun his tour of the local clubs last week, visiting Dearne Valley Swimming Club on Friday evening, taking a look at some recommended swimmers, catching up with some old faces and inevitably discussing technical points as we go.

So Friday was a great opportunity to see how another of our clubs operates. There were a number of athletes the Dearne coaches wanted Jordan to take a look at, which is always great to hear. But even without that, it's good to build up those relationships with our partner clubs and see how we might be able to help them develop and vice versa.

From Dartes' perspective it's also good to be able to explain what we need from the swimmers sent over to us. Like many places, the standard of swimming in Doncaster is rarely consistent each year, throw 6 clubs in a small area into the pot and those inconsistencies become greater. A widely held perception of Dartes is we are elite in mentality and look down our noses when it comes to the local clubs and that's a misconception we need to challenge by getting out there and exposing Athletes and Parents to what we can offer. There are opportunities for younger athletes looking to get on a performance pathway and we're always keen to offer those chances to as many young athletes as possible.