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
8
Mar
March Water Polo Skills Camp & Match
Swim Ulster Skills Camp U11 & U13 (2009 – 2008): Skills camp followed by matches at the Grove Leisure Centre, Belfast on Fri 8th March from 7.30 – 9.30 pm. Cost is £10 on the night. Forms for the skills camp are available at the club desk. The camps are ideal for our swimmers and are facilitated by qualified water polo coaches. PASC coaches will be.
Swim Ulster Skills Camp (2009 +) This Fri 22nd Feb 7.30 – 9.30 pm: Please register at the club desk this week or speak to Coach Ian. Venue: Grove Leisure Centre, Belfast and cost is £10 on the night.
This year PASC proudly host the PTL South Heats at Cascades on 2nd March. This is the first time we’ll host this competition so we’d really appreciate all our PTL swimmers attending. We’ll see many of our strong swimmers competing at this event and if you aren’t competing please come along and cheer on your friends! Closing date for entries is 20th February.
This week PASC will host the Armagh Championships at Cascades for the last time. Next time, we’ll be in the new South Lakes Leisure Centre! We look forward to welcoming Armagh, Lurgan and Newry to Portadown. With 4 clubs competing, it’ll be a busy gala so we’ll be needing lots of parent volunteers on the day to help with timekeeping and catering. Girls warm up will be 8.15 am, followed by the boys at 8.30 am. Thanks to all our sponsors who have made this event possible. Please show them your appreciation by supporting these businesses all year round. A list of business sponsorship and companies who have donated prizes for the raffle can be found in the programme which will be available for sale at £2. Further details can be found in this week’s newsletter.
