Swimming
Many people have benefitted from the School of Sport Swim programme including current City of Glasgow coaches Jamie McKinley and current High Performance Squad swimmers Drew McKenzie and Robert Burges as well as Michael Jamieson who won a Silver medal in the 200m Bst at the London 2012 Olympics, as well as winning 2 silvers at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi 2010 and Glasgow 2014.
Michael’s journey began at the School of Sport where he combined his swimming with his academic studies.
"I was only 12 when I decided I wanted to go to the School of Sport. It’s a great school and I encourage anyone to give it a shot, because it absolutely helped me prepare for my life as an athlete and beyond it as well."
We currently have a very dedicated and focused group of swimmers working at the highest level and we are looking forward to welcoming more talented swimmers to join the programme.
Programme Structure
There is a very clear performance pathway for swimmers at the School of Sport. The programme focuses on the development of stroke technique and the acquisition of swimming skills, to improve performance in the water.
In years 1 and two the main focus for all swimmers is learning how to train with a high emphasis on technical skills, with an introduction into land training. In years three and four each swimmer focuses on specific event training, whilst during years five and six individual training plans are developed in partnership with the club coach. The focus on establishing a solid foundation for each swimmer to develop both physically and technically is the key principle of the programme. We believe each School of Sport swimmer can access the support necessary to prepare them and motivate them towards achieving their goals.
Our swim programme benefits from a strong partnership with the City of Glasgow Swim Team. Curriculum swim sessions are complemented by club training sessions and all School of Sport swimmers compete for the City of Glasgow Swim Team.
Coaching
Heather Campbell leads the School of Sport swimming programme. Heather was formerly the Head Coach at the City of Dundee SC and then Performance Coach at Dundee City Aquatics. She joined the School of Sport coaching team in 2011. Heather has been involved in the National Squad set up for over 20 years and has consistently produced swimmers of a high standard including swimmers who have gained medals at the Commonwealth Youth Games and made finals at the Commonwealth Games.
Jamie McKinley assists Heather in the delivering of the programme. Jamie was a former pupil at the Glasgow School of Sport and has been a member of City of Glasgow swim team since he was 8 years old initially as a swimmer and currently as a Coach. During his swimming career, Jamie competed at both British and National level.
Jamie started coaching in 2012 and is currently in charge of the Junior Age Group Squad at City of Glasgow and was appointed to the role of Assistant High Performance Swim Coach at Glasgow School of Sport in 2015.
What the School of Sport can provide:
- Training within school hours with highly experienced coaches
- Access to Long and Short course training at Tollcross; an international standard training facility
- Competition and training with the City of Glasgow Swim teams’ performance group(s)
- Strength and Conditioning coaches on site at the school providing programmes tailored to individual ability levels and specific to their physical development and event
- Fitness Testing and Monitoring; which includes testing in the pool and on land.
- Weekly on site Physiotherapy clinic at the school and prehab and rehab programmes
- A balanced curriculum of academic studies
- Lifestyle management
- The host school; Bellahouston Academy has achieved excellent academic results over the last 10 years
Additional qualifications in Sports Leadership and Coaching and a Sport Education syllabus
The School of Sport’s aim:
- Provide a secure, enjoyable and upbeat coaching environment that promotes good practice and aids swimmers to make significant improvements
- Assist with the setting of realistic and attainable short, mid- and long-term goals and to ensure that each swimmer develops the required physical, technical, tactical and psychological skills in order to reach their full potential.
- Ensure the long-term development of the swimmer by providing a balanced academic and training timetable
- Encourage and guide swimmers towards greater success through the planning and evaluation of performance in training and racing.
- Enable swimmers to enjoy their experience and flourish as individuals throughout their Academic and Sporting career