Dolphin Swimming Club is a club that encourages a level of excellence and enjoyment across all levels of our club from 4-year-olds to adults.  As a club, we recognise swimming as a fantastic and inclusive sport that maintains optimum levels of fitness and can be used as a vehicle through which athletes can work towards achieving their full potential.

If they choose to do this in the competitive arena, we need to have a clear mechanism in place whereby they can be assisted to progress through a standardised system to enable them to compete with other athletes of a similar mindset.  Following full consultation with the coaching staff a progression pathway was identified which is outlined below.

Dolphins Pre-Competitive (Dolphins)

Swimmers get their first taste of lane swimming and fun races in the Dolphins squad.  This squad is designed as a bridge between learning to swim and the first steps in competitive swimming.  The squad is for swimmers who have expressed an interest in competitive swimming, after passing through the Dolphin ‘Learn to Swim Program’ (LTSP) or applying for assessment from an external learn to swim program and being accepted.  This Squad will focus on developing the aquatic skills necessary for competitive swimming.  Age profile of 7-11 years old / LTAD category: FUNdamentals & Swim Skills.

Junior Skills Squad (JSS)

This refers to all graded swimmers who have reached the age required by Swim Ireland to compete at this level and who have passed assessment from our ‘Dolphins’ squad system and are now competing in ‘Regional Development 1’ or ‘Graded’ events with the club, working on long-term athletic development and swimming techniques. Provision will be made, depending on space availability, to swimmers who may want to join the competitive program from outside the club based on their current level of ability and standard and following assessment by the Head Coach.

Senior Skills Squad - A (SSSA)
This refers to all ‘Regional Development 2’ swimmers who would have previously fallen under the banner of ‘B grade / grade 2’, who have reached the age required by Swim Ireland to compete at this level and who have passed assessment from Senior Skills Squad – B (SSSB).  Athletes in this squad will focus on race skills, developing their athlete ‘engine’ and should be targeting Regional Age Groups Championships as a minimum standard each season.

Senior Skills Squad - B (SSSB)
This refers to all ‘Regional Development 1’ swimmers who would have previously fallen under the banner of ‘C grade / grade 3’, who have reached the age required by Swim Ireland to compete at this level and who have passed assessment from Junior Skills Squad (JSS).  Athletes in this squad will focus on race skills, kick improvement, developing their athlete ‘engine’, and should be targeting top ten finishes at Regional Development meets consistently.

Development Squad (DEV)

This refers to swimmers who wish to maintain optimum athleticism or who need to improve fitness levels and who may wish to progress to further competition at Regional level but cannot currently meet time demands and/or time standards for regional qualifying meets.  It will also be open – and very suitable - to athletes who wish to cross-train for multi-athlete events such as triathlon, open-water, and modern pentathlon.  Athletes who cannot maintain current training or time demands required in other squads may also find this squad more suitable.  The DEV Squad may also be more suited to some younger swimmers who wish to step back from the rigors of training with one of the performance squads or those who wish to step back due to personal circumstances such as Junior or Leaving Certificate in that season.  The DEV Squad may also be utilized for athletes in the younger SSS squads who have outgrown those squads due to physiological or chronological maturity. DEV Squad athletes are encouraged to compete regularly, but this is not mandatory in this case.

Senior Development Squad (SDS)

This refers to those swimmers who can no longer commit fully to the hours and levels of training required at any of the ‘A’ squad levels in the club. This squad will consist of ex-competitive swimmers from the A squads or DEV squads and may be used as an interim training squad for those who decide to focus more on their education than on high-performance swimming.  Options for MASTERS swimming may also be available here, depending on age and desire to compete long-term.

A3

This refers to the club’s next level of athlete who have achieved the required standards to compete at ‘Regional Qualifying’ meets but who may also be aiming to compete at Irish Summer Nationals or Irish Age Groups National Division 2 level.  Swimmers in this group will have progressed from the SSS system or may have joined the club from outside Dolphin, following assessment in both cases.  The A3 squad will make provision for athletes to join this squad from outside the club based on their current level of ability / experience and following full assessment by the Head Coach. This will not affect any swimmers from the other squads looking to join the A3 squad.  Similar to A1 & A2 squads, swimmers aged 11 and over will be considered for this squad.  Athletes will train at ‘performance-level’ which will be assisted by their pool time and will enhance their development and ability to eventually progress to the A2 squad, if they desire. Criteria for progression to the A2 squad will be comprehensive and is outlined below.  Essentially, all athletes at A3 level should be targeting qualification and participation at Irish Age Groups Division 2 as a minimum standard each season.

A2

This refers to those athletes who were in the old HPS squad up until the end of the 2017/18 season but who were outside the top ten in their age groups at Irish Summer Nationals at the end of last season. These athletes will train alongside the A1 athletes for most of the week but also with the A3 squad to encourage better team interaction and performance throughout the top squads. Athletes in the A2 squad should be targeting Irish Summer Nationals and Irish Open LC/SC standards and should view this squad as a stepping stone to the A1 squad or to achieving top ten performances at Irish Summer Nationals or podium performances at Irish Age Groups Division 2 at the end of each season. The A2 squad provides space for athletes to join this squad from outside the club based on their current level of ability and following full assessment by the Head Coach. This will not affect any swimmers from the other squads looking to join the A2 squad. Similar to the A1 squad, swimmers aged 11 and over will be considered for this squad.

A1

This refers to the club’s top national-level competitive athletes that meet the criteria to compete on the international and national arena. Swimmers in this squad are chosen from those who finished on the podium (individual events) and made finals, or top ten, at Irish Summer Nationals at the end of the previous season. The top swimmers across each age group from 11-years (minimum age requirement) and older will be considered for this squad. The A1 squad has always made provision for 2-3 spaces to remain available to swimmers of the same high standard as set out above who wish to join Dolphin SC from outside the club and will continue to do so. This will not affect any other swimmer from the other squads looking to join the A1 squad. The A1 squad places large training and attendance demands on its members which must be adhered to in order to remain in this high-level squad. The Head Coach may invite athletes at A2 level to train with this squad at his discretion, depending on training attitude and commitment, competition performance and consistent improvements throughout the season. The A1 squad members will hold their place in the squad and the squad may be adjusted following the Irish Long Course National Championships in that season and again at the end of the season following performances at Irish Summer Nationals.