Competitve Swimming
Competitive swimming can be a great way to make new friends, push your
boundaries, and accomplish feats you never thought possible. Joining a swimming club like Stratford Sharks will
give your child the opportunity to have coaching from some of the best coaches in the area and will also inspire them to improve not only physically but mentally
as well.
The most important ingredient for any swimmer of a competitive swimming club
is dedication. The training involved in competitive swimming increases with age
& ability and becomes intense and repetitive, encompassing miles upon miles
of laps being swum in various strokes. It may also include weight training and
dietary monitoring. However the benefits outweigh the challenges – not
only do you look and feel a lot fitter, but if you are good enough you can
compete in the high profile championships, enter the elite level of
swimming and compete and eventually win medals at major world championships.
If you are interested in signing your child up with
us you need to make sure you have a few mornings or evenings free each week. Like
all sports you will have to fit into the various squad's training schedule's so
your daily commitment will change as they progress. It is of course a lot easier for children to
start competitive training and swimming than it is for adults, so it’s good to
get your kids in early, as soon as they progress through their Learn to Swim to
a sufficient level, 7-8 years is ideal but not essential.
Go to the Squad Progression page for more information.
Club Captains
Senior Club Captains for 2020/21
Dan Cox and Abbie Wootton
Junior Captains for 2021
Captains - Keenan Stratford & Lucy Andrews
Vice Captains - Dalton Lea & Elle Hazleton
Club Records
A new set of club records were started when the club was formed in the merger of Avon Neptunes and Stratford Swimming Club. It is the swimmer's responsibility to claim all records.
The current Club Records Policy from 2012 can be read here.
Male - PDF Updated 01-01-2020
Female - PDF Updated 01-01-2020
Competitive Information
Guidance for Open Meets
ASA Calendar for Open Meets, Training etc.
Thera-band Use - Video showing how to use a Thera-band correctly (.mp4 file 6.16mb)
Guide to Asthma in Training a brief guide to using an inhaler during training. More information can be found on the British Swimming web site as well as on Asthma UK web.
Performance Lifestyle: An Introduction (English Institute of Sport)
GB Rankings Database
See where you're ranked in the County, District and Nationally, click here
Times Conversion
Use the program on the SWIMMERS menu to convert performances from any pool size using the ASA Equivalent Performance Tables.