Haney Neptunes
Hammond Development Program
a program
for younger swimmersA message from
Shawnessy, 2007 Coach for the Hammond Development Program
I would like to take this opportunity to thank
all who were involved in making the Hammond Development Program a
success this summer. The program ran so smoothly because of the
diligence of the parents ( thanks for dropping off and picking up the
your volunteer coaches!), the enthusiasm of the kids who were learning
to swim and last but not least the wonderful group of volunteer coaches.
Volunteer Coaches: I enjoyed working with and getting to know each one
of you. You demonstrated professionalism, enthusiasm and a genuine love
for the sport of swimming which you were able to pass on to the young
swimmers. Coaching is about building relationships and passing on skills
and passion and I observed you doing that every day, rain or shine! My
hope is that you will stay involved in coaching young swimmers, I am
positive the kids in the Hammond Program are already looking forward to
learning from you again next summer.
As for me, I had a blast this summer and it was truly a full circle
moment as my personal passion for the sport of swimming was piqued at
the age of 5 when I participated in the Hammond Program. Thanks for
giving me the chance to work with such wonderful and supportive parents
and swimmers.
All the best,
Coach Shawnessy
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What is the
Hammond Development Program? |
The Haney Neptunes has a unique method of
providing a developmental program for Competitive Swimming. The
purpose for this program is to introduce young swimmers to the
skills required for competitive swimming. Our main goal is to
help young swimmers to strengthen their skills so they are
strong enough to join the regular program. Senior swimmers
volunteer their time to assist the coach to teach the younger
swimmers. Children are placed in very small swimmer/teacher
ratio groupings. Using senior swimmers helps foster team spirit
and there is less social division between senior and junior
swimmers in the competitive program.
The program runs four weeks in the month of
July, and is usually held at 8-9 am and 9-10am, depending on
enrolment. Pool times will be confirmed after registration. All
swimmers up to the age of 11 are able to register for this
program as long as they can swim 15 meters unaided and can put
their face in the water (this would be the width of the
competition pool). Certificates of achievement and participation
ribbons are awarded to each swimmer at the mini meet at the end
of the program.
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Praise
for the Hammond Development Program
The following letter was received from a parent
of young swimmer involved in the 2007 program:
My daughter was involved in the Hammond
Development Program for the first time this year, and she had such a
phenomenal time. Every day she came out of the water saying how much fun
she had, and I saw a huge improvement in her swimming techniques. In
fact, she loved it so much, and improved so immensely that she has
decided to continue on with the maintenance program over the winter and
join in the competitive club next year!
Shawnessy and her crew of volunteers, especially Max, made every day so
much fun, and a great learning experience for her. And the fact that
Shawnessy took the time to invite her to come down to swim a practice
one day with the competitive kids, and also to see the Regionals really
made my daughter feel very special. Shawnessy is a great coach and we
hope to see her back next year.
Please pass along our thanks all the volunteers, Shawnessy and the rest
of the crew that helped to make all the kids feel very special over the
summer.
We will definitely return next year with my younger daughter in the
Hammond Development Program and my oldest in competition.
Thank you again,
Natalie
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