2-3 home galas per year; 2-3 away galas per year; 1 swim off gala at end of season (1st Fri in Jun). Top 3 teams in league swim for promotion; bottom 3 teams swim for relegation
All swimmers get a Forest Feast sponsored Aquasprint T-Shirt and medal at end of season
Arthur McDonald Novice Gala
Hosted by Newry & Mourne swimming club and includes 4 clubs
Newry & Mourne
Armagh
Lurgan
Portadown
Championship format gala – Multiple Heats in morning; Finals in afternoon
Almost same format as Aquasprint galas:
Medley Relays – Groups A-D Straight Final
Backstroke Girls, Boys – Groups A-D Heats in morning, finals in afternoon
Breaststroke Girls, Boys – Groups A-D Heats in morning, finals in afternoon
Butterfly Girls, Boys – Groups A-D Heats in morning, finals in afternoon
Freestyle Girls, Boys – Groups A-D Straight Final
Finals of 4 individual strokes for 8 fastest across the heats
Reserve List – very important to check!
PTL – League based for older swimmers – Sep to Mar/Apr
Based on Year of Birth – Group A (10 & under); Group B (11-12); Group C (13-14); Group D (15+)
All races 2 lengths (25m or 33m) and separate Girls & Boys races
Group A for galas at Portadown pool swim 1 length (33m) instead of the normal 2 lengths (50m)
2-3 home galas per year; 2-3 away galas per year; 1 PTL Area Heats (South region); 1 PTL Finals (Best of South region vs Best of North region)
Armagh Championships – usually last Sat in Jan / first Sat in Feb
Rotates between the following 4 clubs each year
Newry & Mourne
Armagh
Lurgan
Portadown
Similar format to PTL without the IM and with less shared age groups:
10 & Under
11 year olds
12 year olds
13 year olds
14 year olds
15 & over
All races 2 lengths (25m or 33m) and separate Girls & Boys races
Group A relays & individual at Portadown pool swim 1 length (33m) instead of the normal 2 lengths (50m)
Backstroke; Breaststroke; Butterfly; Freestyle
Relays are separate for Girls & Boys
Running Order – 64 races – all day to complete:
Medley Relays – Groups A-D Straight Final
Freestyle Relays – Groups A-D Straight Final
Individual heats – Girls; Boys Heats in morning, finals in afternoon
Finals of 4 individual strokes for 6 (8 when hosted at Newry 8 lane pool) fastest across the heats
Reserve List – very important to check as swimmers sometimes drop out of finals = another chance for reserves!
Upcoming Events
Wednesday 18 December 2019
Christmas Fun Night
Fun night will be held on Wednesday 18 December 2019, as follows:-
Big Pool (Dolphins, Sharks and coloured squads) 6.30pm to 8.30pm)
Small Pool (Angelfish, Starfish and Goldfish) 6.30pm to 7.30pm
The prize draw for our Christmas Hampers will be held at the fun night where we will also be serving mulled wine and mince pies from 6.45pm!! We will also have donation tins available that evening for Club equipment and again we appreciate your support! Please be sure to come along and join us in some Christmas Cheer while the kids are having a splash and dive!!!
This gala is a Level 3 Meet for entry to Irish Open Long Course Championships in April. This gala takes place in the 50m pool and there are 50m, 100m and 200m events and is therefore suitable for Red squad and up. Entries for above must be emailed to portadownasc@gmail.com (please ensure you include gala title in subject line of email and mark FAO Paula), closing date Monday 6 January 2020. Entry cost is £5 per event payable at the Club Desk.
Further information on this gala can be found at the club desk or on Swim Ulster website.
This gala is for younger swimmers aged 9 to 13 and is suitable for Yellow to Red squad swimmers. Entries for above must be emailed to portadownasc@gmail.com (please ensure you include gala title in subject line of email and mark FAO Paula), closing date Wednesday 27 November 2019. Entry cost is £5 per event payable at the Club Desk.
Further information on this gala can be found at the club desk or on Swim Ulster website.
Development Meet 2 – Orchard Leisure Centre, Armagh
Entries for above must be emailed to portadownasc@gmail.com (please ensure you include gala title in subject line of email and mark FAO Paula), closing date Wednesday 20 November 2019. Please note swimmers can enter 4 strokes in this gala.
Further information on this gala can be found at the club desk or on Swim Ulster website.
We have free tickets to give away to an amazing American Ice Hockey tournament – Friendship Four. This is a game between two American University teams, many of these players go on to play for the Belfast Giants and NHL! This is an excellent opportunity to see these players before they make it big! Grab these tickets quick and be the first to say ‘I saw him before he was famous’!!!
WHERE:- The SSE Arena Belfast
WHEN:- 29 November 2019, doors open 6pm, match 7pm
HOW:- Tickets will be allocated to swimmers on a first come, first served basis and there will be a max of 2 per swimmer. Please collect your tickets from the desk on Wednesday.
Good luck also to our PTL Team who will be competing against Coleraine on Saturday night. Please check the list and confirm your attendance at the Club Desk on Wednesday night.
The bus will leave Cascades at 3pm SHARP for a 5.15pm warm-up. The bus will return to Cascades at approx 10.30pm, please confirm on sheet at desk if travelling by bus.
Even though we are away we will still require parent volunteers to help out poolside with timekeeping, so we appreciate your support with this.
Swim Ulster Autumn Blitz – Grove Leisure Centre, Belfast
Good luck to all to the U13 Waterpolo team competing in Swim Ulster Autumn Junior Blitz on Friday night in the Grove in Belfast. Please meet at the main entrance at 6.30pm for a 7.00pm start, ensuring to bring club t-shirts.
Keep watch on the swim ulster website for next season’s gala and their annual August summer camp: www.swimulster.net. There’s also useful information on the swim ulster pathway. We’ll post the dates on the club website once we have it, and anything that is new: www.portadownasc.com Most of us are ready to wind down for the summer, but try to keep fit and stay healthy as the new season’s galas will start in September. There’ll are lots of open water swimming opportunities (see page 2) and junior triathlons (Camlough Facebook) coming up. Cascades have a swim camp 1st – 5th July 1.00 pm – 4.00 pm to develop their strokes if they can swim 800m+. There is a Rookie Lifeguard Course for 9-14 years old on 1st – 5th July, 9am – 12pm. ABC have lots of activities on https://getactiveabc.com/summer.With no school, it’s a good time for our young swimmers to read “Behind the Goggles”, which can be bought on www.swimmingexpert.com website. The Swim Ireland team will be competing in International Events over the summer which you should be able to stream form their website / twitter page / you tube. Lots of Swim Ulster swimmers competing!
