We realise that many swimmers and parents who are new to swimming find it difficult  to work out how everything fits together. It’s also true for those who have been  involved in swimming for a while to be fair... To try to help uncover some of the  mysteries, we have put together a guide to competitions. 

Swimming in competitions is why we train. It brings purpose to training; improvements in technique and speed endurance enables swimmers to race faster  and achieve awards. When newer swimmers haven’t raced, sometimes they are not sure why they are being told to adjust their technique. It is noticeable how this attitude changes after their first race! 

Completions are split into 3 categories. 

League Galas, Open Meets, and Championships. 

There is now only one; the Barnsley Minors League (BML). We usually race for  points in a league with 3 other clubs. Age groups are doubled up as 9/10, 11/12, 13/14, and 15+ and based on age on 31st December. 

There are races for each of the four strokes and our fastest swimmer in each age  group for that stroke will race in that event. There are two team events for each age  group, freestyle team and medley team, and our fastest 4 swimmers in each age  group will race in these events. The final race is the cannon which is a mixed 25m  freestyle team race made up of the fastest swimmer from each age group, girls and  boys. This race usually lifts the roof with loud support and is a fantastic finale to the  gala. 

Points are awarded to the club in each race as 4pts for 1st, 3pts for 2nd, 2pts for 3rd, 1pt for 4th and 0pts for a disqualification (DQ). DQs are never good, but in a league it boosts the points of the other clubs as well, worst case is when DQ’d from a 4pt  position. We work hard on preventing DQs for this reason. 

Swimmers are selected to race in the League team by the Head Coach and it is mainly based on personal best (PB) times. Other factors like form, availability, eligibility and a calculated mix of PB times for the team events can dictate selection too. Swim times achieved in the gala are unofficial with Swim England but we do keep a record. 

Swimming in the league has a very positive feel to it. This is when we race for each other, when we earn points for each other, where we foster team spirit in a sport which is often focussed on the individual. When travelling to pools outside of Doncaster we usually organise a bus to travel together, and this helps to foster that team spirit too. It is a brilliant atmosphere and to be part of it is a great accolade; many of our top swimmers have represented Armthorpe in this way over the years.

These events are a great introduction to racing and an opportunity for our seasoned  swimmers to improve PBs and assess the competition! 

Race times are officially recorded with Swim England and times can be ranked against all swimmers in the country. Understanding race times helps the coaching  process in identifying strengths and areas to improve across all strokes. Official  times also help in gaining entry to other competitions (explained later). 

When swimmers are new to racing in venues larger than Armthorpe, there are always nerves. Coaches and parents should support swimmers in feeling positive about racing so to convert nerves to excitement. 

Open Meet terminology: 

Events 

These are a specific stroke and distance, for example, 50m Backstroke. 

Heats 

For example, there may be 40 swimmers in an event. In an 8 lane pool, the event will be broken down into 5 heats to accommodate all swimmers. 

Grade 

To have swimmers of a similar ability competing with each other, race organisers set time thresholds within each event in order to group swimmers by speed. Events are  then graded as A, B and sometimes C, with A being the fastest grade. Based on entry times, swimmers are graded and compete against others of the same grade in  their age group. Not all meets are graded in the same way. 

Speeding tickets 

Grading is a good thing in that newer swimmers have a better chance of winning a medal and the motivation boost this brings. However, when a swimmer goes faster than the cut-off time threshold for their grade, they are awarded a speeding ticket in  

place of a medal. This is an acknowledgment that your swimmer has ‘levelled-up’  and whilst we know kids love a medal, a speeding ticket is actually a better achievement. At Armthorpe, we encourage swimmers to seek out the speeding  ticket. 

In the events, swimmers of several age groups are usually bunched together to swim the same event. Swimmers are arranged based on their entry time and are likely to  be racing with swimmers in a different age group, with a similar PB. Therefore,  winning a heat may not mean our swimmer has been victorious in their age group  event or their grade. It is possible a swimmer can win a heat and not win a medal!  This is important for managing expectations, especially for our newer swimmers. 

When all heats have been completed for that event, the results are arranged into age group and grade, and this is when final results are determined, and medals, points and tickets are awarded. We do know how important it is to be awarded with a medal and conversely, we also  know that swimmers are disappointed to miss out on a medal. Collectively, we need  to manage the psychology of this. At Armthorpe, we always encourage a time-first  approach; get the PB first and anything else is a bonus. 

Points are awarded for every legal swim where a top position is achieved regardless  of grade. Points for each race vary from one meet to another. The highest points total usually receives the top swimmer award for their age group for both boys and  girls, this does depend on whether the meet organisers have arranged for this  award. 

Swimming is a very technical sport, and it can be brutal and unforgiving when technical infringements result in disqualification. Receiving a DQ means that no time is recorded, no points and obviously a lost medal opportunity. DQs will happen and how we manage this is critical for swimmer development both psychologically and  technically. Understanding the reason for a DQ is important for learning. So, whilst a  DQ is disappointing, we must all work towards avoiding them and especially avoiding repeat errors! 

The way DQs are communicated by the referees is changing and we are now in a  transition of how team managers react to them; we will probably need to have someone on DQ duty (tbc). 

Entry to open meet events is by Google forms via our Facebook site which  accompanies the meet entry details which you must read. Once entries are collated, our Gala Secretary will upload entries as soon as possible. Entry times are updated to  the latest PBs close to the event, so swimmers are in the right grade. The club pays on submission of the collated entries so after this time, usually near the meet closing  date, any withdrawals cannot be refunded. 

Open Meets are available to all our swimmers aged 9 and over and if anyone is unsure what events to enter, please speak to the coaching team. 

There is sometimes a huge selection of events on offer which create many opportunities to improve PBs. However, we must be careful not to overload  swimmers. These meets can be long days and sometimes stretch over 2 or 3 days!  Think of quality not quantity when selecting races and, as always, please speak to  your coaching team if unsure. 

These include: 

1 Yorkshire County Championships 

2 North East Regional Championships 

3 National Championships 

Championships are events which require qualifying times to gain entry and are therefore where the top swimmers compete. To get a qualifying time for a championship is an achievement in itself and one of the reasons Armthorpe adopts the time-first approach. Qualifying times are available on the relevant championship website and coaches usually have access to them as well. 

Entry to a championship is currently via the Head Coach. Entry qualifying times are often checked after every meet which is automatically updated by  www.swimmingresults.org. A Google form will be offered to eligible swimmers who  wish to represent Armthorpe at the championships. 

Championships are not graded with only the top 10 receiving an award. Only the  fastest 3 swimmers win the medals. Unfortunately, swimmers are unable to compete at BML galas in the stroke they achieve a top 10 finish in one of these  championships. This BML embargo lasts for 2 years. 

Qualifying times must have been recorded on Swim England and have been achieved at a qualifying event before the closing date. 

Yorkshire is massive, it’s the largest county, so competition is strong. Swimming in a Yorkshire championships is an amazing achievement. 

The level of achievement increases again when eligible to swim in the North Eastern Counties Regional Championships. Qualification for these championships is via a ‘consideration time’. Just gaining a regional qualifying time may not be enough once all eligible swimmers have been assessed by the race organisers. Race organisers consider eligible entries and swimmers are accepted to race. 

Winning medals, or top 10 finishes at a regional level is incredible and has been achieved by Armthorpe swimmers countless times over the years. 

Qualifying for national championships is stratospheric and is by invite only. In the past, several Armthorpe swimmers have made it to national championships and won medals there. These swimmers are a huge inspiration to all of us. 

Olympics…… we should all dare to dream! 

The Schofields, named after our first club President, Harry Schofield. 

Obviously saving the best until last, our home championships is reserved for all Armthorpe swimmers registered with the club, this includes all squads and also those Armthorpe swimmers training with DARTES. 

It is a beautiful mix of individual achievement and team spirit. Swimmers get to compete against their friends and become arch-enemies in the water! Cheering and support for each other is always in abundance. 

Swimmers under 9 years of age will swim 25m races in all strokes. Those 9 years and over swim 50m in all strokes and a 100m Individual Medley (IM).

As well as another opportunity to improve PBs it is also an opportunity to break club  records, some of which were set by swimmers who went on to become Olympians and other records which have stood for decades. Seeing our current top swimmers in action is motivating for us all, especially the younger and newest swimmers, and we should celebrate their involvement even if we don’t see them regularly. 

The Schofields is a licenced event and recorded times for swimmers aged 9 years and over are registered with Swim England, however as it is a Level 4 meet, times will not be eligible for other championships. 

This championship is also ungraded, and awards are given to the fastest swimmers in their age group. Points are awarded here too with the highest points total receiving the top swimmer award for their age group for both boys and girls. 

The Schofields presentation night is where awards are presented for top Schofields  swimmers as well as to top squad swimmers. Other achievements are also acknowledged at the presentation evening. It is a fun night where we can all come  together as a club to celebrate the achievements of our swimmers. 

We would like everyone to be involved at the home championships and at the presentation night so if you would like to and are able to help and support the club  please do speak up. 

We do realise the intricacies of this sport are often shrouded in mystery as it is quite different to other more popular sports. Whilst we don’t always agree with the details, they are driven by a desire to make the sport more accessible and inclusive, and so we have no doubt the sport will continue to adapt. 

It is hoped the above detail helps to decipher the sport for our newer members. However, if there are any questions, please do contact your coaching team or the committee. We are all committed to creating a club environment where swimmers can thrive and enjoy the sport for the long term no matter how they race, good or bad, we are there to support them because we care.