It seems so many elements of the club have changed recently and not just in our team but also to our sessions too.

 

As discussed at the AGM there will be a few changes to the session times and you will all be updated soon if you haven't already, the new addition of Swim Fit for 12+ is, I believe going to be a great option for those that no longer wish to compete but those that are just getting back into fitness or hoping to maintain a level that they are comfortable with. The teaching sessions are now offering a Monday night as well as the traditional Sundays which is something that has been asked for many times.

 

Danny and Steven are busy with the coaching squads and yep if you haven't seen me already, I am back taking on the Head Teacher role again while Ethan is away travelling the world, what can I say I just couldn't stay away!

 

I have today completed some changes to the website and have tried to make it all read a little better, added the new session times and have updated the who's who and our team pages!

 

We have plenty to look forward to as we enter the last few months of the year, with club championships starting next week and the Wareham Lions swimarathon just a few weeks away!

 

We are slowly but surely building our numbers back up and we think the new additions to the sessions will help, we saw a great turn out to our September assessment and I am working on getting them settled in along with ensuring all the teaching groups are getting the attention that they need.

If you are a swimmer or a parent and would like to get a little more involved then I am always looking for help on the poolside, just a basic knowledge of swimming will be a benefit, so if you fancy having a go, come along and have a chat!

 

Looking ahead we will soon be going over the events for next year and will be targeting some local events along with any others further afield that the coaching team see work well in the program.

 

If you have any queries regarding any element of the club, your swimmer, helping out, you know where to find us!

Did you know that whenever you buy anything online – from your weekly shop to your annual holiday – you could be raising free donations for Wareham & District Swimming Club with easyfundraising?
 
There are over 4,000 shops and sites on board ready to make a donation – including eBay, Argos, John Lewis, ASOS, Booking.com and M&S – and it won’t cost you a penny extra to help us raise funds.
 
All you need to do is:
 
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2. Every time you shop online, go to easyfundraising first to find the site you want and start shopping.

3. After you’ve checked out, the retailer will make a donation to Wareham & District Swimming Club at no extra cost to you whatsoever!
 
There are no catches or hidden charges and Wareham & District Swimming Club will be really grateful for your donations.
 
Thank you for your support.

We have opened up our schedule and are now accepting new swimmers to the groups. 

To register your interest we will be holding trials on 20th September and 27th September so complete the form here JOIN US!

Wow.. it has been 4 months since we all dipped our toes into the pool and I would like to take the opportunity to welcome everyone back to the swimming.

The past few months have been tough on a lot of you, so it was great to see the excitement as the first phase came back to the pool this weekend. 

We had some nerves not just from swimmers but also some teachers and coaches. We are very lucky to have the support network of so many parents and committee members to assist with the restart. The work that has gone on behind the scenes has not been an easy task and I personally want to thank everyone for their hard work.

Without the help we have received we would not have been able to return to he pool so swiftly after lockdown. 

The road back to normality will be a long one and your support now and in the coming weeks and months is appreciated. 

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The performance squad were the first to get back in, bright and early on Saturday morning and following Jeff's comments on Facebook - you can see this here in the coaches corner the session went well. 

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The teaching groups were next up on Sunday evening and we had a few nervous swimmers entering poolside, but as soon as they were back in the water they soon found their rhythm. The sessions went extremely well and I think it was a fun filled enjoyable return.

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Pre-developement and Development shared the second teaching hour at 6-7pm and were guided through the new structure perfectly with the support of Jeff and his coaches.

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Last to get back in were Intermediate Squad and they looked raring to go as I left the poolside. 

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Thank you to everyone for your patience during this time as we re-establish the way our sessions run. We hope everyone so far is happy to be back and we can't wait to welcome more of you in phase 2! ​

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Check out the pictures below for the 1st Session back on Saturday 1st August! 

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Wareham & District S. C. were very pleased to have put forward Les Jessop as President for the year 2019/2020, and that he accepted.

Les has been in the swimming world since the age of 6. His ASA Number is 212 a little bit different than today’s 7 digit asa numbers.

Over the years he has acquired many skills with ASA qualifications from Advanced Teaching and Coaching and as an Aqua fit Instructor. He has taught many from beginners to Adults.

At present he runs our swimming sessions at Swanage, helps Coach our younger Competitive swimmers at Purbeck and organises our Master swimmers.

In swimming which he still enjoys his achievements are many.

Starting in the 1960’s he swam for Bromley in the Interborough Championships

Represented Division 11 in the Kent & Surrey schools at Pier approach Bournemouth in the Life saving and swimming and at Corby in 1968/69.

Les went to Northern Ireland in 1967 on a Kent asa tour. In 1968 at 15 he won the Kent asa 200F/S. He represented Kent & Surrey in Division 2 of the Schools Championships & Life Saving. From 1970 when he was 17 he was Captain of Kent asa & Beckenhamuntil he moved to Swanage in 1978.

Also swam in two Speedo League Finals (now known as the Arena League) in Blackpool & Crystal Palace for Beckenham S.C.

1979/1980 he swam in the Dorset Championships and finished 2nd in 200m Br/s.

Started up the Masters swimming in 1984 at Weymouth and last competed at National Level in 2005 being always in the top 3 in his age group.

Les swam his first European Masters in 1987 at Blackpool and his 2nd European Masters in 1991 at Coventry.

One of his best achievements was competing at the 1996 World Masters in Sheffield coming 2nd in the 800m F/S and 5000m Open Water. Also in 1998

competing in the World Masters in Casablanca again gaining 2nd place in the 800m F/S and 5000m Open Water winning 2 Bronze medals.

 

In the year 2000 he travelled to LA and swam in a Relay from Catalina Island to Santa Monica (swimming with dolphins & seals with sharks in the vicinity). 7 Teams took part each with a swimmer with MS.

From 1996-2011 Les swam in National and Western County Open Water Championships coming 1st in his Age group each time.

In 2016 he was a member of a 4 person Channel relay to complete the swim in 13hrs 56mins. There were 6 other attempts at the same time but failed to complete because of rough conditions.

Les still competes for Dorset in Inter-County Masters Competitions.

During his time in swimming he has raised over £3,500.00.

With all the knowledge he has gained over the years we feel he will be an excellent representative for Dorset County asa as president.