Germany - Friday 26th to Monday 29th May

The Club will be taking a squad in May 2023 to enter an international swimming festival to be held in Bexley's twin-town of Neheim-Hüsten in Arnsberg, Germany. We have been officially invited by the host club, SV Neptun and this is the 50th time that they have held this event.

The Club has attended this event several times in the past, with the last time being in 2016, and we wish to give our swimmers an opportunity to represent England and EDSC and compete against swimmers from Germany, France, Holland, Belgium, Romania and more.  As such, we expect swimmers behaviour to be explicable and in accordance with the Club’s Code of Conduct. The Club will manage the event in accordance with Swim England's policies.

Relevant documents are in the Overnight Events > Germany folder.

VOLUNTARY TEAM

Alongside Damian as the Chief Coach in attendance for the meet, thank you to our wonderful team that have volunteered to help organise and manage this trip:

Scott Watson - Team Leader
Claire Watson - Chaperone
Daniel O'Connell - Chaperone
Claire Bradburn - Chaperone
Lauren Hall - Chaperone
Martin Dick - Chaperone

Each chaperone will be allocated up to 10 swimmers, taking on the role of responsible parent for the weekend.

Also attending will be Alex Wilkes and Paul Nicholls in their capacities as President and Vice President, as well as Tony Ball, former President. All 3 continue to swim in the Masters squad and have previously been a part of this trip as both volunteers and swimmers on many occasions.

SELECTION CRITERIA

There are no qualifying times for the festival this time, so selections for the meet are based on positive attendance and attitude towards training, as well as there being a minimum age of 11 by the end of the year. Invites start from the National squad, plus swimmers of the volunteers and will continue through the squad system until all available spaces are full (depending on coach and hostel capacity). There may be multiple rounds of invites in an attempt to fill all spaces, but once enough invitations have been accepted, entries will close.

OUTLINE ITINERARY

We plan to depart around 5am on Friday and travel by coach to Germany where we shall stay in a hostel in Winterberg (please note: we have not previously stayed at this hostel). The return trip on Monday generally gets back about 8pm. It is likely that the Friday does not coincide with half term so swimmers will need to get permission from their schools to take that day off. This has never been a problem in the past with all local schools. The Monday is a Bank Holiday.

THE SWIMMING FESTIVAL

Although the festival commences on the Friday, the Club will compete on Saturday and Sunday only. They are full days, with warm-up commencing at 6.30am and each day finishing at around 7.30pm. The swimming festival is held in an outdoor 50m pool.  At Saturday lunchtime there will be a large international parade around the pool. The pool is contained within a safe area and there is supervision provided for in accordance with Swim England rules.

Swimmers will be invited to enter their own events, with a minimum expectation of 6 individual events across the Saturday and Sunday. Entries will be reviewed and, if necessary, amended by Damian. Relays will be picked by Damian.

BUDGET AND WHAT'S INCLUDED

The trip includes all catering (except a packed lunch is required for the outward journey), travel, insurance, race entries, accommodation, club hat and hoodie. The final cost will be based on the number of swimmers attending but is likely to be £300 per swimmer. This figure does not rely on sponsorship or Jack Petchey funds. In 2016, we were able to refund £50 to each swimmer due to over £3,000 being raised in sponsorship.

An initial payment of £100 per swimmer will be due in March and will be collected via Direct Debit.

The remaining balance is likely to be due in April and will also be collected via Direct Debit.

TO ENTER

Once you/your child has received an event invite please confirm or decline within the timeframe given. It is unlikely that we can extend each respective invite's deadline as this could potentially delay the next batch of invites that are to be issued. For those accepting the invite, the initial deposit will be collected within a month of the invite being issued. 

SPONSORSHIP

As mentioned above, sponsorship has previously helped to keep costs down. If you are aware of any funding sources or can help secure some sponsorship please speak to Scott or Claire Watson. Each sponsor can have an actively linked logo on the Club's website, as well as their logo on merchandise, such as hats, hoodies or banners. Our previous sponsors are listed at the bottom of this webpage.

QUESTIONS

A few weeks before the trip there will be a meeting and presentation for all swimmers and parents. However, in advance of this, if you have any queries, please do not hesitate to email [email protected] and one of the volunteers will look to respond, or speak to them at the pool, or speak to some of the Club's older swimmers who have attended previously.

Germany will be a fun trip away that the swimmers will never forget. For some previous highlights, head to the Club's YouTube channel.