2. Talent ID Overview
Over the past three years Swim Ulster have run a “Talent ID” program between September and June. This initiative is an excellent supplementary training opportunity with the following aims:
provide a small number of swimmers (selected from local clubs) with additional pool training at the Greenvale Leisure Centre and top-level coaching which they would not otherwise receive due the typically and comparatively limited resources of clubs outside the greater Belfast & County Down area.
allow Swim Ulster with a means to work with, assess and identify swimmers who demonstrate real talent and commitment to improvement and help nurture simmers toward future success within the discipline of swimming.
allow swimmers to create friendships with swimmers from other clubs which should make attendance at external Swim Ulster run competitions (e.g. Development galas) more appealing.
Swim Ulster (SU) have confirmed that they will be repeating this initiative over the season.
These sessions are run by a Swim Ulster’s Talent ID and Development coach, Mark Craig, who was himself a high-performance swimmer (who held a number of British and Irish titles) and head coach of a top club before being recruited by Swim Ulster.

3. Mid-Ulster Amateur Swimming Club
Talent ID Overview
There will be two weekly training sessions based on the following age groupings:
“Swim Skills” (swimmers born ), swimming 18: on Wednesdays
“Training to Train” (swimmers born ), swimming :00 on Wednesdays
This means that swimmers will have a three year window during which they will be eligible to time trial for a place on the SwimSkills sessions followed by a further three year window for Training to Train sessions.
Mid-Ulster club have been allocated 4 spaces at the younger “Swim Skills” sessions (yellow)
Mid-Ulster club have been allocated 3 spaces at the older “Training to train” sessions (green)
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
8-9
9-10
10-11
11-12
12-13
13-14
SU Talent ID
MUASC Testing (IM + FC Time Trial)
Year of birth
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
4-5
5-6
6-7
7-8
8-9
9-10
10-11
11-12
12-13
13-14
14-15
15-16
16-17
17-18
18-19
19-20
Mid-Ulster Amateur Swimming Club
Years old

4. Talent ID Overview
The initiative consists of 3 blocks of sessions through the year with each block consisting of ten weeks of sessions. SU have contacted us and confirmed the dates of the first block as follows:
Block 1: between 6th October (first session) to 15th December
Block 2: between 11th January to 15th March (TBC)
Block 3: between 5th April to 3rd June (TBC)
Participation in this initiative requires a significant level of commitment (time spent practicing in the pool) from swimmers in order to really progress. It requires at a minimum attending Mid-Ulster Swimming Club training as well as Talent ID sessions.
The Talent ID sessions are extremely demanding and the blocks get progressively more challenging over the course of the season. Some swimmers, particularly those falling in the youngest year of each age group, have struggled in the past and at time dropped out. Rather than rule out such swimmers from consideration MUASC’s coaching team has agreed to leave the decision to swimmers and their parents/guardians as to whether they put themselves forward for consideration and time trial.

5. Talent ID Overview
There is a cost to attend these sessions that is not covered by your MUASC membership fees – please refer to the information from Swim Ulster for details.
Places on this opportunity are highly sought after. Swim Ulster is clear that selection criteria used to identify which club swimmers should be offered a place on this initiative will be set by the swimmers’ own club coaching team.
Therefore what follows are the selection criteria and protocol that MUASC coaching team have agreed to use in season to select swimmers who will then be invited (by MUASC) to attend this opportunity.

6. MUASC’s Talent ID selection protocol
Selection - general
Talent ID sessions are demanding! They require good technique, endurance (which swimmers develop through physical maturity as well practice) and commitment to training and improvement. Therefore for both Junior and Intermediate age groups selection will be based on a combination of attendance at club training sessions and time trial in order to objectively compare swimmers as follows:
A swimmer’s score will be a combination of their IM time (in seconds) plus their front crawl endurance time (in seconds).
200m Frontcrawl
Back stroke
25m
Breast stroke
Front crawl
Butter fly
2 mins rest
100m IM time (secs) +
200m Front crawl time (secs) =
Junior (SwimSkills)
Swimmers
score
400m Frontcrawl
Back
stroke
50m
Front
crawl
Butter
fly
200m IM time (secs)
400m Front crawl time (secs)
Intermediate (Training to Train) Swimmers

7. MUASC’s Talent ID selection protocol
Swimmers in each age group with the lowest score (time in seconds) will be awarded places on this opportunity.
Participating swimmers will be listed (on a waiting list) and offered a place at these sessions in order of lowest time trial score from that test.
To avoid swimmers who do not get selected (at least initially) from negative peer pressure the time trial scores will not be published for others to see.
The full results (including order of those on the waiting list) for all participating swimmers will be shared with Swim Ulster’s coach and among MAUSC’s coaching team to ensure a level of transparency and fairness in the selection process as well so that coaches can help participating swimmers improve.
Swimmers and their parents will be informed of their times and, if not successful in being selected, how their times compare to those selected. This will provide swimmers with a gap (target in seconds) to aim and reduce in order to improve their chances of selection in future. It is hoped that this will be a more positive message for swimmers who miss out on selection for the initial block than simply publishing a full list of swimmers and their times.
If those selected for a block need to drop out during the block for any reason they/their parents must inform MUASC coaching team asap. Swimmers on the waiting list will be invited to attend the remainder of the block in order of lowest time trial score.

8. MUASC’s Talent ID selection protocol
Once a swimmer completes a block they will be moved to the bottom of the queue again. This rule will apply from one season to the next. Therefore those who attended Talent ID sessions last year will appear at the bottom of this season’s waiting list and offered a place (if one becomes available) in order of their time trail.
Time trials for Talent ID sessions will be held prior to the first block and these times will remain valid on the waiting list for the remainder of the year. Time trials will also be held prior to the second and third blocks at which those swimmers on the waiting list will be invited to trial again in order to improve their score and potentially their position on the waiting list.
Swimmers wishing to be considered for Talent ID MUST participate in the first time trials prior to the first block of training sessions (unless they join the club after that point). Otherwise it would not be fair to swimmers from last season (who had been moved to the bottom of the list) as they will have been waiting for another chance to attend.
These sessions are meant to compliment (not replace) the training that a swimmer receives from their local club because additional pool time is a key foundation to improvement. If a swimmer ceases attending MUASC club training in preference of the Talent ID sessions then Swim Ulster is in support of MUASC withdrawing the swimmer from this opportunity and awarding the place to another swimmer.

9. MUASC’s Talent ID selection protocol
Swimmers must demonstrate commitment to training and improvement by attending at least 80% of two weekly MUASC club training sessions (coaches will be maintaining attendance records). If swimmers attendance is less than 80% the place at these sessions will be offered to another swimmer and Swim Ulster informed.
The places allocated to MUASC for this opportunity belong to the club (not the swimmer). Therefore if a swimmer transfers to another club their place at the Talent ID sessions remains with the club. Swim Ulster support this position.

10. MUASC’s Talent ID selection protocol
Selection - SwimSkills
Junior swimmers will therefore be asked to:
complete a 100m Individual Medley (IM). This involves swimming one length of each swimming stroke, ideally non-stop. The aim of this is to assess general technique across all four swimming strokes and racing skills such as diving and racing turns.
rest for 2 minutes.
complete a 200m front crawl swim ideally to be swam non-stop. The aim of this is to assess endurance.
Each Junior swimmer’s score will be a combination of their 100m IM time (in seconds) plus their 200m front crawl time (in seconds). Swimmers with the lowest score (time in seconds) will be awarded places on this opportunity.

11. MUASC’s Talent ID selection protocol
Mid-Ulster Swimming Club has been allocated 4 places in the (younger) Swim Skills group which MUASC coaching team has decided to offer to 2 girls and 2 boys.
If more than 2 boys and 2 girls participate in time trials then those who do not succeed in selection for the first block will join a waiting list and will be invited (in order on the waiting list) to attend a future block.
For the Swim Skills group, two boy and two girl swimmers will attend these sessions at any one time.
Junior swimmers who succeed in being selected will be invited to attend ONE block of 10 sessions. This will give young swimmers with a taste of what these sessions involve so they can decide whether such rigorous and competitive swimming training is something they are interested in so that they can work towards being selected to participate in the more demanding (older) Training-to-Train sessions in the future.
The next blocks will be offered to the next swimmers on the waiting list.
Swim Skills (2005, 2006, 2008)
Block 1 (Oct – Dec)
Block 2 (Jan – Mar)
Block 3 (Apr – Jun)
Girl 1
Girl 3
Girl 5
Girl 2
Girl 4
Girl 6
Boy 1
Boy 3
Boy 5
Boy 2
Boy 4
Boy 6

12. MUASC’s Talent ID selection protocol
Selection – Training to Train
Mid-Ulster Swimming Club has been allocated 3 places in the (older) Training to Train group.
For the Training to Train group only three swimmers will be offered a place to attend all three blocks in the season – this is a key difference from the SwimSkills sessions.
Training to Train (2002, 2003, 2004)
Block 1 (Oct – Dec)
Block 2 (Jan – Mar)
Block 3 (Apr – Jun)
Girl / Boy 1
Girl / Boy 2
Girl / Boy 3
The reason for this is because swimmers at this age group require this level of training to truly make swimming their number one sport and thus will be aiming to qualify for the Irish age group & youth national Finals. These training sessions are a crucial part of preparing them for such competitions.
Because the three sessions build on each other (and are therefore progressively more difficult) Swim Ulster are keen to work with the same swimmers throughout the season. However, the MUASC coaching team has decided that for the (younger) SwimSkills sessions this should not be the case and that swimmers should only get one block, allowing more young swimmers to experience this opportunity and decide if they would be interested in aiming to attend the older sessions.
The places will be offered to the swimmers with the lowest time trial score (based on fastest time) regardless of gender. However, if the two fastest swimmers are the same gender then the 3rd place will be offered to a swimmer of the opposite gender.

13. Swim Ulster Talent Development Program
Appendix
Swim Ulster Talent Development Program

14. Talent Development Overview
In addition to the Talent ID program, Swim Ulster operates a Talent Development program of Sunday sessions. Swimmers interested in attending those sessions are required to attend testing days during which Mark Craig (Swim Ulster) ask swimmers to complete test swim sets. Entry to these sessions can be tougher than the Talent ID but, if successful, provides swimmers with added pool time and coaching support to really progress, potentially at a national level.
Swim Ulster delegate the selection of candidates to local clubs such as Mid-Ulster Amateur Swimming Club and so the club’s coaching team have outlined the selection criteria and protocol in this document. However, the club has no input into the selection of swimmers from Talent ID sessions to the Talent Development sessions – this selection is the sole responsibility of Swim Ulster.
According to Mark Craig (Swim Ulster) swimmers who are not attending Talent ID sessions can also attend the assessment days for the Talent Development sessions (it is therefore technically possible to bypass the Talent ID).
If a swimmer succeeds in gaining a place to attend Talent Development sessions but subsequently moves off the Talent ID sessions (for whatever reason) then the swimmer could continue to attend the Talent Development sessions as long as the swimmer Mark Craig is agreeable. Swimmers who have succeeded in being offered a place in these sessions therefore have a set period of time in which to demonstrate improvement and pass Mark Craig’s assessment to attend Talent Development before their allocated Talent ID sessions expire.

15. Talent Development Overview
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
8-9
9-10
10-11
11-12
12-13
13-14
SU Talent ID
Swim Ulster decide which swimmers get invited to participate in Talent Development sessions based on a number of tests during which the Swim Ulster coach assess stroke technique as well as completion time.
Score based
Swim Ulster Testing (SWOLF based sets)
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
8-9
9-10
10-11
11-12
12-13
13-14
SU Talent ID
2 girls
2 boys 3
MUASC Testing (IM + FC Time Trial)
Year of birth
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
1997
1996
4-5
5-6
6-7
7-8
8-9
9-10
10-11
11-12
12-13
13-14
14-15
15-16
16-17
17-18
18-19
19-20
Mid-Ulster Amateur Swimming Club
Years old