General Gala Information

As a competitive swimming club we take part in various Galas / Open Meets throughout the year.   These are an opportunity for children to swim in competitions and obtain PB’s (Personal Bests).   Some of the Galas have qualifying times – please bear in mind if your child is just starting to compete.

Jo Riches is our Competition Secretary and she will send details of galas by email and will also put a copy on the notice board.   She will let you have her deadline date, which is before the actual deadline date, so that she has time to collate the entries and submit in plenty of time as they are normally on a first come, first served basis.  

You will need to include entry times on the Entry Form – please speak to one of the coaches who will advise a suitable time.

A few days before the date of the gala Jo will let you have ‘cards’ which show details of the race and entry time – please check these and let Jo know if there are any errors.   They will also show a warm up time.   Please ensure you take these ‘cards’ to the gala as your child will need to hand them in on the day.  

We normally meet about half an hour before the warm up time – to ensure swimmers have time to put in their ‘cards’ and get ready.

Please ensure your child has plenty of drinks with them and a T-Shirt / Jumper to put on in between races.   Most children have a T-Bag (available from the Kit Order Form) which they wear in between races as this dries very quickly.   There are a couple of galas (West Suffolk and Deben in particular) where they will also need warmer clothing as the area where the swimmers sit is much cooler, or they have to go outside to get to their bags.  

For your own comfort wear layers  –  it can get extremely hot whilst spectating.

Items needed on the day

• First Strokes Swimming Hat
• Goggles (+ a spare pair if possible)
• T-Shirt / T-Bag / Jumper / shorts / tracksuit bottoms – to wear on poolside (something they can easily takeoff / put on over their swimwear)
• Plenty of drink
• Snacks
• Towels
• Shoes to wear on poolside – flip flops / crocs
• Spare pair of trunks

Eligibility

To be eligible to compete in these galas you must meet the following criteria.

1. You are a competing member of the Amateur Swimming Association.
2. You are at least nine years old, most galas however require a minimum age of 10 years and/or to be 10 by the end of the calendar year.
3. You understand competition rules, such as starts and turns for each stroke that you are competing in.
4. You meet the qualifying times required for individual galas.

   a) A Level ONE meet is the top level for those competing on a national basis.
   b) A Level TWO meet is a high level meet for those competing at a regional or county standard.
   c) A Level THREE meet is for those swimmers of intermediate standard who have achieved certain time standards e.g. silver/gold speed awards.
   d) A Level FOUR meet is a general meet for swimmers of all standards though fast swimmers may be disqualified for going too fast.

Club Kit

The First Strokes Swimming Club has adopted black with yellow text as its team colours. This presents a corporate image when competing at Galas; it gives all the swimmers a sense of identity and a feeling of pride when collecting their winning medals. For this reason all swimmers are encourage to adopt these colours and to wear the club costumes at all swimming galas.

Elisabeth Sippings (Eleanor's mum) & Jackie O'Connor (Charlie & Billy's mum) are the people to see for new kit.

Click on one of the links to the left to either view results of previous galas or information about forthcoming galas including entry forms.

Copyright © 2010 First Strokes Swimming Club
Last modified: 04/27/10