Introduction to competition Making it all seem simple!

AGENDA Team competitions Open meets Stingrays open meet County, regional and nationals General Any questions Surgery

Team competitions

Leagues We compete in 3 leagues each year: Wiltshire Winter League Wiltshire Summer League National Arena League

Team selection Teams are selected by the Head Coach, with help from the Team Manager. Factors considered in making selections: Personal best times for this season Attendance at training Attitude and commitment

Winter League 2 divisions – we are in Division 1 Different teams at each gala 3 rounds of competition, then a Final Takes place from November – March All events are relays – times matter! Final – top 6 teams in the county Last year, we finished 4 th !

Summer League 8 divisions – we are in division 1 Same 4 teams at each gala 4 rounds of competition Takes place from April - September Relays and individual events – placings matter Last year, we finished 3rd!

Celebrating promotion to Division 1 in 2009

National League Divisions: Premium, 1, 2 & 3 We’re in division 2 in the Western region 3 rounds of competition Takes place from October - December Relays and individual events Could be anywhere in the south west….. Last year, we finished 6 th out of 18

Age groups Each league has slightly different age groups and different events Age groups usually cover 2-3 year bands Cut off age is usually the date of the last gala in the league Success in selection may vary each year because of age groupings

Team events - general Dates published in advance Look on web site and notice board Please put these in your calendar and keep free, if possible Team selection list on notice board 2-3 weeks before gala - please tick if you are available. Tell us if anything changes. Look for details of coach travel

Hosting team galas We usually host one gala in Salisbury for each Wiltshire league Volunteers required to help on the evening eg selling programmes, making drinks, announcing, recording results, marshalling swimmers

Open Meets

Individual events, usually run by clubs Enter as an individual Head Coach selects suitable meets Usually, several club swimmers will attend Extra cost – charged per event entered Usually during weekends

Build competition experience Get feedback from coach Get improved times Good times mean team selection Win medals, have fun – time to chat to other swimmers Meet up with friends from other clubs Open Meets – why enter?

Open Meets Licensed meets – these are registered by the ASA. Times are recorded centrally on rankings Entry times – look at qualifying and cut off times for each meet Session timetable – look at timings of each session. Think about how many sessions you want to attend & number of swims in a session

Licensing Level 4 – all swimmers will be able to enter Level 3 – cut off and qualifying times apply, typically at about county level Level 2 – 25m pool with qualifying times, typically regional and national level Level 1 – 50m pool, otherwise as for level 2

Swimming order & results Swimmers compete in order of entry times, regardless of age, slowest swimmers going first – this makes for good races Times are recorded and used to determine the results by age group You will usually be competing for placings against people in different heats Usually, results are worked out from heat times with no finals – “heat declared winners” (HDW)

Open Meet entries Follow instructions! Check entry requirements Look at timetable Select events Complete entry form, showing PB times Return form and cheque before deadline Entry confirmation provided later

Stingrays Open Meets We host open meets in April and October April = level 3 meet, October = level 2 These are key fund raising events for the club: –We expect all eligible swimmers to enter –We expect parents/guardians to help with the organisation – before or on the day

County, regional & national competitions

County Competition Competition held annually: Jan – March Two groups of competition: Youth, Bagcat Youth = girls age 14+, boys age 15+ Bagcat = girls age 9-13, boys age 9-14 Medals awarded for each event Trophies for top 6 BAGCat points scorers in each age group

BAGCAT competition British Age Group Categories (BAGCats) – encourages a range of strokes and distances Accumulative points system leading to an overall ranking at the end of a Championship. Sliding scales of points, dependant on your age and sex. Compete in at least one event in each category to be in with a chance of gaining good points. If you swim in more than one event in a category, then your best points score is counted. Table of events and ages in squad handbook & on noticeboard

County entries Instructions will be sent round Coaches can provide advice and will vet entries If close to qualifying times, ask

Regionals and Nationals Qualifying times or consideration times need to be achieved at a licensed meet in current season. Qualifying times are on our website

General information

Men in white coats… The referee runs the gala – he’s the one who blows the whistle! The starter does the starting Judges keep times, check starts, finishes, strokes, turns, takeovers and judge placings One false start means disqualification Officials are volunteers – mostly Mums and Dads. Another way to help the club Well white shirts, and ladies too!

Poolside organisation Team manager and coaches are responsible for swimmers on poolside Marshalls will ensure they are in the right place at the right time Events start with a warm up – helps familiarisation with a new pool too Results posted as open meets progress Presentations often at the end of sessions

Competition Kit Swimming Club racing swimming cap x 2 Competition goggles x 2 Warm up swimming costume Racing swimming costume Towel (2 if swimming in more than one session) Refreshments Water bottle — with a drink you have in training Healthy snacks Extra clothes Teabag t-shirt/Club t-shirt Shorts/tracksuit bottoms — preferably black Pool footwear — preferably flip flops For Club Kit (T-Shirt, Teabag T-Shirt, Hoodies, Racing Hat) please speak with the Head Coach as orders are regularly placed.

Tips for parents Keep a notebook of times to track progress Encourage swimmers to focus on their times as much as medal placings Ask another parent or the coach if you don’t understand something Team galas are noisy – be prepared! Open meets are long – pass the time by helping, or bring along a distraction

Any questions? Please ask your coach, Emma Davidson (team manager), Hayley Rutter or Eleanor Evans if you have any questions! Contact