Dont put a limit on anything. The more you dream the further you get. Michael Phelps.
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This information is intended to help parents of swimmers who may be new to swimming galas. If there is anything further you wish to know, please as the Gala Manager or our Head Coaches.
As a competitive swimming club, Burton ASC enters teams of swimmers to compete in two leagues:
Three rounds and one final. Age groups are 9, 11 and under, 13 and under, 15 and under and Open (over 15)
Three competitions within the league split into:
October to December – 3 rounds – Age groups of 10 and under, 11/12, 13/14 and Open.
January to March – 3 rounds – Age groups 11 and under, 12/13, 14/15 and Open.
April to June – 3 rounds – Age groups 9, 10 and under, 11 and under and 12 and under.
In both leagues there are individual and relay races.
The dates of galas are posted in the Events section of the club website. There is also an upcoming events sidebar on the club home page which shows upcoming events for the week ahead.
The club also enters a number of friendly galas in order to maximise the number of gala swimmers per year.
The club encourages swimmers to enter Open meets. Please speak to the Gala Manager or Head Coaches for further information.
Open Meets are to enable swimmers to achieve qualifying times suitable for entry into County, Regional and National Championships.
The team we take to galas is selected on the basis of the performance of swimmers. These are competitive galas and we wish to take the best team available. If you receive an invitation to swim, we expect a reply within a week, please respond as soon as possible to let us know your swimmer is available.
If, for some reason, you are unable to swim on the day, then please let us know as soon as possible by contacting the Gala Manager or Head Coaches. Telephone numbers will be provided with your gala invitation or please contact us on the club telephone number ……..
Your invitation will include a postcode for the venue and a time for the warm up. Please ensure you arrive in time for your swimmer to be ready to swim at the start of the warm up.
The team is put together to try to ensure the best result for Burton ASC. This may mean your swimmer wont be swimming their favourite stroke. Each swimmer is asked to agree to swim the races they are selected for.
Aside from a swimsuit, swimmers should also bring a Burton ASC swim hat (if they wear a hat). A t-shirt is also useful as swimmers may get cold waiting for races. Burton ASC swim hats are available from our club shop at the front desk on Wednesday and Friday evenings and club t-shirts are available to order.
Your swimmer will need goggles (including a spare pair), two towels (swimmers use one to dry off between races then a fresh one when they get changed at the end of the event), drink and snacks. Appropriate snacks are jellies, Jaffa cakes, gummies, rice cakes etc. Chocolate, biscuits, and crisps are not recommended. Your swimmer may be hungry afterwards so you may wish to bring a snack for your journey home.
The Gala Manager and the Burton ASC coaches attend galas and will be in the foyer to meet the team. They will take the swimmers through to the changing rooms and look after them poolside. They will ensure they get to their races on time. It is likely your swimmer’s coach will be poolside with them, as well as other helpers. Burton ASC also has team captains (one boy and one girl) and junior captains (one boy and one girl) who help ensure swimmers are happy and know what they are doing.
Entry fees are set by each league (usually about £3/£4 pounds) and hosting clubs often have a raffle to raise extra funds. If you have the correct change it will make the door staff very happy! If spectator space is limited, you will be asked only to bring one spectator per swimmer. Please comply with this so that all swimmers have some support.
Burton ASC spectators try to sit together whenever possible (but this isn’t compulsory!). Team sheets are often available with the list of swimmers for each race so you can cheer on all of the team. It is usually very warm so a bottle of water might be useful!
The help parents provide in getting our swimmers to galas is very much appreciated – thank you.
We prefer the swimmers who have finished their races to stay poolside to support their teammates but, if you do have to leave, please ensure the Gala Manager knows your swimmer is leaving. Parents usually collect their swimmers from the foyer of the venue.
If anything is unclear, please ask. If you swimmers really enjoys the gala do talk to the Gala Manager and Head Coaches about Open Meets.
We hope all swimmers have an enjoyable evening with their teammates and a successful one for Burton Amateur Swimming Club.
