Grant From Watling Charity Provides Opportunity to join Vikings

The Club has been  awarded a small grant from Norfolk’s  Geoffrey Watling Charity to assist us with their project, Swimming Opportunities For All.(SOFA) This created vacancies for new members either to join the club or for parents to enroll youngsters in the “Learn to Swim” program at Aylsham High School. However, the response has been so positive that there are no more places at the time of writing but hopefully more places will be available as the COVID restrictions ease The cash boost will make swimming more accessible for more youngsters to benefit and enjoy extended free taster and  try outs.  Sarah Buchan, Club Chairperson explained the significance of receiving the grant.

“We would like to thank the Geoffrey Watling Charity for their kind assistance and we value any financial help which enhances a safe, healthy outlet for youngsters in our immediate community.”

The Vikings took the plunge in the middle of April immediately after the government eased the second phase of lock down but their over 18s will have to be a little more patient because they cannot get back in the swim until May.

Meanwhile, Vikings’ Lead Coach Sam Watts is wasting no time and has a distinct focus and a clear progression to the Vikings’ return

“Like all, we hope we are moving out of the last lock down in stages. Therefore, we too will introduce a staged approach towards building up fitness, bringing back proficient technique and develop stamina again before working on any real speedwork.”

John Holden

How far do you have to swim to cross the English Channel and how much would it cost you for an attempt? The distance is twenty-two miles and the average cost today is about two and a half thousand pounds. However, its not so daunting for three brave members of our club, Romilly Hammond (aged 13) and brothers Isaac (12) and Noah Buchan (10) respectively. They will attempt the distance in the Beeston Hall School Pool on Saturday 15 May covering 1,770 lengths, over twelve to thirteen hours in a relay tandem swim. The Vikings hope to raise the same two and half thousand pounds for their much needed funds through this endeavour, the launch of their “Just Giving Page”https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/sarah-buchan-3?utm_term=3R9A9JrZG and other projects this coming summer. 

 

Leah and Isaac setting the pace as Vikings return to competition

 

Competitors from North Norfolk Vikings Swimming Club participated in their first virtual competition since March and the first part was contested at the Victory Pool on Sunday when all events were over the same, 200m distance in Swim England’s National Level X Racing. This a nationwide club time trial giving club members the chance to compete against swimmers from across the country, to rejuvenate their racing skills and to try to make it onto the Level X Racing Leader boards!

 

Meanwhile, friendly Viking rivalries were also inevitable right from the first event, the Individual Medley where competitors swim all strokes. There was no doubt about the fastest here, seventeen year old Paston six form college student Leah Harris who led from the gun finishing in an impressive   2:36.37 from Club Captain Katy Coleman. However, Leah had an ironic  challenge later when her coach Sam Watts and masters swimmer Spike Buchan were time trialling in adjacent lanes in the Freestyle.  After an even 150m it was Sam who who moved ahead of Leah and provided an exciting close finish; not against Leah but Spike, who hit the pad in   2:18.89  a split second ahead of Sam. All three recorded creditable individual times which should put them in contention for the leader board in their respective categories.

 

In the junior heats, the ever improving Nelson Yarbo made no mistakes in 3:33.32. and there was a pleasant surprise from Bailee Beighton of the development squad who competed well and carried off the distance untroubled. There was a sibling rivalry, again in the junior section, between George and Zack Edridge also in the freestyle. Zack led for most of the distance but George made an outstanding come back on the last 50m. However, Zack just held on to record a fater time of  4:15.95  in an exciting finger tip finish. Emily Brighton and Esme Seaman, took the consolation places

 

It was an almost identical scenario  when the Edridge brothers met again, this time in the breaststroke. It was Zack fractionally ahead of  George in 3:57.09 and in the corresponding girls’ event, Romilly Hammond, who attends Beeston Hall School, achieved the fastest time of  3:43.06 from Madeleine Wicks and Emily Beighton respectively. In the backstroke it was Romilly again with  3:36.27 with Emily as runner up.

 

The first evening concluded with the Butterfly and full credit must be attributed to both, Katy Coleman and Isaac Buchan. It is a demanding event and although not a race as such between the two, both competed well against the clock. Katy “was pleased” with her  2:49.37 and Isaac who is five years her junior went 3:50.62 after him being the fastest boy in the backstroke scoring 3:16.00 and the  Individual Medley with 3:16.03

 

The concluding part of Swim England’s Level X took part again at the Victory Pool and had no fewer than twenty-one swimmers competing and the club set its swimmers the ultimate challenge in what many Olympians believe to be the “blue ribbon event: “ the 4 X 100m Individual Medley,(IM). Sixteen continuous lengths of the victory pool displaying ability on all four strokes. It was the ever present Leah Harris although she admitted that this was her first 400 IM as it was for Kay Coleman and Isaac Buchan. Leah was clearly the fastest in 5.28.45 and creditable times were recorded for Katy and Isaac respectively.

 

After an exciting encounter in the 200m freestyle, during part one of Level X, the trio of Sam Watts, Spike Buchan and Leah were drawn again in adjacent lanes and joining them for this 100m event was fifteen year old Harry Hudson. It turned out to be  the swim of the evening. On the last 25m it was clear it was going to be between Sam and Spike again but last week’s  positions were reversed as Sam was first home by just under two seconds from Spike in 1:02.31 with only respective marginal time differences between Harry and Leah.

 

In the 50m Freestyle, there were no fewer than eighteen competitors trying for a place on the leader boards. The fastest time in the masters was  28.32 achieved by Spike and in the seniors,30.0 by Harry Hudson. In the girls trial it was Leah Harris in 30.39 from Katy Coleman respectively. Both eight year old  Reuben Seaman and new comer, ten year old Bethany Brooks made the most of their opportunities in the event displaying solid performances whilst gaining invaluable experience.

 

Bethany did well again in the 50m butterfly as did Aylsham High School student Amy-Rose Thomas who surprised a number of people when she demonstrated an adroit technique proving to all the significant improvement she has made not just in the butterfly, but all strokes when she had earlier swam in the 100 IM. Gresham’s student, nine year old Michael Sayer also displayed how well he too had improved, especially on his freestyle.  Harry Hudson swam fastest in these two senior respective events achieving 36.21 and 1:11.84. from eleven year old Isaac Buchan and his nine year old brother Noah who swam well in no fewer than seven events.

 

In the breaststroke Ruby Tracy was outstanding in the 100m and by far the fastest in the girls with her 1:30.38 from Romilly Hammond.  However, Ruby did not have it all her own way as in the 50m it was Leah Harris in 40.90 ahead of Ruby. Sophie McKee, Esme Seaman and Maisie Fagan also made a positive contribution to this and other events; all of whom are undoubted prospects for the future. The boys 100m corresponding event had the ever present Edridge brothers with Zack being two tenths of a second ahead of George in 2:06.03.

 

Just after the swimming concluded, Club chairperson Sarah Buchan, who also swam in the trials, explained

 

“ The performances just proved how much potential there is in the club and everyone was excited to be competing again. Its a shame that we could not have any spectators in due to covid restrictions.”

 

Meanwhile, the swimmers wait patiently for for the Level X rankings to be issued.

 

                    Chair’s report 2020

Well where do I start with this year? It started so well with a great show at Counties followed by a fantastic display by our younger swimmers bringing home a raft of PBs and medals at the development gala. And then as we all know, Covid restrictions hit. During lockdown we had fortnightly quizzes and weekly land training via teams to keep up the Vikings spirit.

It has been heartening to see the enthusiasm and dedication from the swimmers during lockdown and also on return to the pool. We were fortunate to be able to return immediately to the pool through using Beeston Hall School. The relationship with Everyone Active at Victory Pool has continued to benefit Vikings. Through lockdown I had weekly calls with their area manager and was able to guide and influence the pool into allowing us as much pool time as possible and show them that swimming can be undertaken in a safe Covid way. We now have more pool time than before, at times that benefit us and allow for optimising training. However, this has come at a cost and like most businesses Everyone Active are now starting to charge full price and for extras such as antiwave ropes and blocks for training and the Level X time trials. So it does mean that for the time being, usual ropes must be used and blocks are still not allowed.

In order to achieve returning to the pool with the pool time allocation we had been given we had to look at the way our squads were set up. This is why we have gone from 4 squads to 3 and some children were moved around. Each child was assessed by Sam and the coach they had had previously, alongside the requirements of the squad and the aims. Swimmers of course will still be moved up when it is appropriate for them. I know for some children they may have been disappointed but undertaking training in the wrong squad can put enormous stress on a young athlete’s body, so they must be in the right squad for their ability and development.

The learn to swim continues to grow at Aylsham and I have run three successful courses for adults which has brought in extra income for the club. John is working on fundraising, so far we haven’t been successful but we will keep trying. Please remember to use easy fundraising for online purchases as the club really does benefit from this and it soon adds up.

I have been having discussions with North Norfolk District Council about being the partner for their Academy programme. This programme is run across 5 different sports and this year swimming has been added. We have been invited to visit schools across North Norfolk to identify children who have the potential to succeed in swimming but because of parenting or financial issues are prohibited from pursuing swimming at club level. We will work with the child, Everyone Active and NNDC to give them access to the club which will not only be of benefit to the child but will help boost our numbers and we will receive income for these children. Covid dependent, we will start this in January 2021.

Financially, the club is looking a little better than it was last year so please help us where you can with easy fundraising and raffles etc.

Following the learn to swim programme at Beeston Hall his summer we asked Roxanne if she would like to join us as a coach and thankfully she said yes. Roxanne predominantly coaches Squad C and Development. I have had to take a step back from coaching due to work commitments but we have consistent coaches in Sam, Guy and John who continue to coach our swimmers working on technique and increasing stamina, ready for competitions.

So, to sum up, I feel that the club is still turning the corner from some years ago but is in a much better position. There are some local clubs who have lost a lot of swimmers over Covid due to other interests taking over and pool providers not being as accommodating as Victory. It is starting to support itself financially, now has a great coaching team, led by Sam who is continuing to develop all the swimmers, we continue to build links and pathways with other clubs and we still punch well above our weight with regard to top times and medals for the small club that we are.

With the introduction of the Level X time trials we can really see where we all are as swimmers and help us set goals for the coming year. Counties at present look likely to be held in May, with Regionals in June. Under what format these will be, we do not know at present. There may be an opportunity for some galas next year but we will have to wait and see. Until then, we will continue to train to be the best we can be when we return to racing properly.

Finally, I would like to thank all of their committee for their hard work over the year and the support that they have given me and the swimmers. The committee are still looking for some squad reps and a fixtures secretary so please do come forward if you feel you can help as a smaller committee means more work for everyone.

There is still a long way to go, and who knows what the next year will bring, but hopefully with your support we will continue to be better and achieve more than we thought possible.

 

Sarah

Chair NNVSC

 

 

North Norfolk Vikings Swimming Club held their Annual Presentation of Awards and AGM on Saturday. (virtually) Club Chairperson Sarah Buchan, reported that the club had returned to training with renewed vigour when restrictions were lifted and the swimmers are hungry to get back to competing as soon as possible. This comes as no surprise because under the auspices of lead coach Sam Watts, proportionally results at competitions have been excellent; namely at the Norfolk County Championship, the Warwick Thompson and the County Development Gala held just before lock down at the beginning of the year. In the masters section, Mark Claxton competed at the World Cold Water Masters Championships in Slovenia where he achieved 2 bronze medals a 4th place and a 6th place respectively..

As the “lock down” restrictions were lifted in the Summer, the club committee took effective action to ensure there was a safe, covid compliant transition and wasted no time in increasing and rejuvenating swimming by launching their SOFA Project (Swimming Opportunities For All) using Beeston Hall School Pool before they returned to the North Walsham and Aylsham pools respectively on their reopening. This proved very popular with more people joining the club either to learn to swim or squad training.

The future looks positive too and shortly they will be staging a Level X Meeting at the Victory Pool in North Walsham facilitated by Swim England. The competition is best described as a virtual endeavour whereby swimmers compete mainly against the clock, as opposed to competitors and the times are recorded nationally. It will take place over three separate sessions as soon as the Victory re opens.

 

VICTORY FOR VIKINGS

 

North Walsham Vikings Swimming Club have been settling back into the Victory pool at North Walsham and are getting set for next year’s County Championship potentially post-poned until March.

 

Although training has been restricted because of covid regulations and guidance from the sports governing body Swim England, the Vikings have been training six days a week and the response has been very encouraging. The current set up has been carefully co-ordinated to cater for four ability levels plus a masters section and is supporting  60 swimmers across the range. Head coach Sam Watts explained.

 

“I am happy with the response so far. It just shows a real need for such a healthy outlet of participation through swimming which youngsters are clearly getting so much out of their participation. I am focusing towards the County Championships now and hopefully other competitions. Meanwhile, the numbers back in the learn to swim have also been reassuring.”

 

With the initiative of the club’s SOFA project (Swimming Opportunities For All) in July, when the club used Beeston Hall School pool, the Viking’s Learn To Swim programme has  continued at Aylsham High School which has again attracted 20 children on Tuesdays and Fridays. As a bonus, the club are now welcoming back former members who are rejuvenating their enthusiasm for swimming post covid.

 

“Its pleasing to be back especially in the wake of Swim England’s announcement that over a quarter of pools in the UK still have not opened and many hundreds are facing an uncertain future” remarked Club Chairperson, Sarah Buchan.

 

If you would like your youngster to be apart of the SOFA project trying out for the squads or taking part in the learn to swim programme please contact learn2swim@norfolkvikings.co.uk

SOFA PROJECT

Swimming Opportunities For All (SOFA) is not just for existing club members but for the wider community. It ranges from learn to swim through to regional and indeed national performance level. Our key priorities at the moment are to rejuvenate participation post covid at all levels and increase the number of students participating, so that more can enjoy safer swimming and for others, return to quality sport and healthy competition. Our top squads, 1 & 2, were are striving for excellence and we want to get this focus back as soon as possible. The NNVSC is the smallest club in Norfolk but has in place a progressive system from learn to swim to regional and national level. If you would like to take part in SOFA – either the learn to swim – or try out for the squads contact Jane  learn2swim@norfolkvikings.co.uk  There is currently a charge for participation although rates are very competitive. All sessions are currently being held at beeston Hall school, Beeston Regis. 

There will be NO training on :

Good Friday 10th April

Easter Sunday 12th April

Easter Monday 13th April

Training as Normal on :

Easter Saturday 11th April

 

Dear Parents and Swimmers,

 

NNVSC has taken the advice issued by Swim England and produced the following information for our swimmers. The health and wellbeing of everyone who takes part in any aquatic activity is of paramount importance to everyone at NNVSC.

NNVSC is currently following the latest guidance from the Government and Public Health England and is advising its swimmers, coaches, teachers, and volunteers to do the same. At this time, NNVSC is continuing to plan for sessions as normal.

However, the national governing body will be following the latest information and assessing risk as appropriate.

Due to the ongoing spread of novel coronavirus, there have been a number of calls to Swim England about whether it is safe to still go swimming.

The Pool Water Treatment and Advisory Group (PWTAG) has been in contact with Public Health England regarding novel coronavirus. A spokesperson for PWTAG said: “Public health opinion is that it is generally safe to go swimming at this time.

“Water and the chlorine within swimming pools will help to kill the virus. However, visitors to swimming pools are reminded to shower before using the pool, to shower on leaving the pool and to follow the necessary hygiene precautions when visiting public places to help reduce the risk of infection.”

These include washing your hands for at least 20 seconds, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze and do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth if your hands are not clean.

Most importantly, if you feel unwell, please avoid using the pool.

This announcement is not intended to panic anyone and NNVSC is sharing the above information to ensure all possible precautions are taken. Should this information or advice change we will communicate it to you via email. If we have to cancel sessions at short notice, we will inform you via text and / or email. Please ensure that we have the most up to date contact details for you.

Best regards,

 

 

S R Buchan

 

 

Sarah Buchan

Chairperson North Norfolk Vikings Swimming Club

No training on the following dates during the Christmas/New Year period:

Tuesday 24^th December

Wednesday 25^th September

Tuesday 31^st December

Wednesday 1^st January.

 

No triathlon session: Friday 27^th December.

 

All other sessions as normal