About The Titans
A competitive swimming club for competitive swimmers
Think Big…Win Big
“It’s not good enough to simply dream, you have to dream big! Anything is possible you just need to believe it. Whether you think you can or you can’t you’re right”.
(Gary Hall Jr, 5 times Olympic Swimming Gold Medallist
In Greek mythology, the Titans were a race of godlike giants. The Titan Oceanus was the god of the great earth-encircling river, the font of all the earth’s fresh-water. He was depicted as a bull-horned god with the tail of a serpentine fish.
In the pool we pride ourselves on being the heirs to this dynasty of giants.
The Titans was established in 2008, as a meeting of minds, between Ellesmere College >> – a school with a great sporting heritage – and the parents of some of the top young swimmers in Shropshire, united in their desire to create an ambitious, positive and competitive swimming club.
The result:
- A centre of swimming excellence in the heart of the North Shropshire countryside.
- A club where winning and competing at the highest level is the benchmark for success.
- A belief that if it is possible, we can achieve it.
- A club in which the Head Coach knows each and every swimmer and cares passionately about their success.
- A positive and enthusiastic culture which is contagious to all who come into contact.
To maintain this standard the Club adopts and implements a selective membership policy (PDF), to ensure that all swimmers share the same goal of achieving swimming success at the highest level. The emphasis is on quality not quantity of swimmers, with the Club limiting its total swimming membership to 24 - ranging from children as young as 8 upwards.
In such an environment a great deal of one to one coaching can be given to individual swimmers, and productive use can be made of underwater video analysis and specialist training equipment.
The Club is affiliated to the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) – West Midlands Region and Shropshire County - and has adopted their Child Protection Procedures (PDF) and Equity Policy (PDF)
The Club believes that competition and success are key ingredients to building self confidence. Only those swimmers who wish to swim competitively are therefore encouraged to join the club, and many, if not most, of the swimmers in the Club have enjoyed considerable success at County level. It surely won’t be too long before District and National recognition ensues.
Individual and team targets and goals are seen as key motivational tools, and recognition of achievement of those targets and goals and frequent two way feedback between coach and swimmer are made use of at every opportunity.
The will to win is reconfirmed at all times.
A Team of Winners
Ellesmere College Titans Swimmers
(From Left to Right) Jamie Thomas, Otterley Fairhurst, Isabel Mellings, Natalie Greene, Lauren Bond, Annie Mellings, Abi Fawcett, Annie Jones, Alfie Pardoe, Hector Pardoe and Hannah Greene.
Alfie Pardoe : Shropshire County 2008 Championships overall top 10/u boy. 10/u 200m backstroke County Record holder. Winner of 5 Gold medals out of a maximum 6 events - in 200m butterfly; 200m breaststroke; 200m backstroke; 200m Individual Medley & 400m freestyle. Silver medallist in 200m freestyle.
Hannah Greene : Shropshire County 2008 Championships winner of Gold Medals in 11/u girls 100m & 200m freestyle.
Annie Mellings : Shropshire County 2008 Championships winner of 11/u girls 200m breaststroke gold medal and 1500m freestyle bronze medal.
Elliot Hughes: Shropshire County 2008 Championships 11/u boys Silver Medals in 200m IM and 200m butterfly, and 400m freestyle bronze medal.
The Club competes in the Speedo North West League. However, the main competitive emphasis is placed on attendance at Open Galas throughout the UK – which afford swimmers the opportunity of swimming sprint, middle and long distance events and in more elite and prestigious circles.
Pool, land based & coaching time are structured according to ability with new young swimmers, aged between 8 – 10 years, starting off in our Academy being allocated 9 hours per week. As swimmers progress and wish to devote more time to training, further pool, land based and coaching time is allocated up to a current maximum of 11 hours per week. In time it is anticipated that the Club will increase its total pool and land training hours.
All short course pool training and land training take place at Ellesmere College.
Our 5 Year Goal
All too often swimming clubs lack direction, leadership and vision.
The Titans have very clear, defined and written 5 year goals to be achieved by January 2014. We are happy to be judged by the achievement of these targets.
- We want to become the top swimming club in Shropshire, as defined by our medal tally at the County Championships. We want 100% of our swimmers to reach County qualification level and the majority to be serious contenders for medals.
- We want a minimum of 50% of our swimmers to qualify for the District Championships.
- We want a minimum of 25% of our swimmers to qualify for the National Championships.
The Coaches
Our Head Coach, Jon Pardoe, is aided by the very latest in Dartfish Video Analysis >> and is able to draw on specialist nutritional, coaching and motivational expertise and resources from his previous business background and from around the swimming world.
Darren Mew, a finalist in the 2004 Athens Olympics and one of the World’s fastest ever 50m and 100m breaststroke swimmers, acts as the Club’s breaststroke consultant.
The Ellesmere College Link
As part of our relationship with Ellesmere College, the school is prepared to offer bursaries and scholarships to the College based upon swimming ability. Such an award can be worth up to 50% of the normal day or boarding fees.
As a general guidance for considering such awards, a candidate will need to have achieved multiple District Qualifying Times in the immediate 12 month period prior to the application and be ranked in the ASA top 75 swimmers by age and sex in at least one event. To be performing at this level by no means guarantees such an award, but performance below this level would be an indication that a scholarship award was unlikely to be made.
The Titans wish to gradually develop this relationship with Ellesmere College providing benefits to both parties.
A Word About Our Sponsor
The Titans are very fortunate to benefit from corporate sponsorship by Gee & Company, one of Shropshire’s largest and longest established firms of financial advisers. Based in Shrewsbury, Gee & Company offer professional advice on investments, life assurance and pensions. They can be contacted on 01743 236982 or email js@geeandcompany.co.uk