Join us
Who can join One Life?
The short answer is 'literally anyone'. We're an inclusive, family friendly club and we welcome people of all backgrounds.
Juniors
Children often join One Life at about 7 or 8 years told - which is normally about the time they reach stage 7 or 8 in their swimming lessons and have the fitness and technique to pass our swimming assessment. It's also about that age, when they are ready to get the most out of regular training. Junior must demonstrate an ability to; 1) swim 100m continuous front crawl in under 3 minutes, whilst demonstrating reasonable technique, and 2) swim 100m back crawl or breaststroke, again showing reasonable technique. Note: we typically find that children who are at Stage 8 of swimming lessons and above are successful at the swim test the first time around. If unsuccessful, we simply suggest a bit more practice and to come back for a second attempt in a few months' time. That said, there is nothing to stop a capable youngster from joining the club for run and bike sessions, prior to being ready to swim with us.
Seniors (over 18 years old)
Adults of all ages and abilities are welcome. Again, there is a swim assessment to ensure that adults have the right level of fitness to get the most out of the sessions - seniors must be able to swim 400m (16 lengths) front crawl, non-stop, showing reasonable technique. There is no requirement to get involved in all three disciplines, however, and some people join the club purely for the cycle or run disciplines.
You can also read more in our Welcome Information pack here.
How to join
Once you're happy that you've understood what the club is about - and have perhaps come along to see us and ask us some questions - you can join by:
completing the on-line form to join (below)
arranging to come for a swim assessment with our one of our coaches. We will contact you to arrange this, on receipt of your on-line joining form
you will also need to sign up to Spond, which we use to communicate with club members and manage training sessions. We will send you the details, when you have signed up.
FAQs
Do I need any prior experience of triathlon to join the club? absolutely not, we welcome complete novices.
Do I need to be able to swim to join the club? No.... however, there is a swim assessment for those who want to swim with the club. It is normal that non-swimmers seek outside, professional tuition to get them up to the standard required to pass the swim assessment and swim with the club. This is something we require on the grounds of safety.
How often do I need to come to training? There are no minimum requirements. We aim to deliver fun, engaging and quality sessions that inspire club members to want to come along.
Am I too old to get involved in triathlon? Almost certainly not. Our oldest members are over 70 years of age and still going (very) strong.
Am I required to enter races? Not at all. Of course, there are many people in the club who enter events and race competitively on a regular basis. Whilst you'd be encouraged to consider entering events, there is no requirement for anyone in the club to race.
I want to race. What races can I do? There are lots of people in the club, apart from the coaches, who are prepared to help and support novices prepare for their first event or race. We publish a list of 'target events' for juniors and seniors each year. We find that it's a lot more fun turning up to events where you know a few people. Just on thing though... out of respect for the amount of time and effort the coaches put into planning and delivering coaching, we ask that members choose to race for One Life, rather than for any other triathlon club.
How do I find out more about triathlon? The best source of information is British Triathlon's website here: www.britishtriathlon.org.
How is the club organised and run? See the 'about us' page for details of the committee and constitution.
Are all of your coaches qualified? Yes. All of our coaches are qualified triathlon coaches or hold a qualification in the discipline they coach. They all have valid DBS certificates and have undertaken safeguarding training.
