Throughout your time at Bletchley & District Swimming Club, as you grow and develop, you will progress by entering various levels of galas and competitions along your way.
As a club we compete at various galas, at various levels of competition, so that all swimmers get a chance to compete. Each one is tailored and selected for you to enter and compete at 'the right time for you'.
Entering these events should be considered by swimmers as a personal goal to achieve selection to represent the club and an honour to be part of the team taking part in the competition.
But there are various types of Galas and Meets with different classifications. Below is a list explaining them all.
Open Meets
Open meets are individual swimming competitions hosted by a licensed swimming club and open to swimmers from any club who meet the event's specific time standards. Because they are 'licensed' under Swim England, the race times you get as a result become official and are recorded on your National Database (Results and Rankings) for you to see and use for next time you want to enter future qualifying events. These meets provide a broader competitive experience than galas (explained further down), allowing swimmers to face a larger field of competitors and gain more race experience. They are categorized into different levels (e.g., Level 1 to Level 4) based on the required qualifying times, with Level 1 being the fastest standard.
Level 1
Level 1 Meets are long course (50m) only and cover National, Regional and County Championships. Their purpose is to enable athletes to achieve qualifying times for entry into National, Regional and County Championships.
Level 2
Level 2 Meets are short course (25m) only and cover National, Regional and County Championships. Their purpose is to enable athletes to achieve qualifying times for entry into National, Regional and County Championships in short course.
Level 3
Level 3 Meets are long and short course events. Their purpose is to enable athletes to achieve times for entry into Regional and County Championships and other Meets at Level 1 or Level 2.
Level 4
Level 4 Meets are entry level events in pools 25m or greater. Borough Championships are an example. They are for inexperienced athletes and swimmers seeking to compete outside their club environment. If times are good athletes progress to Level 3 Meets.
Galas
A swim gala is a swimming competition between different clubs or groups of swimmers, primarily a team event where individual swimmers are selected to represent their club in individual races and relays. Points are awarded for placements in each event, and the club with the highest total score at the end of the event wins. Galas serve as a chance for swimmers to showcase their skills and are a key part of competitive swimming training. Some galas can be licenced. This means any times results will become official times and are recorded on your National Database (Results and Rankings).
