You are thinking about competitive swimming – what do you need to know?

The world of competitive swimming is wonderful and, at times, confusing! The Verulam committee has put together this overview guide to assist parents and swimmers. Please don’t hesitate to speak to your coach or a member of the committee with any questions about competitive swimming. 
 

Choosing which Open Meets or Galas and which races

  • The event will let you know if it is open to all or if an entry time is required. If it is open there will be many first time swimmers there.
  • Talk to your coach about which race - They want your swimmer to have the best experience and will help you focus on the races they are ready for -  Verulam Swim Club - Coaching Staff
  • When you have agreed with your Coach the target race look for the session at the meet with that race in, and select that race plus maybe one before to warm up with and get rid of the first race nerves
  • It is generally not recommended to book into every session and stay at the gala all day, but it depends on your swimmer
  • As the swimmer progresses on their swim journey they will become aware of the competitive squad standards Verulam Swim Club - Squad Standards
  • Please read all information you receive from the club about any upcoming gala.
  • Carefully check the ‘accepted entries file’ and any other documents when they are circulated.
  • Make sure you know where the pool is and that you can get there in time. You need to be able to pick up your swimmer after each session.

Pre Gala

  • Check out our Health section of the web for useful articles and suggestions.
  • Should you eat before hand? >2hrs enjoy a full meal, <1hr then just snacks - Click this link for tips nutrition-for-sport-2_099477.pdf 
  • Pre gala nerves are normal and useful – try to create a pre-gala structured routine. From what you eat, to stretching / Yoga or Pilates and the music you listen to. Focus on an achievable goal for the day.
  • Let us know if you are feeling under the weather or have special requirements for neurodiversity or disability - email [email protected] and the Team Manager will take extra special care of you with regular check ins.
  • If you need to withdraw, please, please, let us know – The galas will often charge you extra for a no show - email [email protected].
  • All Swimmers will need a change of clothes, spare googles and swimming hat, flip-flops, plenty of water, healthy snacks and a dry towel for the end. You may also need coins for lockers. If you have sound sensitivity or auditory processing disorder, headphones can also help block some noise.
  • Make sure you know before you come which races you are entered into and whether you have permission to join in with team photos.

At the Gala

  • Each session is like a mini gala – you will need to be dropped off and picked up from each session straight after your last race (there is no supervision in between sessions).
  • The Coach and Team manager will be poolside in a section for the Verulam Team.
  • Arrive 15mins before the advertised warm up time so that you can find everyone, settle in and stretch poolside before the swimming warm up starts.
  • Your friends or family can not be poolside unless they are swimming or volunteering in the session too. This is due to strict adult / child ratios.
  • You must not take out your phone in the changing room EVER.
  • Make sure you let the team manager or coach know if you are leaving the poolside and where you are going.
  • If you are in a team photo you must put a t-shirt on.
  • Most of the people involved in organising and running a gala are volunteers who are giving up their time to support grass-roots swimming in our community. They should be treated with respect by swimmers and parents at all times
HAVE FUN, ENJOY IT AND CELEBRATE YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS!
 

Types of Competition

Open Meets
  • 1. These are galas organised by other swim clubs and open to swimmers from any other swimming club.
  • 2. Swimmers must be at least 9 years old to enter open meets. For some galas the swimmers age is counted as at the date of the meet itself whereas for others it is based on how old the swimmer will be at the end of that calendar year i.e. 31 Dec. You need to look at the gala conditions which will always be posted on the Verulam website to check this information.
  • 3. Verulam SC tends to enter open meets at local clubs such as Watford, City of St Albans and Luton
  • 4. Typically these ‘open meet’ galas run over a whole weekend and are split into a number of sessions each with their own warm-up and start times. You may prefer only to enter events from one or two sessions or else there can be a lot of waiting around for a very short amount of racing time.
  • 5. There can be several hours from the time a warm-up begins and a session ultimately finishes. Swimmers will need a change of clothes, flip-flops, plenty of water, healthy snacks and a dry towel for the end. They may also need coins for lockers.
  • 6. Some open meets are suitable for all Verulam swimmers whilst others are aimed at e.g. our younger swimmers or more experienced swimmers only. You will be advised whether this gala is suitable for your swimmer when the information is first circulated but please ask coaches for more information too and for guidance on what events you might like to try.
  • 7. Results from open meets are generally uploaded onto the SE Rankings database and can help swimmers qualify for county or regional competitions.
  • 8. Some open meets may have minimum qualifying times i.e. you must have already swum that event and achieved a certain time before you can enter that event at this gala.
  • 9. Some open meets have maximum qualifying times i.e. if you have previously swum this event more quickly that the stated time you will not be eligible to swim that event at this gala.
  • 10. Some open meets accept ‘No Time’ entries i.e. swimmers who have never raced this event at a licenced gala can enter whilst others do not accept NTs. You need to read the gala conditions to find this information OR ask your coach or the Verulam gala secretary.
Club Championships
 
Verulam holds a number of a galas each year where swimmers from Verulam SC only come together to race. This is an opportunity for all swimmers in the Academy and Competitive Squads to try out their skills, and some races are for Swim School. Usually in the Summer we hold a ‘sprints’ meet with mostly shorter 25m and 50m races and in Autumn we hold two meets incorporating longer events such as 100m and 200m races too. For swimmers aged 9+ times achieved will be recorded on the British Swimming Rankings database. Club Champs is a relaxed and fun gala and we warmly encourage all Verulam club swimmers to get involved.
 
Team Events
 
Verulam participates in a number of leagues where we enter a team to represent the club and swim against other local clubs. The primary team events we participate in are: - Arena League (swam over three galas in Oct, Nov and Dec each year). - Herts Major League (swam over three galas in Jan, Feb and Mar each year). - Herts Peanuts League (swam over three galas in May, June and July each year). Coaches will pick the team to represent the club for each of these team events. Occasionally we may enter other one-off team galas that may be organised in the area.
 
County, Regional and National Championships
 
Each year there are further swimming events for swimmers who have achieved certain qualifying times at the various open meets, club champs etc swum in the preceding months.
 
Counties
 
The biggest of these for our club is the Swim England Hertfordshire county championships which is held in January each year over four weekends. In order to be eligible to enter the County Championships swimmers must achieve either a ‘consideration time (“CT”)’ or ‘qualifying time (“QT”)’ for a given event. A table of CTs and QTs is published by SE Herts each year around May time. Swimmers then have a six-month qualifying window in which to try and achieve these times. In early December each year swimmers who have achieved CTs and QTs have the chance to enter the county championships via the club. Depending on how may swimmers enter each event SE Herts then produces a list of accepted entries. Achieving a CT does not guarantee a place at the championships. Swim England Hertfordshire (swimherts.org)
 
Regionals
 
The fastest swimmers for each event in the county may also qualify for short-course or long-course East of England Regional Championships which are held in Spring/Summer and November each year respectively. As with counties there is a qualifying time window and a published list of times which need to be achieved before swimmers are eligible for entry. More information can be obtained from your coaches or here Swimming competitions - Swim England East Region (eastswimming.org) 

We need you!

Officials Team
 
In order to host club champs, enter Peanuts, Arena League, Majors league etc, it is vital we maintain a large pool of qualified swim officials. We are currently seeking some new volunteers to train as Swimming Judge Level 1, so if you have a swimmer regularly attending galas, we are keen to hear from you. No swim experience  is required, full training is provided, there is a lot of mentoring given and once you have completed the online theory element, all volunteering is limited to the times when you child is swimming at a gala! Please email [email protected] for more information.
 
Team managers
 
Responsible for the administration and coordination of club swimmers at open meets or galas. Provide a central point of contact for the team during the event. Responsible for the safeguarding and wellbeing of athletes and staff at the event. Please email [email protected] for more information.