VOL.3 FEBRUARY 2014

Hatfield Swimming Club Newsletter www.hatfieldswimmingclub.org.uk

Five weekends of back to back racing and we are now into February

The first month of the year has already gone by and we are really starting to gather momentum as a team.

We’ve had a busy weekend in Biggleswade with a huge cross section of the club competing, a long weekend at the Zonal Championships with some very strong in season swims, our own Hatfield Valentines meet, international representation in Belgium and six performance swimmers making their way to for a grand prix event.

That’s January done and dusted, so moving onto to what lies ahead. We’ve just had the second round of the Hert’s Major League this weekend as well as a sizeable performance and racing team heading to for the Derventio meet. We will have a short th rest bite on the weekend of 15/16 before we send of 16 of our University swimmers to Sheffield for the British University Championships as well as Caleb Hughes who is competing at the event as preparation The Grand Prix event in Edinburgh this weekend just gone for the fast approaching Trials in April. This weekend also coincides with the Harrow THANK YOU!!!!

Open Meet. Following that we have the distance events A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL THE at counties! HELPERS, COACHES AND OFFICIALS FOR MAKING THE VALENTINES MEET SUCH A GREAT SUCCESS! th th Meet Report: Biggleswade Open Meet 18 /19 January THANK YOU!!!!

Success at Saxon Pool for Hatfield Swimmers: Samir Ahmed

A large contingent of Hatfield’s junior swimmers took the short-course meet hosted by Biggleswade by storm. The fearsome quartet of; Luke Turley, Luke Sugden, Ben Garratt & Nathan Hughes claimed numerous individual accolades as well as posting some of the fastest age-group times in this year.

Coaches; Barry Smith, Ingrid Wilkes & Samir Ahmed were extremely pleased with the overall performances and effort shown by all the Hatfield swimmers based at the Finesse Swim Centre and the Hertfordshire Sports Village. There were fifty-eight swimmers representing the team and the club came away with the ‘Top Team’ trophy.

Well done to the following swimmers who did a fantastic job; Bailey Wilkes, Jade Whitehouse, Alfie Warnock, Nathan Wankling, Thomas Vullo, Luke Turley, Fiona Thornton, Euan Thornton, Emily Talbot, Luke Sugden, Anthony Smith, Amber Shine, Max Shirvell, Toby Shirvell, Max Robertson, James Rayner, Josh Rayner, Georgia Pritchard, Elinah Phillip, Amarah Phillip, Bex Pedrithes, Sophie Payne, Sammy Parker, Oliver Parker, Luke Moore, Eliot Miller, Libby Magill, Cailtlin Loo, Saric Lewington, Indie Leader, Tobi Laguda, Niamh Kelly, Dinnith Karunthilaka, Antonia Jubb, Tim Hughes, Nathan Hughes, Amber Hughes, Reese Housden, Nicholas Hollas, Monette Hilario, Cailtlin Harvey, Harriet Hanson, George Gould, Sam Garratt, Ben Garratt, Bethan Fuge, Molly Francis, Alex Faulkner, Jess Farrow, Jamie Farrow, Elizabeth Earl, Christina Durbin, James Cameron, Jess Bond, Natasha Bentley, Suzie Bird, Matt Bentley, Ollie Bailey & Luke Abeywickrama.

VOL.3 FEBRUARY 2014

Hatfield Swimming Club Newsletter www.hatfieldswimmingclub.org.uk

Facebook and Twitter!!! FEBRUARY – JULY MEET CALENDAR FEBRUARY 2014 8 Herts Major League Round 2 TBC Select Team Like the clubs Facebook page - 8-9 Derventio Excel February Festival Sheffield TBC 21-23 BUCS Long Course Championships Sheffield Students www.facebook.com/HaftieldSwimmingClub 22-23 Harrow John Basford Open Meet Barnet Qualifiers MARCH 2014 And follow us on Twitter - @HatfieldSC 1 Herts County Champs (Distance) Luton Qualifiers 8 Herts Major League Round 3 TBC Select Team 15-16 Herts County Champs Borehamwood Qualifiers Also you can now follow the University of 22-23 Herts County Champs Borehamwood Qualifiers 27-29 Sheffield Premier Meet Sheffield Qualifiers Hertfordshire’s Swim Team - @UHSwimming APRIL 2014 3-6 Scottish Championships Glasgow TBC 5 Harlow Development Meet Harlow - 10-15 Commonwealth Trials Glasgow Qualifiers 27 M11 Junior League - Round 1 TBC Select Team 26-27 Arena League National Final SelectTeam Two Hatfield swimmers and one coach made the MAY 2014 3-4 ASA East Region Youth Champs Luton Qualifiers trip to Belgium for the first international long 17 Peanuts League Round 1 TBC Select Team course meet of 2014 for Team GB. Caleb 18 M11 Junior League - Round 2 TBC Select Team Hughes and Ian Wright flew over from Britain 24-25 Team Luton Open Meet [LC] Luton TBC JUNE 2014 whilst Adam Brown flew over from his U.S. 14 Peanuts League Round 2 TBC Select Team University training base. Both swimmers did 14-15 Harrow End Of Season Meet TBC Qualifiers exceptionally well picking up medals in the 50, 24-28 British Gas International Meet Manchester Qualifiers JULY 2014 100 and 1500 freestyle events. It was a great 12-13 Hatfield Non National Meet Herts Sports Village Qualfiers experience for Hughes at his first senior GB 12 Peanuts League Round 3 TBC Coach Select International event and he certainly stepped up 12 Dunstable Splash Night Dunstable TBC and raced some strong times in the midst of heavy winter training. MEET ENTRIES CLOSING DATES*

*Please ignore all dates on the various open meet websites. The following dates are when Hatfield’s double Olympian this week also shared the entries need to be with the club secretary by in order to give us time to process the some fantastic news with the world via his twitter entries and submit them on time. page. Congratulations Adam and Mary with a FEBRUARY 2014 baby due JUST after the Commonwealth Games 8 Herts Major League Round 2 Team To Be Selected draw to a close! 8-9 Derventio Excel February Festival Closed 21-23 BUCS Long Course Championships January 24th 22-23 Harrow John Basford Open Meet Closed MARCH 2014 th 1 Herts County Champs (Distance) January 24 8 Herts Major League Round 3 Team To Be Selected 15-16 Herts County Champs January 24th 22-23 Herts County Champs January 24th th 27-29 Sheffield Premier Meet February 10 APRIL 2014 3-6 Scottish Championships March 3rd 5 Harlow Development Meet February 24th 10-15 Commonwealth Trials TBC – Anticipated to be early March 18-20 Norwich Easter Meet February 28th 27 M11 Junior League - Round 1 Team To Be Selected 26-27 Arena League National Final Team To Be Selected MAY 2014 3-4 ASA East Region Youth Champs March 28th 17 Peanuts League Round 1 Team To Be Selected 18 M11 Junior League - Round 2 Team To Be Selected 24-25 Team Luton Open Meet [LC] TBC June 2014 7-8 ASA East Region Age Group Champs May 2nd 14-15 ASA East Region Age Group Champs May 2nd

VOL 3. FEBRUARY 2014

Hatfield Swimming Club Newsletter www.hatfieldswimmingclub.org.uk Swimmer Profile – Jessica Farrow

In the second of our swimmer profile series we look at one of our performance 2 girls who has made her name for herself with a Hannah Miley-esque attitude to training where no set is too hard and if her arms and legs start to ache, she just digs a little deeper.

How many sessions a week do you swim?

“I train seven times a week in the pool”.

How many land sessions do you do?

“I train twice a week on land”

Talk us through how you manage to fit in all your school work around your training and racing The 14 year old Hatfield Star commitments?

“Fitting my school work in is quite difficult sometimes especially when I get big projects. I mainly do my little weekly pieces of homework after school or after training and sometimes even at lunch. On the odd occasion, I have to take my homework to the pool and do it when my dad is teaching as I just don't have time to do it at home.

When I get homework, I try to do it straight away as then I don't have to worry about trying to fit it in around my training. I have even taken my homework to galas and last year I had to finish of 2 days work of project work on the coach there and back to Cardiff, with the help from my friends!! It is very hard to do my homework , but as I am choosing my options this month, I know that I am going to have to plan ahead Jess bringing a whole new meaning to ‘pink panther’ and try and manage my time between swimming and school work, but it can be done.” Any sayings or motto’s you want to share?

Favourite movies? “Behind the athlete you’ve become,

the coaches who have pushed you, “DESPICABLE ME!!!!!!!!!! And Pitch Perfect.” friends who have supported you,

the medals you have won, Favourite food? and the hours of practice,

is the little girl who fell in love “Swedish meatballs, and of course mum’s Sunday with swimming in the first place.” roast!!!”

VOL 3. FEBRUARY 2014

Hatfield Swimming Club Newsletter www.hatfieldswimmingclub.org.uk

The Influence of Parents in Youth Sport: Ian Wright from: http://www.thesportinmind.com/articles/the-influence-of-parents-in-youth-sport/

We’ve all seen that one parent on the sideline, shouting out inappropriate comments at the top of their voice that are not only directed at their own child, but often at their teammates, teachers or coaches and the referee. How much does this behaviour influence the sporting experience of their child? How much should the parent be involved? It goes without saying that parents have an important role in the sporting development of their child. However, caution needs to be taken in their approach as parental behaviour’s can have both positive and negative effects on their child’s sporting experience. A study by McCarthy, Jones and Clark-Carter (2008) investigated the sources of enjoyment reported by youth sport participants and found that positive parental involvement was one of the most frequently reported results by young males and females. This implies that when children in sport perceive parental involvement as positive, they are more likely to enjoy their sporting experience.

Furthermore, in terms of child development, positive parental involvement can help develop important skills such as self-esteem, motivation and social skills. These valuable skills learned from sport have also been shown to transfer and facilitate development in other areas of life, such as school and extra-curricular activities (Jones & Lavallee, 2009). This skill transfer is more effective when the child has a greater self- awareness of their own life skills. Therefore, parents can further assist skill development by encouraging their children to think about what skills they are gaining from sport.

Evidence supporting the negative connotations of becoming over-involved in children’s sporting development comes from Gould, Wilson, Tuffey and Lochbaum (1993). They explored the role of stress in sport from the perspective of youth athletes. An important finding from that study explains that parents can unknowingly create a stressful sport environment by placing too much emphasis on winning and too much importance on participation. Returning to that parent shouting from the sideline, although they may think this is helpful and a form of encouragement, it is actually more likely to be considered as a hindrance by the child and therefore place additional pressure on them.

To summarise, the importance of the role parents play in youth sport is unquestionable, but caution must be taken to ensure the enjoyment and sporting development of children is not hindered. Below is a brief and quick summary of do’s and don’ts regarding parental involvement in sport:

DO

 Encourage your child to develop their own self-awareness of skills they have gained. This will enhance self-confidence and facilitate the transfer of such skills to other areas of life.  Put trust in the coaches’ methods. If the same messages are being portrayed by both the parent and the coach then there is a lower chance of the child becoming confused, which means they will be able to focus more on working towards set goals.  Provide emotional and tangible support. This may seem obvious, but reassuring your child that you are there when they need you will show your support.

DON’T

 Become over-involved. Although this may be your way of showing you care, be wary that there is a fine line between supporting your child and over involvement.  Provide inappropriate coaching advice. This may provide conflicting messages to that which they have received from the coach. If you disagree with the coach, it is better to talk it through and have a quiet discussion with them at another time, rather than potentially coming across as disrespectful.  Put too much pressure on and emphasise the importance of winning and success. No matter what standard of competition your child is, they should always be enjoying their sport. Additional pressure can take away this enjoyment and be detrimental to their performance. VOL 3. FEBRUARY 2014

Hatfield Swimming Club Newsletter www.hatfieldswimmingclub.org.uk

Hatfield Valentines Meet Zonal’s

Congratulations to all who attended what was a busy but successful Hatfield's British Junior Valentines meet. Hatfield had 78 swimmers taking part across two International Martyn sessions. There was a huge volume of personal best times set, and a large Walton helped himself to number of both County and Regional times were attained. This meet a magnificent seven gold allowed finalization of the County entries for 2014, with 83 swimmers medals at the ASA entering a total of 567 swims with an additional 24 relay teams!!! The club Central Zone Meet in would like to thank all the volunteers for their time as without them the meet Corby last weekend. The would not have happened. Well done also to all the swimmers who took fast improving Walton part and hopefully they are all listed below! was the dominant force in

INSERT HEADLINE HERE the 16/under boys' events with victories in the 100m Bethan Fuge Jessica Farrow Max Robertson backstroke (58.81s), Caitlin Hartley Rebecca Pedrithes Elliot Zapico 100m freestyle (52.10s), 200m IM (2:09.78), 400m Ruby Hutchings Elinah Philip Oli Bailey freestyle (4:04.49), 50m Antonia Jubb Amber Shine Jamie Farrow backstroke (27.59s), Niamh Kelly Isobel Todd Tim Hughes 200m freestyle (1:54.65) Cailin Loo Harriet Hanson Tobi Laguda and 200m backstroke (2:09.49). Georgia Pritchard Lauren Baker Saric Lewington

Ella Anastasiou Suzie Bird Zac Carnell Team-mate Nico Jessica Bond Ellie Fogg Nicholas Hollas Campbell was a double Gracie Fernandez Amber Hughes Luke Moore champion (16/under 50m freestyle and 50m Gemma Hanson Kate McQuaid Nathan Wankling butterfly), while Benjamin Monette Hilario Michelle Mitchell James Abdallah Purcell (16/under 100m Eleanor Walker Amarah Philip Carsten Backhaus breaststroke), Charlotte Natasha Bentley Fiona Thornton Matt Bentley Reid (15/over 50m breaststroke), Katie Elizabeth Earl Sam Garratt Ben Garratt Armitage (15/over 100m Elli Hume Sebastian John Nathan Hughes breaststroke) and Lily Sophie Payne Max Shirvell Anthony Smith West (15/over 200m Poppy Richardson Toby Shirvell Euan Thornton butterfly) all took single individual gold medals to Jade Whitehouse Thomas Vullo Luke Sugden round off a solid weekend Kate Barham Alex Backhaus Nathan Bentley of racing for the Club. Lily Dallimore Harry Dobson James Cameron Molly Francis Maxwell George Ethan Lamb Lucy Gallagher Freddie Houlihan Charlie Pond Thompson Vol 4. Will hit the world’s media towards the end of Bailey Wilkes Harry Jackson Michael Revell the month with meet Isobel Barham Eliot Miller Rhys Short reports from Edinburgh, Laura Copping Oli Parker Myles Presence Herts League R2, Derventio, British

University Nationals and the Harrow Open.