The University of Bristol Swimming and Waterpolo is a joint club at the University of Bristol, but I will just write a review on the swimming club as this is the side that I have experience with.
I have been training with the team for 2 and a half years now so am very familiar with the set ... Read review
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Advantages: Very social and friendly club with a good number of training sessions available Disadvantages: Very big club means the standard of coaching is not great.
The University of Bristol Swimming and Waterpolo is a joint club at the University of Bristol, but I will just write a review on the swimming club as this is the side that I have experience with.
I have been training with the team for 2 and a half years now so am very familiar with the set up, coaches and the training.
TRAINING SESSIONS At present (2008-2009), the club offers 4 swimming sessions a week which are:- ...I wouldn't advise coming to Bristol if you want to swim professionally or at a very high level because the university is not set up with enough training sessions and the work load is quite intense in your final years. The number of sessions available is enough to stay involved in the sport and compete but the coaching is not great but adequate for the level that the team is competing at. The team is very friendly and is one of the most social sports ... more
The University of Bristol Swimming and Waterpolo is a joint club at the University of Bristol, but I will just write a review on the swimming club as this is the side that I have experience with.
I have been training with the team for 2 and a half years now so am very familiar with the set up, coaches and the training.
TRAINING SESSIONS At present (2008-2009), the club offers 4 swimming sessions a week which are:-
The coaching is not great and I think this is due to the sheer numbers of swimmers in the club as it's very popular and the range of abilities across the pool. We do little in the way of pull or drills and the sessions are mainly just swim. Monday morning is taken by another coach which is generally very good but there are often only about 6-8 people who turn up making the atmosphere a bit dead to train.
The club also has 3 land training sessions a week which are:-
These sessions are generally very good and can help to make up for the lack of fitness that you can gain from a one hour swim session.
COMPETITIONS The two main competitions are BUCS (formally known as BUSA). The short course championships take place in November in Sheffield and the long course championships take place in February also in Sheffield but in the 50m pool. There is also the BUCS team championships where the qualifying round was at Hertfordshire university this year and the final round is at Sheffield in March. There are also 2 or 3 friendly competitions organised throughout the year which are held at Southampton, Exeter or we host our own gala.
SOCIAL SIDE The social side of the club is excellent. The big socials are normally a drunken mess which is a great laugh and more often than not involve fancy dress. If you don't drink or if you drink little amounts then you never feel pressured to get drunk as long as you have the will power to just say no when everyone else is drunk. The people are really friendly and the freshers are made to feel like part of the team from the out set. There are also occasions when a small group of us will go and get a pint or orange juice in the students union after a session and have a good chat which is nice, or get pizza round some ones house after a competition.
PRICE TO JOIN In the 2008-2009 academic year the cost was £20 one off membership fee if you have a sports pass which includes all swim and land training sessions. The BUCS competitions are extra and these are around £40 which includes transport and 2 nights in a hotel.
OVERVIEW The club is fantastic if you want to stay in the sport of swimming and continue enjoying it but with mainly friendly low class competition. I wouldn't advise coming to Bristol if you want to swim professionally or at a very high level because the university is not set up with enough training sessions and the work load is quite intense in your final years. The number of sessions available is enough to stay involved in the sport and compete but the coaching is not great but adequate for the level that the team is competing at. The team is very friendly and is one of the most social sports clubs in Bristol.
Advantages: The University has its own Pool.Fantastic drunken socials and initiations... Disadvantages: Only 3 sessions a week
Bristol University Swimming Club caters for both the recreational swimmer, and those wanting to take the sport more seriously.OK, so there are only 3 sessions a week, but there is the oppotunity to train with Bristol Central on the 4 days which the Univesity club does not offer sessions.Training with the University club takes place in the Union Swimming pool which is a 33 1/3metre pool. The standard of swimmer varies across the pool from the newer,less ... ...containing the experienced club swimmers. The coaching is of a quite good standard, and improving as the coach becomes familiar with the abilites of the new intake. Training tends to concentrate of full stroke and kick work, with little pull or drill work featuring at present.
The joining fee is #15 for the year, with training seesions free if you hold a valid University sports pass.
Swimmers get the opportunity to compete in the BUSA National ...
fairydust 08.01.2001
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