Training
Somerset basically has two training squads:
The “Morning Crew” is trained by coach Jude Crawford and tends to consist of the ‘older’ and/or non-working swimmers (current ages range from mid 30’s through to mid 80’s!). Jude is very good at stroke correction for the novice swimmer.
The “Evening Crew” is trained by coach Chris Lim and tends to consist of the ‘younger’ and/or ‘working’ swimmers (current ages range from 20s through to mid 60’s!). While this squad contains a large number of experienced swimmers there is still a place for the novice and some of the members of the ‘gun’ lane began in the club as ‘lane 1’ novice swimmers. Chris is also very good at developing the talents of his squad. There is a cost of $2 per session for the coaching.
Training  Tuesday 8:00-9:00am 6:30-7:30pm Thursday 8:00-9:00am 6:30-7:30pm Swimmers are encouraged to trial the different squads and come along to the group which suits them the best. Some members even swim in both the morning and the evening! Lanes in the squad are graded according to the swimmer’s ability and/or fitness level. When you first come along the coach will watch your swimming and recommend which lane they think you should start out in. If you feel that the work in this lane is too hard or too easy for you then you are free to change lanes at any time. The coach will often wait until you indicate that you are ready to try out another lane before suggesting that you move. Some swimmers will start the session in one lane and switch to another as they build their fitness. AUSSI encourages swimmers to swim all of the recognised strokes (freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly). If you cannot do all of these strokes because you have never learnt the correct technique the coach will teach you. Be patient with yourself and allow time to develop new skills – just ‘have a go’. If you have a physical disability which could stop you from doing any of the strokes then please let the coach know. You will not be asked to do something which may hurt you. What to bring: Before the session: Make sure you are well hydrated – dehydration can lead to problems such as heat stress, cramp, diminished performance and longer recovery time.
ie. Drink plenty of water during the day. If possible arrive earlier than the session commencement time. Do some gentle stretching before you enter the water, particularly for your shoulders arms and upper body muscles. Chat to the coach and other swimmers!
After the session: Cool down properly – if you have to get out early then tell the coach and commence your cool down early. Cooling down stops you from developing muscle soreness and lowers your heart rate before you leave the water. Eat (or drink) some complex carbohydrate food (‘Low GI’) within 30 minutes of finishing your exercise to replenish muscle glycogen. (Alcohol not recommended.) Re-hydrate. Talk to the other swimmers in the change rooms – this is where you find out all the interesting things!!!
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