A: Our maximum number of swimmers per class is between 4 and 6. All children are assessed and placed according to age and ability.
Learn-to-Swim
For children between the ages of 2 and 7 years, where the focus is on water orientation and safety.
Our Facilities
Lessons are conducted in a heated pool. We have separate boys and girls changerooms, as well as a covered waiting/viewing area for parents. All necessary swimming aids are provided for the various levels.
Afternoon Lessons
Afternoon lessons are offered to developing swimmers of all levels, from Monday to Thursday and on a Saturday morning. Those attending weekly classes come twice a week and those attending on a Saturday have one longer lesson. Class duration varies from 20 minutes to 40 minutes depending on the swimming ability of the child.
Nursery Schools
We offer morning classes to various nursery schools, by arrangement. The children are collected by a private transport company and escorted to the swimming school where assistants are on hand to get them ready. After their lesson, they are returned safely to school.
Stroke Development
Once children have learnt the necessary water safety skills, the focus changes to basic stroke development, and then progresses to more advanced strokes, dives, starts and turns. When instructors feel a child is ready, they are introduced to galas and competitions in a friendly and encouraging environment.
Pre-Squad Training
Little Champ Swim School offers pre-squad training for swimmers that have achieved the required level of skill and are dedicated to training hard and working to achieve goals that are set together with their instructor.
Galas
Once our swimmers are competent, they are introduced to competitive swimming and are invited to participate in:
Novice Gala – Beginner
Junior Gala – Advanced Beginner
Level 1 Gala – Intermediate
Level 2 Gala – Advanced
Our Team
We are a team of dedicated, highly-qualified and experienced instructors. We teach the many different skills needed for basic water safety, while also incorporating more complex stroke development and correction. All of our teachers attend regular training to ensure that they are up to date with current teaching methods and regulations. Our instructors are also fully trained in CPR (updated annually) and First Aid Level 1.
Dee Barnard
Founder, Dee Barnard, has over 30 years of experience as a swimming instructor. She teaches all ages and levels and, as a director of Swim Dynamics Instructor Training (SDIT), is also very involved in the development of new swimming instructors. Dee strives to maintain a high standard of swimming at Little Champ Swim School in every way possible.
Bianca Troup
Bianca brings years of competitive swimming experience to her teaching. She started teaching at Little Champ in 1995 and teaches all levels and ages, including pre-squad training. She still competes at Masters level and is responsible for ensuring that young swimmers are prepared for future endeavours.
Angelique Ryder
Angelique is responsible for transporting our nursery-school swimmers safely from the nursery schools that we service, to the swimming school and back again. Angelique has been with our team for 16 years.
Our Assistants
Gladness Manana, Lerato Jele, Lungile Mokoena and Rose Ngwenya (pictured from left to right) are our dedicated and friendly poolside assistants. They are always on hand to get our little swimmers ready, to help keep a watchful eye and assist our teachers where needed.
Q: How long will it take my child to learn to swim?
A: The speed at which a child learns to swim is dependent on a number of factors:
- Your child’s natural feel for the water
- Natural levels of buoyancy
- Previous experience of the water
- Levels of anxiety about the process
- How motivated they are to learn
- Concentration, co-ordination and ability
- Rate of physical and emotional development
- How often they attend lessons
Q: What can I, as a parent, do to help boost my child’s progress?
A: Attend lessons regularly – swimming is something that needs to be practised and progress depends on actual time spent in the water. Also, try to instil a positive attitude towards coming to class and learning to swim; your own reaction to water will rub off on your child. Swimming should be fun!
Q: What should my child bring to swimming lessons?
A: Your little swimmer will need an appropriate swimming costume, a towel, and a swimming cap. Once they reach a certain level of swimming, they may wear a pair of swimming goggles. For hygiene reasons, no children are allowed to swim without a cap. Goggles and caps are available to purchase at the swimming school.
Q: What is the fee and calendar structure?
A: We have a monthly fee structure. We are open during all school holidays, closing only for the month of July, on public holidays and from mid-December. We usually re-open in line with the school terms in January.
Q: How safe is the nursery-school transport?
A: Our driver, Angelique Ryder, has been with our team for 16 years. She has all the necessary licences and certifications and the vehicle’s roadworthiness is renewed annually. She is also accompanied by an assistant who sits with the children to help avoid any unnecessary distractions while driving.
Q: Can I come and watch my child swim?
A: We have an open-door policy at Little Champ Swim School, so parents and guardians are more than welcome to come and watch their children swim. We have a covered waiting/viewing area specifically for this purpose.
Q: Can you elaborate on the different gala levels?
Novice Gala: These are the first galas that our young swimmers will enter, aimed at introducing them to competitive swimming in a fun and friendly environment. They swim heats of 25m and the first three children in each heat receive ribbons.
Junior Gala: Once children are swimming more confidently, they can move on to Junior galas, where 25m heats are timed and only the fastest three swimmers overall will receive ribbons. This introduces them to a more standard gala format and helps them to aim for faster times while still being in a less formal environment.
Level 1 Gala:This for swimmers who are proficient in their strokes and can compete at a higher level. They swim in a 25m pool but in 50m and 100m timed events with a focus on achieving faster personal times. Our young swimmers need to have developed both stamina and an ability to race well to compete at this level and must be able to do starts and turns properly.
Level 2 Gala: Swimmers have to attain certain qualifying times at Level 1 Galas to be allowed to compete at Level 2. These galas are swum in a 50m pool and swimmers must be registered with Central Gauteng Aquatics. Events vary from 50m to 200m. Commitment, self-motivation and dedication to serious swimming are needed to compete at this level. Rules are strict regarding stroke technique, starts, turns and finishes.
Interested in becoming a swimming instructor?
Swim Dynamics Instructor Training (SDIT), which is headed up by Dee Barnard and fellow accomplished swimming teacher and business partner Bev Verweij, aims to provide comprehensive courses that cover all aspects of swimming techniques and safety – in the interest of competence in the sport and in the community, as well as to help enhance the profession and create opportunities for swimming instructors through mentoring and training.
Contact Us
Dee Barnard
079 908 0222
New Redruth
Alberton
dee@champswim.co.za