Tilehurst Swim Club is happy to accept swimmers at all levels.  We bring your child in for a no-pressure assessment and give you advice on the next steps. Here is a summary of our squads and roughly which age groups fall into each.

Stingrays: Designed for children who have completed the National Plan for Teaching Swimming Stage 7 OR the National Swim Awards Level 10 but require some additional work on competitive stroke technique before joining the Development Squad. Generally, these swimmers are 8 years and under.

Development: With a focus on shorter distances and good technique, children are allowed to develop at their own individual pace in all 4 disciplines: Front Crawl, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Butterfly.  As stroke work is enhanced, we begin to build some endurance through one-hour training sessions.  Each session is divided up to give newer swimmers more of an opportunity to work on technique while more experienced swimmers work on technique as well as fitness and endurance. Competing in Level 3+4 Galas is encouraged.  Generally, swimmers in Development Squad are 9-12 years old.

Junior Age Group (JAG): JAG squad is for swimmers who have a strong grasp of all 4 disciplines and are prepared for longer endurance sets. In JAG squad, the swimmers continue to work on technique but intensive interval training is added to the regime. JAG swimmers are also given the opportunity to compete in more advanced galas.  Swimmers who have the ambition to achieve County or Regional times are encouraged and given the opportunity, while there is no pressure on the child to do so. Generally, swimmers in JAG squad are 10-14 years old.

Top: Swimmers advance to Top Squad when they enter their teenage years and have the required speed and endurance (assessed by TSC Head Coach, Simon Cowen).  It is in the Top Squad where swimmers can explore their potential at the Regional/National level or simply swim for fitness.  Whatever the swimmer’s ambition and training schedule, we only ask for dedication when attending each training session.