Severnside Tritons Diving Block Fundraising Appeal

Who are we?

Severnside Tritons Swimming Club is a friendly and inclusive not for profit club based in the South West of England, with swimming sessions taking place across Stroud and Thornbury. The Club is run by a Committee and is made up of passionately committed volunteers; largely the parents of the swimmers, and supported by a Coaching team dedicated to the improvement of the individual swimmers.

As a team we work together to help all swimmers to be better and improve technique, stamina and have gala experience. All of our swimmers from the age of nine are encouraged and mentored to enter competitive swimming galas, competing against themselves to achieve their personal best 'PB'. Severnside Tritons Swimming Club prides itself on being a caring, friendly environment where all members of our team can flourish and meet their potential. The swimmer is at the centre of everything we do.

As a club, Severnside Tritons punches above its weight given the training resources available, with a good number of Gloucestershire County, South West Regional and two National swimmers.

Why are we raising money?

The diving blocks that we currently have available for our swimmers to use are very different to the diving blocks which are used at all competitive swimming galas. In that daunting moment of standing on a diving block waiting for the starting beep, the last thing you want to be worrying about is where to place your feet. This is the reality for our swimmers who have to train using a 'flat' deck level diving block, rather than the raised back adjustable diving blocks used at galas. Our swimmers are fully committed and dedicated to their sport but will always be at a disadvantage if they are unable to perfect their dive starts.

The swimming dive start is highly linked to overall performance during competition and the start can contribute anywhere between 0.8-26.1% of total race time, depending on race distance. The quality of the starting blocks is therefore a critical part of our swimmers’ ability to compete against their peers.

Our Head Coach, David, has identified and sourced appropriate replacement blocks which are more akin to those our Swimmers would encounter at competitive galas. The blocks (pictured below) come with adjustable footrests and back-stroke start wedges.

To purchase six of these blocks will cost the Club £11,000, which is a cost the Club presently cannot afford in a period where we are still recovering from the cash flow impact of Covid, and the cost of pool hire is ever-increasing.

How we are going to raise the money?

In order to reach what is a considerable target, the Club members will be arranging a number of fund raising events over the coming weeks and months. The first event will be a 12 hour Swimathon, arranged by a group of our younger swimmers. On 4 August 2023, six of our 12/13 year old swimmers will complete the Swimathon using a dedicated lane in Thornbury Leisure Centre – swimming non-stop in relay from 8am through to 8pm. The aim would be to compete a minimum of 20 miles during that period, but if the girls push hard there is every possibility they can make 26.2 miles to complete a marathon distance.