The Florida Swimming Club has already started the year with a bang. They kicked off their club nights during which swimmers – young and old – get to compete in a friendly and fun atmosphere. The Florida Club is currently using Maragon Private Schools’ aquatic centre and the aim of the club nights is to introduce their young swimmers to competitions.
Head coach Tracey Hemphill said this is a great entry for beginners as there is no pressure.
“The young swimmers don’t have to swim in big competitions for the club, so club nights are a good entry point,” she said.
The club currently has more than 60 registered swimmers representing it at various competitive levels. The club has also introduced masters classes with intensive levels of training for swimmers 19 years old and above.
During the festive season the club’s swimmers participated in the Eastern Gauteng Championships, finishing ninth overall. It was followed by the Central Gauteng Championships where the club finished in fifth place overall.
The club is very involved in the community and one of their initiatives is a programme for coaching and teaching swimmers from Vuleka School. There are 175 young swimmers in the programme learning to swim.
“The school is mainly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds and various other circumstances. However, this programme is in definite need of funding and would like to appeal to anyone willing to help. Just recently the club competed in Nelspruit, all thanks to West Peak Spur who opened their hearts and helped us so that the children could gain more experience and come one step closer to their dreams,” said Tracey.
Club president Clinton Strydom said he is doing everything in his power to ensure the club is a success in and out of the pool.
“We’ve done various fundraisers during the season, such as the 1 500m swim-a-thon. Participants were encourage to donate money per lap. This is another way to give back to the club because our senior-level swimmers participate in the Grand Prix series and compete with the best. For them to compete they need a variety of things, including their entry fees. The club tries to take care of that by raising funds.
“With the regionals coming up in March, club nights are seen as a great way for those taking part to fine-tune their skills in actual competitions.
“We encourage swimmers not just from our club but the community to join us. Our club is family orientated and club nights are also where the younger swimmers get to shine and improve themselves,” he said.
The club nights are hosted every second Tuesday while the masters classes are presented on Monday and Wednesday from 6pm to 7pm and also on Tuesday from 5pm to 6.30pm.
For more information on the club contact Tracey on 083 399 1205.
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