Gala Report

During the last 12 months the club has taken part in 10 galas, 79 swimmers represented the club and many for the first time.

Gala competition is important to swimming because this is where the elements of representing and belonging to a team are most manifest within the sport.  Unlike the other areas of competitive swimming we engage in such as Club Championships, Time Trials, Open Meets and County’s where the events are focused primarily on the result of each separate individual event, Gala swimming focuses the results from each individual event into the overall team total.  It is where the overall strength of the team can be greater than the sum of the individuals.  The relay races epitomise this.  The last relay is a squadron race where the team is made up with a boy and girl from each age group it should be an honour to be in the squadron because we try to swim the fastest of each of the age groups there.  On many occasions we find that the result of the overall Gala can be affected by this last race and excitement is high.   This is where swimming for the ‘Team’ matters.  If the swimmer false starts, is slow off the blocks, goes too early or finishes their leg of the relay poorly the whole team suffers.  Total focus, commitment and determination are therefore required to be a successful gala team member.

This year in Herts major league we achieved 86 pbs, 28 1^st places and 7 club records over the three rounds.  Finishing 4^th in the first, 2^nd in the second round and 5^th in the final round.

 

We normally take part in two friendly galas in the year, these are primarily for those swimmers who do not get a chance to take part in Herts majors or arena league to represent their club.  Unfortunately, the uptake of those swimmers is not as high as we would like so the teams were made up of mainly of swimmers who regularly represent the club.  Therefore, we had to make the decision this year to only do one of the these.  In Goldstone we achieved 24 pbs, 8 1^st places and 1 club record.  Finishing 5^th overall.

The Peanuts league starts in the spring months and is for younger swimmers (under 13), it is a great opportunity to introduce the swimmers to Galas within a friendly atmosphere and to build new friendships. Across the 3 galas there were 67 pbs, 29 1^st places and 2 club records. Finishing 5^th in the first round, 4^th in the second round and 1^st in the final round.

Our final League of the year is Arena League.  This is a tougher league competing against a wider range of teams who are much bigger than us with a lot more pool time.  In 2019 we achieved across the 3 rounds 62 pbs, and 8 club records.  This is league is a licensed competition meaning times count towards County and Regional championships.

The club has continued its tradition of producing very competitive teams with a fantastic team spirit even when faced with the toughest competition.  This is only possible with the support from parents, officials, club captains, teachers and coaches.  We would like to acknowledge and thank all the support the swimmers have received.  We could not do it without the many hours of time that this wider team invests in the club

Finally, we would like to congratulate the swimmers, the regulars and the new gala members.  Keep training hard and here’s to bigger success in 2020.

Thank you from the Teachers and Coaches

Attracta Leonard