Parents & Carers: A page for all your queries
Welcome to the Parents’ Page of Kingfishers Swimming Club!
At Kingfishers Swimming Club, we believe swimming is more than just a sport—it’s a life skill, a source of joy, and a way to build confidence and character. This page is dedicated to supporting you, the parents, as we guide your child on their aquatic journey.
Why Kingfishers?
Kingfishers Swimming Club is proud to offer a safe, inclusive, and inspiring environment where swimmers of all abilities can thrive. Whether your child is taking their first strokes or competing at a national level, we are committed to nurturing their skills, confidence, and passion for swimming.
How We Support Your Child
At Kingfishers, our approach focuses on:
• Safety First: Our fully qualified coaches are trained to prioritize water safety, ensuring your child learns in a secure and supportive environment.
• Personalized Training: We cater to all skill levels, from beginners learning the basics to advanced swimmers striving for excellence.
• Team Spirit: Swimming is a team sport as much as it is an individual one. We foster camaraderie, sportsmanship, and lifelong friendships.
What Parents Can Expect
We value your role as part of the Kingfishers family and strive to keep you informed and involved every step of the way. Here’s how:
• Regular Updates: Stay in the loop with training schedules, upcoming meets, and club events through our newsletter and members’ portal.
• Parent Support Network: Connect with other parents and share the journey of supporting your swimmer.
• Volunteering Opportunities: Become an integral part of our club by helping at events, competitions, or behind the scenes.
Key Information for Parents to check out.
Training Schedules
Our training sessions are designed to fit into busy family lives. View the full schedule here.
Competitions and Meets
Competitions are a great way for swimmers to challenge themselves and celebrate their progress. We’ll keep you informed about entry requirements, event details, and preparation tips.
Club Fees
We strive to keep our membership affordable while maintaining high standards of coaching and facilities. Learn more about fees and payment options.
Code of Conduct
To create the best environment for our swimmers, we encourage positive behavior and respect from both parents and swimmers. Read our Code of Conduct.
Welcome Pack
Without you, the parent, bringing your child to the pool for training or lessons there would be no club. So thank you!!
We have produced this Welcome Booklet that we hope you will find useful. It contains pieces of advice/information to make your youngster experience of the Club an enjoyable one.
If there is anything else you'd like to see added then please let us know.
Fees
IMPORTANT ACTION NEEDED
At the AGM it was agreed to increase swimming fees with effect from 1 April 2024 as follows:
1 session C squad/Lifesaving - £28
2 or more sessions A/B squads - £35
Our fees have not increased since 2015, however with increased pool hire costs we have no other option.
It would be appreciated therefore if parents could amend their monthly payments as above.
Each Swimmer will be given a unique reference number to be used on the Standing Order.
Please email Michele at armthorpeswimclub@gmail.com if you have any payment related enquiries.
It is important that fees are paid on time to ensure that swimmers are covered by insurance.
Non payment could result in swimmers not being allowed in the pool.
DARTES
'After discussion with DARTES it has been decided that ASA Fees are best paid through Armthorpe.
The amount is £36.10 and if you would prefer to do a bank transfer please email me for our bank details.'
Many thanks
Pete Hardy
Maureen Hardy is usually on hand on Saturday and Wednesday training sessions for payment of open meet fee entries
What equipment does my child need to bring to training?
Of course all swimmers need their swimming costume, a towel, swimming cap goggles and a water bottle, but there are a few more bits of kit to consider. It all depends on the lane they swim in.
Check out the Club Shop page for your all your youngsters swimming needs.
What are the expectations for training?
Firstly, arriving early is a must! The swimmers have relatively small amounts of pool time, so missing 5 or 10 minutes at the beginning of the session can drastically impair their development. Similarly, ensuring your child has the correct equipment (see the link above) is very important. If cost is an issue, please see Pete and we may be able to help out.
Lastly, the coaches spend a lot of time getting their qualifications, planning sessions and explaining techniques to the swimmers - so we simply ask that you let the coaches deal with that, and join us in encouraging the swimmers as much as possible (especially if they are having a bad day). We have a great, positive atmosphere at the club but that can easily be upset by one or two individuals with a negative attitude, so please just focus on the positives.
What happens on race day?
The first gala can be a daunting or nervous time for some swimmers, so it's always important to try and make the experience fun! We try to introduce our younger swimmers to galas at our club championships or Blue V's Yellow gala so they get the feel for the general protocol.
Every gala will have a designated warm up time, it is very important that your child is changed and on poolside at least 15 minutes before this warm-up time. Warm-ups are usually split into 2 groups by either age or gender. Once warm-up is over there is a short break before the racing starts. Each team will have one or more Team Managers who have the lists of which child is swimming what. As long as your child stays on poolside the team managers will make sure they are ready for their race.
Kingsley says 'Please check our Facebook page for shout appeals for help with the putting out of starting blocks for A and B squads. Your efforts are much appreciated by our volunteer coaching staff.'
Food for Thought 1
Parents of children who swim, this is so true. Remember this when they forget their goggles, lose the expensive swim suit or tear another cap.
One of my friends asked "Why do you pay so much money and spend so much time running around for your daughter to swim?" Well I have a confession to make: I don't pay for my daughter's swim lessons. Or her suits, goggles, towels, countless swim caps etc....
So, if I am not paying for swim , what am I paying for?
- I pay for those moments when my girl becomes so tired she feels like quitting but doesn't..
- I pay for the opportunity that my girl can have and will have to make life-long friendships.
- I pay for the chance that she may have amazing instructors that will teach her that Swim is not just about movement but about life.
- I pay for my child to learn to be disciplined.
- I pay for my girl to learn to take care of her body.
- I pay for my daughter to learn to work with others and to be a proud , supportive, kind and respectful team member.
- I pay for my child to learn to deal with disappointment, when she doesn't get that score she hoped for , or fell during a move she has practiced a thousand times, but still gets up and is determined to do her BEST next time...
- I pay for my girl to learn to make and accomplish goals.
- I pay for my daughter to learn that it takes hours and hours and hours and hours of hard work and practice to create a champion, and that success does not happen overnight.
- I pay so that my daughter can be in the pool instead of running the streets
I could go on but, to be short, I don't pay for swim; I pay for the opportunities that swim provides my child to develop attributes that will serve her well throughout her life and give her the opportunity to bless the lives of others. From what I have seen for many, many years, I think it is a great investment!
Author : S.Martin
Food for Thought 2 - An anonymous post from Swim Parents -
“I have observed this forum from a distance but feel I need to post a few items. Before you ask, I was involved in the sport of swimming for over 50 years, 37 as a coach, Level 5 USA and NCAA I with a long resume’. That being said, I just want to share a few things:
1) Fight the urge to compare your child to others. Most athletes 13 and younger who excel are often more physically advanced. Encourage your child to listen to the coach and establish proper techniques and disciplined habits.
2) your child will regress before progressing. This often means sacrificing best times for ??? (Undetermined) length of time. Are you better at your job everyday, every week, or even every month? Bad swim or DQs are usually not intentional. Ask to understand, they will appreciate it although it may be years later when they realize it.
3) the journey is the process. If they do not fail along the way, the will struggle in life when their boss is not a tenured professor who does not care if they feel good about themselves or not. They will know if the effort was their best effort and the inner voice will be the voice the hear.
4) after a race ask them “What did you think?” Let them know they CANNOT RESPOND “good, bad, fast, or slow”. they have to take ownership and you gain insight before give your thoughts or opinion. It will also give you better insight what is driving them.
5) they remember the moments, not the minutes. Some will remember splits from years prior, but it is usually the “wow” factor which becomes embedded into the heart. “I remember when I was part of…”
6) friends are important- if they feel they are going it alone, when the tough times hit, they can quit on themselves but not on their teammates. They also learn to be a great teammate to help when a friend is needed.
7) up to and including the 2000 Olympic Team, only 6 top 100 ranked swimmers as a 12&u ever made the Olympic team. Be patient.
8) your child is an amazing person.
Love them! Good luck.”