Head Coach
Level 3 Coach
Overall responsibility for the smooth running on poolside. Coaches mainly Regional Development and Yorkshire Development groups, though does get involved with other groups. Assesses all applicants for membership.
My name, as you probably will know by now, is Gareth, I started my swimming coaching career back in 1992 and have never looked back since. Having been made redundant, my sister, a Junior GB swimmer at the time, persuaded me to help with training sessions and take my preliminary teachers certificate. I enjoyed the experience so much I followed this 6 month’s later with the full teacher’s certificate. I started teaching at Stretford Leisure Centre under the watchful eye of a coach called Sue Cassidy, from whom I learned a great deal. She had a big influence on my career as a coach.
In 1993 I took my preliminary disabled teaching certificate to help me to try and teach a blind child to swim. One of my proudest achievements was seeing this child being successfully integrated into the swim scheme at the centre.
In 1994 I began coaching at Worsley Swimming club in Salford, taking appropriate training under the leadership of Head Coach, Ian Lomax to become Assistant Coach. I took on the role of Head coach in 1996 upon Ian’s retirement and for the next 18 months had great success in coaching a great number of national swimmers.
In 1998 I gained my full Coach’s Certificate. At this point I was asked to take over at Altrincham Swimming Club, which had just 32 members and was about to close. Over the next 9 years I, with a great team of coaches, managed to develop the club to a standing to this day of being in the top leagues in Manchester & District as well as central Lancashire.
I also brought through 4 national swimmers from being virtually non-swimmers to their present national standings, two of which are Daniel Crosby (aged 12) with two national times and a youth time who has made me very proud. Mathew Parks, who is, I believe, at the moment number one in England in his age group. He now trains with junior GB and I do believe he has a great chance in the 2012 Olympics.
Now to Halifax Swimming Club and you are all probably eager to know what I have planned. Well, for the swimmers, I want to take them to the highest level achievable for each swimmer. I want them to be professional in what they do, which will benefit what they do as a swimmer and influence their own personal lives in what they want to achieve for the future.
As for the club, I want it to boast that they have best technical and professional swimmers and coaches in the north east of England and to be held in high regard by other clubs.
Looking at the club at the moment, I cannot see any sweeping changes as Jill has set out very good criteria for the club to achieve a high standard. She has coached to a very high standard and should be very pleased to what she has achieved; I am privileged to carry on from the standards she has set.
I will, over a period of time, bring in my own personal way of coaching to add to Jill’s high standards and I do believe we can take the club that bit further. I also would like to try and get all the coaches to a standard of at least a level 2 certificate and hopefully some of them to their level 3 as this will only enhance the standing and professionalism of the coaching and of the club.
A note to parents. I do know how all parents feel (I am one myself). You want the best for your child and SO DO I, so please let me and the team of coaches do their job to the best of our ability. A few years ago a parent came to me to ask if her son was doing the right training as she thought he should be doing more and to a higher standard, I encouraged her to go on a coaching course. After three weeks she came back to me saying she would not be continuing with the training as the work involved was too hard, she was required to acquire too much information and in future she would trust my judgement. Her son now has a national time.
Teachers and coaches are a professionally qualified group of people with a high degree of knowledge of the sport. If you want to help, please trust the coach, read books about swimming and coaching techniques if you wish so that you have a broader understanding of what is involved. You might also want to join the coaching team. After all, we are both aiming for the same thing: to get the swimmers to achieve to the best of their ability.
A note to swimmers. I am a strict, yet a fair coach, I will give you 100% of my ability all I ask in return is that you give me the same. That way we will all achieve what we are aiming for.
I look forward to meeting you all very soon.
