Stonehaven Club and District Galas:
These will be notified by a spreadsheet on the Club Notice Board, and when you become eligible for your very first one, you will receive a letter from the Club/Gala Secretary.
If you wish to take part in this or any other Gala, and we hope you will, then please confirm with your parents that you are free on the date of the gala and sign your name in the allotted space. Please remember that we expect a certain level of competition from all our members, as competition is what all the training is really about. Make sure you bring the Fees Due amount to Anne on or before the closing date on the sheet. Anne will then enter you for the gala along with all the others who have signed the sheet. Closing dates for Galas are not moveable, the organising club will not accept late entries. (Please note, unless a bus is specifically mentioned on the sheet, you will be expected to make your own way to the Gala, or share lifts with other swimmers who are going.)
Approximately two weeks before the date of the gala Anne will receive confirmation from the Host Club of who has been accepted, warm-up times etc. These will go on the Notice Board on a sheet headed 'Sessions & Warm-ups'. Please make a careful note of the first warm-up time as it is essential that all swimmers arrive at the host pool before the warm-up time in order that the Host Club can confirm details of who is actually swimming and allocate any reserve swims. If for any reason you are no longer able to attend the gala you must advise Anne as soon as possible, however in the event that you do withdraw from a Gala, your entry fees are not refundable. If you are unfortunate enough to have some of your swims rejected because of a large number of entries for the Gala you will get your entry fees refunded - however we try to avoid this happening very often.
On the day of the Gala, get up in good time and eat breakfast, even if
you do have butterflies in your tummy - they are probably hungry! Make sure your
swimming bag is packed with everything you will need:-
Two swimming costumes, Club cap (unless you are a boy with short hair), two
pairs of goggles (always carry a spare) at least two towels, Club polo shirt and
a pair of shorts, pool shoes if you have them and plenty of food! This should be
real food with plenty of carbohydrates, not just heaps of crisps and chocolate -
remember fruit makes a good snack between races too. Also plenty of juice or
water - but not fizzy.
If you have any more questions about Galas not answered here, either ask Anne or your squad coach, but remember, the most important thing is - Have Fun!
The Club is expected to provide Technical officials (Judges or Timekeepers) for all the Galas our swimmers enter, as Galas cannot run without these people. The more swimmers we send to a Gala, the more Officials we must try and provide, and that means parents. Please remember that |Timekeeping at a Gala is fun, painless and ensures that you will get a seat (not always guaranteed for mere spectators).
