Big Success Story of Denaby Swimming Club

Denaby and Conisbrough Amateur Swimming Club will be holding their sixth annual gala next Wednesday in the Denaby baths. This year there will be 22 championship events which are divided into age groups of under 11, 11-13 years, 13-15 years and seniors of over 15.

The first gala had only two championship events and the club bought two shields as trophies. Now because of donations from well-wishers and through club funds the club has trophies for each championship race. When the club was first started no one could have foreseen the results that have been obtained from the endeavours of the committee who started it. The main object of the club has been firstly to teach as many as possible to swim and then to train those who had reach proficiency how to save lives of others.

The club committee, when funds were low, paid out of their own pockets to go to lectures and demonstrations by top coaches and swimmers at Huddersfield and Leeds in order to gain knowledge which could be passed on to the club members. The result of this is that instead of a few members who hold life-saving awards at the start the club can boast of a good life-saving section.

Personal Survivor

Swimmers are also encouraged to train to take the Amateur Swimming Association’s personal survivor awards. To be able to pass the gold standard award in this section is a feat indeed, especially for members who are young. Many have taken this award at 11 years and 12 years. The test includes such tests as swimming in clothes, undressing in the water, making a float out of the clothing, and swimming 1000 yards in 30 minutes, during which time 24 surface dives are performed, in the process of which the swimmer has to swim through a hoop under the water at least 3 feet down. This gives some idea of the proficiency the swimmer has reached.

Members of the club have done well in senior competitions. Two members have represented Yorkshire school; one has won a County championship and one has come second in a County championship. Many others have competed in county championships, doing very well without taking any honours.

The club’s chances of producing champions is greatly reduced by the fact that the Baths are only open from April to November, and swimmers cannot get proper close season training. The championship season begins before the Bath’s adult. To try and counter this many of the swimmers have a weekly trip to Wath baths during the winter. The club have been helped by the generosity of the Conisbrough Urban Council, who among other things, purchased a Resuci-Anne mannequin doll which is used to teach the expired Air method of artificial respiration, the kiss of life. This has helped the life-saving section tremendously.

List of Awards

The following awards have been won by the club members.

Amateur Swimming Association awards:

Swimming Teachers Certificate 3,

Personal survival gold standard 36,

Personal survivor silver standard 57,

Personal survivor bronze standards 63,

Schools advanced 8,

Schools medallist 8.

Royal life saving Society awards:

Examination certificate 1,

Distinction award 3,

Award of Merit award 13,

Bronze Cross award 13,

Instructors award 16,

Bronze medallion award 45, Intermediate award 31,

Elementary award 6,

Advanced safety award 31,

Total awards 324.