Chairman's Report

I would like to extend a very warm welcome to everyone to this year’s AGM and awards evening. It is a highlight event in the year when we can afford ourselves the opportunity of recognising both the hard work and achievement that makes Bushey Amateur Swimming Club such a success and one of which we can all be proud. The achievements of the swimmers in the water is constantly matched by the efforts of parents and helpers out of it and my thanks and respect go to you all.

We set ourselves some pretty ambitious targets within a 3 year development plan this time last year and I am delighted with the progress so far. Our key focus areas are:

·        Increase competitive squads and gain promotion

·        Maintain membership levels

·        Maintain badges and awards

·        Increase pool-time

·        Reinvigorate the social calendar

·        Improve communication

Excellent progress has been made in all of these, but there is still a long way to go and many people work behind the scenes to make this happen.

Baz Long filled the diary with a scary number of galas in 2007 and with fantastic results to show for it backed up by the efforts of Phil Holpin and Adrian Edwards. The beginning of the year saw both our Gold and Black teams give a great account of themselves in the Herts Majors, with Gold missing out on promotion by a single point. This was followed up by an equally impressive season for the junior squad in the Peanuts League for swimmers under 13. In to the autumn season and our debut in the prestigious Speedo League saw us with a hugely creditable mid-table finish. Alongside all of this there was the Chiltern League and various invitational galas, allowing around 100 swimmers to represent the club, with many blooded for the very first time. This serves as an excellent foundation for the 2008 campaign and I know what effort you will all put in to make this our most successful year yet.

As ever, our 3 internal club competitions were well organised by Howard Willis and Caroline Clifford and equally well attended across all age ranges with many personal bests and some club records broken along the way and both the 200m and 1500m proved as popular as ever producing more great swims. There are further developments planned for 2008 to allow even more opportunity for all members to get on the starting blocks.

As usual, a small team of swimmers went forward to compete in the annual BagCat  competition serving as the county trials held over 4 weekends in March and with no less than 13 top 8 finishes, they can all be proud of their performances.

There was a hectic schedule of badges run by Jane Willis, enabling swimmers of all ages and abilities to achieve and receive recognition of their swimming skills. 2007 saw the inclusion of the diving badges which were heavily over-subscribed, so it makes a welcome return later in 2008.

Our membership levels are at capacity combined with a long waiting list which Jon and Janet Wood tirelessly administrate and produce all the back office services to ensure classes are filled to their optimum, allowing as many swimmers as possible to benefit from the excellent teaching.

On poolside there has been the addition of an extra class on Wednesdays and many swimmers progressing with some rigorous re-organisation of classes. Richard Henson has spread his enthusiasm in working together with his fine band of teachers and coaches to continually develop the syllabus and assessments. We welcome some new teachers this year and have a number either already qualified or considering at level 2 coaching courses.

I am sure you will indulge me if I take a moment to express my thanks in no small measure to all the other volunteers behind the scenes including Derek Swannick who has been a powerhouse in the role of club secretary, welfare officer (and various other posts) and particularly in setting BASC firmly on the road to achieving the ASA  Swim 21 accreditation, which serves as a kitemark of professionally run clubs. Also Marilyn Lawless and Kim Waddup who ensure our finances are always healthy, Kevin Binns who runs the best swimming club website (referred to by all our competitors!), Alan Brown who has been transforming our marketing and PR, Gillian Wertheim for running the 100 club, Caroline Shermer who manages all our swimmers’ kit needs, Jackie Summerfield who has got our social calendar back on track, Richard Jones who is our representative on the county committee, Julie Rose and Lisa Hawes who work ex-officio on the committee and many more of you who contribute and help out. You are what make the club a success and you are all appreciated by both parents and swimmers alike…even if there is a funny way of showing it sometimes!

Finally and perhaps most importantly, our long standing president, Maureen Hine, who has given so much to the club over many years, is standing down. Maureen will not be severing all ties with the club and of course we will be honoured to keep her as a friend of a club over which she has presided so successfully. So as we now bid farewell to her from that post, I would like to take the opportunity on behalf of BASC to thank Maureen for everything and wish her all the very best in the future – we all owe you a huge amount. We are delighted to be able to welcome Wendy Cook to take on the mantle once worn by her father before Maureen. Wendy has a long and close affiliation with BASC and it is an honour for us to have Wendy become our new president.

Enjoy the evening and the year,

All the very best,

Paul Scott

Chairman