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Join the Wigan BEST swim squad

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Does your child want to test their swimming skills to the limit?

Are they prepared to train up to five times a week to compete at the highest level?

Now would be a great time to get in touch with Wigan BEST, our team dedicated to helping medal-winning swimmers of the future achieve their full potential.

What is Wigan BEST?

Wigan BEST is the competitive arm of our swim squad. Our swim squad aims to give promising swimmers over eight and a half years old the chance to join the country's best.

How does it work?

Children begin by learning the full range of swimming techniques through our Learn to Swim programme.

They progress to community swimming clubs and finesse their skills while working with Wigan BEST coaches in pursuit of county championship consideration times.

Our coaches work with partner swimming clubs to develop the young athletes' full range of aquatic skills, with the ultimate goal of those in the higher ability groups achieving regional and national swimming success.

Being a Wigan BEST member is not only exciting, but fulfilling - and the opportunities for those young swimmers committed to success are endless.

Who are the coaches?

Wigan BEST are managed by Les France, a full-time professional head coach. Les brings to the role 35 years of experience coaching swimmers to an elite level and is supported by a team of professional coaches devoted to our young athletes achieving unrivalled success.

They work tirelessly to support the swimmers not just through their training programme but with professional guidance during competitions.

Swimming events

We stage our own successful Level 2 Open Swim meet in November at the Wigan Life Centre.

This is a popular fixture on the competitive calendar for many top swimming clubs in the region - and gives swimmers the chance to try out their skills in a friendly environment.

Wigan BEST gives swimmers the opportunity to attend various swim camps both home and abroad; giving the young athlete every opportunity to develop to the very highest levels of the sport.

Ability groups

Wigan BEST have five ability groups operating within guidelines of the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA), the sport's governing body, and its Long-Term Athlete Development plan (LTAD).

Junior development 1 and 2

These are the link groups working with the young swimmers and their respective community swimming club. The swimmers attend both their club sessions and squad sessions; this ensures that the swimmers have a seamless development into squad swimming. The swimmers develop their elementary competitive skills to a higher level working to achieve County Standard.

Age group development

The next level in the pathway, swimmers here are expected to attend between 3 to 5 sessions per week. Refining their skills further, swimmers now aim to achieve County finals and Regional Qualifying Times. Swimmers work on their aerobic development, and stroke efficiency, working closely with the ability groups lead coach.

Age group performance

Swimmers here are working for Regional success and are now setting their sights on National qualification. Swimmers work with the squads Assistant Head Coach and are expected to increase their dedication and ambition in the sport. Swimmers are aiming to attend 4 – 7 sessions each week.

National development

The final ability group of the development pathway here swimmers work with the squads Head Coach and are aiming to achieve National success. Swimmers begin to specialise in their own events and will be looking to set there ambitions high attending 6-10 sessions each week.

How to join Wigan BEST

Interested in your child joining Wigan BEST? You can contact us online and we'll arrange a trial to see whether they're eligible to join.

 

 

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