CoStA Club Meets
These are meets that are intended just for CoStA members to participate in.
Club Championships
Squads: PreClub and above
Our Club Championships gives all our swimmers the opportunity to compete, gain experience & record times. We invite both our CAT TRAIN (Previously CAT1) and CAT COMPETE (Previously CAT2) swimmers to this gala. We currently offer all strokes (Back, Breast, Fly, Free) in 50m, 100m & 200m. 100m IM & 200m IM. This gala is run annually & licensed under SE Laws and Technical Rules, as a Level 4.
This meet is usually an 'Active Withdrawal' meet, so there is no sign in. If you are not swimming you MUST WITHDRAW at least 45 minutes before the start of the session. Any swimmer not present when required to swim will incur a £10 penalty.
Joint Distance Club Championships
Squads: J2 and above
We work with Watford Swimming Club to organise a Joint Club Champs. These events cover the longer distance events - 400m IM, 400m, 800m and 1500m Free. We aim to run these galas as a licensed Level 3.
The John Hempenstall Memorial Gala
Squads: PreClub, J1, J2
We also hold a smaller gala, specifically for our younger CoStA members, to get their first taste of competition. This gala offers 25m races in all strokes, 50m free and 100m IM. This gala is usually held on a Sunday afternoon, in early December each year at the STAHS pool.
CoStA Open Meets
These are meets that are open to swimmers for clubs all over the country. As a club we run several meets a year where our swimmers can compete against swimmers from all over the region in their home pool. These events are great fun for the swimmers and couldn’t run as smoothly without the help of our volunteers - learn more here.
Open Meets during the calendar year: a 1-day Autumn Sprint Open meet including skins, a 2-day Winter Open Meet and a 2-day Spring Open Meet. These are run as a minimum Level 3 Meet and are open to external clubs to enter. Only our CAT Compete swimmers are eligible to enter these Meets.
We aim to run four Level 3 meets a year:
| Month | Meet | Dates |
| March | CoStA Spring Meet | 8th-9th March 2025 |
| June | CoStA Summer Meet | 22nd & 23rd June 2024 21st & 22nd June 2025 |
| September | CoStA Autumn Sprint Meet | 21st Sept 2024 19th Sept 2025 |
| December | CoStA Winter Meet | 30th Nov & 1st Dec 2024 29th & 30th Nov 2025 |
All information is on the Club Calendar
Open Meets
Squads: J1 and above
This is opportunity to race in other pools and test your training against swimmers from other clubs in their home environment.
Please see the Calendar for Entry Packs and information on all Open Meets that CoStA will be attending.
League Meets
ARENA League
Squads: J3 and above
The Arena league is a premier competitive swimming event for England and Wales, which celebrated 50 years in 2019. There are currently 6 regions represented: East Midlands, London, North West, South, West Midlands and Western.
CoStA is part of the London Arena League. Currently there are 3 divisions - Premier Division (16 clubs), Division 1 (16 clubs) and Division 2 (21 clubs). CoStA competes in the Premier Division. In 2018, CoStA made the A-Final in the 3rd Round; finishing 8th overall in the London League.
The competition consists of 3 galas between Oct and Dec for swimmers aged from U12s age group and older. We currently enter 1 team.
Team selection is made by the coaches, and you will then be emailed via our Leagues Meet Sec Volunteer.
Further information can be found here
Herts Major League
Squads: J3 and above
This is a Hertfordshire League consisting of 3 galas held between Jan and Mar for swimmers aged from U12s and older.
See http://www.hsleague.org.uk/ and take the link to Major League for more details on dates, results and teams in the Herts Major League.
In 2019, CoStA decided to enter the League with one team. It was agreed that swimmers who had swum individual events at Arena were not be eligible for selection of the HML team.
Team selection is made by the coaches, and you will then be emailed via our Leagues Meet Sec Volunteer.
Peanuts League
Squads: J1 and above
This is a Hertfordshire League consisting of 3 galas held between April and June for swimmers aged 9-12 only.
We aim to enter 2 teams, CoStA A and CoStA B.
See http://www.hsleague.org.uk/ and take the link to Peanuts for more details on dates, results, venue addresses and other Clubs in the Peanuts League.
Team selection is made by the coaches, and you will then be emailed via our Leagues Meet Sec Volunteer.
Championships
Typically these are meets organised by the various swimming bodies - from county to region and finally nations and the British level. Swimmers will need to meet corresponding qualifying times for these meets.
Herts County Championships
Squads: J2 and above
East Region Championships
Squads: J3 and above
England/Scotland/Ireland/Wales Nationals
Squads: J4 and above
British Championships
Squads: J4 and above
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