Posted by Portobello ASC on Monday, May 21, 2012,
Thanks guys, you know me so well...
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Posted by Portobello ASC on Friday, May 18, 2012,
SwimCoachWard YouTube site is close to 2,000 views. Great to see so many people checking out the Drills n Skills that make up a major part of my Top Squad program and that have now found there way into all squads here at PASC. The site has been a great tool for sharing my thoughts and ideas on good swimming practice and some funnies too, I hope to add more to the site this summer, so watch this space for more information. Let's see if we can bump it past the 2,000 mark, go check it out...  ?yola-... Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Friday, May 18, 2012,
Congractulations to Andrew Christy for his PB time of 15:28 at the 5k (running) event in Silverknowes last night. Like to wish him all the best at the British Aquathlon Championships this weekend, taking place in the West Midlands. Would also like to congratulate Abby Aitken (Abz) for winning the Bishopbriggs Triathlon last weekend. Well done to both of you, looking forward to the rest of the Triathlon season. Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Thursday, May 17, 2012,
Posted by Portobello ASC on Wednesday, May 16, 2012,
On behalf of the coaches, we wish our new Club President, Maureen Schoular all the best in her new role at the club. I look forward to working with you as we continue building a great training environment as well as ensuring a bright future of Portobello ASC. Darren Ward Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Wednesday, May 16, 2012,
 Ellie Gallacher fires into the top spot in the Scottish Rankings (13 & 14 yr old) for 50 FC with an impressive lead off at the RCP relay event on Sunday. The 'Pocket Rocket' is the third Porty swimmer this season to hit the dizzy heights at the top of the Scottish rankings; a huge achievement for Ellie and the rest of the club. Great Job Ellie Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Sunday, May 13, 2012,
Detailed report to follow... Kitty Slater smashes 100m Fly PB by 6 seconds and dominates both the heats and final at LLD meet at the weekend (race of the day). Loads of other pb's from both Top and Intermediate squad swimmers and to finish the meet the Portobello relay teams finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd all finishing within 3 seconds of each other. Great racing and well done to everyone! Dave Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Sunday, May 13, 2012,
Message from John Macdougall r.e Hy-Tek: Friends Finally, after an extended period, I think think that we have overcome the technical issues that have interrupted the flow of information about galas and results. Thanks to Deji, the Hy Tek support team and some assistance from East District officials we now have Hy Tek working again and the calender on the website has been updated again. I'll try to keep these updated on a very regular basis and of course Darren's blog is a must read on the Cl... Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Wednesday, May 9, 2012,
Ciaran McGeever recorded a split time of 55.57 for his 100FC in the 4 x 100 Free relay @ the UK School Games in London. Competing for Scotland:East/South Ciaran had the privilege of anchoring his relay team inside the 2012 London Olympic Pool, a great experiance indeed.
Ciaran who has had the added bonus of sitting one of his standard grade exams in London was thrilled with his swim and is looking forward to building upon this swim at the upcoming East Districts and Scottish Nationals.
Great Wor... Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Wednesday, April 25, 2012,
Posted by Portobello ASC on Wednesday, April 25, 2012,
Click to keep up to date with our Tweets on Twitter Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Tuesday, April 24, 2012,
We are pleased to announce that we will be hosting a Graded-Meet on the 25th-26th of August 2012, to compliment our successful Mad March Meet. More to follow...
Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Monday, April 23, 2012,
Apparently there has been a leak of security at PASC HQ and there are some depictions of the new Portobello swim caps on Twitter. Portobello ASC would like to confirm that a snapshot 'was' taken of the new caps prior to it's official launch at the 2012 Paris Fashion Show. A Ciaran Mcgeever of Portobello High School has been remanded in custody for breaking into the Portobello vaults and taking the shots of caps worth in excess of £10's. The caps are to be used as the climax of Monsieur Penn... Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Monday, April 16, 2012,
Posted by Portobello ASC on Friday, April 13, 2012,
We have all heard of LATD (Long Term Athlete Development) but what about LTCD (Long Term Coach Development)? Well today was day one of my UKCC Level 3 Coaching Course held at the National Swimming Academy in Stirling. Before I continue I would like to thank the Portobello ASC committee for green lighting my entry onto this course; this continued support is further example of the clubs efforts to continue the education of not only myself but all of our coaches who as a result of this course sha... Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Monday, April 9, 2012,
Posted by Portobello ASC on Thursday, April 5, 2012,
Our resident Intermediate Coach and Art Worker David
Pennington has been busy carrying out a revamp to our old and dusty looking
trophy cabinet at Portobello LC. David has added new light fittings to brighten
up all corners of the cabinet as well as painting the background in our club
colours. David has also found our old club shield which he has given
pride of place to on top of the cabinet, no longer hidden at the back but
proudly on display for all to see.
I would like to thank David for... Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Tuesday, April 3, 2012,
The 2012 Scottish National Age Groups coming to you from the ‘SUNDERLAND AQUATIC CENTRE’,
yes you read correctly.
What really made this meet special for Porty was that each
and every swimmer that went down made Finals; What an amazing achievement for
the swimmers and the club as a whole. In fact every heat swim at the meet from
a Porty swimmer bar one made finals; that’s
6 finals out of a possible 7, with Ciaran just missing making 7 out of 7
with his 1st Reserve spot for the 100... Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Monday, March 12, 2012,
MAD MARCH 'CENTENARY' MEET INFO Click on Mad Hatter for Details. Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Sunday, March 11, 2012,
PORTOBELLO ASC MAD MARCH CENTERARY MEET 2012
Click on this link for Meet info
We are holding our 5th Annual Gala this
weekend at Prestonpans Swim Centre, this meet over the years is getting very
busy; we have clubs attending from the Borders to the West.
The programme consists of 50m & 100m for the younger
kids on the Saturday
200m for the older swimmers on the Sunday
This meet is over subscribed every year, so we are now
having a graded meet in September so that the children who have no... Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Tuesday, February 21, 2012,
Happy to announce that my YouTube site has already had over 1,000 views. I hope to keep it up to date with new coaching practices as often as I can. If you haven't already had a peak them please follow link below to gain access to the latest Porty ASC skills n drills videos. Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Sunday, February 19, 2012,
Congratulations to PASC Waterpolo who have been crowned British Champions @ The British Gas Water Polo Champs in Manchester. What a great result for the team and for the club. British Swimming: ' So the club who are celebrating their centenary this year now have two things to celebrate. Portobello take the win 8-5 to shouts of joy!' On behalf of all involved on the swimming side of the club. WELL DONE CHAMPS!!! Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Sunday, February 19, 2012,
Thanks to Ciaran, Ellie and Rory for giving their time to film some of the skills and drills that are very much common place in the Top Squad sessions. It is my aim to build a video catalogue of swimming drills/skills for our coaches and swimmers to view at their own leisure. The sharing of ideas and information is vital at all ends of the club but as many of our coaches do not often get a chance to witness other squads at work I thought this would help bridge that gap.If you have any ideas or... Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Thursday, February 9, 2012,
Report to follow..... Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Thursday, February 9, 2012,
Report to follow........... Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Thursday, February 9, 2012,
Emma Hogarth (Hoagie) continued her strong season by securing for herself the number one spot in the country for the 12 yr old girls 50 free with a heat time of 30.99. Emma then went on to take the Scottish Schools Gold 50 free title with a final time of 31.11. This is a great result for her School (Danderhall) and Portobello ASC. Rory McKay took silver in the 200 Fly with a 1:07.24 only narrowly missing out on top spot by 0.39. John Macdonald collected a bronze for his 2:27.15 200 IM. Great ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Monday, February 6, 2012,
Check out the Relays from the Porty swimmers at East Districts. Follow YouTube link below. Viewer discretion is advised. Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Monday, February 6, 2012,
First of all I would like to congratulate Carniege Swim Club
on toppling Warrander Bath’s twelve year
run as Top Club at East Districts. Keep up the good work guys.
On the home front Portobello had a very successful East
Districts
Just a small portion
of the numerous PB’s from this weekend:
Emma Hogarth:
5.46 seconds PB in the 100 Fly and a 4.48 second PB in her 100 Back.
JJ: 1.66 seconds PB in his 100 Back and a 3.17 second 100 Fly PB to go with a 1
second PB on his 100 Brst.
Ellie: ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Sunday, January 29, 2012,
Click on link below to follow news and gossip @PortobelloASC  Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Saturday, January 28, 2012,
Check out my very own SwimCoachWard YouTube site for swimming skills, drills and tips. New videos will be loaded soon. Follow YouTube link below to gain access  Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Friday, January 27, 2012,
Portobello ASC's new land training/pool kit. A big thank you for those who helped to raise the funds in order for us to buy. You have made a huge difference.Coach Ward  Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Saturday, December 31, 2011,
It's almost exactly a year to the day that I became part of the Portobello ASC set up, upon reflection on the last year I have to admit it's been a heck of a journey. I won't lie, the first few months were extremely difficult and frustrating for me as I knew what I wanted but getting it was always a struggle. But luckily I was aided by some great individuals at the club who helped to carry some of the weight of the ever increasing work load of my position and made the job of improving the swi... Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Monday, December 19, 2011,
What a great team effort by Portobello swimmers this weekend in Inverness @ the Scottish National Short Course.
The club took six swimmers, Ellie Gallacher, Iona Hamilton, Rory Mackay, John Macdonald, Ciaran Mcgeever and Nieve (Steve the Pirate) Smith to what is the pinnacle of the Scottish SC season and the first real test of at National level under myself.
This event for me was an opportunity to see how the swimmers reacted to the changes in the programe since taking over as Top Squad coach... Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Wednesday, December 7, 2011,
Posted by Portobello ASC on Tuesday, December 6, 2011,
I would like to stress the importance of coach and swimmers safety before and after training in light of recent events.
Please make sure you have made plans to be picked up and dropped off and have a means of contacting parents/relatives or friends in the event of delay so that they can remain in any of our pools until they arrive.
No swimmer or coach should be walking home in the dark no matter their age.
Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Sunday, November 27, 2011,
A huge round of applause to all those swimmers who attended our first Pyjamathon, fundraiser last night.
I was very impressed by the turn out and the level of enthusiasm that you all showed to the task and to supporting your club. Fundraising is a vital component to running any swim club, and to achieve the level of swimming excellence we are striving for then it is essential. It was my goal to be able to provide the swimmers with an all round training regime; that included enthusiastic and fu... Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Wednesday, November 16, 2011,
Report on the Mitchell Trophy Meet from Darren Ward
&
Report on Lothian Leagues from David Pennington
UNDER CONSTRUCTION....................................please keep checking to view reports, very wothwhile.
Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Wednesday, November 16, 2011,
SPONSORED PYJAMA SWIMATHON SAT. 26TH NOV. 2011 AT PORTOBELLO BATHS 2.45PM UNTIL 4.45PM
We are holding a swimathon as above, a sponsorship form is attached, however coaches will also be handing out forms for completion.
Prior to the start of the swimathon, we have arranged a fund raising coffee morning, open to the public, offering Soup Sandwiches and home baking, Tea, Coffee etc at Portobello Old Parish Church Hall, Bellfield Street, Portobello, doors open at 12pm. We would be grateful for ... Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Sunday, October 30, 2011,
Code of Conduct, 10 Commandments
for Sport Parents
I. Thou shall not impose thy ambitions on thy child.
II. Thou shall be supportive no matter what.
III. Thou shall not coach thy child.
IV. Thou shall only have positive things to say at a competition.
V. Thou shall acknowledge thy child’s fears.
VI. Thou shall not criticize the officials.
VII. Thou shall honor thy child’s coach.
VIII. Thou shall be loyal and supportive of thy team.
IX. Thy child shall have goals... Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Saturday, October 29, 2011,
Parents as Part of the Team...
“Be an involved parent, what can you do to support your child’s sport and club? Become part of the team – volunteer. All sports require a significant number of volunteers (usually parents) in order for the sport to function and to host competitive events, no matter the level of play. It all begins by choosing a program (sport) to fit the child. The next step is to attend the parent meetings to understand how the club functions and what volunteer opport... Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Tuesday, October 11, 2011,
With the colder weather coming in and the increased training output I ask all Porty swimmers to take greater care of their health. Want to make sure you all stay fit and healthy. 1. Wrap up warm before and especially after training. 2. Make sure to get plenty of sleep, avoid late nights - Especially if you have morning training the next day. 3. Wash hands -Lot's of germs going around at this time of the year. 4. NO SHARING OF WATER BOTTLES- Common cause of mass squad illness. 5. Keep Hydrated. 6. P... Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Tuesday, October 11, 2011,
A huge round of applause to all those that participated in the Jumble Sale on Saturday.
What a fantastic sum of money you all raised.
Thank you for all those that took the time to organize the event and for all those that gave a hand, baking cakes, manning the stalls, bringing in Jumble, or just lending a hand where needed.
Nice work Porty! Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Monday, October 10, 2011,
Keep up to date with Portobello ASC on TWITTER.
Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Monday, October 3, 2011,
  It was my privelage to be witness to two displays which brought a smile to my face. First was to see the Top Squad swimmers up on Tuesday morning for their first ever AM Land Training session @ Portobello Beach. The other was that I got to witness in the background one of the most impressive Sunrises I have ever had the luxury of witnessing. Both these events were a fitting reward for the gruelling task of getting up at such a time. Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Friday, September 2, 2011,
 Hi all Just want to let you know that I have been filming some drill work with some swimmers over at the University of Edinburgh. I have uploaded this to Youtube and you can check it out at the link below. I will be adding more to the site as time goes on and I would advise you to have a watch and see if you can pick up pointers of good training habits and skills. http://www.youtube.com/user/SwimCoachWard?feature=mheeDarren Ward Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Tuesday, August 9, 2011,
 I welcome you all to the 21st Century and to a new medium in communication for Portobello ASC. I have always been keen to use technology in all aspects of my coaching career, as far as my finance could stretch anyway. I want to use this tool not just for logistical information but for educating our swimmers and parents on good swimming practices in and out the pool. I am keen to interview coaches and swimmers to build a wealth of information from all over Scottish Swimming and put Portobello A... Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Tuesday, August 9, 2011,
Hi all
Just a quick message about arriving on deck in time for training.
Most of you will have heard me harping on about being on poolside in good time in order to engage in Dynamic W/ups.
I am going to advise all coaches that 10 mins of Dry Land must be done before entry to the pool is granted. In order to complete this all swimmers will have to arrive in good time for the session to start on time.
If you are late you 'must' approach the coach and tell him/her why you are late. The Coach will b...
Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Friday, July 22, 2011,
THE MAGIC OF AN OPPORTUNITY
BY Mike Gustafson//Correspondent
Imagine Doc Brown from Back to the Future came up to you and said, "Today you're going to set a world record. The only thing you have to do is race."
You'd swim that day, right? You'd be the first person in the pool, warming-up, excited and ready to swim?
World records aren't broken every day. The opportunity is rare. You'd take advantage of it.
Unfortunately, time travel and Doc Brown do not (yet) exist. Swimmers don't know w... Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Friday, July 22, 2011,
Starting this Monday coming we will be entering a 'Partial Training' phase of which all information in terms of locations and times can be located on the 'Training' section of the website. For these weeks we will be going back to basics, working mainly on stroke mechanics and discipline. Volume will be low but we will be asking that you come to training to engage mentally in what you are doing and to work to a higher standard.
This is a perfect opportunity to work on weak points in your swimmi... Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Thursday, June 30, 2011,
Want to Congratulate Portobello Water Polo on their success in the Scottish Cup.
Great news for the club and the town of Portobello. Nice work!
Your, aquatic neighbours.
Portobello A.S.C Continue reading ...
Posted by Portobello ASC on Tuesday, June 28, 2011,
I was lucky enough to spend
the weekend with the Porty guys and gals down at Barcaple outdoor
centre in Abernethy. During our stay we participated in an array of fun
activities ranging from Kayaking to Abseiling all of which were superbly
monitored and instructed by the helpful and friendly staff. It was a
great getting to know the swimmers a little better and understanding
some of their habits, good and bad. All the swimmers really stepped up
to the challenges and demonstrated how at... Continue reading ...
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About Me
PASC Club Development Officer,
Head Coach
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