Reaching the age of competition

When you reach the age of 9 years you are old enough to swim in competition.  You may be 8 at the time of the gala but in the swimming world it is age at the end of the year 31^st December.  Just to confuse you some leagues, such as the Worcester Winter League and Open Galas are age on day or the date of the last round.

How will I know I have been selected for a team?

·   You can check on the notice board at Perry Beeches Swimming Baths.  You tick your name if you are available and put a cross next to your name if you are not.  There will be nothing else to do but turn up on the day of the gala.  The time and venue will be on the team selection sheet.  Someone is generally on the desk most days at Beeches, and they can either answer your questions, or point you in the right direction!  Details of the galas and team sheets will be put on our web page:   http://www.perrybeechesswimmingclub.co.uk/ and you can send an  e-mail to the headcoach@perrybeechesswimmingclub.co.uk  to confirm availability.

How do I get there?

·   A map will be available on the board near to the date of the gala and you can check out our maps on our Web page http://www.perrybeechesswimmingclub.co.uk/   It is a good idea to be there at least 15mins before the warm-up time.  However, spectators seats are difficult to get and queues form quickly so you may want to get there a little earlier.
 

What do I take with me?

1.     Towel

2.     Swimming trunks/costume (black if possible)

3.     Swimming Goggles plus a spare pair

4.     PBSSS hat (available from the Swimming Shop)

5.     PBSSS T-Shirt or Rugby Shirt to wear on poolside

6.     A drink of squash or water to sip throughout the gala

7.     Kit bag

What or when should I eat?

What you eat before and during a competition can have a large impact on overall performance. Make sure that your final meal before the competition is finished at least two hours before the competition is due to start. Exactly what you eat is not important as long as it is high in carbohydrate and low in fat. Having a meal based around rice, pasta or potato is a good way of filling up with carbohydrate, providing the amounts of fat (e.g. sauce or butter) eaten are small.

Once you have completed your competition warm-up you will need to replenish the carbohydrates you have lost by drinking diluted juices, squashes or sports drinks. You should not eat anything unless you have at least an hour before you are due to race. Between races you should continue to take additional carbohydrates in liquid form and only eat if you have more than an hour to spare before you next have to swim. If you do have time to eat then a very light snack of bananas, dried fruit, popcorn, jelly cubes, or muesli bars is most appropriate. Please no crisps or other such snacks....!

After you have finished competing replenish all the carbohydrates you have lost, quickly. Have drinks or snacks that are high in carbohydrate, followed later by a more substantial high carbohydrate meal. Eat even when a competition finishes late at night especially if you are competing over a number of days in a major competition.

How will I know what race I am in?

There will be a team sheet produced by the Coach and handed out to parents at the gala (usually when queuing for a seat) Officials on the poolside will also have a copy of the team sheet and will direct you to your race as and when you are needed to swim throughout the gala.

Where do I go when I arrive at the baths?

When you arrive at the baths go inside, parents queue and swimmers find the coach or team officials and find out whether you can get changed and where to go.  The team gather on poolside and sit together.

Please can the 'spectator parents' try to sit together, so that we can try to outcheer the rest?!

Also - please do not let your child bring along computer games to the galas.

We are going to encourage them to cheer on their teammates, instead of concentrating on their PSPs or Nintendos! We will create a good team atmosphere, and we are hoping that all of the participants of the gala, swimming for PBSSS, will cheer their team mates on until the last race has finished. This will encourage good team spirit.
 

How do I enter Open Galas?

The club will, over the year, target certain galas and details will be posted on the notice board and entry forms available on our desk at Great Barr Swimming.  You can also enter Open Galas throughout the year as and when you feel, magazines such as Swimming Times have gala details in them.