Frequently Asked Questions
At Pukekohe Swimming Club
Every child is given the assistance required to fulfil their potential, regardless of their level of attainment.
Through the structure of the club programmes we will enable the swimmer to reach their own personal goals, be it fitness, learning to dive, or reaching national level competitions. We will coach through the basic fundamentals of swimming, developing a life long love of the sport. Focusing on good technique from an early age will help us develop national swimmers of an exceptional standard.
Swimming fosters social skills necessary for life. Organisation, communication, goal setting, planning, time management, interaction, dealing with pressure, adapting to characters around you etc. We believe that the young people that persevere with this sport are well-rounded and successful individuals.
What training squad will I be in?
PSC has planned for all levels of swimmer.
Starting squads – Once a week swimmers that have joined the club from lessons. They will learn to read the programmes, learn lane discipline, and fundamental stroke techniques. To join the club you must swim 100m f/s, Bk and have the correct breaststroke kick. Fitness groups are also available for the 12 year and up age groups, who wish to develop stroke work and keep fit. This is a great interactive session for young teenagers. To join PSC please contact our to arrange an assessment. From there a group will be recommended for you.
Becoming a competitive swimmer- If you are keen to become a competitive swimmer, from the once a week training sessions please inform your coach.
IF you are part of a squad it is expected that you will swim competitively at meets throughout they year including Club Nights.
Each term the entire coaching team sit together to determine progression of swimmers through the squads.
Franklin Swim Squad structure – Outline
Competitive and Non-competitive squads. Providing a coaching pathway from learn to swim to National Age group Champs, NZ Opens, and International meets. All swimmers joining the squads must be registered with a club affiliated with SNZ. Swimmers progress through the squads at their own pace. There is no obligation to become a competitive swimmer, until you join Silver squad or up.
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Non-Competitive – Bronze Squads
· Option to train 45 min or 1 hour sessions. Can train twice per week
· Sessions are available on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings
· Must be able to swim 200m F/s and Back stroke and have legal Breast stroke
· 8 swimmers per lane
· Coaches are covering the following per term;
o Technique Fly, Back, Breast and F/s- All strokes to Fina Rules
o Technique – starts and turns to Fina rules
o Building fitness and endurance
o Relays and racing strategies in line with school swimming sports
o Learning lane etiquette in preparation for squad swimming
Bronze squads run in line with school terms, and do not train over the holidays, unless there is a specific stroke clinic running.
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Fitness Squads
· Swimmers aged 13+. Tuesday 7-8pm and Thursday 6.30 – 7.30pm
· Working technique on all strokes. Building fitness and reaching targets, with similar aged swimmers
· For swimmers, unable to make times / minimum requirements for senior squads.
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Competitive Squads.
Swimmers in theses squads must be SNZ registered competitive. They will be given an annual calendar and will be training in line with the competition calendar. These squads train multiple times per week. All swimmers must be swimming legal strokes.
Silver – swimmers starting out in competitive swimming.
· Train up to 48 weeks per year.
· Train 3 times per week. Mon and Wed 3.30 – 4.30pm. Thursday 4.15-5.15
· Sessions are for 1 hour
· Target entry times – 50 f/s 55.00. 50 bk 58.00. 50 Br 1.10
· Coaches are covering the following
o Technique on all strokes to Fina Rules
o Technique – starts and turns to Fina rules
o Building fitness and endurance
o Relays and racing strategies in line with programmed swim meets
o Following policies and procedures for squad swimming
o Team building for squads
o Sportsmanship in training and at meets, Values of squads and SNZ
o Fun, but technique focused warm down activities
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Gold 1 – Swimmers that are competing at local meets
· Train up to 48 weeks per year.
· Train 4 times per week.
· Sessions are mon 4.30-5.30 tues 3.30-4.30pm, Thursday 5.15-6.30 fri 5-6pm
· Target entry times – 100 f/s 1.36, 100 bk 1.46, 100 br 2.02
· Coaches are covering the following
o Technique on all strokes to Fina Rules
o Technique – starts and turns to Fina rules
o Building fitness and endurance. Introducing comp warm up
o Introducing target set times and test sets
o Relays and racing strategies in line with programmed swim meets
o Following policies and procedures for squad swimming
o Team building for squads
o Sportsmanship in training and at meets
o Values of squads and SNZ
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Gold 2 – swimmers have a more challenging entry time, and are starting morning training
· Train up to 48 weeks per year.
· Train 4 times per week.
· Sessions are mon 6-7.30am, tues 3.30- 4.30pm, Thursday 5.15-6.30, fri 4-5pm
· Target entry times – 100 f/s 1.30, 100 Bk 1.42, 100 Br 1.54
· Coaches are covering as above.
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Platinum – Entry times – 100 f/s 1.15. 100 bk 1.25, 100 br 1.40, 100 fly 1.32
· Train up to 48 weeks per year
· Train 5 times per week
· Sessions are mon 5.30-7pm, wed 6-7.30am, wed 5.30-6.30pm, fri 5.30-6.30pm sat 6-8am
· Swimmers are committed to competitive swimming
· Coaches are covering the following
o Technique on all strokes to Fina rules.
o Specific coaches working on individual strokes
o Starts turns and finishes to Fina rules
o Annual programme to include specific technique, distance, endurance and sprint sessions
o Swimmers are accountable for goal setting.
o Swimmers are using pace clock and calculating target times, Swimmers are working time sets and must know pb’s
o Swimmers are working from programmes on the board, and need to read / follow instructions
o Competition warm up and race strategy
o Swimmers must have gear bags with fins, snorkels and finger paddles
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Senior Squad
Swimmers that have national qualifying times for Div. 2, NAG or Opens, or are deemed to have a suitable training ethic by the head coach. Swimmers must train a min of 5 times per week. It is expected that all swimmers in the senior squad, have goals, and a solid work ethic.
· Train up to 48 weeks per year
· Sessions are tues 5.30- 7.30am, tues 5.15-7pm, wed 6- 7.30am (new seniors), thurs 5.30-7.30am, fri 5.50-7.30am, fri 4- 5.30pm, sat 6-8am. NAGS only mon 5.30 – 7.30am and Wed 4.30-6pm
Coaches are covering the following
o Technique on all strokes, starts, turns and finishes to Fina rules
o Following an annual plan in line with competition calendar
o Covering all aspects of swimmers development, including, but not limited to A1-3, endurance, Lactate tolerance, sprint sets, quality sets, race pace, meet preparation and taper
o Annual goal setting and one on one coaches meeting
o Goal setting prior to any national meets
o Awareness of race plans, and ability to follow them.
o Swimmers must know race times and splits, and be able to calculate goal times.
o Stretching and body awareness
o Team meetings and team activities.
o Test sets
· Gym membership for 16 years+ senior national swimmers only
· Swimmers must have all gear requirements plus drag pants and paddles
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What equipment will be required?
All PSC members should have their own training fins. PSC swimming caps are to be worn by all swimmers. Club togs are available for all swimmers. (Endurance). All swimmers to bring drink bottle.
All swimmers should have 2 pairs of goggles. Swimmers from gold squad up will also require paddles. Seniors training 7 times per week, also require drag pants and a snorkel
What Fees will I pay?
Training Fees are paid weekly to Belgravia Leisure. All Pukekohe Swimming Club members currently train under Belgravia Swim Squad Head Coach Mitchell Nairn, at Franklin Pool and Leisure Centre. If you require any information about weekly fees then please contact fplsquads@belgravialeisure.co.nz or 09 2388956
SNZ Competitive Registration. Any swimmer that wishes to compete at swim meets other than our club racing, is required to be registered annually as competitive. The Swimming New Zealand year runs from 1st July to 30th June. Please contact the Club treasurer with regards to the amount of this payment – it is reviewed annually. The club pays your registration fee to our regional association Swimming Counties Manukau (SCM). It is then split between SCM and Swimming New Zealand for swimming initiatives and funds for our top athletes.
PSC Membership. This is an fee you pay each term to PSC to be a member of our club; this helps us to pay for club relays, club nights, incentive prizes, administration, insurances, purchasing medals and ribbons among other expenses.
Who makes Decisions about PSC?
PSC club is run by a committee of parents who meet once a month to help organize competitions, meet entries, trips, fundraising, swim meets, officials and the administration of the club.
Without the committee the club would not function. Those on the committee are people who make our club one of the best in the region. As with all committees, not everyone is on for life, new blood and new ideas are always welcome. If you would like to help out the club, but do not want to be a committee member, please contact our president Your help will be gratefully received.
Who is needed to run a meet?
Vital to competitive swimming are the swim meet officials. These are volunteers.
Meet Director
Referee – oversees the meet, and is directly responsible for any decision made. – 1
Starter – signals the start of the race – 1
Judge of stroke – walks the length of the pool and checks the legality of the strokes – 4
I.O.T – Inspector of turns – checks the touch and turns of the swimmers – 6
Chief timekeeper – ensures that all times are recorded and if a stopwatch doesn’t start takes that swimmers times – 1
Lane timekeepers – 3 times keepers per lane. They take the swimmers time and record all times – 18
Recorder – takes all timekeeper sheets home, along with the DQ forms and types the results onto the team manger report that is then printed out and sent to the web sites for publication: (PSC; Take Your Marks and Counties Swimming) – 1
Announcer – announces the swimmers in the races and DQ’s along with prudent information through out the meet – 1
Marshall – gets swimmers lined up for their races, ensures they know lane number, checks togs – 2
Team managers – sends the swimmers to the marshalling area – 2
Refreshment assistants – ensure that all the officials are keep rehydrated and sustained – 2
We need over 40 volunteers to run a swim meet.
If your child is competing you will be required to assist at the meet, for at least one session. This helps to make the meet more meaningful and allows you to interact with your children more. You can become registered with Counties Swimming as a qualified official through PSC. We have a technical team who will help get you on the road to becoming a qualified official (see committee members). This is a great way to support your children in their chosen sport. There is usually a natural progression – Timekeeper, Inspector of Turns, Starter, Referee and experience is gained at each stage before moving on. . If you are unable to officiate at a meet you have a swimmer at, please ensure that you offer an extra session at a future meet. If a swimmer is competing in an 800m or 1500m event, they must provide a timekeeper. A record of helpers is kept after each meet (please see our meet co coordinator to check your record). Remember this is voluntary and you can choose which meets and sessions you would like to officiate at. This experience will give you an insight into the amount of work required to run a meet. Your assistance is helping your child achieve their goals. Without these volunteers swim meets do not run.
Do we Fundraise?
As with most clubs, PSC must raise funds to supplement their revenue gained from registrations. We work throughout the year on a variety of fundraising activities that allow PSC to subsidize swimmers competing at National meets and cover the cost of every PSC relay team / winter league teams and when possible individual national meets entries.
Is there a Team Uniform?
As with all teams, the PSC Swim Team has a uniform that all swimmers wear at competitions. The black club shirt, grey hoodies, should be worn to meets to identify members of the Club. Pool coats for swimmers are also available. This is our uniform and all competitive swimmers wear it at competitions when representing PSC. When racing swimmers who wear caps race in a PSC cap. Please contact our Uniform coordinator for more information.
When do I become a Competitive Swimmer?
A great introduction to competitive swimming is via our monthly club racing. All club swimmers are encouraged to come along to these evenings. Club racing enables you to experience the thrill of racing in your own familiar pool environment, with your friends and family supporting you. PSC club nights are run under Fina rules and require officials to be present in various roles, thus we need lots of parents to help out. The results from this racing is posted on the club website within a few days. As this is an official meet you will be disqualified if you do not follow the rules of racing. Once you feel you would like to race competitively against other clubs, at meets around NZ you need to register with SNZ. Once you are registered with Swimming New Zealand your times are sent onto Take Your Marks as official times.
The progression of competitive swimming is as follows;
PSC Club Nights – click here for a detailed description of what goes on at club nights
Counties Manukau regional competitions, PSC Club Championships, Open meets (Hamilton and Henderson) i.e. Hot 50’s
Counties championships / Auckland Championships
AIMS Games (school based competition)
NZ Juniors
Secondary Schools Champs (School based competition)
SNZ Division II
SNZ Age Group Championships (aka NAGs or Div I)
SNZ Open Championships (both short and long course)
Aussie Age Group Champs / Youth Olympics
Pan Pacs and World Champs
Oceania Champs
Commonwealth Games
Olympic Games.
How do I enter swimming meets?
To enter competitions you need to enter through swimming NZ either through the PSC website or the SNZ website. It is your responsibility to check the psych sheets on the relevant web site prior to the meet to ensure you have been entered.
What happens at National Meets?
The club has a national team travel policy for all national meets. The club requires team mangers to assist at national meets and applications will be sought from those that are interested. click here to view the Team Travel Policy.
What happens when I go to a Swim Meet?
Come prepared. All swimmers must be in PSC uniform. Bring your swim bag packed with 2x togs, towels and goggles. 2x drink bottles and poolside snack food. Lunch items if required. Cards or a book for prolonged rest intervals. You must wear the Fina approved togs for racing and wear only 1 pair of swimming togs.
Warm up -You need to be at the pool 15 mins prior to the meet warm up starting. To ensure you get seating and to start your dry side warm up. After a long drive you need to loosen up and warm up the muscles that will be required in your warm up. When warm up begins, do the warm up your coach has prepared. (20 – 30 mins) This will include working all the muscle groups required for you to race well. Do not play around or disrupt other swimmers warm up. There is no diving into lanes during a warm up. Diving lanes will be allocated in the last 20 – 30 mins of warm up. Do not climb out over the touch pads at the end of the pool.
After your poolside warm up, have a drink and nibble of food, change togs if required and do some stretching.
Marshalling- the team manager will let you know when you are required to be at marshalling. You must listen for your name, you can be disqualified if you do not hear your name called and are not seated ready to race. Wear something warm to marshalling. Prior to going to marshalling check with your coach. They will give you last minute reminders (i.e. touch with 2 hands / negative split the 2nd 100 etc) remember what you have done in training is what will help you now.
After your race, go immediately to the warm down pool and start your warm down. This should take between 15 – 20 mins. Descending and finishing with work on the next race you have. Then go back to see your coach, who will discuss your race and give you advice on things to work on in training to make this an even better race next time. Younger swimmers may not be required to warm down and can return to their team immediately after the swim.
Please bear in mind that we have some very large squads and often have swimmers racing immediately after each other. Our apologies if we don’t get to speak to you all, but our priority is to watch every swimmer race. We may need to catch up with you at a later time on your race performance. (Ideally we would love to speak to every one of you)
PB’s – these are personal best times. On the programme you will see that your child has a time next to their name. This is the first registered time they have recorded. They achieve a PB when they beat this time. If your child has never done the swim before they are on the program with NT (no time). Some meets we are not allowed to enter a swimmer with NT, so the recorder will estimate a time for swimmer, or the coach will do a time trail and advise the recorder of the time.
Splits – these are the times per 25m, 50m or 100m, depending on the length of the race. From these times the coach can see where the swimmers weakness in technique / fitness is. I.e. dropping 5 second on the 3rd 25m swim and not getting it back for the last 25m, tells us the swimmer went out too fast and didn’t have the fitness to sustain the swim.
DQ’s
If you have been disqualified for a race, we will explain the reason for it; we then need to ensure that you work on that item to make sure it never happens again. Learn from it.
Club Code of Conduct – click here.
Committee and members that are available to help with all your questions – click here.