Category: Club News

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Diss Otters AGM 2024 – Sunday 24/Nov

Diss Otters AGM 2024

The Diss Otters SC AGM 2024 will take place:

    • at Wymondham Leisure Centre
    • on Sunday 24th November
    • from 4:40pm to 6:30pm.

Whilst the AGM is in progress, there will be a fun session in the pool for the swimmers.

Please consider attending the AGM, this is your club and we need your involvement and input in how to run it.

We are always on the lookout for volunteers to support the running of the club and officials to run our galas and the galas hosted by other clubs. The swimming world relies on volunteers and officials to put on the galas that your swimmers get so much out of in their swimming journey.

Many thanks

DOSC Committee

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New Head Coach of DOSC Announced!

Please find below an introductory message from our newly appointed head coach Nikki Merrill who will be starting on 1st August 2024:

Thank you to Diss Otters Committee for giving me this opportunity to be a part of Diss Otters SC.

Coaching has been a way of life for me for more years than I can remember!! I love every part of the role, but my favourite part is being involved with a “Swimming Family” and being part of one team with parents, coaches and swimmers all working together for the same goal.

Originally born in Essex (don’t hold it against me!!) I spent my younger years teaching and coaching as a hobby whilst doing my main managerial jobs in various Leisure Facilities. I went with my then boyfriend and now husband up North and spent 11yrs continuing my Leisure Career and enjoyment of teaching and coaching. My daughter Becki was born, and we moved back down to my neck of the woods and lived in Ipswich. (Again don’t hold it against us! )

I coached at Team Ipswich for a couple of years and then went to Deben SC working my way up to Assistant Coach and then was made HC. After 7 years we moved to Norwich, and I joined City Of Norwich SC as the Regional Coach while my daughter pursued her swimming career with them for 2yrs. The opportunity as an Assistant Head Coach took our family over to Norwich Swan where we remained for 8 yrs until last year. I am currently the Swimming Co-ordinator for South Norfolk at Wymondham LC.

I am married (Andy), one child (Becki) and two dogs (Millie & Tink) and I love all things Disney and Dolphins!! I get way too excited for Christmas so I will apologise for that now!

I am really excited to be joining you all and can’t wait to get started and to be a part of your swimming journey! See you all very soon!

Nikki

 

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Diss Otters SC AGM 2023

Diss Otters Swimming Club AGM 2023

The Diss Otters AGM is on Sunday 26th November 2023.

You can find the agenda here

All DOSC members and parents are invited to attend the AGM from 2.30-4.30pm at Hope Church, Vinces Lane, Diss. There will be a fun session running at the pool with Emily and Shirley for your swimmers during this time. This is a great opportunity for you to find out what is happening/ get involved more in the club.

There are some challenges that are facing the club which we need your help with for example:

• Recently announced pool closure for refurbishment

• Lack of qualified officials making galas more tricky to run (you can do this!)

• Need for more support with the DOSC committee to help to run the club (you can also do this!)

Please come and help - it is your club and getting involved helps you or your swimmer's journey in this sport along with allowing it to help others in theirs

Many thanks,

The DOSC Committee

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DOSC @ the British Masters Championships – June 2023

Whilst our junior and senior teams were competing at the UEA Sportspark in the Norfolk Inter Club Gala, two of our longstanding Masters swimmers were racing in Sheffield.

The British Masters Championships took place at Ponds Forge during the weekend of 2nd – 4th June.

Adam Lelean took home a bronze medal for his 400m individual medley event with his wife, Sally Lelean bringing home four bronze medals for her performances in the 50m and 100m breaststroke and 100m and 200m backstroke.

Another superb set of results from our long standing Masters swimmers! Well Done!

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DOSC Summer Splash Meet 10/Jun/2023

What an amazing evening our younger swimmers had at the Diss Summer Splash meet on Saturday 10th June, where we welcomed the North Norfolk Vikings team. The gala had a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, with team-mates cheering on the swimmers in the water.

There were some fabulous swims throughout the evening with lots of new PBs but most importantly a significant improvement of skills from the Springboard meet in March. Every swimmer took away a participation medal and certificate where they could record their times from the event. A massive thanks to our amazing team captains Ella, Connie, Nathan, and Pascal and other senior DOSC swimmers who supported and cheered the swimmers on the whole evening. There were lots of high-5s and encouraging words and Pascal took charge of waving the DOSC flag proudly.

Our squad consisted of 25 swimmers from the age of 8-16, competing in 107 individual swims. Head Coach Laura and Coach Jamie were both delighted with the performance of the team and how well they behaved and supported each other.

Huge congratulations to everyone who competed, and massive thanks to all the volunteer helpers (adults and juniors), coaching staff and our ever-supportive band of race officials, which saw the gala run smoothly. As always, we are extremely grateful to those individuals. If you would like to know more about opportunities to help the club in various roles, please do make yourself known.

The development meet is designed to help younger, less experienced swimmers develop their racing skills and techniques it also gives them the chance to get races and times under their belts away from bigger open galas which in the future they will progress to. Races took place across all strokes over 25m and 50m together with a 100m Individual Medley race.

Diss Otters starts with our Foundation Squad, with younger new members joining the club once they have achieved stage 7 of the Swim England Learn to Swim Scheme. For more information on Diss Otters please visit our website www.dissotters.co.uk

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West Suffolk SC Masters Gala

West Suffolk Swimming Club Masters Gala 2023

On the same weekend as the younger swimmers were excelling at the Warwick Thompson Memorial Gala,  five of the Club’s Masters swimmers competed at the West Suffolk Swim Club Masters Meet. Paulus Maukonen, having never raced before, came first in the 35-39 age category in the men’s 400m freestyle beating his entry time by 20 seconds.
In the 18-24 age category, Nathan Hunt won himself gold medals in the 50m and 100m backstroke. He also secured 4th, 5th and 6th places in the 100m freestyle, 50m freestyle respectively.
Holly Gregson was awarded three gold medals in the 50m backstroke, for which she also achieved a DOSC Masters personal best, 100m backstroke and 50m butterfly (joint first). She also picked up two silver medals in the 50m and 100m freestyle and achieved faster than entry times across all events in the 35-39 age category.
Adam Lelean competed in the 60-64 age category and secured five silver medals in the 100m and 200m backstroke, 100m butterfly, 100m IM and 200m freestyle.
It was six golds for Sally Lelean in the 70-74 age category in 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke, 50m and 100m breaststroke and she achieved her best time since Covid in the 200m IM.

Well done Masters!