Dear Parents of Swimmers competing in the Inter-School Competition
At the ACC Council of Principals meeting on the 5th April , we were presented with some background and history on the time frame of the ACC A Division Swimming Carnival. The carnival was originally held on a Friday evening and then in the early 1980’s was moved to an “in school” time model. During the 1980’s and early 1990’s student spectator numbers were very high with the stands usually full, but with very few parents at the carnivals. From the mid 1990’s to the current day, there has been a steady decline in student spectator numbers to the point that most ACC swimming carnivals have few or no student spectators. During the same time period the number of Parent spectators has increased and the overall standard of the meets has improved in terms of swimming and event management.
The ACC Council was then asked to consider undertaking some research with the ACC schools and community to ascertain if the general consensus is that we should consider moving the A Division Swimming Carnival back to a twilight/evening event. The purpose being to increase the opportunity for families to attend the carnival and to raise the community profile of our top swimming division. At this point in time there is no suggestion to move the other carnival divisions. The move would also allow other divisions opportunity to swim indoors.
Community Survey
The ACC is conducting a “Have Your Say!” survey through social media channels. This is simply to provide a snapshot of community thinking on the suggestion and a rough gauge of interest in making the change. The community survey will be open to anyone to complete. Schools have a part to play in helping the ACC gauge community thoughts on this matter. Should you wish to voice your thoughts, the link to the public survey is below.
ACC Social Media Survey – Twitter, Instagram, Facebook
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KMH9GVZ
Bruce Titlestad
Head of Secondary School