Competition Help
Ages	Helping	Notification	Organisation	Preparation	Travelling	Types of Competition

1. All galas and open competitions are run on similar lines, with at least the following people serving as officials:

   a) A Referee in overall change.
   b) A Starter.
   c) At least one Timekeeper for each lane and a Chief Timekeeper.
   d) Turn, Stroke and Placing Judges, 2 of each.
   e) A Recorder (often two)
   f) An Announcer
   g) Competitors Stewards - usually called Team Managers or whips

   
   Whilst these basic arrangements always apply, there may be more than one Referee, more than one Timekeeper per lane and more than one Chief Timekeeper.
2. The level of qualifications of officials also varies with the type of event. For example, at our own inter-club galas, anyone can timekeep, record, etc. without previous experience or qualifications, so please come and help to gain experience - it really is as easy as it looks!
   For more important events at District and National level, ASA qualified officials are required. We run annual courses for officials and the national examination takes place each year in early November. Whilst the knowledge required is not great, the pass standard is necessarily high to ensure the fairest conditions at all competitions.
3. All entries by individuals in most Open Meets, County, South East Region and National competitions, require the swimmer to state their previous best time at the distance. This is called the Submitted Entry Time. In District and National Competitions, the entries are only accepted if the competitor has a recent personal best (PB) time better than the published qualified times.
   At this level therefore, it is essential for swimmers to establish their PB times and to keep the original record of these times, as they may be asked to produce this evidence. Because of the importance of these records, a Club Organiser is usually designated to handle the collection of cards and result sheets.
   In Open Meets, if the entries are over-subscribed, the Organiser usually makes a selection based upon submitted entry times. In these cases, therefore, it is somewhat more of a lottery, with swimmers being accepted for some events but not for others.
   For Leagues and other Club representation, the Club keeps a record of all swimmers PB's which is used for team selection.
4. Some Open Meets are described as 'Designated'. This means that they have been approved by the District Authority for recognition of national qualifying times (NQTs). This means that the Promoters must have a proven record of organising a good standard of competition and are able to call upon the necessary number of qualified officials to run the Meet.
5. Swimmers who wish to compete in Open Meets, County, District and National Competitions (including relays) need National registration with the ASA. Registration Forms are available from the Registration Officer. Qualified officials are also required to register. (The Club will pay the registration fee for active officials).
6. The ASA requires all organisers of Clubs and Galas to obtain parental consent for drug testing (by urine analysis) during training and at competitions for all swimmers over 10 years of age. This consent is implicit with ASA registration. The Club will register all Club Members of squads.
7. Open Competitions are usually run on a card system. Each accepted entry receives a card (pink for girls, blue for boys) giving all details of the swim. These cards have to be 'posted' before the start of the session to enable the organisers to know exactly who has turned up to swim. If you don't post your card on time, you can't swim. Don't be caught out by this!
   Heats are usually swum with swimmers of similar submitted entry times. The faster swimmers in the heats may then swim the final, but in some events, usually the long distances, the event is decided solely on the time achieved in the heats. These are Heat Declared Winners (HDW) events.
   The finals, and sometimes the fastest heat in the HDW events, are swum in spearhead formation. This simply means that the fastest swimmers are in the middle lanes of the pool with the slowest on the outside.
8. For events other than Open Meets, the Chief Coach and Team Managers select teams. A team list will be posted on the Club notice board and selection slips are laid out for collection on Tuesday evenings. Please check to see if you have been selected to represent the Club and let the Team Manager know as soon as possible if you are unable to attend. Your absence will mean the Team Manager will have to try to find a replacement and, if this is not possible, it may mean that your age group cannot compete in relays.
9. Transport is provided for teams where the venue is 30 miles or more from Bracknell. The 'bus fare' is included in the squad fees. The Club encourages parents to support away Galas (first come first served on the bus) but there is a return bus fare of £2 per head, which will be collected on the bus. This fare is waived for anyone attending in an "official" capacity for the Club, such as team manager, timekeeper etc.