Getting started
New swimmers will usually take part in club-hosted competitions initially, or team galas against other teams from Greater Manchester. Club competitions include Pointscore, Blue vs Yellow gala, and the biggest of the year – Club Championships.
Club Competitions
Pointscore
Information to follow
Blue vs Yellow
Information to follow
Club Championships
Information to follow
Team Galas
Trafford Borough Development Galas
Information to follow
BCM Team Galas
Information to follow
How they work
Once they have experience, swimmers will begin to competed in larger galas including open meets and Arena League galas.
Open meets are larger galas in which swimmers compete against swimmers from other clubs in the area. To enter, a swimmer must be a ‘club compete’ member and must be at least nine years old on the day of the meet (there is a ~£15 upgrade fee from the ‘club train’ membership). Each race has an entry fee which is set by the host, usually about £7.
Swimmers compete in their own age group (usually age as at the final day of the competition) for medals or for positions to go through to a ‘final’ where they swim again for the medals.
Open galas run in sessions, usually morning and afternoon. Sessions usually have a 15-minute warm-up at the beginning in which swimmers are split into age groups and take part in swim warm-up designed to ensure:
- they are used to the pool
- their goggles are working
- they have primed their energy systems ready to race!
Racing within one session is usually 3-3.5 hours, though swimmers can leave once they have finished their races. It is important to look at the order of events when entering to ensure swimmers are busy enough to enjoy the session they are in. It is best to enter sessions together with friends so there is camaraderie and support for each other on poolside, as well as so the swimmers can be busy with friends between their races.
Head here to find out how to enter an open meet on Swim Manager
Between races
Swimmers must be able to rehydrate and refuel. Sitting on a warm poolside for hours requires regular hydration to ensure swimmers do not become dehydrated, which will inhibit performance. It is also important for their muscles to stay warm – warm muscles mean fast swimmers! Swimmers therefore need to have some warm clothes with them to wear on poolside!
Gala kit list
Goggles & hat (& spare of each)
Warm clothes
Water bottle (full)
Post-race snacks like flapjacks, bananas, fruit, jelly babies, energy bars etc
Spare towel
Poolside footwear
‘Age At’
Swimming meets are run based on the age of the swimmers, and the age is given as the ‘age at’ date. This date can be the final day of the competition, or it could be 31st December in the year of the competition. These age groups mean that swimmers can compete against different ages of swimmer at different times of the year.