Introduction

Aberdeen Amateur Swimming Club (AASC) is one of the premier swimming clubs of the North East of Scotland. It was formed in 1980 and later became a Limited Company in 2005, the year of the Club’s 25th anniversary. The Club has trained swimmers to compete at the highest level including the Olympic and Commonwealth Games.

Aim of the Club

The aim of AASC and its associated Learn-To-Swim (LTS) is to provide a structured, integrated pathway for all abilities, from non-swimmers to international swimmers. It is recognised that all swimmers have a different potential in swimming and the coaches and teachers encourage all swimmers to fulfil their potential and not to compare themselves to others. However, the Club is a competitive swimming club and swimmers in the squads are expected to be committed to their training and racing. For those who decide that they do not wish to compete, we offer fitness swimming and lifesaving opportunities. The Club is also committed to training swimmers to be teachers and coaches.

Location

Aberdeen Amateur Swimming Club is located at the International School of Aberdeen (ISA) on North Deeside Road, Cults, Aberdeen AB15 9PN.

Equity Policy Statement

Aberdeen ASC and Aberdeen LTS are committed to ensuring that every person will be treated equally within the swimming club and LTS, regardless of age, ability, gender, race, ethnicity, religious belief, sexuality or social/economic status. Sports Equity is about fairness in sport, equality of access, recognising inequalities and taking steps to address them. It is about changing the culture and structure of sport to ensure it becomes equally accessible to everyone in society. The Club and LTS are committed to making equity an integral part of all development plans for the future and welcomes individuals from all parts of the community to enjoy the sport in an environment that is free from all forms of discrimination. The Club ensures that any incidences of discrimination will be treated fairly and according to the club disciplinary procedures.

Aberdeen Amateur Swimming Club Squads

There are 4 competitive squads in the Club;

• A Squad
• AA Squad
• AAA Squad
• National Squad

We also have a Fitness Squad for swimmers who have reached AAA Squad, but who no longer wish to compete and a Junior Fitness Squad for those leaving the LTS, A Squad and AA Squad. All training is at ISA and as the swimmers progress through the Club, the number of sessions, the length of sessions, the volume of work and the intensity of work increases.

As the swimmers progress through the squad structure, they are expected to take on more responsibility for their training and their lifestyle. Awards are presented monthly for the swimmer in each squad who had attended most sessions and there is also a scheme for recording the training metres completed by each swimmer. Certificates and awards are presented to swimmers when they reach certain distances. In recognition of their commitment to the Club, swimmers receive an award annually, presented at social events.

Each swimmer has a log book and they are expected to refer to this and to keep this up to date. Swimmers are expected to let their coach know if they will not be at training and they are expected to provide the coach with information when requested. e.g. test set results, goals for meets.

Coaches

The Club has a Head Coach who is responsible for all coaching matters in the Club. Each squad has a lead coach and there are assistant coaches. The coaches meet monthly to discuss coaching and squad matters and a report of the meeting is distributed to the committee. The coaches endeavour to be at all the sessions, but they may occasionally have other commitments. In these instances, the assistant or another coach will run the session, which will be prepared by the lead coach. Likewise, the coaches try to attend the competitions at which their swimmers are racing, but it is not always possible, especially if there are 2 meets on the same day. The coaches are encouraged to attend seminars to keep up to date with new ideas and practices.

Good Practice and Child Protection

The Club has a trained Child Protection Officer (CPO). All coaches and regular helpers are required to complete a PVG Scheme check from Disclosure Scotland. In addition, all adults who have regular contact with swimmer must also have a PVG Scheme check. The coaches adhere to a Code of Conduct and are expected to regularly attend SportsCoach UK Good Practice in Child Protection courses. The Club has a Good Practice and Child Protection policy which follows national guidelines.

Join AASC!

For further information on how to join Aberdeen Amateur Swimming Club or any of it's other swimming related activities please contact a committee member. Contact details can be found here.