Gala Information

All you ever wanted to know about the competitions and galas that are available to Lewsey Club swimmers and how teams are selected to represent Lewsey Centre Swimming Club at galas.

What are the different types of competition available to swimmers? 

• Splash Championships - This is the club’s own internal galas which are open to all members and works as an excellent opportunity for new club swimmers to get used to competing in galas in a less formal atmosphere.  In addition it gives the more experienced swimmers an opportunity to gain personal best times in a wide variety of events. More information on the Splash Championships can be found on the website under Fixtures – Splash Gala.

• Friendly local galas - Each year the club receives invites to take part in local friendly galas.  From the invites received a selection of galas are chosen to give a range of competition.  Swimming competition is split into different levels based on the ASA graded tables. They range from AAA grade at National level to C/Novice galas.  The graded tables provide suggested cut off times for the different levels so the competitions can be held where you can compete against swimmers of a similar standard. Generally the club enters a selection of B, C and novice grade galas throughout the year.  The fixtures for the year can be found on the website under Fixtures.

Swimmers are selected to represent the club in the local galas based on the process outlined below.

• The Chilterns League – The club joined the Chilterns League in 2004.  This is a C grade league open to swimming clubs in the Chilterns area.  The format of the league is that you compete in 2 rounds (normally the last Saturday in January and February to determine which division final (normally the last Saturday in April) you take part in based on the points that are accumulated.  Points are awarded based on the teams finishing position with bonus points if you do not have any swimmers who beat the no faster times that are set to ensure that the competition remains at the C grade level.

• Open Meets – Many swimming clubs run open meets which allows individual swimmers to enter specific events in a competition with the main purpose of improving their personal best times – there are usually medals and trophies for the different age groups and events.  Open meets generally have qualifying times that have to be achieved in order to be able to take part and are spread over one or two days.  The coaches monitor the different open meets in the local area and then pass entry forms to swimmers to complete.  The open meets that the club has entered swimmers into in recent years have included:

  • The Luton Borough Championships – open to all residents of Luton, members of Luton based swimming clubs, swimmers born in Luton who have moved out the area and anyone attending a Luton school. This event also includes relays for junior and senior schools in Luton.

  • Luton Swimming Club – junior open meet and distance open meet.

  • Biggleswade Swimming Club – open meet.

  • County Championships – The Bedfordshire County Age Group Championships are held annually in March and are open to all the swimmers who are members of ASA affiliated clubs in Bedfordshire that have attained qualifying times in their age group. The qualifying times are based on the B grade times in the ASA graded swimming tables.  Information on members’ personal best times will highlight where a swimmer has obtained a qualifying time and entry forms will be given to swimmers in January as the closing date for entries is usually 31 January.  All swimmers who have achieved the qualifying times are encouraged to enter the County Championships.  The qualifying times for this can be found on the website under Training / County Times.   The next step after taking part in the County Championships is to obtain qualifying times for the East Region championships and then National qualifying times. 

How are teams selected for galas? 

 A schedule of events is received for the gala approximately 8 weeks in advance.  This details the events, age groups, ‘no faster than’ times and any other rules such as how many events a swimmer can take part in.  The details will vary depending on which club is running the gala and the level of competition.

The following steps are then taken to select the team for the galas:

• All members are sorted into the age groups for the specific gala. Age groups will vary from gala to gala and will either be based on the swimmers age at 31 December in the year of the gala or the age on the date of the gala.

• First draft of team selected based on allocating the ‘best’ swimmer to each event. ‘Best’ is identified as the swimmer with the personal best time for the particular event that is closest to the ‘no faster than’ time based on current personal bests and/or knowledge of training performance if personal best times not available.

• Initial selection is then reviewed to adjust for the number of events being swum and spacing between races. In some galas there are restrictions on the number of events that a swimmer can take part in. When swimmers are introduced to galas for the first time they will often be selected in relay events only as an introduction.
• Gala team information is then passed to the Fixtures Secretary to distribute the slips to the swimmers. A team list will also be available on the notice board or by speaking to the Fixtures Secretary.
• Final team sheet produced on morning of gala to take account of any last minute changes – they always happen!

So what are the swimmers responsibilities when asked to represent the club at galas? 

As a member of the club you are expected to be available for galas to enable the club to field the most appropriate team for the competition that provides the club with the best chance of winning.  In order to make this happen the swimmers have the following responsibilities:

• Complete the reply slip and return as soon as possible and by the reply date at the latest.
• If there are any changes to whether you are able to swim or not then the Fixtures Secretary must be contacted.
• Arrive on time for the gala and report to the team manager on the poolside.

Members are expected to wear team kit, available from the club shop, for the galas which consists of:

Lewsey Club Hat

Lewsey T Shirt

Lewsey Girls costume

 Lewsey Boys costume

Lewsey Swim Bottle

It is also important to bring a non-fizzy drink.  Water bottles are available from the club shop at £3.00.

While at the gala swimmers are required to stay on poolside at all times to ensure they are ready and available for their event and to support their fellow team members.

If you have any further questions on this area then please speak to Jane Bowen.

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