Badge Activities

In 2008 the ASA changed the syllabus of several of its swimming and diving badges.  At BASC swimmers continue to have the opportunity to be assessed for a range of the Amateur Swimming Association’s award schemes.  The Water Skills Badges (from levels 1 to 6) test the swimmers’ abilities to perform a wide range of different water skills – floating, gliding, surface dives etc.  The Challenge Badges (now ranging from Bronze to Honours) test the performance and stamina of the swimmers. 

In May we ran a Personal Survival course and 20 swimmers passed the Level 1 and/or level 2 badges.  In the autumn we repeated the very successful four-week diving skills course.  The focus of the course was to prepare swimmers for their Preliminary Competitive Start Award. The course proved very popular; some 22 club members took part and by the end nearly everyone was able to demonstrate they could perform a shallow racing dive from the side of the pool. We will be running a further Diving Skills course in spring 2009. Phill Holpin continues to assess swimmers during the Thursday’s evening swims for the Preliminary Competitive Start Award. 

Badge testing is usually carried out at Haberdashers School on a Thursday evening.  Details of the badge requirements and the assessment waiting list are kept in the badge folder that can always be found on the Club desk when you register on Sundays.  Have a look at this, and if you have any questions about which badges are right for you, do ask your class teacher for advice.  Badge assessments are timetabled throughout the term and once you have signed up for a badge you will be told when your test is likely to take place.  

In 2008 BASC swimmers performed exceptionally well in their badge assessments gaining some 84 awards in total.  Full details of all badge successes are posted on the Club’s website.  The provisional timetable for badge assessments in the spring term will be available on the same page. 

We also maintained the Sprint Speed Award Scheme to help swimmers monitor how they are improving their personal best (PB) times in the four different swimming strokes and the individual medley.  Personal record cards are provided and awards are available at Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels.  Times are recorded at galas, club championships and time trials throughout the year.  Swimmers’ PBs can be viewed on the club website on the swimtimes page. Interest in the scheme continues to grow and we now have 85 swimmers registered for the scheme.  The club currently has 9 swimmers who have achieved Platinum standard in all disciplines and 16 swimmers at Gold standard;.  A lot of swimmers have achieved Sprint Speed Awards in the year and Certificates will be presented at the AGM and Awards evening. 

Well done to all of you and best wishes to Janet Wood who is taking over as Badge Secretary from January 2009.

 

Jane Willis

Badge Secretary.