The Masters squad is for competitive swimmers of 17 or older (you must be at least 18 by the end of the year to join). Goals in this squad could include training for pool-swimming competitions, triathlons, and open-water racing. The group trains for three hours a week:

  • Sunday: 07:50–08:50 (pool, Westgate) 
  • Wednesday: 18:00 (15-minute land warmup)–19:15 (pool, Westgate) 
  • Friday: 06:30–07:30 (pool, Westgate) 

Training is structured in the form of a program specifically written for the Masters group. Sessions focus on developing physical conditioning and technical skills for competition swimming, and all four strokes are used.

Equipment

Masters sessions utilise a variety of equipment, including:

  • swim-training fins 
  • hand paddles and finger paddles
  • kickboards
  • swimming snorkels

Competition expectation

CCSC is a competitive swimming club, and our Masters swimmers include county, regional and national champions, as well as regional and national open-water medallists. To retain their squad place, as a minimum it’s expected that Masters will enter the club’s winter and summer championships. We also strongly encourage participation in the annual Sussex County Short Course championships, as well as other championships and open meets throughout the year.

Masters swimmers who compete at county, regional or national level may be invited to train alongside the Elite Performance group at selected sessions. This is at the discretion of the lead coaches for Masters and Performance.

Pool/training etiquette

Masters is a popular squad and sessions can be busy. We ask swimmers to follow these guidelines to avoid disruption:

  • start and finish sessions on time
  • if you are unavoidably delayed, minimise the effect of this on the swimmers who started on time by joining the warmup at the point they've reached
  • follow the session plan set out by the coach (including when to use fins/paddles/snorkels, etc.)
  • swim in the lane and position within the lane that matches your ability, so that changing lane order during a training set is kept to a minimum
  • if you have to leave the session early, make sure the coach leading the session is aware.