CLUB PROSPECTUS

TENBY & DISTRICT SWIMMING CLUB, commonly known as “TENBY DOLPHINS”, is a swimming club focused on introducing young people to the sport of competitive swimming.

Through a gradual and sustained program of stroke improvement, fitness training and race craft tuition, we aim to nurture and develop the talents of each individual swimmer to hopefully help them on their way to reaching their full potential as competitive swimmers.

As an affiliate member of Swim Wales, the Swim Wales South West Region and as a feeder club for the Pembrokeshire County Performance Program we offer our swimmers the chance to progress through a performance pathway to the upper echelons of competitive swimming.

We are a non-profit club staffed entirely by volunteers, several of whom are qualified or working towards recognised Swim Wales/Amateur Swimming Association teaching and coaching qualifications.

Our training program is based on the premise that every young swimmer entering the sport of competitive swimming should have the opportunity to achieve his or her full potential. For this reason, the program aims to introduce the swimmers to the demands of the sport in a controlled manner. We have no desire to discourage a young swimmer by overloading them with too much swimming in their early days at the club, so their access to pool time is initially restricted.

With time however, every swimmer develops. They grow, and in addition their fitness, technique and ultimately speed, increase. As part of our philosophy of progressive development, our coaching team continually monitor the progress of each of our club swimmers, and depending on their level of performance and the times they are achieving, will promote them up through the squad system operated within the club. Consequently, we strive to offer each swimmer the level of training commensurate with their age and ability.

As our swimmers develop further, if talented and committed enough, they have the opportunity to progress to the Pembrokeshire County Performance program, where they will have access to professional swim coaching. Similarly, with a little talent and a lot of hard work, they may ultimately be selected for one of the Swim Wales Skills, Regional or National Squad development programs. In each case they will remain as members of Tenby Dolphins and can continue to proudly fly the flag for us as they progress in their swimming careers.

The club regularly competes as a team in a variety of local swimming galas, and has over recent years enjoyed considerable success at this level. There are junior and senior competitions, and we take great pride in developing the team camaraderie that goes with such occasions.

Our swimmers also compete in swimming galas as individuals and can enter a huge variety of competitions in and around West Wales and beyond. Many of our swimmers are regularly selected to represent their schools in various swimming competitions. Some even take part in multi-discipline sports, such as triathlons, of which swimming is a vital component.

As a club we are very much aware that not every swimmer can be a gold medal winner, but success can be measured in many ways. Personal achievements are something we emphasise a great deal, as are good behaviour, friendliness and sportsmanship.

At Tenby Dolphins we aim to make the training varied and interesting and the competitions exciting, rewarding and above all, fun!