Chapeltown & District Amateur Swimming Club

Affiliated to ASA, NECSSA, YSA, S&D ASA, RLSS

Reply to: Mr Kevin Canetti (Publicity Officer), 4 Fulmar Way, Thorpe Hesley, Rotherham, S61 2PE. Tel: 07973 548534 Email: kevin.canetti@wharncliffe.co.uk

PRESS RELEASE

10^th December 2007

Grant helps bring leading technology to local swimming club

Apart from the touch pads used to record times on high level swimming competitions, most people wouldn’t associate technology with swimming. But that’s all set to change at Chapeltown ASC after they received a grant from the South Yorkshire Community Foundation for over £6,500 to help fund the purchase and installation of a pool-side projector, screen, laptop, and underwater camera. The equipment will be used to manage training schedules and improve stroke techniques for the club’s 100 swimmers which range from age 8 upwards.

The pool-side projector will display the training schedules for each of the club’s training session at Chapeltown Baths on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, providing swimmers with an automatic system for working through the sessions plan. As a result pool-side coaches will be released from monitoring the schedule to spend more time coaching technique to the swimmers. The club will use the underwater camera to video swimmers stroke techniques and their turns, helping them understand where they can improve; these can then be projected on the screen, along with other technique videos, to a group of swimmers where required. The club will also be able to make use of the projector and laptop in its regular swimming competitions, including the annual School’s gala.

Chairman of the club Tom Barlow explained how the equipment would benefit the club which has been providing training and competitive swimming since 1960, “It will bring the into the 21^st Century and enable the swimmers to get more out of the time and effort they put into their swimming, giving them greater satisfaction and hopefully encouraging more of the local community to make use of the club’s facilities.”

The South Yorkshire Community Foundation, which celebrated its 2^1st year in 2007, provides grants to community groups and projects run by and for local people. The Community Foundation’s funding is provided by various sources but the largest is the Local Network Fund for Children and Young People, a programme of the Department of Education and Skills.

Pauline Grice, Chief Executive, South Yorkshire Community Foundation said: ‘This is a wonderful example of the thousands of projects which have been funded by the Local Network Fund since it started 7 years ago. Chapeltown ASC is providing local young people to be a part of a team with the opportunity for sporting excellence.’

Picture: Tom Barlow with Elizabeth Crossland and Brett Swinburn, two of Chapeltown ASC’s swimmers who will benefit from the new equipment part fund by the grant

Story by Kevin Canetti.