Please read this information in conjunction with reading the Swim Ulster Handbook

Swim Ulster run galas/meets from September to April each season, for children who wish to swim at a higher competitive level.

DEVELOPMENT MEETS

These meets are organised throughout the season to encourage young and novice swimmers to gain experience and try to achieve qualification times at longer distances in their chosen strokes.

QUALIFYING MEETS (see handbook for qualifying times- page19)

Once a swimmer has achieved 3 qualification times in 2 different events, they are eligible to enter the qualifying meets.  These galas allow the faster swimmers to achieve qualifying times for the Ulster Age Group and Youth Championships held in March each year, (see handbook for qualifying times- page26).  This is the showcase competition for junior Ulster swimmers.

NOVICE MEET

This gala is for swimmers who have not made any of the qualifying standards for the Ulster Age Group and Youth Championships, which is scheduled for April.

All of the above competitions are swum as ‘age on day’.  This means each swimmer will be placed into the age category at each gala dependant on their age on that particular day.

The galas start at 9am and run all day until approximately 6pm.  It is therefore advisable to only swim either the morning session or the afternoon session.  Pool banks are very warm and children quickly get dehydrated and tired if they are on the poolside for too long.  It is also detrimental to their swimming performance and parental sanity!

Parents are responsible for the transport to and from the meets, and for their child’s well-being whilst they are there.  Swim Ulster expect competing clubs at these galas to help run them, so parents can expect to be asked occasionally to time-keep, collate results etc.