HOW TO FORMING YOUR OWN CLUB
Unlike the US or Australia, the UK’s climate does not lend itself to a beach culture where swimming in the ocean is a regular pastime. In San Diego, California, the La Jolla Cove Swim Club is blessed with weather conditions that enable its 300 members to swim all year round. Bob West, a board member, says the club has been active for 30
years. “It was easy to set up,” he says. West explains there is no national open-water swimming association in the US, but the club belongs to the US Masters Swimming Association and has a non- profi t status with the State of California, as well as a constitution and elected board members. In the UK, pure open-water clubs such as the Redcaps and HOWSC
are rarer and have diff erent needs from established pool-based clubs where open-water swimming may be one of many activities For example, the City of Liverpool Swimming Club covers water polo and competitive pool swimming as well as open-water swimming. Brian Henners, who runs the open-water section of the club, explains that it is affi liated with the British Long Distance Swimming Association (BLDSA) and as a full member of the open- water club it is covered by its insurance policy. Club members swim in the controlled environment of Liverpool’s Salthouse Dock, and have a licence to do so from British Waterways, which requires evidence of insurance and a risk assessment from the club. The broader City of Liverpool Swimming Club is affi liated with the ASA. Margaret Tuppen, President of Brighton Swimming Club, explains that their club – which began as a sea-swimming club in 1860 but now encompasses the full range of swimming disciplines – is affi liated to the ASA.
With clubs such as this, which have open-water as one of its disciplines, the ASA off ers support and insurance.
OPEN WATER SWIMMING CLUBS
Brighton Swimming Club
brightonsc.co.uk
Chalkwell Redcaps
chalkwellredcaps.co.uk
City of Liverpool Swimming Club
colsc.co.uk
East Dorset Open Water Swimming Club
edowsc.org
Henley Open Water Swimming Club
henleyswim.com/how-swim-club
Serpentine Swimming Club
serpentineswimmingclub.com
Social Swimming Club
socialswimmingclub.com
FOR CLUBS WITH OPEN WATER AS A DISCIPLINE THE AMATEUR SWIMMING ASSOCIATION OFFERS SUPPORT AND INSURANCE
However, Keenan says that it was simpler for him to register the Chalkwell Redcaps with the BTF as it did not require all the individual members of the club to join the federation for them to be included under its insurance policy, which would have been the case with the ASA. Nevertheless, ASA affi liation is possible for pure open water swimming clubs. The Serpentine Swimming Club, which has a history that stretches back to the 19th century, is one such example. Another is East Dorset Open Water Swimming Club. Which route a new club chooses will depend on a range of factors including history, facilities and objectives. All options should be explored and it’s well-worth talking to people who have already gone through the process. Another big question facing any new swimming club is whether or not to allow under-18s. Historically this wasn’t a problem for clubs such as the Serpentine, but times change. “Once upon a time we were seen as a club for eccentric elderly gentlemen, now we are a club for eccentric elderly gentlemen of all ages and all sexes,” jokes Brian Thomas, Honorary Secretary of the Serpentine Swimming Club. This spirit of inclusiveness is shared by many who set up a club. However, when it comes to including children in a club, there
Photo © Charlot e Henners 38
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