Streamline
FEBRUARY 2015
a volunteer for a number of years
and he swims competitively with
the masters. Andy will outline his
thoughts and plans for the club
in this Newsletter. I hope you will
join with me in giving Andy every
support and encouragement as
the Club moves on to ever, greater
achievements.
A Message
from your
Chairman...
It is with the greatest of pleasure
that I can announce the
appointment of Andy Hudson, as
our new Head Coach. The
process took a little longer than
we had planned due to the fact
that we had a number of excellent
candidates who all offered very
positive benefits for the Club.
However, after a lot of hard work
from our short listing and interview
panels, Andy’s appointment was
a unanimous decision and we are
very pleased to see him relishing
the prospect of taking on this key
role. As I am sure you will be aware,
Andy has been involved with the
Club since he swam as a youngster
and as he says himself “it is in his
blood”. He has been coaching as
Finally on the subject of the Head
Coach, I would like to thank Ruth
for taking on the role while we
carried out the recruitment process
and her active role in the procedure.
The Awards Night was a real
success. It was great to see all our
swimmers dressed up to the nines
and enjoying a wonderful evening.
With an inspirational guest speaker
and a great venue it all added up to
a very exciting event. Thanks to all
of those in the S-SET who made it
possible. Along with all the awards
made to swimmers, there were
three special awards. The
Presidents Plate, awarded to the
person who has given something
extra special to the Club, went to
Carol Davidson who works on the
front desk every Thursday and
manages all the new entrants to
the Club. Carol does a vital job and
it is very much appreciated, thank
you Carol. We also said goodbye
(although I am sure we will still see
them) to two people who have given
many years of help, support and
knowledge to our swimmers; Wendy
Reeve who taught Group 3 on a
Saturday morning and Paul
Heskett who coached the squads
for many years. Both were
inspirational and dedicated, and will
be sorely missed. They were given
a small award and Honorary Life
Membership of the Club, which will
be confirmed at the AGM.
With the Counties approaching fast
I am reminded that these, and
indeed all, swimming events cannot
go ahead without qualified officials.
Our own Club Championships now
require all officials to be licensed.
As a Club we need a steady stream
of new officials, so if you fancy
giving it a go, it’s great fun to be
involved down on poolside, and you
will be supported and mentored
every step of the way. Speak to
Graham on the front desk or Sue
Paige. Remember these events
cannot happen without your help
and support.
Ian Penney
Chairman HSSC
Intro
Welcome to the first ever
edition
of
‘Streamline’
which was the unanimous
winner
from
the
huge
number of great suggestions we
received. Huge congratulations
go to Tom and Peter Conte for
the idea. Your prize awaits at
the front desk! A great big thank
you also to everybody who
took part. Look out for the new
competition in this edition!
Website:
www.hastingsseagullsc.org.uk
goes LIVE
If you haven’t already heard
(Where have you been hiding?!)
our sparkling new website is now
up and running. We hope it is a
little simpler to use, looks a bit
more appealing and contains
all the information you need. Of
course if you have any fantastic
ideas of how we could add to or
improve it, then we would love to
hear from you. Drop us an email.
www.hastingsseagullsc.org.uk goes LIVE
Presentation Night:
Party on Seagulls
Oh What A Night! The annual Prize Giving was a
huge success, I am sure you will agree.
Congratulations to all the Seagull Swimmers that
won the awards. They never cease to amaze. The
unforgettable huge cheer that erupted when Andy
Hudson was named as the new Head Coach proves
that the committee has made a great decision.
Massive thanks must go of course, once again, to all
the hard work of the amazing Seagull’s Social Events
Team (SSET).
Everything was fabulously organised from the
fantastic venue (Thank you Paul and Sophie
Presentation Night
Warburton and Beauport Park) super shiny trophies,
yummy food, fabulous decorations, disco, raffle, etc.
etc. The list goes on! Also a great big ‘Thanks’ to
our inspirational speaker for the evening, Mr. Paul
McCleery. Paul came along at really short notice and
told us of his numerous achievements and what
motivates him to keep going. The SSET team made a
donation to Paul’s favourite charity, Charity for Kids,
as a thank you to him. Please keep an eye on the
noticeboard for the pictures from the night.
News from the
Front Desk
Firstly, the unwelcome news that the
committee has made the
decision to increase session fees
slightly in April. This is regrettable
but both pools are increasing their
hire costs and a number of other
budget heads (coach hire, courses
etc.) are also showing increases.
The good news is that checks with
other swimming clubs and swim
schools show that we still remain
competitive due mainly to the fact
that almost all of our Teachers and
Coaches are volunteers.
The monthly fees from
April 1st will be:
Groups 1 & 2 - £18.00
Groups 3 & 4 - £19.00
Groups 5 & 6 - £25.00
Front Desk
The front desk operates at the
following times:
Monday – 1800 – 2100
Thursday – 1800 – 2100
Saturday (usually) – 0845 – 10.30
The team can usually deal with
the majority of inquiries or put you
in touch with the correct person.
They can also deal with
membership inquiries, accept
competition entries and collect
annual and monthly fees.
Group 1 – 6 assessments:
w/c 23rd February and 2nd
March
w/c 4th and 11th May
w/c 13th and 20th July
w/c 21st and 28th September
Mini Galas – Groups 3 – 6
Thursday 12th March
Thursday 21st May
Thursday 8th October
Thursday 12th November
Internal Galas
and assessments
Club Championships
(No swimming for groups
3 – 6 and Masters)
The following dates have now
been finalised. Please note these
in your diary. They are also
available on the club website.
Thursday 23rd April
Thursday 11th June
Thursday 30th July
Thursday 15th October
Thursday 19th November
Group 7 - £34.00
Junior Squad - £42.00
County Squad - £48.00
Regional Squad - £58.00
National Squad - £62.00
Masters (x1) - £26.00 (x2) - £34.00
Mini Polo - £25.00
Water Polo (Juniors &
Ladies) - £25.00
Water Polo (Seniors) £28.00
The committee also agreed that
Annual Membership fees will remain
unchanged, the balcony entry fee
for Mini Galas will be scrapped, and
entry fees for Club Championships
will now be included in the monthly
session fees.
Could I please ask that those of
you who pay by monthly standing
order amend these from April to
reflect the new fees? In previous
years a number of you have
forgotten to do this resulting in
lots of work in sending reminders
and a build-up of arrears for you.
Caption Time!
What is our new Head Coach really thinking?
Drop all your suggestions into the box on the
desk. Prize for the most original!
E-Mails
We often use e-mails to keep in
contact on a group or
individual basis. If you aren’t
receiving e-mails from the club
or have changed your contact
e-mail please let the front desk
team know your new
details asap.
Swimming
Times
A number of parents have asked
about swimming during school
holidays. The club keeps its
normal sessions going through all
the school holidays with the
exception of Bank Holidays (as
the pool is closed) and a short
break over the Christmas period
when closure dates will be
publicised.
TEAM
MANAGER TALK
My thanks as always go to
our fantastic team of
volunteer Team Managers
who give up their
weekends to look after our
swimmers poolside.
This year Sussex County have
requested that all poolside helpers
are either from the coaching team
or hold an ASA Level 1 Team
Manager Certificate. We are so
lucky to have more than most
clubs but with meets such as
the Portsmouth Easter Festival
running over 4 days, and 7 days
of competition to cover in April
alone, I am always happy to
welcome new members to our
team to help spread the load.
If you would like to attend the half
day Level 1 Team Manager
training (no previous experience necessary) then please come and chat
to me. It will take place on Sunday 29th March (am only) at Dorothy
Stringer School, Loder Road, Brighton and is free to ASA members.
Anybody interested in attending the Level 2 TM course then please
talk to me or register via the Sussex County Website. You will need
this if you are planning overnight stays or trips abroad with swimmers.
Please bear in mind that if HSSC would like a training camp next year
all coaches and Team Managers will need this training. This is also
half-day (PM) on 29th March. (Previous experience is required).
I am the Team Manager trainer for Sussex, so I promise it’ll be friendly
and relaxed – so please come along.
Sussex County Championships:
The 2015 champs are nearly upon us and I would like to
congratulate all swimmers who have achieved qualifying times.
Warm-up and start times can be found at
www.sussexswimming.org
Please read the meet conditions BEFORE the day.
This year County is being very strict on the no bags on poolside
rule. All swimmers will be provided with a small drawstring bag
for poolside essentials such as goggles, hats, drink, snacks etc.
When you pack your bag, please be smart so you can transfer
these items easily to bring poolside and bring a £1 coin for a
locker for the rest of your kit. You may need to share lockers as
there won’t be enough for all!
Between now and the
event you can prepare
in the following ways
• Ensure you have the correct
kit + spares (labelled): Please
see HSSC Facebook page for
details of FINA approved
swimsuits for 2015 and ensure
yours fits! If you need any
advice or support, please speak
to me or your coach. Hopefully
by the time you read this we will
have your personalised swim
hat on order, we hope they will
arrive in time for the champs,
but please accept my apologies
if they come just after.
• Attend all training sessions:
Coaches are now preparing
swimmers specifically for long
course events so please take
advantage of this support.
• Eat right: Ensure you are eating
a balanced selection of food
every day. Ditch the junk food,
and start bringing some colour
onto your plate with some
fresh fruit & veg.
Carbohydrates and proteins are
essential but age group
swimmers don’t need to ‘carb
load’ before a race. Eat
normally and healthily and
ensure you have enough
calories for your daily activity
including training and
competition. If you need help
or advice, please chat to me or
check out the British Swimming
website. Don’t try out new
foods at the event but bring
plenty of recovery snacks for
between races. Dried / fresh
fruit / cereal bars are all
excellent poolside.
shirt / T bag and shorts or
preferably long tracksuit
bottoms and trainers to wear
poolside.
• Drink right: Many swimmers
have been getting cramp
recently (even a couple of
nasty cramps in races too!). It
is essential that you drink water
throughout the day every day
and then bring a suitable
quantity (min 750mls) to your
training session and poolside at
competitions.
• Swim down facilities: There will
be little or nothing in the way of
a swim down pool so please
listen to your coach and
mobilise fully before and after
your races. This will save you
from injury and prepare you
for your next events. A copy of
suitable exercises will be
available poolside for you to
use – use them!
• Sleep right: The winter months
are tiring for all, so don’t fight it,
go to bed. Turn off the
PlayStation / phone / iPad and
get some shut eye. You will
perform better if your body has
time to recover between school
and training.
Sussex County Relays :
Sunday March 8th – Sovereign
Centre, Eastbourne.
If you have been selected to
participate in this event, please
keep an eye on HSSC Facebook/
website for updates. All details
are available at
www.sussexswimming.org
Good luck everybody, – let’s Go!
Go! Go!
Tracy
• Keep warm between races: I
know “it’s like a sauna” but you
need to keep your muscles
warm, so bring your club
Please arrive promptly for
your warm-up and if you have
any questions or problems
call me as soon as possible
on 07767 875933.
Zonals 2015
Seagulls ‘zone in’ on the
Aquatics Centre, London
Over the weekend of 31st January/1st February 9 Hastings
Seagull swimmers travelled to
the impressive Aquatics Centre in
London to swim in the ASA South
Zonal Championships. With extremely tough qualification times,
the swimmers enjoyed the fantastic Olympic facilities and top class
competition in both able-bodied
and disability categories.
Callum Pearson, swimming in the
Multi Disability class once again
showed his strength and great
potential winning 3 Gold’s in the
50 Free, 100 Breast and 100 Free,
and 2 silvers in the 100 Back and
200 IM.
place respectively. Andy Paige qualified in 6th place to reach the final
of the 16 years and under 50 Breast, coming home in an impressive 9th
place. He also came 15th in the 100 Breast. Dan Williams came 17th in
the 50 Back and 26th in the 200 Back. JJ Choron competed in 5 events
in the 16/17 Years age group with a 10th place in the 50 free, 15th in
the 50 Breast, 22nd in 100 Breast, 24th in 50 Back and 29th in 100
Back. JJ had an unexpected surprise when Olympic diver Tom Daley,
who was also at the venue, spoke to him just before his race.
Left to right: JJ, Jessie, Danny, Megan O, Hannah, Megan H, Callum, Andy at
the Aquatics Centre
Seagull talent qualifies for the British Championships
On Sunday 4th Jan, Ben Horner went to Littlehampton open meet with
the aim of achieving his first Zonal Swimming Championships
Qualifying time for 50m freestyle. He won gold in the first event of the
day with a time of 25.70 in a short course (25m) pool. This qualifying
time saw Ben compete at the London Aquatics Centre against the best
of the best in the Southern Region.
Hannah Keen led the way for the
Seagull ladies reaching the final of
the 50 free and finishing an
impressive 3rd. Hannah also came
11th in the 50 Breast in the 16
years and overs. Megan
Hawkesley came in 8th place in
the 14/15 years 50 Breast and
young Jessie Warburton came
home in 31st. Megan Oarton
competed in the 50 Fly and 50
Back gaining an 18th and 24th
Not satisfied with that success,
Ben realized that if he could swim
the same time but in a 50m pool he
could achieve a qualifying time for
the British Swimming
Championships also to take place
in London. He spent this
weekend in Portsmouth with
Hastings Seagull SC and took part
in many races over a very long
weekend but completely focused
his efforts on the 50m freestyle
event.
Ben prepared well and looked determined as he climbed onto the
starting block. By 20m he was a whole body length ahead of the field
and maintained a solid swim to achieve a finish time of 25.73.
The British Champs will take place in April and will act as selection trials
for the European Youth Olympic Games to be held in Russia in the Summer, where the fastest 8 swimmers will qualify for selection.
Ben is currently ranked 12th in Britain for this event, good luck Ben!
Continue to push the club forward
with more swimmers than ever
qualifying for major meets.
How old are you? 42
Do you have any brothers or
sisters? One older brother
Where do you live? Hastings
Andy Hudson
What’s your favourite stroke/
event? 50 and 100 free
Head Coach
What’s your worst stroke?
Backstroke
“Always listen to your coaches
and always do your best.”
What’s your best swimming
performance? Top 20 at
European masters
When did you start swimming?
I learnt to swim with
Barbarians when I was 4 and
moved to Seagull when I was
8 when the White Rock Baths
closed and Summerfields opened.
What’s your swimming
achievements to date?
What you would like to achieve as
a Head Coach?
Masters – (years are a little
hazy!) National champion - 50 Fly
Welsh champion - 50 Fly
Scottish champion - 50 Fly, 100
Free, 50 Free
17th in the 100 free at European
Championships in Slovenia.
What’s your favourite food?
Roast Dinners
What’s your favourite TV
Programme? Six feet under
What’s your favourite film?
The Matrix
What’s your favourite band/
singer? Staind
What do you like to do outside of
swimming? Gaming
Age group
2 time Gabb trophy winner
Sussex schools champion
(Fly & FC)
Lots of Seagull’s Club
championship wins
SEAGULL
SOCIAL EVENTS TEAM
Dear All,
The S-SET have been hard at work over the last few
months. We held a Christmas Party for the Teaching
Groups 1-7 and Junior Squad. There were
Christmas themed games with prizes, items to
purchase, and food and drink for all the children that
attended. We also asked the party goers to name
the Seagull mascot. “CHILLI” was the name picked
out of the hat and much fun was had by all. A BIG
SHOUT-OUT goes to all the parents and older kids
that gave up their time to help. Already looking
forward to next year’s party!
Say ‘hi’ to Chilli
We also organised the PRIZE GALA
EVENING. This was held at new
venue, BEAUPORT PARK. The
evening was a great success.
A guest speaker that was both
motivating and funny, good food, a
great disco and everyone dressed
in their best bib and tucker!
To all those that bought raffle tickets, we raised a
fantastic total sum of £310 that evening.
“A BIG THANK YOU” to the
children for their hard work throughout the year, the
coaches for their dedication to our children’s
swimming and Paul Warburton for the use of the
Club house and bar at Beauport Park.
EVENTS COMING UP
Easter Raffle DON’T FORGET
Grab your weekly bonus
ball! See Sophie Warburton
Minutes of the meeting
held on Wednesday 21st
January 2015 at the
Welcome Stranger PH
Present: President Ian Penney,
Secretary Graham Furness, Treasurer
Lianne Geeson, Tracy Horner, Anne
Hamblin, Maymuna Steed, Sue Paige,
Sophie Warburton, Becky Saldana,
Apologies: Tim Pearce, Steve Payne,
Olivier Choron & Mike Hamblin will
be late arriving as conducting Skype
Interview.
1) Minutes of meeting held 12
November 2014 –All agreed correct .Agreed meeting will not follow
agenda with regards to late arrival of
2 members.
2) Logistics:
Treasurer’s Report:All happy with report.Proposal fees
to be increased 5% across the board
as a rounded figure. The increase
will also include cost of entry to club
championship & door entry for Mini
Gala. This will affect cost of engraving
as currently around £400 per annum.
Door revenue at club championships
and possibility of S-Set helping to
cover costs.All agreed with proposal
increase to be effective form 1st April
2015.
2A) Update on renewal forms, codes
of conduct, membership renewal,
debtors.
GF advised going well over half
received. Discussion over deadline.
All agreed that as per last
meeting those swimmers who have
not returned the code of conduct
forms & cleared any fee arrears by
the end of January 2015 will not be
allowed to swim. The deadline for
ASA membership renewal all agreed
for end of February 2015.
2B) Draft budget issued:
Agreed by all club kit no longer to be
subsidised as no main sponsor at
present. Discussion over draft
budget. Check we are not being hit
for cost twice on open meets as
already pay training costs for
Saturday am. Check average cost of
coach passes for away open meets.
Spread sheet to be sent to all
members for approval at next
meeting.
3) Order has been placed for new
starting blocks and 1st half of invoice
has been paid. Estimated delivery
date for March 2015
be looked at when next revised.
8C) Retiring Helpers:
Agreed need to recognise long
serving volunteers when they leave.
3A) S-Set Update:
Prize giving tickets on sale at £2.00
per person, will be hot buffet some
details still to be finalised. Proposed
both Paul Heskett & Wendy Reeve be
invited and given life membership All
agreed to be ratified at AGM.
8D) Committee Meeting Venue Current venues cost has increased need
to find alternative venue. Discussion
of options. Agreed to investigate &
feedback.
4) OC & MH Arrived.
Feedback on interviews for Head
Coach role. Candidates had been
interviewed. Sub Committee will
reflect properly and feedback fully
after this.
5) Open Meet Report:
Santa Sprints made a profit of
£1346.33. Open Meet Committee
are happy to run the event again with
a few changes date will be brought
forward by 1 week to maximise entry
revenue. Terry Fitzgerald 2015 Open
Meet is confirmed for 11.7.15
advertised & on the website. Total
profit so far from the 3 open meets
held is £5894.47 Graham Mattock
is going to produce a thermometer
poster showing profits
6) Club Hats:
Discussion over printed name hats.
All agreed good to do, Money to be
paid at time of order as in previous
years those swimming at National
Competition will have hats funded by
club.
7) Communications Update;
Website will be live on Friday, still
a work in progress please advise
if any errors spotted. Newsletter –
There was a fantastic response to
last newsletter, planning for next
one in mid-February, The name has
been chosen as “Streamline” The
club mascot was given the name of
“Chilly”. Thanks to BS for recent write
up’s in local paper.
8A) Sponsorship:
SW advised Caroline Maule has been
approached to look at heading up a
team to fund raise for Open Meets;
She is in principle happy for this now
looking for people to form the team.
8B) Membership Renewal Already
discussed- Have had an email from
Emma Sargent she would like an
amendment has been advised this will
9) Training:
Proposal to have just 1 Arena League
team this season. Discussion over
proposal Vote: 9 for 1 team, 1 abstain,
1 request to postpone till head coach
appointed.
9A) Unsupervised swimmers especially
at Battle Abbey Pool. Concern has been
raised children left when no coach present, given recent issues with pool pressing matter.
All agreed email to be sent to all parents
& Facebook to be updated with same
message.
9B) Kit:
On-going issue of lost property reminder
to be included in newsletter for all kit to
be named.
10) A.O.B:
LG- Card payments update Still need to
look into supporting software. OC- Asked
about new blocks. MH advised due March
& would be used in training.
SW- Transfer of funds from “old
supporters club” GF advised he had
spoken to Steve Paine who is signatory
he was going to bank then coming to
pool following Thursday to arrange/advise
transfer details. Agreed money to be held
in main Seagull account but with current
“S-Set “monies so as to be used
accordingly. Amount is believed to be
around £5000.00
A BS- Back injury appears mats are not
being used in land training. TH to address
MS-Nothing
MH-Nothing
SP- Nothing
AH- A swimmer has been given a month
off so no fees to pay.
GF- Trophies all bar 1 now returned, 90%
engraved ready , will need a polishing party & to transfer them for the prize giving.
Club championship need to be registered
as event. TH to forward list.
Meeting Concluded 10 pm