swim gala advice

Gala information

get your bag packed in plenty of time with thanks to Mr Nootz the cat for the photo.

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN

There is no index - read the lot. If it's too long for you swimmer - ponder on that fact.

You should have the following items with you when you go to a gala:

YOU pack your bag

Pack your own bag, YOU are the athlete, YOU need to know what YOU have with YOU and where it is. YOU need what is in it. YOU have worked and trained hard to get here and your parents or carers have worked hard to get YOU to training. Who are YOU now to sit back and have them wait on YOU. It's time for YOU to start sorting out stuff for YOU. The first step to controlling your own swimming as YOU move into competition is YOU packing your own kit. YOU need it, YOU use it, YOU pack it.

sleep and night-before food

There is no substitute for sleep and you need it before competition. Many of your friends, especially non-competitive types, will arrange awake-overs on Friday nights - avoid these and get your head down. If you are daft enough to go then, at the gala, when you are feeling drowsy and dazed and swimming like a lemon, you will know why. Meanwhile your 'friend's' performance, slouched on the settee guzzling fizzy drinks and pizza and gawping at the telly while texting their X-Factor votes in, will be undiminished. If you still go ahead and go to Friday sleepovers then you will be helping the coaches form an opinion of the level of your ambition.

Get home from training on Friday and eat a big bowl of pasta, rice or potatoes, relax a bit and then head for bed. What's the point in training for perfection for months and then crocking your body the night before so that you can only disappoint yourself and let down your family and team-mates.

some information about pre-race meals

Keep in mind that a pre-race meal affects your performance. You should NOT change your eating habits drastically on the day you have a gala. You should however avoid certain foods which tend to upset your stomach or cause discomfort. It is a good policy to finish eating a moderate-sized meal at least 2 1/2 to 3 hours before competing, if you are in a morning session, eat something which is light on the stomach and what you enjoy.

Morning sessions are the toughest from this point of view - anyone can eat a bowl of pasta or couscous at lunchtime but you have to get things you like such as porridge, lots of jam toast, cereal and juices or whatever in at breakfast. This goes for whatever time it is - you may have to drive 40miles for an 08.15 warm-up so it might be very early. Picky eaters or swimmers who don't just get the fuel in and think they can perform are kidding themselves. You may enjoy the parental "pleading breakfast dance" but it is time for YOU to get on with getting prepared for action without fuss. This isn't about what YOU LIKE it is about what YOU NEED. Try to avoid the following foods prior to a gala:

eating during the competition

PLEASE! do not eat anything during the gala, and especially in between heats except sugary sweets like boiled sweets or werthers! If you are hungry have some of your drink by just taking little sips, this stops you from feeling bloated. You should never have fizzy drinks, unless it is an isotonic drink ie; Lucozade Sport - water is the best drink there is. Save money and experiment with making your own special energy drink: bit of fruit juice, lots of water, pinch of sugar, pinch of salt (if you believe in that stuff) it's probably going to be as good or better than those bottles of energy drink you buy in the shops

We are told that for 20 minutes after activity like a race our bodies use any sugar we take and send it not to our stomach but straight to our muscles ready for more activity. When you get out of the water after a race that race is over, done, history - review with coach at the pool-end, learn and move on. Your job is now to prepare your body for the next race; have a drink, have some sugar like a sweet, fruit, dates, apricots - all low volume - high sugar - NO BUNS. Keep your body warm and ready through flexing and stretching. Here's more Tips

warm-up

You should warm-up on the poolside as well as in the water. The captains will take you through the land warm-up. You all start at the same time and warm-up together. This should last for approx. 15 minutes.

pre-race warm-up in the pool:

At every gala there is a short session when everyone gets into the water for a warm-up - you will be told which lane is the lane for Clissold. Girls go first then they get out and the boys get in and you will find it useful to run through your strokes with some dives and turns - take this seriously as it really puts you a little more at ease. Remember to get dry, put on a dry costume and keep warm afterwards - here are some ideas for what you should try to do in the warm-up

Here is some further warm up advice [LINK]

why stretch?

Stretching a muscle causes the fibres in the muscle to lengthen. Longer muscle-fibres generate more contraction force than shorter fibres. It is important to not over-stretch and cause yourself an injury but they should be flexed. During any exercise muscles produce lactic acid that causes the muscles-fibres to shorten and reduces contraction-force. This is what we feel as fatigue develops and our muscles begin to “tighten up”. If you begin the exercise (swimming) with longer well-stretched muscle-fibres, you will be able to generate greater contraction forces for longer as lactate builds up. YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SWIM MORE AGGRESSIVELY FOR LONGER

will you prepare to swim your best - or do your best to wait to swim?

After you have finished your warm-up, you should take a hot shower, dry yourself off and keep warm. Change your costume and wear a dry suit. It might be a long time before your swim and you should keep your muscles warm. Many sensible swimmers will get dressed warmly and even wear a hood or a wooly hat. You should have warm, dry trainers on your feet with socks, and warm-up pants so that you are toasty warm. Standing for three hours on a wet, cold, tiled floor will chill you through. Keep moving and doing light stretches to loosen your muscles, support your team mates, watch the swimming. Try to stay active! Think positive. Do not lie down and have a sleep, you will find it hard to get your adrenaline running through your body before you race. One of the best things is to run on the spot, jump or skip to get your heart working faster ready for the work it is about to do, otherwise it might just be getting up to working speed at about the time you touch the end wall. This often works best for many people.

Before you go to the 'whipping-area' come and see either Andy, Jenny, Alina, Greg or Kate or any of the other poolside helpers for your pre-race briefing and start stretching for real without straining yourself - do not sit 'slumped' trying to look as if you are waiting for a bus and blending in with the other 'slumped' swimmers. Get up and stretch and keep inhaling and thinking about what you are about to do. When you have swum come and get feedback on your race from a coach.

what am I doing here?

The teamsheet will be posted in the club area and you will be able to read this after your warm up. Swimmers swim the stroke and distance allocated to them. There is no discussion about this as in the weeks prior to the competition a great deal of discussion has gone into what stroke YOU need to do and what YOU are capable of. Relays are always swum in the order stated. (Obviously if you are unwell or an injury means a limb may actually part company with your body during the event the coach may re-assign you to another event.)

In relay events the sheet will have one swimmer's name in red. This is the Relay Boss, this person is trusted and what they do is watched by the coaches to see that the trust is warranted. It is the responsibility of the relay boss to get his or her team together and to their correct stations in plenty of time for the event. If you are at your first gala she or he will also see that someone is there with you to support you and try to calm any first race nerves. The team manager or coach should introduce you to your relay boss at the start of the gala, and will check that they care for you. A relay event is your most likely first event as we believe that this is the best way to introduce you to gala racing.

When going to the marshalling-area put your goggles on your head or push them down around your neck. If you are carrying them it is possible that you will put them down or get in a faf at the last minute. It will stop you chewing and biting them - goggles always snap in the marshalling area never in the tank - now why would that be? Have your swim-cap on in plenty of time. Lads tie your costumes up tight - double-knot!

housekeeping and behaviour

Treat every gala as an opportunity to learn your craft. Watch the fastest swimmers and also look for what you think are the 'best' swimmers in the water and see what they do. Watch what they do out of the water as well, how they prepare to swim, how they warm up, and their levels of concentration and focus prior to swimming. Where there is a scoreboard note their times and learn what a fast swim looks like - looks can be deceiving. When you swim find out your times, remember your PB, look for ways to improve everything you do. Look at the swimmers in the other lanes and remember them - then remember where you came when you next see them. This is not a rehearsal, this is the real thing.

Rowdy behaviour distracts you from concentrating and preparing to do your best. If you are noisy or talking loudly at the start of races swimmers can be distracted and the officials will not be happy - the club may even be told off. This has never happened to Clissold and we will not tolerate such an event. Do not play with other swimmers property, do not play practical jokes on people. Highly-motivated and focussed athletes preparing themselves to fly down a pool do not always have their usual sense of humour.

Remember that you are guests of another club in another town. We are a sports team so wear sports clothes and club uniform on the poolside. DO NOT wear street-shoes on the poolside - EVER! Keep the team-area clean and tidy, pick up all of your papers and litter and leave no mess. If the club does leave a mess, even once, some people will ALWAYS remember it and the club may not be invited back.

Conclusion (the skinny)

This long stern list might make a gala seem like an ordeal - it isn't, it is very exciting and great fun and you really will enjoy it. You might feel everyone else is very calm and untroubled but they have been 'first-timers' too and know how you feel and will support you. It might be a bit of a blur but you will enjoy it. The points above are years of learning written on one page and it would be impossible for you to remember it in one go, so don't worry. This is a page to come back to and check and see what you have remembered from it. It will also be interesting thinking of all the little tricks and ideas you come up with yourself.

Good Luck!

further advice

  • advice to parents
  • Preparing to win through strength training and good nutrition

    • swimline: click here for info on 'swimline'