Romford Town Swimming Club
established 1900
Welcome to Romford Town Swimming Club
Proudly developing swimmers from Learner, County, District, National through to Masters level
Changes to Squad Training Schedule
Please note the following changes to our normal schedule due to our attendance at the Rotherham gala and the Junior Arena League:
- Sunday 20th May - A, B, C and D Squads - No Training
Urgent!!! Sunday 17th June - Essex County Championship Relays - Basildon
If you received a gala slip enquiring about your availability for this event and THIS CHANGES YOUR POSITION, please inform one of the coaches immediately.
Sunday 13th May - Thurrock Last Chance Regional Qualifier (Level 3) Meet - Blackshots
Town’s swimmers were in fine form at Thurrock's one day regional qualifier meet on Sunday.
Friday 15th to Sunday 17th June - Cardiff International Open Meet - Cardiff International Pool
Saturday 14th July/Sunday 15th July - Northampton Summer Festival Open Meet - Corby International Pool
We complete our 2011/2012 open meet programme with our traditional end of season visit to the East Midlands.
This meet offers a rare opportunity for all of our squads to compete at the same gala and, particularly for swimmers and families who choose to stay overnight, a chance to bond and socialise during the weekend.
Entry forms need to be returned to coaches by Monday 14th May.
RTSC Triathlon Proposal
The Committee has unanimously approved a proposal to introduce a Triathlon Section at the club as a trial during the summer and if this is successful will lead to the creation of a Triathlon Club under the RTSC umbrella.
Madeline Raymond has agreed to head the project (she is a qualified level 2 triathlon coach) together with members of the RTSC committee. Jon Train from British Triathlon Federation has met with us and is very keen to work with us in making this a success and is also supportive of us holding our own Aquathlon as a launch event.
During the trial period it is envisaged that only current RTSC swimmers will take part. Madeline has selected some taster events which have been chosen based on locality to avoid travel as much as possible and to keep cost to a minimum. They are non-wetsuit events and off-road bikes are perfectly acceptable due to the rides being on grass. Wet suits and road bikes are a big cost factor! They also do not clash with current swim fixtures which was a big factor in choice:
- 17th June (Father’s Day)
Closing date 3rd June
Newhall Junior Triathlon
Venue: Newhall School, Chelmsford
8-18years @ 31.12.12
Entry via Discovery Triathlon Club
-
7th July [this is same date as London Open Water Champs, Portsmouth)
Closing date 30th June
Upminster Children’s Triathlon
Venue: Coopers Co & Coborn School, Upminster
8-16 years @ 31.12.12
Entry via Tri Sport Epping
-
End July [date tbc]
Clacton Pier Swim [this is open water - non wetsuit event] details not yet available
All ages [there may be a minimum age]
Entry via Clacton SC
-
19th Aug
H90J Aquathlon [400m Swim 5Krun]
Venue: Coopers Co & Company School, Upminster
Race details TBC
- Joy Cochrane
- Jill Complin
- Carol Hulett
- Barbara Boxall
- Lesley Cook
- Alyson Fordham
- Wendy Hunter
- Lara Fenner
- Madeline Raymond
- Dawn Palmer
- Kira Neal
- Sally Wood
- Michelle Curry
- Stan Clarke
- John Starr
- John Limmer
- Michael Giles
- Jack Youngman
- Janos Leigh
- Paul Holland
- David Griggs
- David Ebanks
- Gary Wraight
- David Mills
- Ron Power
- Keith Oddy
- Tony Pepper
- Ben Gemmill
- Tom Enright
- and coach Martin Fenner
- A framed certificate
- A Jack Petchey young achievers badge
- £200 to be spent on a club project nominated by the young person
- Romford Town 245
- Enfield 205
- Kingston 169
- Chelmsford 156
- Colchester 131
- Erith 112
- London Age Group Championships Entry Form
- London Age Group Championships Schedule
- Short Course to Long Course Time Converter
- Romford Town 4501
- Chelmsford 1971
- Borough of Redbridge 1717
- 50m Freestyle - 30.90
- 100m Freestyle - 1.05.65
- 100m Butterfly - 1.15.24
- 200m Individual Medley - 2.39.85
- Romford Town 246
- Basildon 196
- Canvey Island 188
- Braintree 156
- Runnymede 132
- Rochford 107
- Romford Town 164
- Rochord 160
- Harwich 145
- Braintree 116
- Witham 116
- 2nd David Jacobs Memorial Gala - 23rd September 2012
A licensed evening only gala covering all 50m events and 100m Individual Medley. Ideal for novices and those seeking county times for 2013. - 6th RTSC Short Course Licensed Meet - 20th/21st October 2012
A full weekend gala covering 50m, 100m and 200m events on all strokes and 400m Freestyle and 400m Individual Medley. - Dawn Palmer came home with 4 golds (400m and 200m IM, 100m Freestyle and 100m Backstroke) and 1 silver in the 200m Breaststroke
- Gary Wraight won 3 golds in the 50m and 200m Freestyle and 200m Breaststroke and silver in the 50m Breaststroke
- Alyson Fordham won three golds in the 50m, 100m and 400m Freestyle
- Kira Neal won gold in the 400m Freestyle
- Barbara Boxall won silver in the 100m Freestyle
- Janos Leigh won 2 golds in the 50m Backstroke and 100m Freestyle
- Tom Enright won silver in the 100m Freestyle and bronze in the 50m Freestyle
- Romford Town 243
- Canvey Island 188
- Braintree 177
- Basildon 156
- Runnymede 135
- Rochford 116
- £25 Gogglebox Voucher - Ellie Harris
- Boxed Lanson Rose Champagne - Angie Ayling
- £25 Falltricks Hairdressers - Debbie Allsop
- Bowling Tickets for 4 - Dylan McConnell
- £25 Itunes Voucher - Isabelle Jopson
- Tin of Cadburys luxury Chocolate biscuits/Tin of Cadburys Heroes - Paula Moore
- Cava/Lindt chocolates - Sherri Manning
- Romford Town 553
- Chelmsford 228
- Colchester 220
- Killerwhales 203
- Thurrock 178
- Borough of thurrock 175
- Borough of Southend 122
- Runnymede 95
- 100m Freestyle: 1:06.63
- 100m Individual Medley: 1:19.70
- 50m Freestyle: 29.92
- Romford Town 256
- Canvey Island 183.5
- Runnymede 176
- Rochford 144.5
- Braintree 131
- Basildon 125
- Romford Town 177
- Braintree 140
- Clacton 131
- Witham 124
- Havering Dolphins 87
- Hatfield 364
- Ealing 319
- Teddington 241
- Romford Town 228
- Watford 226
- Edmonton 204
- Sutton and Cheam 142
- Greenwich BM 71
- Borough of Hillingdon 208
- Boldmere 206
- City of Norwich 197
- City of Derby 150
- Romford 138
- Weston Super Mare 119
- January - Charles Sturley
- February - William Manning
- March - Erin Corney
- April - Ellie Harris
- May - George Foley
- June - Jodi Whitehead
Sat 1st September is proposed for the Romford Town Aquathlon as it is the last weekend of summer holidays. This could be open to adults and children consisting of 400m SWIM/2.5k RUN or 400m SWIM/5k RUN.
Anyone interested in this new venture please contact Madeline through the RTSC email address: romfordtownsc@aol.com so pre-competition training can be organised.
Saturday 12th May - Essex Masters Championships - Blackshots
RTSC Masters defended their Essex Championship title in style, taking the title for the 23rd consecutive year.
Romford won the Overall title, best Men's team, best Woman's team, overall best Female, Alyson Fordham, and best overall Male, Jack Youngman.
There were plenty of excellent individual performances throughout the day led by Alyson and Jack competing in every single event, Kira winning all the Freestyle events in her age group and Gary showing he is the new Freestyle sprint star.
We also competed in every relay and won all bar two of them, so a real team effort.
The team consisted of:
Saturday 5th/Sunday 6th May - Masters Long Course National Championships - Sheffield
RTSC Masters sent a team of ten swimmers, Barbara Boxall, Dawn Palmer, Kay Hamilton, Kira Neal, Michelle Curry, Martin Lane, Gary Wraight, David Ebanks, Mark Billyard and Tom Enright to this year's long course nationals in Sheffield over the May Bank Holiday weekend.
There were many fine individual and team performances but the Women's team of Dawn (Breaststroke), Kay (Butterfly), Kira (Freestyle) and Michelle (Backstroke) in the 120+ 4x100 Medley Relay needs special mention as they broke the British Record!
Jack Petchey Achievement Award Nominations
It's time to get your thinking caps on and place your nominations for the next round of voting for the Jack Petchey Achievement Awards Scheme.
The Achievement Awards Scheme enables the club to recognise, reward and celebrate the achievements of our young members. It is not about being the fastest or the more gifted, but about recognising efforts and contributions of members. It works well because the swimmers themselves are involved in the nominating of individuals and selecting the winners. The winner will be given the opportunity to make a financial contribution to the Club they are involved in.
Each winner receives:
We are also looking for suggestions/ideas to add to our ‘wish list’ of things to spend the money on. This can include additional training equipment, specialist courses or funding for fun events such as discos, days out etc. If you have any suggestions please email them to romfordtownsc@aol.com.
Nominees must be between 11 and 25yrs and the voting for the first period of 2012 is now open. Anyone from the Club can nominate so let’s get thinking and get the nominations in. Please email your nomination, along with your reasons why that individual should be nominated, to romfordtownsc@aol.com by the 15th June 2012.
Saturday 16th June - Essex County Championship Relays - Basildon
Please note that we will be attending this relay competition this year. The age groups are: 9/10, 11/12, 14 and under and 15+. We have a rich history of success in County relay events and expect to be selecting two teams in each category, where appropriate. The teams will be picked over the next couple of weeks. Please make yourself available, if chosen, for what should be a fun and exciting competition.
If you have received a gala slip for this event, please make sure you inform one of the coaches about your availability asap. We need confirmations from 4,8 or 12 swimmers in each category before we can submit our entries.
Saturday 5th/Sunday 6th May - London Swimming Youth Championships 2012 - Crystal Palace
Please note Warm Up and Signing-In arrangements:
Cancelled - Saturday 12th May - Essex Mini League - Hornchurch
This gala has been cancelled due to safety issues with the pool roof. This will be rescheduled for later in the year.
Saturday 28th July - Stubbers Fun Activity Day
<Please can you let Angie Ayling, Clare Harris or your Squad Rep have your £18 balance by Friday 4th May.
21st/22nd April - Redbridge Level 2 Meet - Fullwell Cross
Having eventually located the Top Club Trophy from last year (thanks Gary!), Town had little difficulty in retaining it after an excellent weekend's swimming at Fullwell Cross.
Saturday 22nd April - Junior Arena League (Round 1) - Waltham Forest
Town's young swimmers made a convicing start to this year's Junior Arena League campaign.
5th/6th May - London Swimming Youth Championships 2012 - Crystal Palace
Please check your accepted entries for any errors and let Janice Sturley know asap if there are any problems.
14/15 April - Bexley (Level 1) Long Course Meet - Crystal Palace
Town's swimmers warmed up for the forthcoming London Regional Championships at the National Sports Centre with many encouraging performances.
2nd/3rd and 9th/10th June - London Swimming Age Group Championships 2012 - Crystal Palace
Closing date is Monday 30th April 2012.
Saturday 19th/Sunday 20th May - Rotherham Level 1 Long Course Meet - Sheffield
All of our entries have been accepted. Please check the draft programme for errors.
Amy Marren achieves selection to the GB Paralympic Team
Amy Marren will be competing as this summer's Paralympics at Stratford. She has been chosen intially to compete in the relay, but this may be extended to other events once the team is finalised.
6th-8th April - DSE Long Course Disability Swimming Championships - Ponds Forge, Sheffield
13 year old Amy Marren's time of 2.39.28 in the 200m Individual Medley is inside the Paralympic Qualifying Time. Amy went even faster in the Final where 2.38.93 earned her fifth place.
Paul Alvarez - Rest in Peace
We are sad to report the passing of one of our older masters members, Paul Alvarez. Paul had been a member of the club for quite some time and had been involved in teams breaking British Records.
RTSC would like to offer condolances to Paul's family
Friday 30th March to Sunday 1st April - Essex County Championships (Block C) - Basildon
Having amassed over 1500 points more than nearest rivals Chelmsford, during the first two weekends of this years Championships, Romford Town went into the final weekend, wanting to impress and retain the title in style.
On the Friday evening the girls set the ball rolling with some terrific performances in the 800m Freestyle event.
Everyone contributed to a massive points tally as Romford convincingly retained the top club trophy:
Top 9 Year old Girl
Emily Milton
Top 10 Year old Girl
Jess Ayling
Top 15 Year old Girl
Brock Whiston
Top 16 Year old Girl
Elena Sheridan
Top 16 Year old Boy
George Foley
Top Club
Romford Town
Saturday 24th/Sunday 25th March - DSE Juniors - Ponds Forge, Sheffield
This weekend saw Amy Marren compete in the DSE Juniors (short course meet) setting 4 new personal best times and claiming 6 golds for the S9 classification and a Gold in the 4x100m Freestyle Medley Relay
Marren's PBs were in:
Amy now lays claim to 13 London Region Disability swimming Records, leaving only 2 to get before she sweeps the board both long course and short course.
Easter weekend Amy will be competing in Sheffield again at the DSE Long Course Disability Swimming Championships which will see swimmers coming from all over the world to seek qualifying times for the Paralympic Games
Easter Egg Fund Raising Tombola
Thanks to all those that either donated an egg or bought a ticket.
£91 was raised for club funds.
Annual RTSC Registration Fee Now Due
Please note that the annual RTSC Registration Fee of £37.50 is now due for payment.
Invoices have been either emailed or posted to all parents in the past week and it would be appreciated if arrangements can be made for payment as soon as possible. Please pay by Direct Bank Payment, if possible, (using the bank details and reference on your invoice) or alternatively by posting a cheque to the Treasurer made payable to 'RTSC'.
The Annual RTSC Registration Fee includes the ASA Membership Fee that all RTSC Members are obliged to also be members of.
Many thanks,
Mark Sheridan
Treasurer
Saturday 28th July - Stubbers Fun Activity Day
We are organising another fun day at Stubbers this summer. This will include four activities which will be chosen at a later date and a BBQ afterwards with more team games to end the day.
The cost of this day will be just £28. We have been able to keep this cost down due to support from the Jack Petchey Foundation and funds raised from the Christmas Party and the Adult Disco, .
We need to know definite numbers attending by Monday 2nd April. A deposit of £10 secures a place. Please can you let either Angie Ayling or Clare Harris know if you are interested.
Saturday 17th/Sunday 18th March - Welsh Masters Open - Swansea
Five swimmers from the masters section travelled to Wales this weekend to compete in the Welsh Open at Swansea:
Gary Wraight and Kay Hamilton led the charge with both taking 4 out of 4 golds. Gary won the 50m, 100m and 200m Breaststroke and the 50m Freestyle, breaking two PBs in the process. Kay won gold in the 400m, 800m and 1500m Freestyle and 200m Butterfly.
Martin Lane won gold in the 50m Breaststroke and spver in the 50m and 100m Freestyle
Barbara Boxall won silver in the 100m and 200m Freestyle and claimed 4th place in the 50m Freestyle.
Tom Enright won gold in the 50m Freestyle, bronze in the 100m Freestyle and silver in the 200m Freestyle.
Barbara, Kay, Martin and Gary took gold in the 4 x 100m Freestyle 160+ mixed relay in a new Welsh Record.
Sunday 25th March - Easter Egg Fund Raising Tombola - Central Park
To help raise further funds for the club we will be running another Easter Tombola this year.
Please let your squad rep have any chocolatey donations you can spare!
Saturday 17th March - Essex League Division 1 - Basildon
Town's swimmers tightened their grip on the Division One trophy with another emphatic performance in the penultimate round of the season.
Saturday 5th/Sunday 6th May - London Swimming Youth Championships 2012 - Crystal Palace
Closing date is Monday 26th March 2012.
Saturday 19th/Sunday 20th May - Rotherham Level 1 Long Course Meet - Sheffield
Please note the second round of the Junior Arena Swimming League is on Sunday 20th May. Those in the team please consider only competing at this event on Saturday and, if possible, Sunday morning. Maybe some car sharing could take place for those that want to come home early for the league gala.
If in any doubt over priorities please speak to your coach.
Closing date is Monday 26th March 2012.
10th March 2012 - Essex Mini League - Harwich
Town’s youngsters got their 2012 Essex Mini League season off to a good start with a hard fought win.
10th/11th March - Essex Age Group Championships 2012 (Block B) - Braintree Pool
Block B of this year's Essex Age Group Champs continued for RTSC in the same way as Block A with a plethora of medals and County Titles.
An outstanding weekend of performances from all Romford's swimmers is capped by a County Junior Record in the 100m Breaststroke for 15 year old Brock Whiston whose time of 1:13.38 beat Dawn Palmer's time of 1:13.52 set in 1992.
21/22 April - Redbridge (Level 2) Sprint Meet - Fullwell Cross
This is a Level 2, Short Course meet and depending on demand should not be as hard to get in as the level one Bexley meet.
Those competing at Bexley should not need to compete at Redbridge the following week, unless there are specific London QTs you would like to try and achieve.
Closing date is Monday 12th March 2012.
Those swimmers chosen to swim in the 1st round of the Junior Arena League on Sunday 22nd April will be expected to swim in that, so should NOT enter the Sunday afternoon session at Redbridge. Invites for the league will be out shortly. If in doubt please speak to your coach.
Romford Town Duo shine at Olympic Trials
Elena Sheridan and Amy Marren are getting a taste of the Olympics this week competing in the British Gas Swimming Championships at the Stratford Aquatics Centre. The championships are also acting as the trials for this summer's Games.
16 year old Sheridan is set to swim in four events and her best chance comes in the 200m Butterfly where she is currently ranked 4th fastest in Britain.
Marren, 13, competes in six disability events and is among the contenders in the S9 classification.
The action starts on Saturday morning and you can keep up with it here:
Saturday morning. Elena made a good start to her programme with a 1:01.38 100m Butterfly swim, just 0.2 outside of her best which saw her comfortably secure a place in this evening's semi-final.
She followed this with a strong swim over 400m Individual Medley and her time of 4:50.83 saw her safely into her first senior IM final.
With both swims following each other in the evening programme, Elena will withdraw from the 100m Butterfly semi to concentrate on the medley final.
Saturday evening. A very good 6th place for Elena with 4:48.61 in the 400IM final as a host of Romford Town swimmers and their families graced our TV screens!
Sunday. With a day off for Sheridan, there was another long course PB for Amy Marren. She followed up Saturday's 400m Freestyle best time of 5:01.22 with a 1:17.05 over 100m Backstroke, finishing just outside of the MC disability final in 13th.
Monday morning. There was a great start to the day as Sheridan smashed her previous 200m Individual Medley best by more than 2.5secs to unexpectedly secure a place in the evening semi-finals. Marren again PB'd, this time over 50m Freestyle to again finish just outside of the final in 13th.
Monday evening. Another strong swim saw Sheridan equal her morning swim time to finish 10th overall and a reserve for Tuesday's final.
Essex Championships - Parking at Braintree
Don't forget that you need to pay in advance if you are going to be parked at Freeport for more than 6 hours.
Easter Egg Fund Raising Tombola
To help raise further funds for the club we will be running another Easter Tombola this year.
Please let your squad rep have any chocolatey donations you can spare!
Sainsbury's Active Kids vouchers
The club is collecting Active Kids vouchers again this year. Julie Beardsell will have the collecting box at Central Park on Sundays. Angie and Clare will accept tokens from A Squad.
Tesco for Schools and Clubs vouchers
The club is also collecting Tesco for Schools and Clubs vouchers.
Essex Age Group Championships 2012 - Hoodies
If a Championship Hoodie was ordered at Block A this will need to be collected OR paid for by the end of the day's swimming on Saturday March 10th - You can pay for your order by filling in the Hoodie Order Form and posting your cheque to the address on the form if you are not going to be at Block B. If an order has not been paid for or collected by this date the order will not be guaranteed.
Any orders placed at block B will need to be paid for in full and will be available to pick up at Block C of the Championships.This year's Hoodies are Black and Red and cost £25.00 each.
Essex Age Group Championships 2012 - Saving Of Seats
Essex ASA have requested that we circulate the following information to all of our swimmers parents due to be at Blocks B and C of this year's Championships.
We must stress that rudeness towards Volunteers is not acceptable and any behaviour of this type will be reported to the Club.
Bill Kinsey - Rest in Peace
It is with much sadness that we wish to inform you of the death of Bill Kinsey. Bill passed away at 7am on Tuesday 21st Feb at Queens Hospital. He had been ill for a while.
Bill was a long time RTSC President and did much work for the club and swimming in general within Essex.
RTSC would like to offer condolances to Margaret, Andrew and Liane.
The Funeral will take place at South Essex Crematorium in Corbets Tey Road at 12pm on Tuesday 6th March. It is requested that there are no flowers, as Bill always thought it was such a waste.
Jack Petchey Achievement Award Winners
Romford Town Swimming Club’s Jack Petchey Achievement Award winners for 2011 received their awards on Friday evening at the Kenneth More Theatre in Ilford.
The awards were presented by ex-Paralympic gold medallist Danny Crates. George Foley, Charles Sturley, Ben Davis, Ellie Harris, Tommy Beardsell, Jodi Whitehead, William Manning, Erin Corney and Megan Smith were amongst over 100 award winners from London and Essex present.
Established in 1999, The Jack Petchey Foundation gives grants to programmes and projects that benefit young people aged 11-25. The Foundation exists to raise the aspirations of young people, to help them take advantage of opportunities and play a full part in society.
17th/18th/19th February - Essex Age Group Championships 2012 - Basildon Pool
What a great start to Romford Town's defence of their Essex County Age Group title with 3 wins on the opening night in the boys 1500m events, swum long course at Basildon for the first time
This laid the foundations for an impressive display of performances from RTSC swimmers representing all four squads, as the club enjoyed no less than 27 Gold medals, 20 Silver medals, 14 Bronze medals and 60 placings between 4th and 8th to amass an impressive points tally.
RTSC Swim Shop - Latest Order for Named Club Hats has been received.
Tracey Thompson will have these with her at Basildon on Saturday.
Saturday 11th February 2012 - RTSC Non-County Qualifier Meet - Southbury LC
Thanks to all swimmers, officials, helpers and parents who contributed to such an exciting night at Southbury Leisure Centre on Saturday.
We hope you all had enjoyable evening. We are very grateful for the all great feedback we have received, reflecting our aim to provide a competition where children who do not normally collect medals come away feeling happy, proud and successful.
We welcome your comments, be they positive or negative, as we would like to make this event even better next year. Please email romfordtownsc@aol.com if you would like to tell us anything.
You may be interested in two further events we have planned for the autumn:
RTSC Swim Shop - Orders now being taken for Named club hats
RTSC club hats with the swimmer's name can now be ordered from Tracey Thompson who can be contacted by text on 07904 410998. Voice calls on this number should be made in the evenings only. The £10 cost must be paid before any orders will be made.
Medical and Emergency Contact Forms
Every swimmer needs to complete and return the following two forms to their squad reps. This is a requirement of Swim21 .
Maxine Harrison
Membership Secretary
Saturday 28th/Sunday 29th January - SE Region Masters Long Course Champs - K2 Centre,Crawley
Our Masters Section looks set for another good year with all who competed coming home with at least one medal:
Several members of the club are now looking to Riccione where they will be heading in June to compete in the Masters World Championships.
Essex Age Group Championships 2012
Here are our confirmed Essex entries and details of warm up arrangements for each weekend:
Please could you ensure that all outstanding entry fees are paid as soon as possible.
Saturday 4th/Sunday 5th February - Derventio Excel Long Course Open Meet - Ponds Forge, Sheffield
This is a Level 1 meet licensed by the ASA for entry into National Championships:
Saturday 11th February 2012 - RTSC Non-County Qualifier Meet - Southbury LC
If anyone would like to donate raffle prizes for our meet on the 11th February, please give them to Janice Sturley or Karen Patmore (via squad reps if necessary).
20th January 2012 - Parents Night Out - The Archers
Thanks to all parents who attended and to Kevin Wilson (KEW Windows & Doors Ltd) for kindly sponsoring the event.
£215 was raised for the club.
Lost Ipod Touch
If anyone found an Ipod Touch at Central Park on Sunday could they please hand it in. The Ipod belongs to Billy Harrison and his mum, Maxine, is offering a small reward for it's return.
Saturday 14th/Sunday 15th January - Thurrock "Last Chance" County Qualifier - Blackshots Pool
Saturday 14th January - Essex League Division 1 - Waltham Forest
Town's swimmers did their best to raise the temperature at a freezing cold Waltham Forest Pool and despite several absentees continued their quest towards a 12th successive Essex League Title with another emphatic performance.
Saturday 7th/Sunday 8th January -Thurrock Winter Meet - Blackshots
More outstanding swimming and a host of county qualifying times from Romford Town swimmers.
Saturday 11th February 2012 - RTSC Non-County Qualifier Meet - Southbury LC
Ideal for swimmers that haven't made County Age Group times and/or new inexperienced swimmers needing to develop? Our February Non-County Qualifier meet may just be the perfect event?
This short evening gala is great for those not having made Counties and for those new swimmers and parents needing to be introduced into the sport, but not put off by spending the whole day/weekend at the pool.
The closing date is 12th January 2012.
Saturday 14th/Sunday 15th January - Thurrock "Last Chance" County Qualifier - Blackshots Pool
Please see details of entries and start times below. RTSC has NO rejections.
Thurrock would be very grateful if any officials of any level would be willing to help out at the meet. Please email Lyndsey Motin if you are interested.
Saturday 17th/Sunday 18th December - Killerwhales Winter Meet - Basildon
Romford Town chose a local venue to round off their 2011 programme and nearly 50 swimmers made the short journey to Basildon’s new Sporting Village for the first Killerwhales Christmas long course meet. Town saw out 2011 in style with some exciting swims.
Christmas Raffle_Winners
Thank you to everyone that supported the raffle and also to Number Ten Bowling, Tescos, Falltricks and Gogglebox for donating prizes. Also a big thank you to the Squad reps for giving up their time. £209 was raised for the club.
Lynn Connelly
Sunday 11th December - BWF Winter Meet - Waltham Forest Track and Pool
Romford Town's youngsters produced many outstanding swims in their final competition of 2011.
Saturday 3rd/Sunday 4th December - London Winter Championships - Crystal Palace
Romford Town swimmers followed up their successes at the previous County Championships the previous weekend with some very strong performances at the London Regional Winter Championships at Crystal Palace.
Saturday 14th/Sunday 15th January - Thurrock "Last Chance" County Qualifier Meet 2012 - Blackshots Pool
The last recognised swim meet for RTSC swimmers to gain their County times is at thurrock on 7th/8th January 2012. Entries for the County Championships will need to be handed in no later than Monday 9th January.
However, for those swimmers that are close to a particular County time and want a final opportunity to achieve it, the Thurrock meet on the 14th/15th January offers very last chance.
Only enter events where a County Time hasn't already been gained and there is a good prospect of the time being achieved. If in any doubt, please speak to your squad coach. Please note that it is unlikely that any of our coaches will be available to attend this gala and it may be necessary for parents to share chaperoning duties between them.
Any additional county times achieved at this meet will need to be handed in separately no later than Monday 16th January 2012.
Forms to be returned to coaches by Monday 5th December 2011 - No Late Entries!
All RTSC entries will be forwarded electronically to Thurrock by Joanne Coles in the normal way. Once we know who is going and once the availability of coaches is confirmed, we will look to organise a rota of poolside helpers.
Saturday 26th/Sunday 27th November - DSE Short Course National Championships - Ponds Forge, Sheffield
This weekend Romford Town’s 13 years old Amy Marren was competing against the senior swimmers at Disability Sports Event short course Nationals at Sheffield’s Ponds Forge Pool.
Friday 25th to Sunday 27th November - Essex Winter Long Course Champs - Basildon
This year’s senior/junior Winter Championships were held for the first time Long Course at Basildon’s 50 metres pool and Romford retained both of the trophies that were up for grabs. The Hugh Joiner cup for the overall Top Club was retained by an impressive margin of more than 300 points though Town were pushed to within two points for the Masters Shield, the Top Club trophy for the ‘distance events’.
Final Points Score:
London Swimming Championships 2012 - Qualifying Times
Standing Order Changes
Can all parents please ensure that their standing orders have been fully updated by December to reflect the monthly squad fee increases that applied from July?
Can parents also make sure that any payment shortfall created as a consequence is remedied by either making a separate cheque payment (payable to RTSC) to the Treasurer for any missed months of increase or by making a separate BASC/Std Order payment using your existing standing order reference.
Cash refunds for the cancelled 100IM race at the 5th RTSC Open Meet are currently being distributed to all those swimmers who are fully up to date with their fees. Any payments due to swimmers who are in arrears will be used to offset any shortfall prior to issuing a refund. Separate email or written notifications are being issued to each parent whose refund is being used in this way to offset an outstanding balance.
Please contact the Treasurer by email if you have any concerns with the process being adopted or would like to confirm the precise balance on your child’s account.
Romford Town Christmas Party 2011
A big "Thank You" to our Disco Queens, Angie and Clare, for organising the party. £349 was raised to go towards a future activity for the club's swimmers.
5th/6th November - Thurrock SC County Qualifier 2011 - Blackshots Pool
A large contingent of Romford swimmers (Sunday's 400m swimmers below) descended upon the Blackshots Pool at Thurrock this weekend. Some super swimming culminated, once again, in many County Qualification times being achieved with some swimmers achieving QTs for ther first time.
Saturday 26th/Sunday 27th November - Essex Winter Long Course Champs - Basildon
28th to 30th October - British Gas ASA National Masters and Senior Age Group Championships - Ponds Forge, Sheffield
Romford Town swimmers claimed four British Records amongst a plethora of titles and medals.
Alyson Fordham set 3 new British Records in the 55-59 years age group:
Martin Lane, Kira Neal, Dawn Palmer and Mark Billyard combined to set a new British Record of 3:54.39 in the 120-years 4x100m Mixed Freestyle.
Saturday 17th/Sunday 18th December - Killerwhales Level 1 Winter (Long Course) Meet - Basildon
This is a Level 1 Meet aimed at higher level swimmers such as National and Regional qualifiers and good County Level swimmers
Entry times used must be Long Course times. You may use the Pullbuoy converter to convert your short course times to long course
Forms to be returned by Monday 7th November 2011 - No Late Entries!
Saturday 22nd October - Essex League Div 1 - Braintree
Town began their quest for a 12th successive Essex League Title with an emphatic performance.
Gala result:
A "Thank You" from Valerie and Ron
Valerie and Ron Engstrom would like to thank everyone for their good wishes. We are getting there, but still have aches and pains and high blood pressure. But thank God, we are still here.
Hope to be back to Learn to Swim soon - "Oh dear" some will say!
Thank you
Valerie and Ron
Sunday 11th December - Borough of Waltham Forest Winter Meet - Waltham Forest Track and Pool
This is a Level 3 Event and is Licensed By The ASA for entry into County And District Championships.
Forms to be returned to coaches by Monday 24th October
Saturday 3rd/Sunday 4th December - London Swimming Winter Championships - Crystal Palace
Forms to be returned to coaches by Monday 24th October
Amy Marren sets new British Disability Record
13 year old Amy Marren has smashed the British Record for the 200 metres Backstroke in the S9 category. With a great swim she broke the old record by almost 15 seconds setting a new mark of 2:37.99. The old record had stood since 1994.
Saturday 15th/Sunday 16th October - 5th Level 3 Licensed Meet - Southbury LC
Congratulations and thanks to everyone that played their part in contributing to another successful swim meet,
Claire (Wilson) would like to thank everyone who contributed food and drink for the weekend and everyone who helped her on the day. It certainly made her job as 'Catering Manager' less stressful.
Here are the results:
Saturday 8th October - Essex Mini League - Loughton
Town's youngsters concluded their Mini League season in fine style with another gala win and a host of PBs.
Gala result:
Saturday 8th October - National Arena League London, Division 1 - University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield
Romford Town got their 2011 National Arena League campaign off to a solid start in what was seen as the tougher half of this year’s opening round draw. The new 16 team Division 1 format has strengthened the level of competition, but Romford have given themselves every opportunity of making their sixth consecutive Regional final. They will need to up their game further in the next round though to make sure.
Gala result:
Romford Town Christmas Party 2011 - Change of Venue
The Christmas party disco is now booked and is fast approaching us. The date of the big event is 19th November from 7pm till 11pm Bring young own drinks and nibbles. It's being held this year at the Age Cornern Hall, Inskip Drive, Hornchurch, RM11 3UR. Tickets can NOW be purchased from Angie/Clare. Prices are £7 adults, £5 children or a family ticket for £20. Any profit made from the party will again go back into the club. Each ticket will have a number on which will automatically be put into a raffle on the night. So come and join the fun!
2nd October - South of England Junior Arena League Final - Birmingham
Having gained their place through winning the M11 region earlier in the year they took their place in Birmingham. With four teams from six going through to the National Final, despite competing against larger clubs with their greater strength in depth, there was a good chance of progressing.
The first few relay events of the program was to demonstrate how tough the challenge was going to prove.
Result:
Jack Petchey Winners (January to June 2011)
Congratulations to our Jack Petchey Award winners for the first six months of 2011:
Romford Town Christmas Party 2011 - Change of Venue
The Christmas party disco is now booked and is fast approaching us. The date of the big event is 19th November from 7pm till 11pm Bring young own drinks and nibbles. It's being held this year at the Age Cornern Hall, Inskip Drive, Hornchurch, RM11 3UR. Tickets can NOW be purchased from Angie/Clare. Prices are £7 adults, £5 children or a family ticket for £20. Any profit made from the party will again go back into the club. Each ticket will have a number on which will automatically be put into a raffle on the night. So come and join the fun!
Stubbers DVD
A big thank you to everyone who purchased one of the DVDs. We have managed to raise £75 which will go towards the club. If you have not yet had the chance to buy one, then please see either Angie or Clare who still have some left.
Saturday 17th September - David Jacobs Memorial Gala - Southbury LC
A very big thank you from everyone at RTSC to everyone who contributed to the David Jacobs Memorial Gala on Saturday which was an enormous success.
London Swimming Awards
Ron Engstrom (Lifetime Achievement), Elena Sheridan (Swimmer of the Year) and Gary Rogers (Coach of the Year) with Mark Foster.
5th -10th September - European Masters Championships - Yalta, Ukraine
There was more success for Romford Town swimmers on the international stage as two Masters members returned from the Ukraine with European medals
Kay Hamilton (30 - 34 year age group), swam a 4 event programme, including the 800m Freestyle, 200m Butterfly, 100m Butterfly and a gruelling 3km sea swim. This produced her first ever European Championships medals, a 800 Freestyle silver, in a time of 10.51.90, and a 200 Butterfly bronze, in a time of 3.02.50. The sea swim was tough, navigating large quantities of jellyfish, waves and currents to finish fourth in a time of 47 minutes.
Mark Billyard (25 - 29 year age group) completed the 200m Individual Medley, 800m Freestyle, 200m Butterfly, 100m Butterfly and 50m Butterfly events and the 3km open water. This was his first ever European Championships and he managed respectable placings, ranging between 4th and 6th across each of his events. In the 3km open water sea swim, and came 5th in the age group with a time of 41 minutes.
Tuesday 13th September - B Squad Parents Meeting - Abbs Cross Canteen
Kevin's meeting with B Squad parents will take place at 6.20pm in the school canteen.
10th September - London Disability Championships - Hillingdon Pool
There was a strong turnout for this year’s London Regional Disability Championships, swum short course at the Hillingdon pool on Saturday.
Romford's Amy Marren was in great early season form as she finished the day as the competition's most successful female swimmer. She set PBs in three of her four swims, securing the gold in each of her 50m and 100m Freestyle, 100m Backstroke and 50m Butterfly events.
In the 100 metres Backstroke, Marren sliced nearly 3 seconds off her previous best. Recent work on her Butterfly in the training pool had clearly paid off as she took the 50m butterfly crown beating Chelsea & Westminster’s 17years old Jess Harper for the first time.
7th-13th September - Commonwealth Youth Games 2011 - Isle of Man
15 years old Elena Sheridan made the perfect start to the new season at the Commonwealth Youth Games on the Isle of Man.
Having returned from a well earned holiday only a few days before departing with the England Youth team for the Isle of Man, Sheridan’s break had clearly not taken anything off of her competitive edge. A relatively comfortable heat swim of 2mins 12.43secs, in her main 200 metres Butterfly event gave her pole position for the final. A stunning final performance saw her power her way to gold in a new British Junior Short Course Record time of 2mins 09.85secs, to finish more than two seconds clear of silver medallist, Australia’s Venessa Puhlmann. England's Rachael Kelly was three seconds further back in 3rd place.
Another strong swim, this time over 400 metres, secured her a place in the girls IM final as second fastest. A PB performance in the final gave her the silver medal with a time of 4mins 44.27secs just a couple of strokes behind Northern Ireland's Sycerika McMahon. Sheridan’s second place time of 4mins 44.27secs smashed Essex County’s longest standing Senior and Junior record times, set by Southend’s Olympian Sarah Hardcastle in 1984, by more than 1.5secs.
The 100m Butterfly final immediately followed the 400IM final and a tired swim of 1:02.51 still earned a creditable 6th place.
10th September - Essex Mini League - Braintree
Whilst Elena Sheridan was taking on the best youth swimmers in the Commonwealth, Town's younger swimmers also got their new season off to a perfect start.
- Romford Town 170
- Rochford 152
- Braintree 136
- Basildon 128
- Harwich 101
Stubbers 2011
The sun came out and that is where it stayed for the Romford Towns Stubbers trip 2011, and what a great day it was. Fifty children took part in the four activities that we had lined up for them. From Jacobs Ladder to Raft Building all worked together and made each event a great success which once again shows the team spriit we have at the club.
I would personally like to thank each and every child that attended, for representing Romford Town in such a superb manner, your behaviour was excellent towards the activity leaders and volunteer parents. I hope you all enjoyed yourselves and are looking forwawrd to Stubbers 2012.
A big thank you also to all my helpers Clare and Stephen Harris, Dave Benson, Peter Coles, Bev and Andy Corney, Sue and Simon Witton, Ian Manning and Jo and Kelly Merritt. Also to our resident photographer Paul Cribb who followed us round all day long capturing every fun filled minute.
Many thanks
Angie
Stubbers Photos
To raise funds for the club Paul Cribb has very kindly offered at his own expense to put the day's photos on to disc. These will be priced at £3 each with all monies going straight to the club. These can be purchased from Angie Ayling or Clare Harris.
Thank you again Paul.
ASA Aquaforce London Region Athlete of the Year (Swimming) 2011
RTSC are pleased to announce yet another award. This time Elena Sheridan has been awarded a London Swimming Award in the category Athlete of the Year (Swimming) 2011.
Elena too will be receiving her award at the ASA Annual General Meeting on 15th September. Well done Elena - very well deserved!
Stubbers Success
On behalf of everyone who attended Stubbers on Saturday 3rd September - the Committee would like to a say a big "thank you" to Angie Ayling and all the other helpers who gave up their Saturday to make the day an enjoyable one for everyone who attended.
If anyone else has an idea for another team social day for all the squads or parents, or for a fund raising event and would like to run it by the committee please don't be shy - we'd love to hear from you! If we can bring in more revenue through fundraising it will enable the club to grow and we will be able organise other enrichment opportunities as well as help club fees down. We can't do it without the support of willing parents who are prepared to organise it though.
2011/2012 Calendar
Here is our proposed programme of events covering all squads for the coming season. This is subject to changes and additions as we move through the year.
Gary Rogers Scoops Two Awards
The awards are coming thick and fast following the club's outstanding results last season. It's now a double celebration for RTSC in relation to the ASA Aquaforce London Region awards, as alongside Ron Engstrom winning his award, Gary Rogers has won London Coach of the Year (swimming) 2011.
In addition, Gary has also won an award at this year's British Swimming Coaches Associations (BSCA) Awards Conference on the weekend of the 24th September.
ASA Aquaforce London Region Coaching Award
RTSC are pleased to announce that Ron Engstrom has been awarded the ASA Aquaforce London Region Coaching Award in the category Lifetime Achievement Award 2011. He will be presented with his award at the Annual Meeting of London Swimming on 15th September. Regional Coaching Award winners will be nominated for the relevant National Award (Swimtastic, Aquaforce or BSCA). Let's hope it will be a 'hat trick' for Ron in 2011!
Stubbers Update
Just to confirm arrangements for the upcoming Stubbers Activity Day on Saturday 3rd September.
Please can all the children arrive by 8.30am just so they can be put into their groups and be ready to start promptly. They will all need to bring a packed lunch and we suggest an empty drinks bottle which we can fill up as the day goes on if necessary. Spare clothes,swimming costume and extra trainers will be needed for when they go on the water activities as they will get wet!
After the day's activities there will be a bbq and some team games to finish the day with. The children will then need to be collected for 7.30pm. Fingers crossed for some good British weather and hope they all have a great time.
Any parent who previously volunteered to help on the day could they please contact me or Clare . Many thanks.
Photos will be taken during the day by one of the parents and will be available to buy on disc at a later date. If any parent does not wish their child to be photographed please can u let us know prior to the day.
Angie Ayling
Saturday 17th September - David Jacobs Memorial Gala - Southbury LC
RTSC are hosting a Gala on the 17th September in memory of David Jacobs who tragically lost his life to leukaemia earlier this year.
We are looking to share the proceeds from the gala with David's parents chosen charity. "CLIC Sargent" To increase our donations we are offering any businesses or anyone who would like to place a 1/4 page advert in the programme at a reduced cost of £45.
You may also sponsor a race - individually of collectively at the cost of £35. There are only 5 races still available for sponsorship.
For more information please contact Lynn Connelly before the printers deadline of 19th August.
RTSC Qualified Judges
The Committee would like to congratulate the two RTSC parents who qualified this year as Judge 1 and the three parents as Judge 2.RTSC will be organising a Judge 1 course in September and we would urge as many parents as possible to apply for this. If you are interested in becoming a Judge 1 and attending this course please email romfordtownsc@aol.com
Bowling Tickets
We have four bowling tickets for No10 Bowling in Romford Brewery. Each ticket entitles 4 players to 1 game. We are offering these tickets out at £15.00 each (face value is £32.00). If you are interested in purchasing these tickets please email romfordtownsc@aol.com
Squad Representatives
Parents - would you like to act as a Squad Rep? We are looking for parents from each squad who will act as the link between the coaches and parents to ensure all messages are being relayed accurately. If you are interested please email romfordtownsc@aol.com
Revised dates - Essex County Age Group Championships 2012
- Block A - Basildon
- 17th February (evening 1500m only)
- 18th February
- 19th February
- Block B - Braintree
- 10th March
- 11th March
- Block C - Basildon
- 30th March (evening 800m only)
- 31st March
- 1st April
