Message from our Artistic Chairman, Anneka Welding
Rule Changes which means we require more Parents to train as Competition Judges urgently.
***Attention all parents esp Pearls & Rubies with younger swimmers - we need your help *** As you know, the club can’t have as many teams in competitions, or function as a growing club, without the brilliant help of all our parents! It’s an expectation that all families provide extra voluntary help in some way. We are a club that prides itself on giving its swimmers as many chances as possible to compete and experience the thrill of the day.
And what we really need now are more parents offering to learn how to be competition judges.
You’ll have seen at the comps that there are a lot of judges! This means each judge is only marking one aspect of the routine. You don’t need to have been a swimmer yourself to learn how to judge. In fact, Charlotte our Head Coach thinks it’s easier if you are coming to this all new, especially as there has been an overhaul of the rules in Artistic Swimming this year, so you can just learn the new rules.
And there has also been new local competition guidance meaning that we need a minimum number of coaches in the changing rooms as well as the Team Managers. Most of our coaches used to also judge for us to be able to compete, but this won’t be possible now. This means we need to provide more parents as judges on competition days.
Would you be willing to train as a judge with Swim England?
Benefits: You have the best seat in the house at the comps. You’ll get free entrance. Your lunch & refreshments are provided. You’ll meet parents from other clubs. You’ll gain a new qualification for your CV!
Level 1 training - the training for new judges is online (much easier to commit to than attending in-person training) and the next course is over two evenings, 23rd & 28th Nov 6-9pm. But these get booked up so we need to book your place quickly. The club will cover any fees for the course. Please can you reply on here if you are interested and we will set you up with a Swim England membership as a volunteer, so you can book on.
Thanks very much - let’s make 2024 competition year as great as this year!
Anneka (COBAS Chairman)
PS - this is a great way for dads/grandads/uncles to get involved, as males are restricted from volunteering as Team Managers at comps due to having female-only teams at present in changing rooms.
We are grateful for all our parents’ support as we continue to grow our club.
