Things to remember
Get yourselves prepared before you go to the gala
The night before the gala is the time to pack YOUR OWN bag, not your parents. If you get to the pool to find something is missing and you haven’t packed your bag yourself, then you're the one to blame ! Get all that you need together, warm up and race costumes/trunks, towels and food (enough for the whole day).
What you need!
Racing costumes/trunks should fit you like a second skin, which means for the girls, you should not be able to pull up the straps two or three inches above the shoulders!! Boys’ trunks should be small at the sides and tight fitting. No baggy bottoms, as these will cause drag which will slow you down. Both boys and girls need to take separate warm up costumes/trunks to the ones they will be racing in.
Club tracksuit/Hoodies and T-shirt should be worn, these are blue bottoms and blue T-shirt/polo shirt and track top being blue with white detailing. If you don’t have club kit, please wear blue track bottoms with a blue T-shirt. Jeans are not allowed. If you only have one club T-shirt, then bring enough blue T-shirts to last the day.
Club caps should be worn at all gala’s, by both boys and girls. Whatever gala you compete in, you are there representing your club and if you are all wearing the same cap, then it tells everyone you are proud to be part of the same team. These are silver with the club logo on the side. If you have one, bring the cap with your name on it.
Poolside shoes should be worn. Most poolside floors can be very cold and you loose very valuable heat through you feet, therefore it is essential to wear poolside shoes…and make sure they are clean! Do not leave poolside without wearing poolside shoes.
Goggles. Take at least two pairs of goggles with you. Before you go down to the start of the race, make sure your goggles are fitting properly. Try not to fiddle and keep playing with the straps while you are waiting to be called. If you keep changing the fitting of them, you run the risk of them not fitting as you want them to, or worse, them breaking!
Poolside
It is preferrable that portable game machines, MP3 players etc., were not brought on to poolside, and mobile phones are NOT allowed. Try cheering your team-mates on instead, likewise for disappearing, stay and cheer on your team-mates! The coaches do not mind if you chat with friends from other clubs, but save it for lunchtime and after the gala. You come to a gala to compete and as such you are expected to sit with your own team, not someone else’s.
What to eat
Carbohydrates are needed for long galas; Bread and Pasta, etc. which are all low fat. Fat is hard to digest and is therefore best avoided on race day.
Take plenty of water and fruit squashes. Fizzy drinks should not be drunk and chocolate should not be eaten until you have finished swimming for the day.
Check List:-
- Enough warm up AND racing costumes/trunks
- Club Tracksuit/Hoodie
- Club T-shirt plus spares (predominantly blue)
- Towels…at least two
- Poolside shoes (and socks)
- Goggles…At least two pairs
- Entry cards (where necessary)
- Food and drink to last the whole day
- Leave home early to get to the pool on time
- Positive attitude
New rules added in 2009
- All swimmers must wear their blue CSC T-shirts on poolside. (Paulene Sorrell has some if you haven't got one - £10) Warm-up is 6pm.
- Please register with Paulene & be ready on poolside before the warm-up starts.
- No swimmer leaves the poolside until the end of the gala & the final result is given.
- At the end of the gala the whole team will meet in the foyet outside & sign out with the team manager (Paulene Sorrell).
- When travelling by Coach to galas, we will have the same procedure of meeting in the foyet for a register then all get on the coach together.
- All swimmers must travel home as a team on the coach. On return parents must come to the coach door to collect their children & sign them out.
- There may be limited spaces on the coach for parents but after swimmers(32), & support team(6), there will only be 7 seats spare.