Medswim Birmingham - Recently Updated Pages

Medswim Clothing

mattgovier — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:14:14 CST

We are giving you the chance to purchase some Newly Designed and Very Sexy Medswim Kit!!

We have for purchasing:

- Medswim Green and Navy Polo: £20 (discounted price) RRP: £25

- Medswim Green and Navy Hoodie: £25 (discounted price) RRP: £31

- Medswim Swim Caps: £4

Order form is attached below!

Please bring your form, along with a cheque (to 'Medswim Birmingham')

The first Batch of Kit has been Ordered from Kukri in November 2009
We hope that it will be with us in the New Year!

For all others wanting Kit... Email our Kit Rep Jo at JCR578@bham.ac.uk

Membership Form

mattgovier — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:05:00 CST

2009/10 Membership

Membership is up for renewal from 1st October for the 2009-2010 session.
If you are a current member or would like to join the club... then you need to do the following to get 2009-2010 membership:

Fill in a membership form

- Forms are at the very bottom of this page under "attachments", please print one out

- Or you can get one Amy on poolside at one of the sessions

-Make sure you fill in all details and sign at the bottom after reading the Medswim rules and regulations that can be found under the "constitution" link

Write a Cheque or Bring Cash for the amount you owe

- Cheques to be made payable to "Medswim Birmingham" and fees are as follows:

Full 2009-2010 Membership : £48

Summer Membership Top Up : £33 (on top of the £15 already paid)

New Year Resolution Membership: £25 (from Weds 13th January 2010)

Hand both to Amy Parkinson (Medswim Chairperson) or Julie Gilmour (Secretary)

So get swimming and enjoy your Medswim Membership!!!!

Families

mattgovier — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:59:27 CST

Everyone who has Registered and Paid this year.... belongs in the Medswim Community!
So to Celebrate your membership... You have been added to one of our Medswim Families!!

The Planktons

Male Captain: James Edwards
Female Captain: Julie Gilmour
Email James at: JDE627@bham.ac.uk

James Edwards
Iain Tebbutt
Oz Watson
Fergus Morris
Harry Roberts
Julie Gilmour
Kate Antrobus
Helen Dale
Amy Hale
Vanessa Yarwood
Jinnie Wilson
Emily Bollands
Hannah Green
Fran Moore
Genevieve Booth
Biz Hudson
Francesca Oates

The Crabs

Male Captain: Brynn Bird
Female Captain: Jo Robbins
Email Jo at JCR578@bham.ac.uk

Brynn Bird
Mark Brown
Will Coles
Nigel Fellows
Ste Dawson
Jo Robbins
Kat James
Cat Agar
Cat Almond
Nakia Hassanali
Sarah Bourns
Georgie Birch
Joanna Wykes
Becky Mawby
Alex Emms
Claire Telly

The Baracudas

Male Captain: Tom Moody
Female Captain: Lucy Pickard
Email Tom at TXM613@bham.ac.uk

Tom Moody
Dave Higgie
Stuart Blakey
Drew Duglan
James Kendrick
Lucy Pickard
Sally Goodall
Helen Patten
Kat Newton
Lindsay Hughes
Jenny Hanks
Rachel Amor
Madeline Frank
Shayda Karimi
Felicity Page
Samantha Elwell

Les Moules

Male Captain: Dave Richardson
Female Captain: Amy Parkinson
Email Amy at: ALP687@bham.ac.uk

Dave Richardson
Owen Cain
Lawrence Sacco
Henry Knott
Alex Mayor
Amy Parkinson
George Fremlin
Josephine Palandri
Hannah Needham
Nicola Dolan
Rachel Arnold
Julia Nicholson
Ruth Sandilands
Lucy Cameron
Lyndsay Bailey
Susi Slater

If you have Registered this year and your name is not on the list go slap Amy... and we will see what we can do!

Home

mattgovier — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:34:07 CST

MEDSWIM 2009-2010

It's never too late to join in the Medswim Fun!
If you are interested in joining Medswim please come along to one of our sessions
Or contact Amy (Chairperson) at ALP687@bham.ac.uk for more Info!

Regular sessions are:

Mondays - Bluecoat School Harborne 6:45 - 7:45 pm

Wednesdays - Munrow Sports Centre 9:00 - 10:00 pm

Sundays - Morris Centre at QE Hospital 6:30-7:30 pm (social swimming)
7:30-9:00pm (fitness and training)

NEWS

1) New Family Members Released!!!

See the 'Families' Tab on the Top Left of this Page!
Find which family you belong to...
See which Captain you are to look up to!!!

2) 2009 Family Fun Gala!

Annual Family Fun Gala to be held on:
Saturday 5th December at Bluecoat School Harborne

5pm - 6pm = Gala Swimming
6pm Onwards = Food and Drinks in Harborne

All abilities welcome (fun races!) to either Swim or Support!!!
Check the families page to see where you belong!!!!

3) MedSoc Grant Award!

The Fabulous Medswim were awarded £960 this year!
A Medswim Club Record
Medswim was the Club Awarded the 2nd Highest Amount!

As you may be aware... we've helped you out with Kit costs this year and we hope to continue using this money to make Medswim a Better Club for All of You!

Watch this space for new events!

4) NEW COMMITTEE 2009/10

Chairperson - Amy Parkinson
Secretary - Julie Gilmour
Treasurer - James Edwards
Fixtures Rep - Rebecca Mawby
Chief Coach - Lucy Pickard
Kit Rep - Jo Robbins
Social Reps - Iain Tebbut and Dave Higgie

5) Home gala 28th Feb 2009: WE WON!!

Bristol and Nottingham headed to Birmingham at the end of Feb to battle it out once again to become the best Medswim team... Some brilliant swims over the course of the evening secured another home victory for Brum:

Competitor	Race	Time	Position
Helen	100IM	1.19.79	1st
Ste	100IM	1.06.79	1st
	Fun relay clothed	1.42.58	1st
Jo	50 br's (F)	41.34	1st
Brynn	50 br/s (M)	34.29	1st
	Medley relay (F)	1.13.06	DSQ
	Medley relay (M)	1.01.35	1st
Lucy C	50 b/c (F)	40.22	3rd
Matt	50 b/c (M)	32.20	1st
	Free relay (F)	1.04.19	1st
	Free relay (M)	54.52	1st
	Fun relay - 3armed	36.83	1st
Becca	50 fly (F)	38.52	2nd
Dave	50 fly (M)	29.45	2nd
	Fun relay - woggle	1.22.86	2nd
Lucy P	50 free (F)	32.23	2nd
John	50 free (M)	27.41	1st
	Cannon	1.54.78	1st

The gala was followed by a very successful social, with the night kicking off at Jo's house (thankyou!) with pizza arranged by our social reps Lucy and George... then it was time to introduce the unwitting visitors to FAAAAAAAAB!

Thanks to everyone who helped out and swam in the gala, and we hope everyone who came had a good time =D

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Galas / Events

mattgovier — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:48:13 CST

Photos of all events can be viewed in the Photo Gallery
Feb 2009
Our second home gala
Again, Nottingham and Bristol joined us to battle it out to be thebest MedSwim team... Brum were again triumphant, to make it two wins in a row!

Dec 2008
Christmas Family fun gala
Baracuddas were again the victors, although it was a very close finish.

Jan 2008
Birmingham Medswim hosts their first ever Gala! Nottingham and Bristol medic teams came along to splash out the battle. It was close all the way through with a tie between Birmingham and Nottingham at the end. However, going on the number of wins a triumph for Brum was decided. With spirits running high we all ventured to The Bristol Pear for food and well-earned drinks! A great night was had by all... as far as remembered! We look forward to more events and banter in the future!

Thank you for everyone who helped to organise this great event. Special thanks to Helen and Matt's Dad for sorting all the finer details.

Dec 2007
Christmas Family fun gala
Well done to the Baracuddas who won this event. Much fun was had by all competing in lots of silly races and ending with a Medswim meal at Pizza Express.

Links

mattgovier — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:02:46 CDT

The following websites are organisations that we are affiliated to or have a special interest in. Please feel free to take a look at their sites:

West Midlands Swimming - ASA : This is the region of the ASA that we are affiliated to. This allows us to swim with insurance cover and ensure we are functioning correctly and within regulations.

UBMS Medsoc : The University of Birmingham Medical School Medsoc gives us loads of support toward being able to fund this team and
manage the members of it. Thank you!

Ruth Kazez : "50 swim workouts" homepage with some great ideas for training sessions. Those who coach with us may find it helpful to look at this site for ideas of sessions they could run.

Swimming Info : A session finder with some excellent training schedules. Those who coach for us may find it helpful to look at this site for ideas of sessions they could run.

Club Constitution

mattgovier — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 07:02:01 CDT

The following are the complete rules and regulations of Medswim Birmingham for 2007/08. Please read them before signing the membership forms.

RULES of Medswim Birmingham Swimming Club as at 10th December 2006

1. Name

1.1 The name of the Club shall be Medswim Birmingham

2. Objects

2.1 The objects of the Club shall be the teaching, development and practice of Masters (18 years and over) swimming for its members In the furtherance of these objects:

2.1.1 The Club is committed to treat everyone equally within the context of its activity. This shall be, for example, regardless of sex, ethnic origin, religion, disability or political persuasion, on any grounds.

2.1.2 The Club shall implement the A.S.A. Equal Opportunities policy

2.2 The Club shall be affiliated to ASA West Midlands Region and UBMS (University of Birmingham Medical Society), and shall adopt and conform to the rules of these Associations, and to such other bodies as the Club may determine from time to time.

2.3 The business and affairs of the Club shall at all times be conducted in accordance with the Laws and Technical Rules of the Amateur Swimming Association ("ASA Laws") and in particular:

2.3.1 all competing members shall be eligible competitors as defined in ASA Laws; and

2.3.2 the Club shall in accordance with ASA Laws adopt the ASA Child Protection Procedures; and shall recognise that the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility and that all children and young people have a right to have fun, be safe and be protected from harm.

2.3.3 members of the Club shall in accordance with ASA Laws comply with the ASA Child Protection Procedures.

2.4 By virtue of the affiliation of the Club to ASA West Midlands Region, the Club and all members of the Club acknowledge that they are subject to the laws, rules and constitutions of:

2.4.1 ASA West Midlands Region and

2.4.2 the Amateur Swimming Association; (to include the ASA/IOS Code of Ethics); and

2.4.3 the Amateur Swimming Federation of Great Britain (to include in particular the ASFGB Doping Control Rules and Protocols and ASFGB Disciplinary Code); and

2.4.4 FINA, the world governing body for the sport of swimming in all its disciplines (together "the Governing Body Rules")

2.5 In the event that there shall be any conflict between any rule or by-law of the Club and any of the Governing Body Rules then the relevant Governing Body Rule shall prevail

3 Membership

3.1 The total membership of the Club shall not normally be limited. If however the Committee considers that there is a good reason to impose any limit from time to time then the Committee shall put forward appropriate proposals for consideration at a General Meeting of the Club. The members shall have the right to impose (and remove) from time to time any limits on total membership of the Club. All persons who assist in any way with the club’s activities shall become members of the club and hence of the A.S.A. and the relevant A.S.A. membership fee shall be paid. Assisting with the club’s activities shall include, but not be restricted to, administrators, associate members, voluntary instructors, teachers and coaches, Committee members, helpers, Honorary members, life members, officers, patrons, Presidents, technical and non-technical officials, temporary members, Vice Presidents and verifiers or tutors of the A.S.A’s educational certificates. Paid instructors, teachers and coaches who are not members of the club must be members of a body which accepts that its members are bound by the A.S.A.’s Code of Ethics, the Laws relating to Child Protection and those parts of the Judicial Laws, Judicial Rules and procedures necessary for their implementation and whilst engaged in activities under the jurisdiction of the A.S.A. shall be subject to all the constraints and privileges of the Judicial Laws and Rules.

3.2 Any person who wishes to become a member of the Club must submit a signed application to the Secretary. Election to membership shall be determined by the Membership Officer but other person(s) authorised by the Committee may make recommendation as to the applicants’ acceptability. Any person refused membership may seek a review of this decision before a review panel appointed by the committee ("Review Panel") comprised of not less than three members (who may or may not be members of the committee). The panel shall (wherever practicable) include one independent member nominated by the ASA West Midlands Region. The person refused membership shall be entitled to make representations to the Review Panel. The procedures for review shall be at the discretion of the Review Panel whose decision shall be final and binding. The Club shall not refuse an application for membership on discriminatory grounds, whether in relation to ethnic origin, age, sex, religion, disability, political persuasion or sexual orientation

4 Subscription and Other Fees

4.1 The annual members subscription and coaching and squad fees (as applicable) shall be determined from time to time by the Committee.

4.2 The annual subscription and entrance fee (if any) shall be due on joining the Club and thereafter on the 1st day of October each year.

4.3 Any member whose subscription is unpaid by the date falling 30 days after the due date for payment may be suspended by the Committee from some or all Club activities from a date to be determined by the Committee and until such payment is made

4.4 The Committee shall, from time to time, have the power to determine the annual membership subscription and other fees. This shall include the power to make such increase in the subscription as shall, where the Club pays the individual ASA Membership Fees to the ASA on behalf of members, be consequential upon an increase in individual ASA membership fees. Any increase in subscriptions shall be advised to the members via e-mail with the reasons for any increase to be reported to the members at the next Annual General Meeting.

5 Resignation

5.1 A member wishing to resign membership of the Club must give to the Secretary written notice of his resignation. A member’s resignation shall only take effect when this (Rule 5.1) has been complied with.

5.2 Notwithstanding the provisions of Rule 5.1 above a member whose subscription is more than two months in arrear shall be deemed to have resigned. Such members shall be informed via e-mail of the termination of their membership.

6 Expulsion and other Disciplinary action

6.1 The Committee shall have power to expel a member when, in its opinion, it would not be in the interests of the Club for him to remain a member. The Club in exercising this power shall comply with the provisions of Rules 6.2 and 6.3 below

6.2 The Club shall adopt and comply with the ASA Guidelines for handling Internal Club Disputes ("the Guidelines") as the same may be revised from time to time. The Guidelines are set out as an Appendix to the ASA Judicial Laws and appear in the ASA Handbook. (A copy of the current Guidelines may be obtained from the ASA Legal Affairs Department.)

6.3 A member may not be expelled or (subject to Rule 6.4 below) be made the subject of any other penalty unless the panel hearing the complaint shall unanimously vote in favour of the expulsion of (or other penalty imposed upon) the member.

6.4 The Officers of the Club (or any person to whom the Committee shall delegate this power) may temporarily suspend or exclude a member from particular training sessions and/or wider club activities, when in their opinion, such action is in the interests of the Club. Where such action is taken the complaint will thereafter be dealt with in accordance with the Guidelines.

7 Committee

7.1 The Committee shall consist of the Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer (together “the Executive Officers of the Club”) and 6 elected members all of whom must be members of the Club. These persons shall fill the roles of: - Social Secretary - Fixtures Secretary - Kit Rep - Head Coach - Male Team Captain - Female Team Captain. The club shall have a Welfare Officer, which shall be the club secretary who shall in turn be supported by the Senior Welfare tutor of the University of Birmingham Medical School (Dr Kate Thomas).

7.2
7.2.1 The Committee positions shall be applied for by submission of the members name to the current club secretary, in January or February of each year, as decided by the Committee. An e-mail voting process to involve all members of the club shall then be undertaken, should more than one person apply for a position.
7.2.2 Election to the Committee shall be for one year, with the ability to be re-elected by the Committee into the same or different positions for a second year should the member wish to serve another term (see7.2.3).
7.2.3 The new Committee must contain at least one member of the exiting Committee, to ensure continuity. The current Committee shall decide who wishes to continnue for a second term and in what position before voting commences. This position shall then not be put up for applications. This rule should take precedence over any outcome from the voting and application process described above.
7.2.4 Any casual vacancy occurring by resignation or otherwise may be filled by the Committee but any member so chosen shall retire at the next election process, but shall be eligible for re-election at this time. (See also 8.1 and 7.2.3)

7.3 Committee meetings shall be held not less than quarterly (save where the Committee itself shall by a simple majority resolve not to meet), and the quorum of that meeting shall be such number as shall represent not less than a simple majority of the Committee members (to include not less than one Executive Officer). The Chairman and the Secretary shall have discretion to call further meetings of the Committee if they consider it to be in the interests of the Club. The Secretary shall give all the members of the Committee not less than two days oral notice of a meeting. Decisions of the Committee shall be made by a simple majority (and in the event of equality of votes the Chairman (or the acting Chairman of that meeting) shall have a casting or additional vote.) The Secretary, or in his absence a member of the Committee, shall take minutes.

7.4 In the event that a quorum is not present within thirty minutes of the published start time, a meeting shall stand adjourned to the time and date falling seven days after the date of the meeting, or such other date and time as may be determined by the Chairman. If a quorum is not present at the adjourned meeting then those Committee members attending may act for the purpose of calling a Special General Meeting of the members, to which the provisions as to minimum notice contained in Rule 11.1 shall not apply

7.5 In addition to the members so elected the Committee may co-opt up to 2 further members of the Club who shall serve until the next Annual General Meeting. Co-opted members shall be entitled to vote at the meetings of the Committee and shall not be counted in establishing whether a quorum is present.

7.7 The Committee shall be responsible for the management of the Club and shall have the sole right of appointing and determining the terms and conditions of service of employees of the Club. The Committee shall have power to enter into contracts for the purposes of the Club on behalf of all the members of the Club. The Committee shall be responsible for ensuring that the Accounts of the Club for each financial year be examined by an independent examiner to be appointed by the members in General Meeting. The Committee shall also have power to make regulations and to settle disputed points not otherwise provided for in this Constitution.

7.8 The members of the Committee shall be entitled to an indemnity out of the assets of the Club for all expenses and other liabilities properly incurred by them in the management of the affairs of the Club.

7.10 The Committee shall maintain an Accident Book in which all accidents to club members at swimming related activities shall be recorded. Details of such accidents shall be reported to the A.S.A. Office. The Club shall make an annual return to the ASA in the prescribed form.

8 Officers and Honorary Members

8.1 The Executive Officers and Committee of the Club shall implemented into position as described above in Point 7.2. Any vacancy occurring by resignation or otherwise may be filled by the Committee. Retiring officers shall be eligible for re-election.

9 Annual General Meeting
9.1 The Annual General Meeting of the Club shall be held each year on a date in February or March. The date for the Annual General Meeting shall be fixed by the Committee.

9.2 The purpose of the Annual General Meeting is to transact the following business:
9.2.1 to receive the Chairman’s report of the activities of the Club during the previous year;
9.2.2 to receive and consider the accounts of the Club for the previous year and the report on the accounts of the independent examiner and the Treasurer's report as to the financial position of the Club;

9.2.3 to remove and elect the independent examiner (who must not be a member of the Committee or a member of the family of a member of the Committee) or confirm that she remain in office;
9.2.4 to elect the Executive Officers and other members of the Committee;
9.2.5 to decide on any resolution which may be duly submitted in accordance with Rule 9.3.

9.3 Nominations for election of members to any office or for membership of the Committee shall be made via e-mail to the Secretary not later than1st February. The nominee shall be required to indicate in writing in the e-mail his willingness to stand for election. Notice of any resolution proposed to be moved at the Annual General Meeting shall be given in writing to the Secretary not later than 1st February.

10 Special General Meeting

10.1 A Special General Meeting may be called at any time by the Committee. A Special General Meeting shall be called by the Secretary within (28) days of receipt by him of a requisition in writing signed by not less than 7 members entitled to attend and vote at a General Meeting or (if greater) such numbers as represents (one-tenth) in number of such members] stating the purposes for which the meeting is required and the resolutions proposed.

11 Procedure at the Annual and Special General Meetings

11.1 The Secretary shall personally be responsible for the handing out or sending to each member at his e-mail address a written agenda giving notice of the date, time and place of the General Meeting together with the resolutions to be proposed thereat at least 14 days before the meeting and in the case of the Annual General Meeting a list of the nominees for the Committee posts. The Secretary may, alternatively, with the agreement of member(s) concerned distribute these materials by e-mail or similar form of communication.

11.2 The quorum for the Annual and Special General Meetings shall be 7 members entitled to attend and vote at the Meeting or (if greater) such number as represents (one-tenth) in number of such members.

11.3 The Chairman, or in his absence a member selected by the Committee, shall take the chair. Each member present shall have one vote and resolutions shall be passed by a simple majority. For the procedures for submitting resolutions to be considered at a General Meeting members are referred to Rule 9.3. In the event of an equality of votes the Chairman shall have a casting or additional vote. Only paid up members shall be entitled to be heard and to vote on all matters.

11.4 The Secretary, or in his absence a member of the Committee, shall take minutes at the Annual and Special General Meetings.

11.5 The Chairman shall at all General Meetings have unlimited authority upon every question of order and shall be, for the purpose of such meeting, the sole interpreter of the Rules of the Club.

12 Alteration of the Rules and other Resolutions

12.1 The rules may be altered by resolution at an Annual or Special General Meeting provided that the resolution is carried by a majority of at least two-thirds of members present and entitled to vote at the General Meeting. No amendment(s) to the rules shall become effective until such amendment(s) shall have been submitted to and validated by such person as is authorised to do so by the County Association/ASA West Midlands Region.

12.2 Any member shall be entitled to put any proposal for consideration at any General Meeting provided the proposal in writing shall have been handed to or posted to the Secretary of the Club so as to be received by him not later than 14 days before the date of the meeting, in the case of the Annual General Meeting or, in the case of a Special General Meeting, 14 days before the date of the meeting and thereafter the Secretary shall supply a copy of the proposal or resolution to the members in the manner provided in Rule 11.1

13 By-Laws

13.1 The Committee shall have power to make, repeal and amend such by-laws as they may from time to time consider necessary for the well being of the Club which by-laws, repeals and amendments shall have effect until set aside by the Committee or at a General Meeting.

14 Finance

14.1 All moneys payable to the Club shall be received by the Treasurer and deposited in a bank account in the name of the Club. No sum above £50 shall be drawn from that account except by cheque signed by two of the three signatories who shall be the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer. Any moneys not required for immediate use may be invested as the Committee in its discretion think fit.

14.2 The income and property of the Club shall be applied only in furtherance of the objects of the Club and no part thereof shall be paid by way of bonus, dividend or profit to any members of the Club, (save as set out in Rule 17.3.)

14.3 The Committee shall have power to authorise the payment of remuneration and expenses to any officer, member or employee of the Club and to any other person or persons for services rendered to the Club.

14.4 The financial transactions of the Club shall be recorded by the Treasurer in such manner as the Committee thinks fit.

14.5 The financial year of the Club shall be the period commencing on 2nd March and ending on 1st March .Any change to the financial year shall require the approval of the members in a General Meeting.

14.6 The Committee shall retain for a minimum period of six years all financial records relating to the club and copies of Minutes of all meetings.

15 Dissolution

15.1 A resolution to dissolve the Club shall only be proposed at a General Meeting and shall be carried by a majority of at least three- quarters of the members present and entitled to vote. A specific date for the dissolution shall be included in the resolution.

15.2 The dissolution shall take effect from the date specified in the resolution and the members of the Committee shall be responsible for the winding-up of the assets and liabilities of the Club. 15.

15.3 Any property remaining after the discharge of the debts and liabilities of the Club shall be given to a charity or charities (or other non-profit making organisation having objects similar to those of the Club for the furtherance of such objects) nominated by the last Committee, including UBMS (University of Birmingham Medical Society).

16 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

16.1 The Members acknowledge that these Rules constitute a legally binding contract to regulate the relationship of the members with each other and the Club.

Maps to Swimming Pools

mattgovier — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 06:56:59 CDT

Morris Club Centre - on the QE site. Sunday evening training

All Pools we use as a club - as can be seen, all our pools are very close to each other and within easy walking distance of both Selly Oak, Harborne and the Vale. There are 3 pools on this map:

The Munrow Sports Centre - Wednesday Evening Training

The Morris Club Centre - Sunday Evening Training

The King Eds Girls School - Occassional use for galas

BlueCoat School, Harborne - Used for Monday Training and Galas.

Better maps are avaliable on the University of Birmingham sport website (http://www.sport.bham.ac.uk).

Welfare Isuues

mattgovier — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 06:49:49 CDT

The club trys to promote a fun and friendly environment, proud of the family spirit it brings to all members. We like to think of ourselves as a big family and hope that all our members will treat the club as an oppurtunity to make some excellent new friends and catch up with old ones.

However, we do realise that from time to time some of our members will have issue's (swimming or non swimming related) that they may wish to discuss with someone. This is why, as required by ASA laws, we provide a club welfare officer who is kept informed of welfare issues within the club.

This person is NOT there as "the only person you may speak to if you have a welfare issue"...infact the complete opposite. If you have a welfare issue we strongly suggest that you talk to whoever you feel most comfortable talking to about it. The Welfare Officer is there to offer advice and direction to those who wish for it.

The welfare officer for 2008/09 is:

Amy Parkinson (club secretary)

If you have any swimming related welfare issue then please feel free to talk to him about it.
If your issue is a non-swimming issue then Matt would be more than happy to discuss it with you, but as he has limited experience in this field would strongly suggest making use of the University of Birmingham and Medical School welfare channels that are already avaliable. These include:

The University of Birmingham
Guild Advice service

http://www.bugs.bham.ac.uk/support/arc/

The Medical School Welfare Support Office
Dr Kate Thomas and Mrs Margaret Tucker

m.tucker@bham.ac.uk c.p.thomas@bham.ac.uk

Gala Vs Bristol and Notts

mattgovier — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 06:46:19 CDT

Xmas Family Fun Gala

mattgovier — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 06:30:04 CDT

The MPS Medswim Trophy - to be presented to the winning Family.

The Float "Surfing" Race - Jarman was a pro at this!

Quick turnaround at the shallow end for Family Barracudas

Despite the fast turn around, Barracudas still not finished!

Michelle - Incredibly happy about being able to do both the Good Food Show and Medswim Gala in one day!

Matt - what a poser!

Sculling race - we know why we don't do Synchro now!

Just chilling before the big finale...

....and same down the other end.

Start of the Squadron - tense times as the points were very close.

Someone (?Steve) tearing down the pool for Family Crabs.

3rd legs ready on the block....

Plankton make an amazingly efficient take over....

Sarah - a "festive" starter for the squadron!

.....and Family Barracuda win the squadron (high fives all round!).

Medswim Birmingham - photo taken by someone with a coarse tremor!

Family Barracuda - looking nervous as the winner is still to be announced...

Mimer and Matt announcing the winners

Barracuda Family - 2007 Winners of the MPS Medswim Birmingham Trophy

Family Plankton - Only just 2nd (points for 1st and 2nd were equal!).

Family "Le Moule" - 4th position (out of 4) but definitly the best team spirit!

Family Crabs - 3rd Place - could of won, if it wasn't for the D/Q's!

All together a great time with loads of fun people! This will definitly be a yearly if not twice yearly event from now on - so watch this space for more.

PS - Photos of Varsity after the meal are censored!

The Committee

mattgovier — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:50:22 CDT

The Committee of 2007/08 are :

Chairperson : Jo 'Jojo' Robbins
JCR578@bham.ac.uk

Secretary : Amy Parkinson
ALP687@bham.ac.uk

Treasurer : Brynn Bird

Social Secretary : Georgina Fremlin and Lucy Pickard

Fixtures Secretary : Helen Patten

Kit reps : Sarah Bourns

Head Coach: Matt Govier

Male Team Captain : Chris Gillespie

Female Team Captain : Krystina Common

Who we are...

mattgovier — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:57:27 CDT

Medswim Birmingham is an ASA West Midlands and University of Birmingham Medical School (UBMS) Medsoc affiliated swimming club. We welcome all levels of ability from those wanting to learn to swim or swim socially all the way upto a "squad" style training for those athletes wishing to stay at the top of their game. Due to our funding arrangements, a person may join Medswim Birmingham if they are not Medsoc registered, but will be required to pay more than a Medsoc member.

We are a purely voluntary organisation that runs on the good will and generosity of its volunteers - all of whom are also full time Medical Students. We charge minimal sub's to cover pool and insurance costs, as our main aim is to provide a cheap and fun environment in which to participate in a well loved sport.

When registering with the ASA the following was stated as a major reason for developing the club, and this still stands true today :

"I feel it would be appropriate to address why we believe there is a need to set up this swimming club given that a University of Birmingham SC (“Brumswim”) already exists. Unfortunately for Medical and other Healthcare Professional students, our timetables are considerably different to other students especially once we enter clinical years, having placements all over Birmingham and the Black Country. Because of this, the University of Birmingham Swimming Club’s training sessions often fall at the wrong times and many Medical Students find they are unable to continue with their training once they come to University. The idea of starting a “Medic’s” swimming club is not a new one, the idea has been in the pipeline at Birmingham for numerous years and I am aware that many other medical schools already have their own. Also, virtually every other major sport has a separate “Medic’s” team at Birmingham University that all do extremely well in their leagues, but swimming is currently not represented in this way. Although there has been many students wanting to join a Medic’s Swimming Club, monetary issues have until recently stopped any progress being made in setting one up. We have hopefully now resolved this issue and so are hoping to press on with getting this long overdue club up and running."

For the future we plan for the swimming club to grow both in terms of numbers and sessions / services we have avaliable. We are also hoping to start competing in some local friendly gala's and join in with the pre-existing gala's between other Medical School's. Both of these aims require a team that can represent what we do at Medswim - and the guys and girls that are training with us at the moment would perform the task awesomely. In the distant future we may also host our own friendly gala's.

Currently our Welfare Officer is the Head Coach (Matt Govier) although we would strongly suggest that all welfare issues should be taken to Dr Kate Thomas at the Medical School. For those who are unaware who Dr Thomas is the following is a brief description of her:

"Dr Thomas is responsible for the personal tutoring system and for MB ChB students' welfare in general. She is a GP and works in the Department of Primary Care and General Practice where she is responsible for overseeing the teaching the department organises and delivers in all 5 years of the MB ChB course”

We hope that all members are satisfied with the service we offer and welcome constructive criticism. If you have any idea's on how we could improve the service we offer please e-mail Matt at MRG476@bham.ac.uk

Medswim Birmingham......because everythings better, when its wetter!

Training Sessions

mattgovier — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:56:43 CDT

Sunday Medswim Session - Morris Club Centre Pool (on the QE hospital site - see "Maps to pools" section for map).

6.30 - 7.30 pm
= Social swimming and teaching - the pool will be divided into lanes, there will be no schedule and swimmers may do as few or as many lengths as they wish. There will be the opportunity to ask for some teaching (i.e. learn how to dive / improve your stroke technique etc.) from Matt and Mimer. This is a very laid back session with the oppurtunity to chat with friends. It is the same as the "social" lane on a Wednesday.

7.30 - 9.00pm
= 'Club/Squad' training session - the pool will be split into lanes and there will be a schedule. This offers a slightly more structured session than the social swimming session. This session is aimed at those persons who wish to improve their fitness and stroke technique or perhaps want to compete. The schedule will be written to a pace that suits you.

Monday Medswim Session - Blue Coat School (near the Green Man Pub in Harborne - see "Maps to pools" section for directions and a map).

7.00pm - 8.00pm
= 3 lanes of training and 2 lanes of social swimming in an excellent pool, which includes flags, blocks, excellent spectator space and great equipment of floats, pullboays etc. An excellent session for all, especially those wishing to improve diving due to the permemant blocks.

Wednesday Medswim Session - Munrow Sports Centre (on the Edgbaston campus of the University of Birmingham - see 'Maps to pools' section for directions if required).

9.00 - 10.00 pm
= 4 lanes of training (ranging from 'social training' to competitive club training) and 2 lanes of social swimming. The pool has blocks at one end so would be ideal for people wishing to improve their starts.

Hello Freshers!

mattgovier — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:04:13 CDT

Freshers! Welcome to the Medswim Birmingham page that is dedicated to you! Hopefully the rest of this website will have given you some idea of what we are about - but we have left some treats especially for you.

Firstly, may we congratulate you on getting into Birmingham Medical School - possibly the best life experience you will ever have. We look forward to meeting you all really soon, probably in Freshers week. So, what have Medswim got to offer you that other Birmingham Sports Teams don't have???

New Club -
We're just over a year old and are still growing rapidly, with all members getting to know each other really well. There are no "cliques" in our club and we love everyone getting involved. We welcome idea's about how to improve the club and would love to get you involved in the committee, coaching, lifeguarding etc. as well as the swimming!

Members from All Years -
We have over 40 dedicated members from the 4th and 5th years already, where as most clubs struggle to keep older years within the club. In total we have over 70 members and a really good crowd of people from all years - a great way to get to know other years (and get their books, notes etc that they don't need anymore!)
We welcome all Healthcare Science students (Medsoc or none Medsoc) including medics, p hysios, nurses, BMedSci's etc.

Dedicated Committee and Coaches
All our committee members are hard working and really want to give all members the best time they can at the club.
You can see details and photos of events/socials that we have had recently on the other pages.

And check out the kit too!

Some of the things going on at the moment are:

Intraclub and Inter Medical School Gala's - Helen Patten, Fixtures Sec
Helen is busy beavering away organising another intraclub gala. As you may have seen, all members are allocated to a "Family" (see family page), which you will also be allocated to. In the intraclub gala we have the familys competing against each other in serioud and fun races - with a night out to follow no doubt! Helen is also in contact with other UK Medical Schools trying to organise another great get together for galas over this year; both at home and away.

Coaching - Matt Govier
As always Matt is planning and creating new training regimmes to try and keep our swimmers excited and fit. We're always looking for new coaches to help us and would really appreciate anyone with a teaching qualification getting in contact.

If you would like to know anything else, please contact us on MRG476@bham.ac.uk and we would be more
than happy to help you! No matter what the question, about swimming, medicine, birmingham etc - just drop
us a line.

Come and find us at the Medics Freshers Sports fair - its at the Medical School on the Friday
of Freshers week (the day after "The Hop" - the best freshers event ever - make sure you get
your tickets!)

Photo Gallery

mattgovier — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 10:17:56 CST

Most photos can be found on our facebook page where there is also a message thread:

http://ubrm.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2249892128

The following are some of the "better" photos of the club (not many of swimming itself - but watch this space for more!)

Night Out - Family Currys followed by whole club at Archies and then Fab

When trying to take pictures for the freshers booklet....

The Xmas Family Fun Gala 2007

Gala vs Bristol and Notts

Freshers Booklet

mattgovier — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:46:16 CDT

Family Curry Night Out

mattgovier — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 16:01:21 CDT

Meeting Minutes

mattgovier — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 09:16:44 CDT

The minutes of each Medswim Committee meeting after they have been approved via the committee. Please feel free to view these and see what we discuss and the outcomes. Some of the issues may have been censored due to the subject having a personnal or private factor to it - but we will try to keep as much of the meetings contents in the minutes we display on this page.

For all meeting minutes please see the very bottom of this page under "Attachments"