Hope you all enjoyed your Summer holidays….

NOW… it’s back to serious training ready for the next round of galas! Wednesday nights will go back to the usual format with   7-7.40pm, 7.40-8.20pm, 8.20-9pm and 9-10pm sessions.

Please make sure that you are on poolside promptly and that you remember to bring a drink and all your kit. If you are late for a session and training has already started, you will not be allowed to join in (unless there are special circumstances and you have notified Paul or Sally in advance).

The next gala is on 15^th September at Cheslyn Hay, followed by the Dove Valley ‘B’ Gala on 22^nd September.

The final gala of the month was scheduled as a Home gala at Tamworth but because of the uncertainty over the availability of the pool, alternative arrangements have been made. The 29^th September will now be a Time Trial at the Friary. Warm up will be at 6.30pm and swimmers who wish to take part must tick the list on the notice board. This is another chance to gain Staffs QTs, PBs, and qualify for more awards and badges (details of which can be obtained from Patricia Holloway).

The Freestyle Stroke Gala is on 10^th October so training sessions leading up to the Stroke Gala will focus on preparing swimmers for the competition.

This gala is always an exciting event and we look forward to seeing all our swimmers and their supporters on the night.

The Wilson family are on the move. Sadly, this means that we will be losing our Chairman and also George and Katy from the club. The club would like to say a big thank you for their contribution and to wish them the very best for their future in Edgbaston. Special thanks to Duncan for his watch as LSC Chairman – he did a fantastic job and will be missed.

We need parents to fill positions on the committee. New faces are always welcome so please, if you think you can help out, come and join the committee.

With the start of a new school year come changes in the sessions on offer to swimmers. The pool at the Friary will no longer be available to LSC on Thursdays and the last session will be on 27^th September.

A new session is available to swimmers starting on Sunday 9^th September from 4-5pm. All swimmers, who attend the Thursday session, are invited to swim on Sundays. Please speak to Paul or Sally if you can’t make this session and would like to swap to an alternative time.

If you would like to join the Sunday swimmers (and don’t swim on Thursdays), you can find out if it is a suitable training session for you, by talking to Paul or Sally.

Please bear with us as these changes are put into place. The club will try to allocate sessions fairly for all swimmers.

Land Training is back on the agenda and the committee and coaching team have been looking into new ways of providing sessions.

At the next committee meeting we hope to be able to finalise our plans for Land Training. We are aiming to provide two sessions, one for swimmers aged 13 and under and one for swimmers aged 14 and above. As soon as the details are agreed, information about the new sessions will be circulated to members.

Get Positive by attending the motivational talk on 28^th September at King Edwards. Our guest speaker, David Hyner, will be discussing the importance of positive thinking in sport – everyone is welcome to come to this event – mums and dads included. The evening kicks off at 7pm – don’t miss out!

Work is underway on changing the website.  The committee has been in discussions with UCE about the possibility of a joint project to design a new website. If anyone would be interested in being involved, please let one of the committee or coaching staff know.

We need a volunteer to maintain the website, so if your skills fit the bill and you would like to lend a hand, please get in touch.

Paul has passed his Level 3 Coach exams – he is just waiting for his log book to be assessed and then he will receive final confirmation that he has qualified.

Two swimmers have also taken part in a Level 2 Teachers Course over the summer. We will keep you posted on how Matthew Clarke and Sarah Guy fared and when they qualify.

If you would like to find out about courses and what they involve, have a chat with some of the swimmers who have already taken them. As well as Matthew and Sarah, you can find out more from Anthony Simms, Joanne McDonald, Jessica Gibson, Sophie Cash and Ben Allsopp, who have all taken courses in the last year or so.

Dates for future courses will be posted on the notice board.

Finally a Special General Meeting, will be held on October 8^th to agree the club Accounts. Details of the time and venue will be on the notice board shortly