Below is a list of Frequently Asked Questions about galas with answers
When a GBM swimmer attends a gala, the swimmer should be wearing club kit. This includes a GBM Hat and for swimmers under 13 a GBM T-Bag or if over 13 a GBM Polo Shirt. Optional extras for all swimmers include the GBM Hoodie and tracksuit trousers or shorts to wear on poolside.
So they come to their first competition - this is when they will need something LYCRA to wear as it is faster in the water. They don't need to go into the top of the range racing suits that cost a hundred pounds and upwards, all they need is something tight fitting to keep the water out and make them feel they can go faster - for the boys, a £12 pair of lycra jammers, for the girls a £16 or £17 lycra suit. If these are kept solely for competitions they should last a year. Lycra stretches so if they go down a size it will still be tight after it has stretched. If they start with a basic suit, as they progress through to obtaining County times, Regional times and National times they can have better, faster suits that will give them that extra confidence boost.
If swimmers are competing at a Licensed Meet, please check the costume meets FINA Regulations by checking for the costume on the FINA Approved Swimsuits list. If it is not on the list, DO NOT purchase the costume and instead check with your coach for an alternative costume to buy and use.
If you are confused in any way, please check with your coach before you buy.
Click here for links to Online Shops which sell swimming costumes.
Advice on food and drink during Gala Day can be found on the Nutritional Information page. Click here to access this page.
The swimming season lasts a whole year with the start date being the 1st September running all the way through to late July or early August the next year depending on when the Nationals, the last event of the year, finish.
The 2010 - 2011 Season starts on 1st September 2010 and finishes on 31st July 2011.
All GBM swimmers in the Swimming Squads are expected to enter the annual Club Championships, usually held in the first half of the season, in as many events as possible. This gives you the opportunity to compete in an environment you are familiar with and also achieve an official time for events. These first times are very important as when entering a competition you will be asked to supply an official time for each event and the Club Championships is the first starting block to achieve your first entry times and something to build on. Your coach will advise you on events to enter and entry forms will be available from the Club Championships section.
After achieving your first official times, your coach will advise you on competitions to enter. The galas which GBM plans to compete in will be on the Gala Schedule with entry forms needing to be completed 1 to 2 months before the competition. We advise all parents and swimmers to keep a record of times and update this after each gala. Entering an up to date time will place you in a more competitive meet for your ability. Entry forms might need to be checked by your coach - please refer to specfic gala documentation.
Low Level, Novice Galas
These galas are designed for swimmers new to competition. The criteria usually is that there is a time restriction or they have not been placed in a swimming gala. This is to give all new swimmers the opportunity of experience in competition with similar swimmers and obtaining times to be used in future galas.
Open Galas
Any swimmer can swim in an open gala with the majority of swimmers entering these galas looking to achieve a county, regional or national time. Before entering an open you must check that you meet: the age requirement and the qualifying times for the events you want to enter.
There are various levels of open galas aimed at different levels and this can be seen by checking the level of the meet. These can be seen below:
All open meets are licensed by the ASA and all times from Open Galas go on to the National Swimming Rankings on the ASA website.
Qualifying Times - This means must have swum faster than the specified time for an event to compete. You cannot enter an event if your time is faster than the upper limit time (Levels 3 and 4). You must enter an entry time to compete at an Open gala.
Events & Age - The range of events available are wide ranging from Sprint events such as 50m, 100m, 200m in all strokes and IM to long distance events of 800m and 1500m freestyle. The youngest swimmers to compete in an Open gala is 9 year olds as specified by the ASA but check the meet conditions as it maybe older depending on the meet. The Age is usually the last day of the meet.
Borough Championships - Greenwich
GBM takes part in the annual Greenwich Borough Championships. All GBM swimmers in the Swimming Squads are expected to enter as many events as possible and your coach will give you advice should you need any. This gala gives many young swimmers another introduction to the world of competition swimming while remaining in an environment which is familiar to the swimmer.
County Championships - Kent
Every county holds an annual County Championships which are held over several weekends in February and March. GBM competes in the Kent County Championships which is made up of individual events and team relay events. As this is a high level of competition, GBM swimmers who have achieved the qualifying times are expected to compete and if they are asked to compete in a team event, they are also expected to compete.
Qualifying Times - Kent County Qualifying Times will be published towards the beginning of the swimming season to give swimmers until early January to achieve the times. They will be available from the Kent County Championships section when they are released.
Regional Championships - London
This is the next level of championships. Each region holds an annual Championships. These Championships are split into 2: Youth Championships which take place in May for Girls aged 14+ and Boys aged 15+. This is followed by the Age Group Championships which take place in June for Girls 11-13 and Boys aged 11-14. GBM competes at the London Regional Championships which like the Kent County Champs is made up of individual events and team relay events. As this is a high level of competition, GBM swimmers who have achieved the qualifying times are expected to compete and if they are asked to compete in a team event, they are also expected to compete.
Qualifying Times - London Regional Qualifying Times will be published towards the beginning of the swimming season to give swimmers time to achieve the times. They will be available from the London Regional Championships section when they are released.
National Championships
This is the top level of championships and is made up of the best swimmers from across the country. These Championships are split into 2: Age Group Championships which take place in late July for Girls 11-13 and Boys aged 11-14. This is followed by the Youth Championships which take place in late July/early August for Girls aged 14+ and Boys aged 15+. These championships are open to all swimmers who have achieved the qualifying time for their corresponding event.
Qualifying Times - National Qualifying Times will be published by the ASA towards the beginning of the swimming season (around October) to give swimmers time to achieve the times. Qualifying Times must be achieved at a Level 1 or 2 Open, Kent County or London Regional Championships. The last date to achieve the time is usually end of May except for those attending the London Regional Age Group Championships which is the final event for them. The times will be available from the Nationals Championships section when they are released.
Team galas are galas when GBM competes as a team with swimmers representing the club in both individuals and relay events in their age group or open age group. GBM Competes in 3 leagues which are team galas and these are: National Arena Swimming League, Kent Junior League and National Junior Swimming League.
The teams for these galas are chosen by the coaches. If a swimmer is selected, the swimmer is expected to compete as they are representing their club and fellow team mates. Swimmers should also wear the team kit as explained in an earlier answer.
Short Course is referring to events in a 25m pool where as Long Course is referring to events in a 50m pool.
HDW means Heat Declared Winner. If the gala states this it means there are no finals. For example, if you have 30 swimmers competing in a 50m Freestyle race the winner will be the swimmer with the fastest time regardless if the swimmer swam in the first or last heat.
PB stands for Personal Best. It is the best time an individual has achieved for a particular stroke at a given distance and swimmers are encouraged to maintain a sheet of all of their times.
Unfortunately competitive swimmers do get disqualified from an event and the DQ stands for this. The officials who surround the pool which include timekeepers behind the block and judges on both sides of the pool have deemed that a fault has been made and disqualified you. Reasons for disqualifications can range from a false start to not touching the wall with 2 hands on breaststroke or butterfly.
The organisers of the gala will make a note of the DQ and will provide a reason for the disqualification on the club reports sheets. These usually come in the form of codes and these vary depending on the organisers of the gala and the level of the gala. The different codes are listed below:
Sportsystems DQ Codes
ASA DQ Codes
FINA DQ Codes