Guide to Galas

What is a Gala?

This is a swimming event (usually held on a Saturday lasting between 2.5 and 3 hours) where CHSC Coaches will select a team of swimmers to race various events against other clubs. Camp Hill is part of two leagues; the Nuneaton Junior League for our younger swimmers, and the National Arena League. The different clubs take it in turns to host the galas. Junior League galas are a great introduction to competitive swimming. Swimmers do not have to dive or tumble turn if they are not able to and younger swimmers are only expected to swim 25m. Swimmers compete for points for their club rather than for themselves and the coaches pick which race they swim in, which may be an individual race or a relay. Swimmers are normally expected to make their own way to the galas. The team selection list will also have a warm-up time on it and it is important to be there 15-30 minutes before warm up to get changed and get on poolside. Swimmers will go into the changing rooms without parents so look out for older swimmers who can show them where to go. Parents generally need to queue (and sometimes pay) to enter the spectator area.

What is an Open Meet?

Open Meets are held to give swimmers the chance to choose events they want to swim. Swimmers need to be 9 years plus to enter. Open meets are split into sessions of up to 3 hours each. Depending on the number of races your child enters, you could be there all weekend! Again, swimmers will need to enter the changing area without parents and parents will need to go to the spectator area or can enter poolside if they are volunteering. It is very important to arrive about 30 minutes before warm-up time. Swimmers must go poolside and register with the team manager or coach. Failure to sign-in may mean your child won’t be able to swim, so please let them know how important it is. Luckily, there will be Team Managers (parent volunteers) on poolside to help children remember!

There will be qualifying times needed (i.e. the swimmer will have needed to achieve a certain time in order to enter an event). Each event costs a few pounds so start budgeting (more events entered = more money!). An email will be sent to you to select the events and meets you want your swimmer to attend. Check the entry conditions to see if it is suitable for you child and ask your coach or the Open Meet Secretary if you are unsure.

We also hold a bi-annual open meet just for our club, called Club Champs. This is an official meet, but at our home pool. Perfect for swimmers of all ages and capabilities.

Swim England (SE) requires swimmers to be 8 years plus to compete in Junior League, and 9 to compete in open meets and Arena League. If your child is selected for a gala, please do your very best to ensure they can attend. You will normally hear whether your child has been selected to complete in one of the league events by e-mail.

Licensed Meets

Licensed Meets are swimming events licensed by Swim England. This means they must meet certain standards to ensure fair competition. Swimmers must be 9 years old to enter a licensed meet, although they have to be 10 or 11 to enter certain events.

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 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 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 Meets are entry level events in pools 25m or greater. Swimmers can gain County Championships times at a level 4 meet. Club Champs tend to be Level 4.

Championship Competitions

There are progressive minimum ages for each tier of Championship swimming:

13/14 at British level
12/13 (girls) and 13/14 (boys) at Home Nation level
11/12 at regional level
(Summer LC = April & May, Sprints = July, Winter SC = November)
10/11 at County level (January & February)
Age is at 31st December in the year of the competition.
LC – long course (50m pool) SC – short course (25m pool)

Internal Entry Forms

When an Open Meet is targeted by the club, it means that it is suggested that swimmers enter if they have the times.

If a Meet is targeted, you can enter via the club. You will receive notification of the Meet via email, along with an entry pack and qualifying times. You will need to click on the link in the email, which then directs you to select races. Entries will have to completed by a date earlier than the Meet closing date to allow the Open Meet Secretary time to compile the entries and send them off.

All payment will be taken by Direct Debit.

Ages for Galas and Open Meets

Please note that some events have age restrictions. This will usually be indicated on the meet pack. Sometimes the age is age on the date of competition, and sometimes it is the age on 31st December of that year. The meet pack will specify which it is.

How to find your child’s SE number

All members of CHSC are also members of Swim England (SE). You will find your child’s number by going to the following internet address and entering your surname:

https://www.swimming.org/swimengland/club-member-check

Times for Open Meets

If you do not have times from a previous licensed meet, please speak to your coach and they will advise if the meet is appropriate and if so, they may estimate times if that is allowed within the meet conditions. Some meets will state that times cannot be made up and must be taken from national rankings.

If you do have times from a previous licensed meet, they must be higher than the lower qualifying time and lower than the upper qualifying time. Some meets just have an upper or a lower qualifying time, so check carefully.

How to find your child’s times

When you enter licensed meets, the swimming times achieved will be entered onto the Swim England National Rankings database and can be found here:

https://www.swimmingresults.org/individualbest

Only times achieved at licensed meets can be used for level 2 or 1 meets. Sometimes meets specify that the times must have been achieved during a certain time-period so look out for this in the conditions in the meet packs.

Volunteering

Open Meets would not happen without a lot of volunteering parents! Nearly all the adults you see on poolside at an open meet (with the exception of some coaches) are volunteers. This includes the announcer, the officials (people in whites), people handing out medals, people on the door and many more. We ask all parents with swimmers at our own club’s open meets to volunteer for at least one session. If you are new to volunteering, you can always offer to shadow a role to learn more about it. Volunteers will still be able to watch their child swim and it does help pass the time. Sitting on the spectator seats watching a whole session can seem very hot and long at times! Some roles require further training but can be very rewarding.

Find out about Volunteering

Help

This may seem daunting to begin with but remember that all parents started out in the same situation. If you have more questions, please either ask other parents or e-mail us at chair@chsc.org.uk or openmeets@chsc.org.uk

What to bring – Swimmers

Swimmers should bring the following in their swimming bag:

2 towels – one for drying, one to sit on
2 swimming costumes/trunks
2 pairs of goggles (in case one pair gets lost or breaks)
A T-shirt – preferably a Camp Hill Swimming Club T-shirt
A Camp Hill Swimming Club hat - needed to compete in
Poolside shoes – flip flops or similar
Plenty to drink – squash or water (nothing fizzy)
Snacks – No Nuts please. Fruit, pasta, rice, sandwiches, wraps (when attending a long meet it is important that children have enough food to eat. If they have a lot of races, they need to get used to eating smaller quantities more often to keep topped up throughout the day without getting too full to race)
Things to do such as books, magazines, games (at some Galas electronic devices are discouraged so that children can enjoy the team atmosphere and support other team members but at Open Meets many children choose to bring a phone, ipad or similar. Please ensure they do not leave anything valuable in the changing rooms and be aware that valuables are taken at your own risk)
Tracksuit/shorts to wear over swimming costumes between races. Please remember all belongings are the swimmer’s responsibility.

What to bring – Parents

Wear layers – swimming pools get very hot!

Bring plenty of drinks and comfort food! Your child will probably want more than you have packed and you will probably get hungry too – it’s all the shouting!
Pen, paper, highlighter and, if you are very enthusiastic, a stopwatch!
Cash and debit cards – there is always an entrance fee which varies from club to club and depending on the level of meet. There is also usually a raffle (difficult to say “no”) and sometimes (at open meets) you also have to pay for a programme. Sometimes there is a swim shop and/or meet hoodies or T-shirts for sale.