After an exhausting qualifying window with a relentless number of meets in just two months, we all breathed a sigh of relief and enjoyed a quiet couple of months to the summer. With such a young squad, a squad that was cobbled together out of what remained following a turbulent couple of years and told to work together, it's been a massive learning curve for so many. But through our hardships we have a squad to be proud of, through our harships a British Championships qualifier has risen. Step up...

What is it? A 25m dolphin kick sprint, from a push, for a time. On Wednesday night we put National Squad through six reps to establish a ball park figure for next seasons early training cycle. We don't really have much to compare this to for context, but as an opening attempt 17.30 looks pretty fast; 18s probably are too, we'll find out next time. Pos Name Date Reps Average Fastest Slowest Spread 1 Phoebe Weatherill 3 Jul 2024 6 17.9 17.3 18.3 1 2 Kiera Binns 3 Jul 2024...

With the latest batch of recruits to National Squad now fully bedded in, Monday night seemed the perfect opportunity to put them through the paces. The 1x2000m test was always going to reveal the fruits of the seasons labour, and so it proved. But this time a further challenge was set. Not just to swim fast, but also skillfully and tactically. The job of pace setting was left, as always, to Jessica Hubery who could never quite open up a gap between herself and Phoebe Weatherill. Hot on her heels...

A quiet drive along the A57 on the way to Manchester was a nice chance to reflect on past Open Water competitions at the Salford Quays. But this day wasn’t about me, just an opportunity to reminisce, it was about our own Jessica Hubery and my first opportunity to view an Open Water Regional Championships race as a Coach, the nerves don’t get any easier! I’ll start off by saying this - I remain proud of each of these swimmers as they continue to amaze me day after day with...

National & Regional Squad were visited this morning by a cohort of Dearne Valley Swimming Club coaches. On the back of a few visits to Dearne by Head Coach Jordan where there were a number of athletes to take a look at (which is always great to hear), both he and DVSC Head Coach Chris Goddard agreed it would be good for their coaches to visit a Dartes session, with Chris wanting to display the differences in intensity between Dartes and Local Club Swimming. So Saturday morning was a great...

Doncaster DARTES club squad kicked off their 2nd BML season with a gala at city neighbours Askern SPA. Askern have been absent from competition for 5 years or so during the Covid period and whilst their pool was refurbished. Welcome back SPA, it is great to see you back at it. This years BML division 4 again consists of only 3 teams, Askern, Knottingley and Doncaster DARTES so a successful start in gala one was essential for clubs targeting the top spot. A strong squad was selected with representatives from...

Last weekend saw Regional Squad’s Lucas Lee compete in the 2024 edition of the British Junior Para-Swimming Championships. Organised by Activity Alliance in partnership with Swim England the event boasted an international contingent this year with a Spanish team in attendance. As a well established part of the nation’s swimming pathway the competition aims to increase participation and talent development opportunities for young disabled swimmers. Many world and Paralympic medallists have discovered their talent at this event over the years. Saturday morning saw Lucas compete in two events. The 100m...

The 4x400m kick test set was once reserved for our Age Groupers. No longer! The old Phase 5 record stands proudly at 6:00 dead; but an average of 6:23, and a fastest rep of 6:15 set by Jessica Hubery now sets the standard for our young group of upcoming stars to strive for. Her own goal should be to chase down the 6:00 dead. We've always said 6min was achievable on this set. Runner-up on Wednesday evening almost made it down to that mark too. Phoebe Weatherill saved her best...

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...

After an exhausting qualifying window with 7 meets in just two months, we can all breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy a quiet couple of months to the summer. With such a young squad it's been a massive learning curve for so many, unfortunate illnesses and ongoing injuries also play their part, but a lot of what we normally take for granted, has had to be relearned along the way with a new coaching team in place this season. The qualifying window makes the process of selection for Nationals...