Competition Preparation
Hints and tips and what you can expect at a swim gala.
What to bring
It is a good idea to pack your bags the night before the competition with everything you might need, here is a checklist:
- Swimming costume or race suit and a spare just in case!
- A towel and maybe a spare one for the end of the day, so you've got a nice dry one when getting changed.
- Club hat (available from your coaches for £5 if you don't have one).
- Goggles and a spare pair if you have them.
- Flip flops or similar to wear poolside.
- Club top (if you have one), shorts or jogging bottoms and a hoody to keep you warm inbetween events.
- Lunch and healthy snacks (bananas, yoghurt, eggs for example), enough to keep you sustained for the day.
- Plenty of water, preferably in a refillable bottle, no fizzy drinks!
Please ensure all personal belongings are clearly labelled.
Arriving at the swimming pool
Please allow plenty of time to travel to the competition. You need to arrive about 30 minutes prior to the start of the warm up session, to allow time to meet the coaches and team managers for the day and to change into your swimming costume.
Familiarise yourself with the pool, find the toilets, where marshalling is etc.
Where should you be?
Swimmers are expected to sit with their team on poolside and not with their parents in the spectator area. If you need to go to the toilet or wish to visit your parents/guardians then please get permission from the coach or team manager first.
Stroke Reminders
Breaststroke - starts with a dive into the water. On start / turn, perform one butterfly kick, one pull and one breaststroke kick underwater (no butterfly kick or front crawl kick during the race). Touch the wall with two hands to turn do NOT tumble turn. Two handed touch to finish the race.
Butterfly - starts with a dive into the water. On start / turn, butterfly / dolphin kick under the water (no front crawl kick). Touch the wall with two hands before turning do NOT tumble turn. Two handed touch to finish the race.
Backstroke - start in the water facing the block. Stay on your back throughout the race (unless you are doing a backstroke tumble turn). At the end of the race touch the wall while still on your back.
Freestyle (front crawl) - starts with a dive into the water. Tumble turn at the wall, if not touch the wall, turn in the water and push off again.
What happens on the day
Most competitions are run in heats. You swim in a heat according to your entry time and not your age. The slowest swimmers or those with no times (NT) go in the first heat and the fastest swimmers in the last heat. At the end of the event, times will be put in age order, and each age group will have ranked finishing times. The results are usually posted poolside for you to see.
Medals
Most galas award medals to the top 3 swimmers in their age group for each event. Exact details would have been included in the meet pack for the event. Following on from the above, if you win your heat, it doesn't mean you will definitely win a medal. When the times are ranked by age you might not have been in the top 3 medal places. Likewise you might not win your heat, but when the times are ranked by age you might be in the top 3 and win a medal. Listen out for the announcements on poolside or view the results that are posted poolside.
The most important thing to remember on the day is to have fun, competitions are a great place to make new friends. Don't forget to cheer on your team mates!
