How to choose which galas to enter
How to prepare for a gala (in terms of training)
What to expect when you're at the gala
Development Club Championships
There are two development club championships galas held each year, usually one in September and one in April.
These galas are for children in Development up to Bronze Squad. They usually include 25m races in all strokes (Autumn) and 50m and 100m Individual Medley (Summer).
The idea is that it is a fun introduction to racing, allowing the children to put into practice the skills they have learnt in training sessions so far.
Main Club Championships
Club championship galas are held twice a year, usually November/December and June. These galas are for children in Silver and above.
The club championships have no qualifying times so everyone can enter the races they wish. The coaches’ view is that children should have a go at as many races as possible and not just their favourite strokes, as sometimes the real time improvements show in the strokes that a swimmer thinks they are weak at!
Times from the main club championship are “licensed” (i.e. official and therefore registered on the ASA database.) This means they can be used to enter other galas where a qualifying time is required
National, Regional or County Competitions
These galas all have strict qualifying times and the swimmers work hard all year to be able to achieve entry to them.
Open Meets
This category covers most if not all the other types of gala that the swimmer can enter. They are galas run by clubs and the entry criteria vary widely. You need to become adept at reading through the 'Conditions' document for each gala to see whether (a) they require qualifying times and (b) whether your child has achieved them. The first port of call should always be your coach as they will be able to tell you quickly whether you should be entering it or not. Coaches will often ask swimmers at their session whether they are entering a particularly gala that they think would be appropriate for them.
A word from the Head Coach on Galas and Club Championships
It is very important that swimmers seek advice and speak to their coaches when planning on swimming ALL galas. The coaches work hard over the course of each year using two macro training cycles allowing swimmers to peak for specific competitions and achieve the best long term outcome for them as senior swimmers as this will always be the end goal. The balance between racing enough and too much is a very hard thing to get right and the coaches meet regularly to plan their programmes which is different for different ages and genders. The club champs are designed at specific times of the year to work with the training schedules and also to give swimmers the opportunity to race in as many events as possible. Therefore we are asking that you give availability for dates you will be competing and then your coaches will enter the events they believe you should swim. If swimmers have specific concerns then they should discuss with their coaches directly as this relationship is vital moving forward and also takes away the pressure from the parent child argument that often can take place at home.
