BRITISH Nationals – Sheffield 2016 “With Luke having two events at the British

Summer Nationals in July (on the

Wednesday and Sunday), Petrina and I

decided to share the load with one of us

taking him up to Sheffield for the first event

and the other doing the second trip.

Imagine 1,700 competitors, mainly

teenagers, with mood swings determined

by how they were doing in the pool. And

each accompanied by parents praying

that the performances would be good

enough to avoid the worst of moods.

Luke’s Championships was a game of two

halves. It started with his 50m breaststroke

on the Wednesday where he fell short of

his PB by 0.53 seconds. Based on his

rankings, this should have been his best

event. As expected, this disappointment

was followed by the usual non-

communicative grumpiness.

Fortunately, his next event (the 50m

butterfly on the Sunday) was better and

he improved his PB by 0.18 seconds. Even

more fortunately for me, this was the event

I accompanied him for, enabling me to

enjoy the company of a happy, talkative

teenager. “

A parent’s’ perspective by Colin Douglas

“f I had to choose one word to sum up the

British Nationals, it would be ‘lively’. This is

due to the hundreds of noisy supporters, the

professional commentary and the intense

music before each of the group finals. All of

these contributing factors adds to the

swimmers performances and leads to huge

PBs, which I saw a lot of in these

championships. To my surprise I found out that

the medals weren’t being dominated by the

big clubs such as Plymouth Leander,

Ellesmere College and Millfield but were

distributed to a wide range of clubs.

It was the second time I competed in the

British Nationals and both times I was

impressed by the way it was organised. The

whole event was broadcast on a live stream

which could be accessed on devices such as

computers and smart phones. People as far

as Australia were tuning in to watch the British

Nationals on live stream.

Both times at the Nationals I competed in two

events, 50m fly and 50m breast. Last year I

narrowly missed the finals by 0.07 seconds on

my 50m fly and came 11th (10 advance to the

finals), but I placed a disappointing 22nd on

my 50m breast achieving a time a lot slower

than my PB. This year I also didn’t achieve a

PB on my 50m breast however I was 18th, 4

places higher than last year. I did however

get a decent PB on my 50m Fly going from

27.79 seconds to 27.61, so in general this year

was a good national Championships for me.”

A swimmer’s perspective by Luke Douglas

Head Coach’s Corner

I would like to welcome you all to this new season! I hope you are all as excited as I am to start again! I would like to remind you that the beginning of the season is the perfect time to set ethos and mood of the entire season. Practice (as swim practice) is a habit and is like a snowball. If we start by not focusing, not having the right attitude or missing sessions, with time it just tends to get worse. But, if we start with a great focus on details of our technique, start with a great attitude, and making sure we attend all the sessions, we all will build on that momentum and it only gets better and better. So right from the beginning let’s build the foundations to make this season, our best season ever! Please look out for details of the Swim Camp on 22-24 October at Crystal Palace for the top squads. I hope you can all attend. I would like to finish this space with a brief explanation from John Leonard (Executive Director, American Swimming Coaches Association) regarding the importance of attendance to training. See page 4 for full article

SAXON CROWN NEWSLETTER Issue 2 – September 2016

Q&A with Owen Ferrigan My name is Owen Ferrigan and I am 14 years old. I swim in the newly formed Performance A squad and I have been at Saxon for 5 years

since I was 9 years old. In that time I have made some amazing friends and have especially enjoyed my time as Junior Captain. Part

of this has been helping out at team galas by being a team manager, this is the person that helps organise the younger swimmers for their

races. We asked Owen a few questions…

IARY DATES… DIARY DATES… DIARY DATES… September (Date TBC) – Time Trials Glass Mill 10th September – Kent Junior League Round 2 (Beckenham Spa) 1 October: Club Champs 50m sprints (provisional) 9th October, 12th November & 10th December – Arena League by selection (Venue TBC) 15 & 16 October: Hillingdon Regional Qualifier November – Saxon Crown Club Champs. 8th & 9th November: Winter Regionals and Crook Lodge Gala 19TH November – Kent Junior League Round 3 (Venue TBC) 2017 Kent Championships [xxxxx] 2017 Kent Junior League – Round 1 : 10th Jun. / Round 2 : 9th Sept. / Round 3 : 18th Nov. 1ST October – ASA South East Region Competition - Short Course (Nationals warm-up) 28th - 30th October – ASA Masters Championships - Short Course January – South East Regionals (Details TBC) March – Erith Team Fun Gala – Short Course May – ASA National Masters Champ. – Long Course June – Kent Championships – Short Corse (Medway)

gala round up gala round u

What is your favourite film? Jason Bourne.

What your favourite TV show? Chicago Fire.

Favourite song? Cold Water.

What other sport do you participate in? Football, I play

for Long Lane FC.

What sports club do you support? Liverpool FC.

Greatest sporting achievement? I have two, the first

getting into the final for the 100 Breaststroke at the

Nationals. And, the second playing for London

County.

Favourite post-race snack? Pizza.

Best place you have visited and why? Orlando,

Florida. The theme parks are amazing.

What do you think makes a good swimmer? Effort

and time.

What do you think makes a good coach? Someone

who is easy to communicate with.

Favourite stroke and why? Breaststroke, I enjoy it

because Ii think it’s very different from the other

strokes.

What few words of advice would you give

new/younger swimmers? All your hard work will pay

off.

What if anything would you like to change about the

club? Nothing, I am happy with the club they way it

is.

Tell us a secret or a joke? Pass.

MA

STER

S C

LUB

News Round Up…

From British/English: Congratulations to Luke, Mateusz and Joshua on their performance on the British and English summer nationals. With special highlight for the 2! Swim-offs from Luke on his 50 free and 100 breaststroke, the 2! finals for Joshua on his 100 fly and 100 back, and Mateusz on his 200 fly final. Well done boys!

From the Welsh Nationals: Congratulations to everyone who took part. Some amazing swims. Well done!

From Portsmouth End of Season Summer Meet Well done to everyone. Lots of PB’s recorded at a fantastic end of season gala.

Performance, Top & Junior Squad Changes – 30th August The coaching staff will now have informed all swimmers in the previous named Performance, Top and Junior

Squads to which squad they are training with from 30th August, all other squads are unaffected. As you are aware

these changes have been selected with the best development in mind of all our athletes and the whole club in

general, whilst taking into account pool time as well as swimmers’ ability and commitment. At the same time we will

be making some coaching changes to reflect the time commitment our part-times coaches are able to offer, which

will ensure more coaching continuity. In summary, details of the new squads are shown below. There will be no

changes to Pre-Squad, although we are re-introducing an extra session a week. Full details are on our website.

New Squad Target Group Coaching hours Lead coach

Performance “A” squad Regional (or regional

aspiring) level swimmers

aged 15 or above in

2017

Monday 1900–2100 Glass Mill

Tuesday 1800–2000 Crystal Palace

Wednesday 0600-0730 Glass Mill

Wednesday 1800-2000 Glass Mill

Thursday 0600-0730 Forest Hill

Thursday 1800-2000 Glass Mill

Friday 1730-1930 Forest Hill

Saturday 0800-0930 Downham

Sunday 1800-2000 Downham

Davi Ferreira

(Megan Veale

Friday session)

Performance “B” squad

Within this squad,

additional sessions will be

provided for swimmers

who competed in the

15/16 regionals or are

aged 15 and over in 2017.

These swimmers will be in

the Performance B+

squad group.

Regional (or regional

aspiring) level swimmers

aged 11 to 14 years

and County level (or

committed County

aspiring) level swimmers

aged 15 to 18 Years Old

in 2017

Monday 1830-2030 Glass Mill

Wednesday 0600-0730 Glass Mill

Wednesday 1830-2030 Downham

Thursday 0600-0730 Forest Hill

Friday 1730-1930 Forest Hill

Saturday 0800-0930 Downham

Sunday 1830-2000 Downham

“B+” swimmers only

As above plus:

Tuesday 1900-2030 Crystal Palace

Thursday 1800-2000 Glass Mill

Sunday 1800-2000 Downham

Tony Bagnall /

Megan Veale

Junior County (or committed

County aspiring) level

swimmers aged 10 to 14

years old in 2017

Monday 1730-1900 Glass Mill

Tuesday 0300-0730 Glass Mill

Wednesday 1800-1930 Glass Mill

Friday 1900-2030 Glass Mill

Sunday 0900-1030 Glass Mill

Matt Eady

Pre-Squad An athlete who has

achieved at least 5 of 7

outcomes of the stage

10 from the National

plan for swimmers aged

8 to 13 years old

Monday 1830-1930 Glass Mill

Tuesday 1800-1930 Glass Mill

Wednesday 1800-1930 Wavelengths

Friday 1800-1900 Glass Mill

Sarah Manzi

Normal Time Swimming Timetable Resumes Normal training timetables resumed on Tuesday 30th August for all competitive squads. Please remember to double check

times for the new Performance squads as some minor adjustments have been made. For further information please

download the training timetable from the Saxon Crown website.

Attendance at Swimming Practice One of the hallmarks of a quality swimming team program is a planned program of physical development. (Other hallmarks include an emphasis on teaching, intelligent approaches to competition, and racing with a purpose, as well as individual attention to those who are "earning it" through their attention to the instructions of the coach.) The planned program of physical development includes programmed physical stress and recovery times. Progress can only be made by the athlete by imposing a previously unexperienced stress on the body system. The body will then adapt to this stress, if provided the appropriate degree and timing of recovery. (Total rest is NOT appropriate recovery... it does not provide the lower level stimulation necessary for compensatory chemical reactions to develop.) The stresses applied can be in the form of speed, distance swum, or "density" of workout. (yards per time period.) Stress can also be specifically applied in accordance with energy systems. A quality swimming program will mix the stresses in appropriate quantities and types for the group of athletes, and thus the individuals, being trained. The "mix" will be different for different groups and individuals, based on their previous training. Thus, attendance at workout is a CRITICAL feature in making physical progress in the program. When an athlete misses a workout, they upset the delicate balance of "how much of what" stresses they apply to their body. In worst cases, athletes attend the recovery workouts, and miss the stressful workouts and thus never apply increasing stress to their systems. In the next worst scenario, athletes miss a series of recovery workouts, and attend only the stressful workouts and thus never get the appropriate recovery stimulation, and go from "sore" to "more sore." Finally, missing a "cycle" of stressful and recovery workouts means that the athlete takes "one step forward and one step back" and worse, comes back to a stress/recovery cycle that is now two steps up from their last practice .... a very stressful adaptation. This ignores, of course, the fact that the athlete has let his teammates down by not attending, and has lost the opportunity to learn what is being taught that day. NOTE TO COACHES: If you allow athletes to miss practice without comment, you are saying in effect, "It doesn't matter if you miss." If their absence means nothing, then so does their presence (mean nothing)"

By John Leonard – Executive Director, American Swimming Coaches Association

Cont. from Head Coaches Corner – page 1

Vicky & Ben ventured to Bewl Water in Kent to swim an early morning 3.8k. Ben came 1st in 50:57 (fastest they’d ever had!), and Vicky 16th in 1:03:36 (3rd female out of 16). Each won a bottle of wine, plastic trophy and money off entry next year.

Masters Round up…

Over the summer our Saxon Masters have been all over the UK entering open water races. A handful of Saxons (and honorary members) travelled to Wales, and all exceeded their own expectations.

• Ruth, in her inaugural (very) cold water comp, smashed her expected finish time by an astonishing 20 min. Despite swimming in a surf wetsuit she swam the 5km in 1hr 25

• Bex braved the cold and swam the 5km without a wetsuit, winning the ladies non-wetsuit category (second woman overall) in 1hr 17

• And Lauren beat everyone winning the event in 1hr 08

Training Tips for Swimmers and Parents from the Coaches Voice 1. Arrive On Time Most coaches ask swimmers to be present at the training venue between 10 and 15 minutes prior to the session begins in the water. Swimmers should complete a short warm-up and stretching routine before the coach prepares them 3 to 5 minutes prior to the ‘in the water’ starting time. The coach will explain the session to all swimmers and talk them through the objectives. If a swimmer arrives late then they not only miss the warm-up and stretching which will increase the likelihood of injury, they will also miss finding out what the goals are for the session and the warm up instructions. Alternatively the coach must then take their attention away from the group to explain the session to the late-comer and in-turn hold everyone up. It is a courtesy to the coach and your team mates to always arrive on time. 2. Train Effectively When a swimmer trains, they should put in 100% effort to every set. This does not necessarily mean swimming hard in each set, but rather focusing on the objective set by the coach in each set as well as continually working on improving technique and skills. As a coach, I never understand why swimmers would turn up to train and then not put in any effort, especially in morning sessions as you’ve already shown great commitment to get up early! It is the consistent effort put in by the swimmer that will lead to improvement. Getting the little things right is the key. To begin with, correct push-offs in a streamlined position and using correct technique in every session are the foundation to training effectively and if a swimmer focuses on effective training they will fast-track their own development. 3. Listen To Your Coach In most situations the coach will have a lot more knowledge than the swimmer and their parents. Swimmers should listen to their coach and aim to implement what the coach is asking them to do. One of the coach’s main objectives is to help each swimmer to improve their technique and skills. Your coach will give you instructions and hints on how to improve in certain areas and swimmers should listen carefully to the feedback they receive and then put it into action. 4. Eat To Assist Training Performance A healthy diet and regular snacks around training sessions can assist an athlete to get the best out of themselves at every training session. Eating correct foods will assist swimmers to to train and perform at a high level day in, day out. Swimmers who eat ‘junk food’ or choose not to snack with the correct foods before and after training will often tire and struggle through longer quality training sets and not allow recovery and restful sleep. It is a great idea for swimmers to snack immediately following a training session to restore the glycogen stores used up in the session. 5. Equipment Is Appropriate and Ready There are a number of speciality pieces of training equipment that swimmers require for training. The most obvious three are swim costume, swim caps and goggles. Every swimmer should have a second costume, hat and pair of goggles in their swimming bag for training sessions and competitions. Commonly used equipment includes a kick board, pull buoy and fins or flippers. These aids are used on a regular basis for a variety of reasons. Some programs also use hand paddles and snorkels as training aids. Make sure you are aware of what your coach’s expectations are for equipment and that you keep your equipment in good order and appropriately named. 6. Swim Quality Sets Like You Are Racing It is important for swimmers of all ages to practice swimming ‘really fast’ in training. Many coaches of age group swimmers provide them with sets that include ‘race pacing’ whereby swimmers aim to swim splits equal to their goal time. Athletes get to replicate exactly how they would like to swim in a race.

When you do these sets, aim to swim with the technique, stroke rate and stroke count that you aim to do in a race. When swimmers get the chance in training to replicate a race, they should make the most of it. Quality sets, particularly those that the coach times you from a dive start should be used on every occasion to develop your racing skills. 7. Breathe Correctly Learning to breathe correctly in training will help you immensely when it comes to racing. Many coaches use hypoxic sets in training, where swimmers are required to breathe a set pattern, to assist in the fast tracking and development of the swimmer’s aerobic capacity. In freestyle sets, swimmers may be asked to breathe once every 3 to 9 strokes and in butterfly sets swimmers may be asked to breathe every 2 or 3 strokes. Most coaches will advocate no breathing on the first 2 to 4 strokes off the start in freestyle or butterfly and no breathing from the flags into the wall at the end of every set in training, so that it becomes a habit in races. Extensions include no breathing on the last stroke in and first stroke out of a freestyle turn, to assist in streamlining and further improve aerobic capacity. 8. Support Your Teammates Swimming is a hard sport in many respects particularly when it comes to training multiple sessions each week. While many would say the sport is an individual sport except when swimmers compete in relays, there are many aspects of training where supporting your team mates and being part of a team is essential. There is no doubt that if swimmers work together in training sets by pacing each other, encouraging each other that they will improve more quickly than if everyone does their own thing. Helping your team mate/s is particularly important if they are feeling a bit down or going through a bad period at training. Support each other and create an environment where everyone feels supported and can train to the best of their ability. 9. Develop Your Strengths And Weaknesses In general, many swimmers will naturally develop their strengths by focusing on what they are good at. Swimmers who are good at kick will focus on this and swimmers who are good at breaststroke will tend to focus on this stroke. It is important, particularly at a young age that swimmers also focus on their areas of weakness. Junior and age group swimmers should develop skills and be strong in all four strokes. Coaches and swimmers should allocate time to improve weaker strokes at a young age. Many swimmers are either strong in kick sets or pull sets and they should work hard to improve the other skill. 10. Train With A Long Term Plan In Mind A strong training program will assist each individual swimmer to develop a range of skills in all four strokes and provide them with the foundation that, if they choose to go on with competitive swimming past the age of 15 years, will provide them with the platform to achieve success. While swimmers and coaches will often focus their training preparation on the next competition that is coming up, they should always keep longer term goals in mind. The development of correct technique and completing skills correctly is essential and should be a focus for junior and age group swimmers. Coaches and swimmers should be careful not to train excessively hard at a young age in return for short term goals. Swimmers should set goals over the long term and then break these down into medium and short term goals. Each short and medium term goal should lead towards the long term goal. Short term goals may be a simple as improving your streamline and kicking off the wall on every turn in training, every day.

Thanks to Saxon Coach Matt Eady

Saxon Welcomes New President

We are delighted to announce that Kay Grimshaw has agreed to be our new Honorary President. Kay

has a long association with Saxon Crown and London swimming. As well as being a life member of the

Club, she was our secretary for more than 10 years as well as being President of the ASA in 2009, and

President of the London Region Board in 2007. Kay is a qualified coach and swimming official and has

officiated at Commonwealth Games. She is currently a member of the Kent Swimming committee, the

London Representative on the National ASA Board and also heads the London events team. Despite this

incredibly busy life, Kay has agreed to join us again and I am sure she will be a great source of advice

and support for us.

Saxon Committee Contact Details Hon. President Kay Grimshaw kayfred@btiternet.com -- Chair Neil Amos neilamosuk@gmail.com 07557 540383 Deputy Chair & Marion Levine levines@talktalk.net 020 8690 0405 Deputy Welfair Officer Secretary Tara Lee-Oliver taraleeoliver@me.com 07515 893473 Nicki Kirkman nicki.kirkman@btinternet.com 07917 820570 Treasurer Carrie Markey carriemarkey@saxoncrown.org.uk 07916 286551 Gala Secretaries Rozanne Ferrigan galasecretary@saxoncrown.org.uk 07760 247768 Cherelle Josephs 07854 268780 Welfare Officer Byron Andagoya welfare@saxoncrown.org.uk -- Head Coach Davi Ferreira headcoach@saxoncrown.org.uk 07735 959348 Membership Laurie Hanlon membershipsecretary@saxoncrown.org.uk 07951 958577 Secretary Masters Rep Ruth Owens ruth.owens@hotmail.co.uk 07812 164645 Master Captain Kelly Stephen Kelly.stephens@barclays.com 07920 267656