Seaside Pirates Masters Swimming Club

Seaside Pirates Goals and Objectives 2010 - 2011

Competition

The Seaside Pirates Club aims to be competitive at the highest level of Masters Swimming

Why

Setting challenges, commitment to training and team support is key to a successful club.

Objectives

•    We aim to win all three State titles in 2011

•    The Club will aim to form a strong team to compete at the 2011 Nationals in Perth WA with the specific goal of winning the Visitors Trophy

•    Member participation at our Club carnival at SOPAC to increase to a minimum of 50%

•    A coaching programme for 2011 to be published by Dec 31st with attention to the timing of the State and National swims

•    We will be repeating and look to increase participation in the Club Championships

Membership

The Seaside Pirates welcomes members to be part of a community of people who swim for fitness, friendship and fun

Why

To attract new members and motivate existing members to participate to their highest capacity, it is essential to provide an environment of connectedness and camaraderie.

Objectives

•    The Club will conduct at least 2 friendly relay competitions with Terrey Hills Masters

•    The 2010 Yearbook will be published by the end of February 2011

•    A social event will be held in December 2010 or January 2011 for the Club Championship presentation as well as two other social events during 2011.

•    The monthly post training breakfasts will continue

 Community

The Seaside Pirates is open to anyone willing to participate, regardless of ability

Why

A successful swimming club needs to be aware of opportunities to broaden its membership base in order to be sustainable, dynamic and a role model to other clubs.

Objectives 

•    The Club will participate in a friendly swim against Warringah Masters and Avalon Swimming Club at an ocean pool in March

•    In cooperation with a local surf club we'll run an ocean swim in 2011

•    A sponsorship program will be implemented, initially through the NSP website and developing throughout activities and merchandise.

•    A selection of fresh Club gear will be ordered and offered to members for purchase.

Notes

1.   The Club has always expected that members take part in carnivals and will be asking members to increase that commitment this year. The coaching program will be aimed towards competition goals but will not exclude members who are not able to take part in some competitions.

2.   The Committee will be seeking a member to act as organiser/co-ordinator for the Perth team.

3.   All members are invited to comment on and contribute to these Club goals

Draft Swimwear exemption document

Hi everyone

The attached document is a proposed rule change for Masters Swimming Australia, and I would like any comments by 15th August if anyone has any feelings either way before the document is submitted to the National body.

Thanks,

Jane

Pirates carnival

Hi everyone

Our Pirate carnival is fast approaching and this year it is to be held at SOPAC. Your committee decided as we are the best club in Australia we should hold our carnival at the best pool in Australia, hence on Sunday 12 September we will be holding the best club carnival in Australia.

So we will need all Pirates on deck on Sunday 12 September at Homebush, if you feel you can help run the carnival in anyway please let me know. There is much to do. I already have a number of Pirates in officials positions but if you feel you can help out check starting (ie guiding swimmers to behind the blocks in the correct race and the correct lane) please let me know I could do with a couple more helpers.

We will need about 6 WUS’s for warm up (Warm up supervisors) to ensure the warm up is orderly and no one gets hurt. We will need lots of timekeepers (automatic timekeeping so just press a button), so if any of your family has ever wanted to help out now is the time to get involved. Cathy Codling is organising the raffle and is eagerly awaiting your donations for the prizes, and of course we will need some raffle ticket sellers on the day to sell the tickets, firstly at the door as people enter the carnival then amongst the crowd during the carnival.

And most importantly we need everyone to swim to make it a great day. So please have a look at the program on the website, or pick up your copy at training, decide on your events and let me have your entry by Friday 27th August.

We are also organising a dinner afterwards at a restaurant just near the pool, details to follow shortly.

See you in the pool.

Jane

Coaching News

The coaching plan drawn up for the Club has become very late and impractical to deliver through a combination of conflicting work obligations, family commitments and interstate postings. Steve Hyde has tried alone to juggle his own many and varied obligations for a much longer period than was ever envisaged. Business commitments finally got too much for Steve to give the time he wanted to being Head Coach and he has regretfully stood down from the post. Now he can properly concentrate on ‘paying the rent’ and looking after his young family. For his sterling efforts the Club is indebted to Steve, and he has our unfailing appreciation and respect. He won’t stop swimming of course and once he’s got over the ‘flu, we look forward to seeing him back in the pool. It shouldn’t be too long either before he’s back on deck doing the great job of coaching that he’s always done.

We do still need a solid coaching program to focus our swimming goals and fortunately the Club has great depth in its coaching team. We’ve been able to persuade two of the best to come out of their rest home and fill the roles of Head Coach and Assistant Head Coach so that we can maintain that excellent standard of coaching that the Pirates have always enjoyed.

Jeff Price will once more step up to the plate as Head Coach and Louise, as ever, will be his assistant, interpreter, sanity inspector and everything else. Jeff has been coaching swimmers for over 15 years and is one of only 3 people in NSW to hold a Level 2M certification, whilst Louise is a Level 1M qualified coach with more than 10 years experience in coaching swimmers and has successfully managed commercial coaching programs. Between them they have been awarded the coveted title of Australian Masters Swimming Coach of the Year three times; both are founding and Life Members of Seaside Pirates.

As skilled and willing as they are Jeff and Louise can’t carry all the responsibilities of coaching alone and will head up a team  of at least six other coaches with the objectives of delivering the best possible coaching to our members and growing and developing the skills and numbers of our coaches.

Come along, have a swim and meet them this Sunday as Jeff will be on deck coaching, whilst Louise swims and watches from the pool to make sure he hasn’t lost his touch. It’s the first Sunday of the month too so there’ll be breakfast as an added temptation.

President Paul

If you're depositing money into the Pirates bank account...

...could we ask you to please make sure you also email the treasurer to let them know what it is that you have paid for? Although it is generally possible to include a note with an online deposit it is not always the case that this note appears in our bank statement (and in any case rather a lot of you appear to not leave notes at all). So our poor treasurer is more or less permanently at a loss to say who's paid for what. Please have pity on them. 

No swimming next Sunday!

Next Sunday (the 21st of March) much of the club will be up at Woy Woy participating in the State Short Course Championships - so there will be no training on this day at Terrey Hills.

Accommodation for Short Course Champs - reminder

The Short Course Championships at the Peninsular Leisure Centre at Woy Woy are fast approaching. They are to be held on March 20 and 21 and entries will close on February 28.

We have organized some great accommodation and I need to finalise numbers, so please let me know if you would like accommodation On Friday and Saturday nights.

Thanks to those who have already let me know, there is no need to reply again.

Thanks

Jane

Annual General Meeting

Below is the formal notice for the 2010 AGM. Please read the minutes of last year's meeting - as you can see these have to be formally accepted at this year's meeting. The AGM is also the time at wich we elect a Committee to run the club for the forthcoming year. If you want to have a part in the management of the Club or offer your services in one of the positions, the descriptions of each position are here and the nomination form can be found here. At the very least please arrange to come along to the AGM. The Seaside Pirates is nothing without its members and the AGM is your best opportunity to have a say in the future of the Club and its conduct.

Notice of Annual General Meeting

The Annual General Meeting of Seaside Pirates Incorporated

To be held at Terrey Hills Aquatic Centre on Sunday 28th February at 10:00am

Agenda

Order of Business.

1. Welcome and Opening of Meeting
2. Apologies
3. Confirmation of Minutes of Annual General Meeting held in February 2009
4. Reports

• President
• Treasurer
• Club Captain
• Head Coach
• Website

5. Election of Committee for 2011

• President
• Vice President
• Treasurer
• Club Captain
• Head Coach
• Website/Plank
• Secretary

6. General Business

    To consider motions and agenda items.

7. Close of meeting.

Next year in Launceston

Hi everyone,

I am starting to look at accommodation for Nationals next year in Launceston.

We would like to see a great Pirate team in Launceston, but I would like an expression of interest of those who would like accommodation so I know how many I need to book for.

Please let me know if you are thinking about going to Launceston next year and if you would like accommodation

Thanks,

Jane

About the Treasurer's Chest

It's time to be thinking about renewing memberships and NSW Masters have raised their fees for next year by $5. The Board of the Admiralty must pass this on but won't be adding to it. This means that the Club's membership fees for 2010 will be $95. Renewals will fall due at the turn of the year. We once had an old fart of a Race Secretary who used to say, "an early entry is a good entry". Well, an early renewal is a good renewal. Especially so if you want to swim at the first carnival of the year which will be the Central Coast on January 16th.

Financially the Club is sailing along satisfactorily. We have sufficient turnover to maintain our swimming operations although Narrabeen is very much supported by the Sunday sessions at Terrey Hills. In terms of income Narrabeen has so far been a disappointment. Despite the seeming lack of popularity we will continue to have sessions at Narrabeen on Thursday as long as we can sustain it. Do come along and enjoy Barry and Louise's excellent sessions at this great new facility.

Correction/clarification:

I have been asked to correct a small blooper in the Treasurer piece above. The increase in fees has come from National AUSSI Masters and not the lovely people, I mean the gorgeous people, I mean the beautiful people at Masters Swimming NSW who are also not raising their fees but simply passing on the National body's rise.

Did I mention how generous, kind and understanding the folks at MSNSW are? How hard working and caring they are? Is that enough?

Pres pp Treas