Swimming Squad Training

We have adult swimming squad training throughout the year twice a week at the Casey Aquatic and Recreation Centre (Casey ARC) centre in Narre Warren, next to the Fountain Gate shopping centre.

Our training sessions cater for a variety of requirements, including:

• general fitness
• pool competition preparation
• open water swimming
• triathletes

The only prerequisites are that you are at least 18 years old, can swim a few lengths of the pool and have a love of swimming.

If you're not quite up to swimming with the squad yet, don't worry. Come down and have a chat with our coach to work out the best course of action.

Come and Try

If you would like to try a training session, aim to arrive at the pool deck about 10 minutes before the start of the session. You will find us at the deep end of the pool (closest to the entry to the complex).

You'll need to bring bathers, towel, swimming goggles and a drink bottle. Swim fins are also often used (the shorter swimming type is better, rather than the large diving fins).

Your first 4 swims (within 1 month) are FREE! for anyone interested in joining the squad, as an incentive to come and try us out.

If you are unsure of whether the training is suitable for your level of swimming, come along and have a look, and have a chat to our coach or any of us. Alternatively, call one of the Committee members and we'll tell you a bit more about it.

Where and when

We have been based at Casey ARC since it opened in 2001. Go to the Location page to see maps and directions to the pool.

Current squad timetable

• Monday nights at Casey ARC from 7:00pm to 8:30pm
• Wednesday nights at Casey ARC from 7:00pm to 8:30pm

Training Fees

The training fees for the squad sessions are $65 for a 10-swim card or $33 for a 5-swim card.

The fees were increased from 1 July 2024, after having been unchanged from 1 Nov 2015 (after holding our fees the same for 6 years before that).

Payment can be made by bank transfer - click here for our bank account details.

Pool Entry Fees

Note that the training fee does not include the pool entry fee.

If you are paying casual pool entry fees at Casey ARC, remember to tell the staff when paying that you're training with the Casey Seals masters squad to get the club discount entry fee.

If you are going to be swimming at Casey ARC regularly, you might find it cheaper to take out Aquatic Membership with the YMCA. It's even cheaper if you have more than 1 person in your family taking out membership.

Full Membership of Casey ARC is also an option, giving you access to all the centre's facilities including a well-appointed health club - a very cheap rate if you want to use a gym as well as swimming.

Ask the pool reception staff for more information and current prices.

The Moveable Boom

Casey ARC has a moveable boom which allows the 50m pool to be divided into two 25m pools. The boom is normally in the middle of the pool during the day, creating two 25m pools.

It is moved to the deep end around 9:00pm, and is moved back to the middle around 9:00am.

On public holidays the boom is left at the deep end.

Normally, most of the evening training sessions are in the 25m pool at the deep end. At around 8:00, (i.e. after an hour or so), the boom is moved so the last part of training is in a 50m pool.

Being able to train in both pool lengths is invaluable for pool competition swimmers because pool racing is held in both long-course and short-course and this allows them to get used to both types of competition.

It is also very useful for triathletes & open-water swimmers because:

• The 50m pool allows them to settle into their stroke better than the 25m pool
• In the 25m pool on the other hand, the frequent turns of short-course swimming encourages improved breath control (a factor in choppy water when you often get a faceful of water from a wave instead of a breath)
• The 25m pool also encourages these swimmers to quickly recover into their normal stroke after a change of direction such as rounding a buoy

Our Coaches

Coaches are an integral part of any club's continued success, and we have been fortunate to have had excellent coaches since our club's inception back in November 2001.

Our current coach on Wednesdays is Fletcher Kainz ("Fletch") and on Mondays is Greg Chaplin (temporarily until we find a replacement), with previous coaches available to fill in when the coach for the night is unavailable.

Fletcher Kainz

Fletch started coaching the Seals in February 2024, taking over from Nichola Thamel. Here's a few words from him to introduce himself...

My Name is Fletcher 'Fletch' Kaintz, I am 20 Years old, and I am thrilled and excited to introduce myself as a new coach for the Casey Seal Masters. I come with a wide background of experience with swimming while competing in some State & National Championships. I have been swimming for about 11 years and I stopped swimming 2 years ago, when I wanted to focus more on completing Year 12/VCE and aiming for a career that I want to pursue.

I have 2 years+ of experience working in the aquatic and leisure industry bringing good communication and good collaboration within the team where I work as Swim Teacher & a Swim captain, since I was 17. As a swim teacher, I hold many qualifications such as Water Safety & Swimming, Infant & Pre-Schoolers, Access & inclusion, Adults and Towards Competitive Strokes.

Since early June 2023, I have been coaching a small swimming club down at Pakenham called the 'Cardinia Piranhas Swimming Club'.

Right now, I am studying a Bachelor of Exercise & Sport Science at Swinburne University and setting goals to aim for a dual career in becoming a sports physiotherapist and more coaching. When I am not coaching or teaching, I enjoy catching up with my friends & family, hitting the gym whilst listening to my favourite beats and of course a lot of physical activities which involve a lot of swimming.

I am eager to bring my wealth of experience to a coaching position, where I hope to inspire and guide the aspiring swimmers of the Casey Seal Masters to reach their full potential or their goals, whilst also fostering a love for the sport and being part of a team, arguably the most important of this supposed "individual" sport. Again, I am really excited for this opportunity and looking forward to coaching the masters swimming team every Wednesday Evening.

Lee Chaplin

Lee stepped into the coaching position in 2020 and guided the squad through the difficult pandemic years until retiring in mid-2023.

She was one of the founding members of the club and was as a "Lane 8" swimmer for many years in the early days of the club. She was a qualified swim teacher, so she has a great understanding of what is required to help slower or newer swimmers to quickly improve (as well as having sympathy when they find things difficult!).

Complementing that, she has also watched her children, Kirilee & Sean, training for many years through to an elite-level squad, which has given her an understanding of what to look for and correct in the stroke of the faster swimmers.