A Guide to Galas

Your Child's First Gala?

Firstly remember to get there on time, being late will make your child stressed, so aim to arrive at least 10 minutes before warm up commences.

If this is a gala where your child has been selected to swim for the club remember they are there to swim for the team. Confirm as early as possible to the team manager that your child is or is not available to swim. If later your child cannot  make the gala let the team manager know as soon as possible. Dropping out at the last minute lets the whole team down. Sometimes your child may only be selected for relays - that is part of being a team.
 

What should your child to bring with them?

Remember galas usually last 90 minutes or longer, unlike the time trials your child will have started out on.

They will need

 - a drink - ideally half a litre per hour. 2 parts water mixed with 1 part fruit juice is ideal, you don't need to waste money on expensive energy drinks.

 - something to nibble on; an energy bar, jelly babies, fruit gums or jelly cubes are ideal - not chocolate.

 - a tee shirt, but not cotton as it absorbs too much water and they will get cold.

  - shorts, again not cotton.

 - flip flops, crocs or similar to put on your feet.

 - 2 costumes, 2 pairs of goggles and 2 swimming hats.

 - 2 towels.

 - cards, book or something else to do poolside, because it can be a long wait between races.  

What should you bring with you?

 - a drink and something to nibble on - it gets hot in swimming pools and catering facilities can be non existence.

 - a pen to write down your child's result and possibly a stop watch to time them - most mobile phones have a stop watch function.

 - something to do/read, as I said galas can be long and dull.

Lots of positive energy and sympathy - always look for something positive to say to your child, sometimes this is hard (I know I have watched my children swim like bricks) but with practice it can be done.  

Try not to get too wound up.

Very few young children are focused, yours may the exception but mine weren't. They will forget to drink, they won't remember to do any land warm up and if you are really unlucky they may even miss their race because they are too busy chatting etc. They do get better over time and usually the coaches and older swimmers help them to remember all of these things.

Galas for the advanced parent.

As your children progresses they will need more kit poolside.

 - drag trunks and a warm up costume.

 - 2 racing suits.

 - 3 pairs of goggles and 3 hats, which they should take with them up to the starting blocks - goggles always snap just before a race, it is universal law.

 - shorts, tracksuits and woolly hats because some pools are colder than others.

 - iPod to concentrate the mind before a swim, but make sure they give it to the coach before they swim.

 - trainers and socks because flip flops aren't good if you need to do a land warm up.

 - something more substantial to eat,  more energy bars, bananas, dried fruit, energy gels.

Get involved

 - get down on poolside and help.

 - it makes the day go quicker.

 - all of the officials and other helpers are unpaid and the gala wouldn't run without them. The children of many of the officials stopped swimming 20 or 30 years
   ago!

 - you will  still get to see your child swim.

Peter Manning - a swimming parent.