The Great Yarmouth Swimming Club - Team GY - is a competitive club catering for swimmers of all ages and abilities.GYSC aims to promote the sport by providing a comprehensive training programme to help swimmers achieve their full potential.

The Great Yarmouth Swimming Club - Team GY - is a competitive club catering for swimmers of all ages and abilities.

GYSC aims to promote the sport by providing a comprehensive training programme to help swimmers achieve their full potential. Training sessions are tailored to meet the needs of individual swimmers according to their levels of ambition and ability.

The club uses the facilities of the Phoenix pool in Bradwell and the Great Yarmouth High School pool in Great Yarmouth. There are various levels of competitions available ranging from mini galas for novice swimmers through to club championships, county, regional and national events.

The club achieved Swim 21 accreditation in August 2009. Swim 21 is important to GYSC. It is a 'Quality Mark' that recognises regionally and nationally those clubs that are committed to providing safe, effective and quality services for the benefit of their members.

GYSC can trace its history back to 1885 when a club of the same name was using the sea for County Championship races and Breydon Water for “Aquatic Sports”.

Then 1903 saw the formation of the Britannia SC. Every member of this club had to “prove himself to be an efficient swimmer” and obtain a proficiency certificate before swimming from the town's Britannia Pier.

A rival to the Britannia SC, called the TIS had been formed which later became known as the Otters SC. In 1914 it was suggested that the two clubs should amalgamate but this was deferred until the end of the First World War.

On June 18, 1919 the two clubs merged, forming the GYSC. In 1921 the club was using a pool on Southtown Common but moved to the new Great Yarmouth Bathing Pool when it opened in July 1922.

The move to the new pool also prompted the club to allow women to join for the first time as a ladies' section was formed.

The Great Yarmouth Bathing pool was an open-air, unheated, salt-water pool. It was 100 yards long and used by the club until it was demolished in 1980.

The club then moved to another open-air pool at the Great Yarmouth Grammar School (now High School).

Today the GYSC is a very successful Amateur Swimming Association-affiliated club. It still uses the former Grammar School pool, now thankfully indoor and heated, as well as the 25m Phoenix Pool in Bradwell.

The silver trophies from the Britannia, Otters and GYSC, many of which bear the names of the founder members, are still presented today at the annual GYSC Championships and the annual dinner and dance.

GYSC welcomes new members of all ages, abilities and backgrounds.

If you are a beginner, improver or competition swimmer a comprehensive training programme offers the opportunity to build on skills and stamina enabling swimmers to reach their full potential in the sport.

From teaching a young child to swim for the first time, through to providing expert coaching for national swimmers, the club's wide range of programmes have the training to match all needs.

Swimming competitions (Galas) are held most weekends. The various competitions the club enters are all graded by age and ability to ensure all swimmers have the opportunity to compete in a gala with swimmers of a similar standard.

Mini-Galas are run twice a year at the Great Yarmouth High School Pool. All swimmers in the Lessons and Introductory Squad group are encouraged to enter. They provide swimmers with their first experience of a swimming gala within a competitive and friendly atmosphere.

Club Championships are held in three separate events at the Phoenix Pool. All club members currently training with the club are eligible to enter. The swimmers compete at their age group or in various handicapped races. The club has a large number of trophies that are awarded at a presentation night held each year.

Age Group Championship is a series of competitions held every year to find and reward the fastest swimmers in each of the age groups.

Galas (Leagues) are competitions between GYSC and other swimming clubs from the surrounding area. The club currently competes in five local leagues and the National Swimming League. Notification of selection to swim is via a displayed team sheet. If the gala venue is not local then the club will provide coach transport.

Open Meets are events that swimmers enter themselves with support from the club.

County Championship/Challenge are events that swimmers enter themselves with support from the club.

The club is run on a very professional basis. They rely on volunteers who are CRB checked to ensure the effective running of the swimming club.

There are many different roles within the club, Committee posts, coaching/teaching, team managing and helping at galas and officiating

Officials can be easily spotted around the pool at all galas, they are the people wearing white, armed with clipboards, stop watches and whistles - ensuring that everything is running within the rules.

The club are obliged to supply judges and timekeepers at all the galas they attend; failure to do so could jeopardise our participation at future events. All officials are volunteers and there are always opportunities for more officials.

Contact officials@gysc.org.uk If you would like to know more about any of the roles available, then please contact the club who will be happy to discuss the post with you in detail.

Other opportunities are also available, such as assisting coaches and teachers or helping at galas with things such as recording, announcing, running the raffle, etc.

Most of the current volunteers are parents, ex-swimmers or swimmers.

For many years the GYSC has greatly benefited from the generosity of local businesses, development agencies and individuals. Such as Cape, Certex, Hytorc, CLS, Techsurv, AKD, AC Electrical, Active Norfolk and Great Yarmouth Sports Council.

The funds that they have provided through various sponsorship arrangements, grants and donations, directly improve the services the club can provide for the swimmers.

GYSC is an historic and highly-regarded club. Its swimmers, who are mainly aged between four and 18 plus, 19 upwards for regular open age galas, attend approximately 52 swimming competitions a year.

These competitions are newsworthy, reported in the local press and provide plenty of positive publicity material for potential sponsors.

An association with GYSC is not just about good publicity. There is also the satisfaction of helping young local athletes succeed and achieve their goals.

If you feel you want to take swimming further then get in touch with Linda or Nigel on 01493 377906.

Or send them a message at joining@gysc.org.uk and they will be able to tell you what places we have available. Have a look at the club's website on http://www.gysc.org.uk/