South West Tigers - The Club
The South West Tigers is a junior triathlon club with the aim of supporting young athletes in the North East Wiltshire region – Marlborough, Calne, Devizes, Pewsey and surrounding areas. The Tigers are a friendly inclusive club and have a range of abilities from beginner to developing triathletes and all are welcome. Our coaching focus is on skill enhancement and enjoyment.
About Us
The South West Tigers started in September 2017 with the aim of supporting young athletes (7 to 14 years) in the North East Wiltshire region – Marlborough, Calne, Devizes, Pewsey and surrounding areas. The club is accredited to Triathlon England and has gained Bronze Accreditation for demonstrating a high standard of coaching, club management, child protection and equity. The Tiger's membership is flexible as we understand some youngsters may be involved with other sports and activities.
Training sessions are open to any child in the area - girls and boys equally. The age range for coaching is:
7-8 years old for Tri Start (TS) | 9-10 years old for Tristar 1 (TS1)
11-12 years old for Tristar 2 (TS2) | 13-14 years old for Tristar 3 (TS3)
Age is taken as at 31st December in the current year. (So, an 8-year-old with birthday in November is counted as 9 i.e. TS1)
Our Aim
The aim of the Junior Triathlon programme is to promote the sport, keep our youngsters active and have fun and develop them in a non -threatening and supportive way. No previous experience is necessary, and all children are welcome.
Becoming a Tiger
If you would like more information then please contact Us. If you would like to come along and give Triathlon a go then please do so. Tell us you're coming and we'll welcome you on the day! Alternatively if you wish to register then please use this link to the club management system.
Swimming
We can improve swimming technique, but we do not have the coaches or pool staff to manage non, or poor swimmers. Therefore, the young athletes must be confident in the water and as a minimum be able to swim front crawl (freestyle) at least 100m continuously – and be capable of swimming for a 40-minute training session. We must be firm on this point as it is a condition of our insurance and pool hire that we only allow competent swimmers as defined above. For our sessions the pool is set up for club swimming which is a single lifeguard and 2m depth throughout and 25m long so not appropriate for nervous or poor swimmers.
Cycling
The youngsters should be able to ride a bike although we will spend time improving bike handling skills and confidence. The type of bike does not matter and as most of the children’s events are on grass, a mountain or hybrid bike is just as good. Fitness is not an issue as we do elements of endurance and strength and conditioning at each session.
Training & Locations
All the sessions this term will be held at Marlborough College using the pool for swim and one of the playing fields/car park/Astro pitches as required for run/bike and transition.
Each Sunday the first session will be outside at 09:00 for approximately 50 mins and then we will move to the pool to change for 10:05 until 11:00 finish.
We will send out in advance where the sessions will be and what equipment is needed.
Kit for the sessions is swim suit or trisuit for swimming and shorts/tee shirt for running/biking etc. When it is wet or cold there will be a need to dress appropriately. If you are tight for time and can only do either the run/bike or pool session, then that is fine.
There is also an additional swim session at 16:30 – 17:30 on a Wednesday evening at the Marlborough College Pool. For those who wish to, and are recommended and accepted, there is also Development squad hosted by the College Swim coach throughout the term. This takes place on a Friday and are approximately fortnightly and is at 16:00-17:00 hours.
HOW TO FIND THE:
Coaching
The programme is developed by our lead coach who is BTF Level 3 qualified. The sessions will always be led by a qualified BTF coach with overall responsibility for the session and assisted by other coaches and parent helpers. Any parents who would like to assist are always welcome. No experience necessary and it's good fun and rewarding.
Attendance
We understand that there are competing activities this term and some children cannot make all the Sunday sessions. This is fine as we work on a week by week approach so that if the youngster can only make some of the sessions they are still most welcome.
During the year there are events which are designated as ‘club’ races and the summer is Triathlon season so we have several planned. This is to try and get a group of club members attending which then makes it less daunting for those who have little experience. However, there is no expectation for any child to do events if they do not wish to. We will also be holding some club races and events over the term. Whilst informal, these will be run over the correct distance for the age group to give confidence for those who would like to compete in the future.
Club Events
The club has weekly training which includes skills sessions in all the disciplines. In addition, there are informal club events and competitions to provide interest. These are all supportive and provide the opportunity to obtain competition experience in a coached environment.
View the full Team Programme
During the season the club also supports several external events which are well organised and fun events. The objective is to have as many club members as possible competing as a team and so provide encouragement, experience and advice for novice competitors.