When can I start competing?
Some competitions require swimmers to be 9 years old on the day of competition, others require them to be 10 by the end of the calendar year. Swimmers aged 8 years and older can participate in the Ascot Royals annual Club Championships and certain galas hosted by other clubs.
Ascot Royals also holds in-house galas. These are non-licensed meets which allow swimmers who are not old enough to compete in Swim England Licensed Meets the opportunity to gain valuable competition experience.
Age limits as well as qualifying times will be stipulated on the promoter’s conditions for the relevant competitions. This information will also be available on the competition entry pages on our website.
What are the different types of competitions?
There are 4 levels of competitions:
Level 1
These competitions are held in 50m pools only. Swimmers are required to achieve a qualifying time for these events based on the meet conditions set out by the meet organisers. These include National, Regional, County Championships and Open Meets.
Level 2
These competitions are held in 25m pools only. Swimmers are required to achieve a qualifying time for these events based on the meet conditions set out by the meet organisers. These include National, Regional, County Championships and Open Meets.
Level 3
These competitions are held in either a 25m or 50m pool. Their purpose is to enable athletes to achieve times for entry into Regional, County Championships or other competitions that are at a Level 1 or 2 standard.
Level 4
These competitions are typically held in 25m pools and are designed as entry level events. They are usually single club meets, such as Club Championships.
How do I know what competitions to enter?
Our coaches will communicate this with swimmers in their squad.
How do I know what events I should swim in?
It is best to discuss with your coach which events you should be entering into. As a rough guide, if there are 2 sessions per day, you should be looking to enter no more than 2/3 events per session.
How can I help at my children’s competitions?
Competitions are run by volunteers, both technical and non-technical. Technical volunteers must be licensed Swim England officials that are qualified or in training. Non-technical volunteers can perform a variety of roles, such as volunteering with hospitality, marshalling swimmers into their heats, handing out medals or selling programs/heat sheets at the door.
How can I become a technical official?
To become a swimming official, you must attend a short course followed by practical mentoring sessions. For more information please click here. If you are interested in becoming an official, please email info@ascotroyals.co.uk
Gala Information for New Swimmers
We have put this handout together, which will hopefully make it easier to understand everything that goes on at a swim meet, and make your first swim meet a great experience!
Results
When a swimmer has competed at a licensed open meet their official times are uploaded onto the ASA website under the Rankings and Results section. See the following link: