PASC is affiliated to Swim Ulster and Swim Ireland. PASC swimmers have the opportunity to swim in a number of galas throughout the year. They have the opportunity to swim as PASC team members and to swim as individuals representing PASC. Each of the galas is described in more detail below.
There are three types of galas:
•INTRODUCTORY/FRINDLY GALAS
• INTER-CLUB COMPETITIVE GALAS
• SWIM ULSTER GALAS
We have also provided in this section
• GALAS & EVENTS CALENDAR
• ADVICE FOR SWIMMER AT GALAS
Club membership fees cover the cost of the Swim Ulster league galas throughout the season. PASC participates in a range of other galas as listed above and PASC cannot fully fund all of these. In this case PASC will fund the relay team costs and swimmers must pay to enter the individual strokes. To enter for individual strokes the swimmer must complete a gala entry form and pay the required gala entry fee. Full information including the gala entry form and fee information is available at the PASC desk.
PASC swimmers are notified of the gala dates through the weekly club notes. The PTL and Aquasprint Head Coach, in liaison with the other PASC coaches, will select the team in the weeks leading up to the gala event and inclusion is generally based on swim times and swimmers are strategically selected for particular strokes to maximise the teams potential for gaining points. Coaches often include ‘reserve’ swimmers for specific events to enable them to gain experience of competitive events and provide opportunities for them to achieve ‘personal bests’ in their swim times within a competitive environment.
If selected swimmers are expected to be available. There is significant planning involved for team coaches who must register swimmers names ahead of the event. Within reason, changes can be made on the day but members should be aware this causes additional work for both participating clubs as all records must be updated prior to the event commencing which can cause delays and effectively undermines the coaches strategy as swimmers may need to be moved about to take account of absent swimmers.
It is NOT acceptable to simply not show at a Gala event if attendance is confirmed on club night. Swimmers who are persistently not available for events will not be selected for future galas.