Competitions and carnivals
Everything a family needs before their first away meet: where the calendars live, how entries work, what to pack, and what all those meet names actually mean.
Entries for every meet, club nights included, go through Swim Central. Families enter their own swimmer before the closing date.
Not sure where to start? Ask your coach, or email swimclubyass@outlook.com.
How to enter
Entries for every meet, club nights included, go through Swim Central.
1. Unlock your family group with your PIN, then go to Events and find the meet by name.
2. Select your swimmer and tick the events they want to swim. Check the age and distance carefully.
3. Pay, then look for the confirmation email.
Two things trip everyone up. Entries close early, usually one to two weeks before the meet, so diarise the closing date rather than the race date. And no confirmation email means no entry, so check before the closing date rather than after.
Not sure which events to enter? Ask your coach. Stuck with Swim Central itself? Contact the Race Secretary.
Where to find meets: SISA at sisaswimming.com.au/meet-calendar, Swimming ACT at swimmingact.com.au/competition/meet-calendar, Swimming NSW at nsw.swimming.org.au/events, and Swimming Australia at swimming.org.au/events-results/events-calendar.
Carnival day
Carnivals are long days and the weather changes. Most of the pools we visit are outdoors, so pack for hot and cold on the same day.
What to bring: club uniform, warm clothes for between races, towels, plenty of water, food and snacks, goggles and a spare pair, sunscreen and a hat, and a chair or picnic rug.
Gazebos. We take the club gazebos wherever we can. If you are going to a carnival and have room to transport one, tell the Race Secretary. Sharing it around means it does not always fall to the same families.
Warm-up. At target meets our coaches run a structured warm-up, so swimmers need time to get changed, find the team area and be ready when it starts.
Timekeeping. Meets cannot run without timekeepers, and every club is allocated duties. When Yass has lanes, families are given a roster, and we ask every participating family to do one slot per meet. If you want to do more, the introductory official roles are Check Starter and Clerk of Course, and from there Starter, Inspector of Turns, Judge of Stroke and Recorder. Speak with the Race Secretary.
The pathway
SISA, Country, State. If you are new to the club, none of that means much yet. Here is the ladder, from a Friday night at our pool through to national competition. Most swimmers spend seasons on the first two rungs, and that is exactly how it should be.
-
Club nights. Friday nights at our pool, open to every member, up to three races each. No qualifying times.
-
SISA carnivals. Around five a season across our region, hosted by clubs near us. No qualifying times.
-
Country Regionals. Open to anyone who wants the racing, and a good first taste of a large meet. No qualifying times.
-
ACT meets. Development, distance and qualifying meets through the season.
-
NSW Country Championships. Once a season at SOPAC. Qualifying times required for each event.
-
NSW State Age Championships. Once a season at SOPAC, racing the field from across NSW and the ACT. Qualifying times required.
Australian Age and Australian Championships. National level, generally once a year. Qualifying times required.
Not sure where your swimmer fits? Ask your coach. That conversation beats any table.