2-time British Olympian conducting swimming course here
While the course is free, the beneficiaries are expected to pass on their knowledge through volunteering to teach the sport to schoolchildren of the Virgin Islands.
The first batch of persons began their training in Prospect Reef, Tortola, on Sunday October 12, 2014.
The course is recognised worldwide as a quality swimming teaching certificate and the Tutor and Director of the Swimming Foundation is Brian Brinkley MBE, two time Olympian, and tutor in the UK for over thirty-five years.
The courses are divided into two levels. Level One is aimed at students who are over sixteen years of age and have a swimming ability.
“This is an introductory level and students will be expected to teach in the water. It is a mixture of Theory and Practical, both need to be passed to gain certification. Normally it is taught of three weeks and does require some home study,” said Brinkley, speaking to this news site on Sunday October 12, 2014.
He said that Level Two is aimed at students over seventeen who hold the level one qualification. He said that this level is the full award and is eight weeks of study and is also a mixture of Theory and Practical. “You will also have some home study, both have to be passed to gain certification,” he said.
He explained that while there are no examinations, the assessments made by the course tutor are internally verified by an assessor in the UK and are subject to External Assessment by the Awarding Body (ASA).
“Today is the first practical session of the BVI Swimming Foundation swimming course Level One. The Foundation’s role is to train swimming teachers on the islands and for those teachers to go out and teach children in schools,” he said in the interview with this news site on Sunday.
“The payback for the course is that you go and teach the primary school children how to swim,” he said.
Brinkley said that the idea was the brainchild of Premier Dr the Honourable D. Orlando Smith, and he was selected out of more than 100 applicants for the job to come to the Territory and run the course.
“My role on island at least up to Christmas is to train people. I have got a target of numbers I’m looking to train, but in the we hope by February – March we would have had loads of swimming teachers trained and up to a good standard and then [have them dispatched] into the schools to train the students,” said Brinkley.
Brinkley is a two-time British Olympian competing in the 1972 games in Munich, West Germany and in the 1976 Games in Montreal, Canada, where he picked up two medals.
.png)
.png)
.png)
Follow Us On
18 Responses to “2-time British Olympian conducting swimming course here”
blattend and disrespectful to say the lease. A struggling National Federation
that is not funded and suported by Government. A struggling private funded
group in Virgin Gorda constructing a competative pool, which both Governments
have never considered or offer to assist including the Government that started it.
Now here is a expatriate private swimming club in the news with a swim coach and Government
upfront in full surport.
The BVI Federation is preparing fo OECS 2014 next month sending letters begging for donations
because they cannot affort to take the kids to attend due to funding and support from Government.
I am speechless to say the lease this article. I was a supporter of the government, but can no longer do so.
It seems like a great initiative which will mean more of our youngsters learning to swim. What am I missing?
want. As a country assist with facilities so that your same kids can swim competatively after all its
the country they going and represent not the parents.
I show where the the priority is, charity begins at home no more, its obviously over seas according to
this Government.
no swim federation. Only in the BVI you would see things happening without the
proper protocol. Any other country it would have been sanchioned by the swim federation.
in the BVI via a pool on virgin gorda and was happy to do so.
I was even happier to later learn that we The Trust had funded the very first group
of kids off to OECS to represent the BVI.
I am sadden to learn that they are not getting the support from the country the go
and represent.