We initially wanted Libby to be able to swim from a safety point of view. She was 6 months old when she first started swimming lessons at mother and baby sessions or in her case it was her nan and granddaughter sessions.

 

She joined Swadlincote Swimming Club at the age of 7 (I think it was earlier however my memory is not that great…) and started to compete quite early on.  I loved to watch her swim at the galas but as it became more serious with County’s and open meets my stress levels grew – this was more about me being nervous for her and not being in control – for Libby it was about enjoying the swim and the atmosphere and if she came away with a PB or a medal then even better (sorry David and Grace).

 

I decided to join the committee out of curiosity and then more because we needed parents/carers to volunteer because without the volunteers the club would not be able to continue.  Throughout the years I have had a couple of different roles on the committee all of which I have really enjoyed. When Libby first joined the number of members were greater which naturally meant there were more parents/carers to support and sadly over time both these numbers have depleted, due to this the need for volunteers is greater now than ever before.

 

I really struggled to sit and watch Libby compete so I decided to firstly complete my Time Keeping training and then moved on to train as a J1 Official, which was funded by the club, this way I had the best of both worlds – I could be at the meets and could also catch a cheeky glance of her swimming (depending on the job I had).

 

Being an official does come with its perks – you don’t have to pay for your entry into meets, at some venues you are able to park closer to the entrance for free,  refreshments are provided (some offerings are better than others but when it’s free you can’t be too choosy), at some meets you receive a gift it could be a bottle of wine or a box of chocolates, I have on occasion also been gifted a T-shirt.  It’s not just about the perks it’s about giving back to the sport.  I have no doubt that every volunteer (no matter what role they do) enables our children to compete because without the volunteers giving their time the meets would not be able to take place and our small club with a big heart would be no longer ☹.

 

If anyone wants any more information about being an official or supporting in anyway, please let the committee know and I am more than happy to pop to Greenbank and chat with people.