Disability Swimming

Swimming is a sport that is enjoyed by all people regardless of physical or mental ability. Many people who find they are unable to move on land find freedom when in the pool as the water can counter their bodies' weight and ease movement, hence the stress on ABILITY.

Classifications

However for people who have a difficulty in any area it is often hard to compete in competitions, which is why different classifications have been introduced in order to give fairness across the whole range of disability. These classifications run from S1 for the least physically able to S10 for those with a slight disability. S11-13 for visually impaired, S14 for those with a learning disability and recently introduced S15 for the hearing impaired. Classifications are carried out by specially trained examiners and meet strict standards they take into account what the swimmer can and can't do, and often a swimmer will have different classifications for Breaststroke and Medley events.

S14 classification is dependent on educational psychologists reports of a true learning disability.

Competitions

These are run across the country, they used to be run as purely disability events, but recently all ability events have been introduced for example at the Commonwealth Games and the ASA nationals in Sheffield. The culmination is of course the ParaOlympics.

Local connections

Worthing Swimming club is very active in the field of Disability Integration with several swimmers training regularly in the club sessions. The club has links with The Sussex Squids club, which meets at Littlehampton regularly. Many of Worthing's swimmers are at national and international level.

Achievements

Wayne Riding is a Paralympic SB5 Medal winner and now trains regularly at Manchester. Lizzie Pidgeon is in the S14 England team, has a World Ranking and has qualified for the European Championships in Czech Republic. Louisa Eames is in the S14 England development squad and together with Lizzie has just beaten a World Record. Kimberley Bailey is in the S6 England Squad and Peter Eames has just attended a Southern Counties all ability development squad in Eastbourne. However our greatest achievement is with James Hazell, who is very paralysed with only small movement in his arms, although he was a junior finalist on his front he has never swum on his back, as he cannot control himself. Phil Hart spent a long time on Sundays with James, who now enters Backstroke events in the S3 class!

More Details

If you or any swimmer has a disability and is not sure what to do please speak to me, Graeme Pidgeon on most club nights at the Pool. Or contact