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The Reading Cygnets Swimming Club is one of the country's leading Learning Difficulties clubs with many swimmers progressing each year to compete at a National and International Standard.
To achieve this we have a totally-committed coaching team and club structure. We believe our coaches are some of the best in the country. The biggest advantage of Reading Cygnets Swimming Club is that it combines top-level national and international coaching expertise that comes from keeping up to date with mainstream best practice with a depth of knowledge and personal experience of adapting these methods to teaching disabled children and adults who take on board instruction at differnt rates.
We have structured our training based on an individual’s ability and training takes place in designated lanes.
Coach - Helen Aldridge 
 Helen is one of our lane coaches and her lane is for those swimmers who need stroke correction and for those who can be encouraged to improve their times. It can also accommodate those swimmers who have already achieved some success - in some cases at national level - but due to age or loss in stamina - while still keen to continue with competitive swimming - are no longer able to compete at their previous level.
Helen has been coaching since 2006 and became involved with Cygnets because of her son who is one of the success stories of the Club. Joining at 9 years of age with learning difficulties and behavioural problems and progressing to be one of Reading Cygnets top swimmers, he recently won a place on the England Learning Disability Swim Squad.
A county level swimmer in her youth, Helen is naturally competitive and enjoys seeing swimmers progress and achieve their potential. It is the obvious benefits that the swimmers gain from the discipline, competition and camaraderie of team meets, that keeps Helen motivated and keen to continue to support the Club.
Coaches - Amy Kunicki and Rachel Mills
 Amy and Rachel are two of our ex-Reading Swimming Club swimmers who have volunteered their time to help train our swimmers and act as joint lead coaches for this lane.
The swimmiers in this lane are generally of the same ability as Helen's but the lane is designed to accommodate those swimmers who need stroke correction and to be taught gradually to go faster. Also in this lane are a few of the swimmers who have been to the “top” but, due to age or loss in stamina, are coming down the ladder but still enjoy competitive swimming.
Coach - Gordon Pither
 Gordon Pither has been an ex-coach of Reading Swimming Club for some 25 years. He has a vast amount of knowledge and experience of the sport and has coached swimmers who have, in their former careers, swum in the Olympic Games and Olympic Finals.
Gordon’s lane is for the “A” grade swimmers who are very competitive and who swim in National Squads or have the potential to do so.
Coach - Harry Wild
 Harry Wild has been coaching swimming since 1976 at Reading Swimming Club where he started as a lane coach when his daughters took up the sport. He joined the Reading Cygnets as coach in 1995. Harry has a vast amount of knowledge of the sport, having coached swimmers who have, in their earlier careers, swum in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, in many instances reaching the finals.
Harry started his involvement with the Reading Cygnets when he assisted in setting up inter-club galas between the Reading Swimming Club and the Reading Cygnets. He also played a key part of the first ever Special Olympics gala with joint inter-club teams from Reading Swimming Club and the Reading Cygnets combined in a single team. Harry has also been the Head Coach for the DSISO Great Britain team for the last three World Championships which have seen the country rise to second place over-all in 2008.
Harry gets tremendous pleasure in seeing swimmers - both able bodies and disabled - gain self-assurance in their steady progression and achievements at whatever level. Harry’s swimmers at the Reading Cygnets are the elite swimmers of the club and regularly train with the National Squad and compete in National and International competitions.
Other Coaches - Dannie Mason and Ron Phillips MBE
Can be assigned to any lane when the regular coaches need time off.
Team Manager - Gordon Dart |
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