PORTLAND

One of our stated aims for 2012 is to provide an opportunity for more of our swimmers to compete at their own level of ability, and in particular to make sure that all swimmers that would like to compete for the club are given the opportunity to do so. In order to achieve this aim we have entered into a variety of gala leagues for 2012.

Nottinghamshire ASA has revamped its gala calendar this year, replacing their original competitions with a new three-tier format comprising of three different levels of competition (called stages) as follows:

As a reminder to everyone, and for those who are relatively new to the club, when competing for Portland SC in any gala everyone is required to wear a club swimming hat. We are all proud of the club we belong to and this helps improve our identity, provides a uniform image and also adds to the great team spirit we have (we are more relaxed when it comes to choice of swimsuit as long as they are predominantly black or navy blue.)
For anyone who requires a hat for an upcoming gala please contact Louise Gallagher (Eve’s mum) at the following address: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Please note that hats do have a tendency to tear at the most inopportune moment and so it's always a good idea for swimmers to have a spare hat in their gala bag to avoid having to borrow a cap from another swimmer on the way to the blocks.

Don’t forget you can buy all of the training equipment you need from the Club Swim Shop which is run by Louise.

Some parents at recent galas commented that a few of our swimmers were disadvantaged by starting in the water rather than diving from either the block or the side of the pool. Whilst this is undoubtedly the case, in most instances the swimmers in question had no choice as they were not permitted to perform a shallow water dive; Unfortunately a number of local competition pools have a shallow end that is less than 1.5m in depth, and in such pools ASA guidelines stipulate that only those swimmers who have reached the relevant standard of the ASA Competitive Start Award are permitted to start with a shallow racing dive, either from the side of the pool or diving block.

Please note that the diving clinic that Grant is running during the half term break is now FULL and he is unable to take any further bookings.

Places were limited to 24 swimmers on a first come first serve basis, and if you have not received email confirmation of a place on the course, unfortunately on this occasion your application was unsuccessful.

If you have missed out this time, but would be keen to attend future clinics of this nature, please contact Grant Robe at the following address to express your interest: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

2011 has been a remarkable year for Portland SC with the club continuing to go from strength to strength. With a third more members to integrate into training sessions, we continued to build on the changes implemented in 2010 and Head coach Grant further transformed training over the course of the year, increasing weekly pool time from four to seven hours, and implementing a new eight lane structure based on turnaround times in September. The improvement in the quality of training is clearly paying dividends as evidenced by the much improved gala performances in the run up to Christmas, the record number of Portland SC swimmers qualifying for the 2012 Counties (15 compared with 10 in 2011, and 5 in 2010), and four of our swimmers being selected to train with Nova.

The format of the Notts ASA County Championships has changed for 2012. In previous years all age groups competed over a number of weekends in February/March, but this year the ASA County Youth Championships have been introduced instead for older swimmers i.e. Girls 14 years and over, and Boys 15 and over.

The Youth Championships took place at Beechdale on 17th and 18th December 2011. Congratulations to Rebecca Phillips, Andrew De Boer and Tim Simmons for managing to overcome their nerves to put in strong performances. Unfortunately all three narrowly missed out on PBs, but competing at the County Championships can be a daunting experience and so personal bests can often be elusive; Rebecca came 12th in her age group in 50m free, Andrew 14th in 50m free & Tim Simmons 11th in 50m fly. Well done guys, you did us proud :-)

In view of the difficult economic climate the committee voted to maintain the Annual membership fees at the rate set in November 2008. For members renewing at the start of the year fees will remain at £25 per annum for individual members and £50 for family membership.

Membership forms will be circulated WC 12th December and should be completed and returned to Tracy Cruickshank with the relevant membership renewal fee before the end of January.

Tracy will be collecting the Annual Membership Forms at training sessions from the 9th January to 22nd January. If you are unable to return your completed form during this period you will need to contact Tracy to make alternative arrangements to hand in your form: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Please note that if your membership fee is not received by the end of January 2012 you will be charged at the rate of £2.50 per month (or £5 per family) thereafter, which equates to £30 for an individual member and £50 for Family membership.