ABOUT COMPETITION SWIMMING
There are two types of swimming competitions: long course and short course. Long course (LC) is held in a 50m pool and short course (SC) is held in a 25m pool. The Olympics are always held in a 50m pool but there are international competitions in both LC and SC pools.
The major difference is that a swimmer will turn more often in SC competitions and can therefore create more momentum from powering off the wall of the pool generally resulting in a faster swim time.
There are a range of events in the swimming programme. Typically this will be 50m, 100m and 200m races in each of the strokes (breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and freestyle). With freestyle there are also the 400m, 800m and 1,500m freestyle events
There are also 200m and 400m individual medley races, where competitors will complete lengths using butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle strokes in that order. Additionally there are a range of relays: 4x50m and 4x100m Freestyle and Medley relays (in a relay the order is backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle) and a 4x200m freestyle relay.
The ASA Technical Swimming Committee has produced a document entitled 'Success is Long Term (2010 edition): Long Term Athlete Development' related to the journey through swimming' to help parents understand the principles behind training and competition for young swimmers. To access this document click here.
The ASA governs the minimum age at which a swimmer may compete in various types of competition and is determined by the age of the swimmer at midnight on the day of the event or the final day of a series of events forming part of one competition, whichever is later. Full details can be accessed here.
It is important to appreciate that not all competitions are suitable for all swimmers. RTW Monson provides a range of competitive opportunities to suit individual abilities and these are briefly summarised below:
Internal Competitions
Time trials
Club Championships
Team Competitions
Trophy Galas
National Arena Swimming League
Kent Junior League
National Junior Swimming League (M11)
Championship Competitions
Kent Count ASA Championships
South East Region Championships
ASA National Championships
British Swimming Championships
Licenced Open Competitions
There are four tiers of structured competition. Open Meets are licensed according to the purpose of their competition as Level 1, 2, 3 or 4.
Level 1 is aimed at national qualifiers and those swimmers close to achieving national qualifying times.
Level 2 is also aimed at national and regional qualifiers and swimmers close to regional qualification.
Level 3 is for club swimmers who are seeking regional and county qualifying times.
Level 4 is for club swimmers and those beginning to enter individual open competition and county qualifying times.
National qualifying times are accepted from meets licensed at Levels 1 and 2.
Zonal qualifying times are accepted from meets licensed at Levels 1 and 2.
Regional qualifying times will be accepted from meets licensed at Level 1, 2 and 3.
County qualifying times will be accepted from meets licensed at Level 4 and above.
In 2014 the RTW Monson Club Championships were licensed at Level 4, thus enabling a large number of swimmers to achieve Kent Qualifying Times (KQTs).
Times from all licensed meets appear on the ASA national ranking lists and therefore can be verified by Championship organisers.
Unlicensed open meets
Unlicensed open meets are run by some clubs but these do not carry the guarantee of quality of inclusion of times in the national ranking lists offered by licensed meets.
The major difference is that a swimmer will turn more often in SC competitions and can therefore create more momentum from powering off the wall of the pool generally resulting in a faster swim time.
There are a range of events in the swimming programme. Typically this will be 50m, 100m and 200m races in each of the strokes (breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and freestyle). With freestyle there are also the 400m, 800m and 1,500m freestyle events
There are also 200m and 400m individual medley races, where competitors will complete lengths using butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle strokes in that order. Additionally there are a range of relays: 4x50m and 4x100m Freestyle and Medley relays (in a relay the order is backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle) and a 4x200m freestyle relay.
The ASA Technical Swimming Committee has produced a document entitled 'Success is Long Term (2010 edition): Long Term Athlete Development' related to the journey through swimming' to help parents understand the principles behind training and competition for young swimmers. To access this document click here.
The ASA governs the minimum age at which a swimmer may compete in various types of competition and is determined by the age of the swimmer at midnight on the day of the event or the final day of a series of events forming part of one competition, whichever is later. Full details can be accessed here.
It is important to appreciate that not all competitions are suitable for all swimmers. RTW Monson provides a range of competitive opportunities to suit individual abilities and these are briefly summarised below:
Internal Competitions
Time trials
Club Championships
Team Competitions
Trophy Galas
National Arena Swimming League
Kent Junior League
National Junior Swimming League (M11)
Championship Competitions
Kent Count ASA Championships
South East Region Championships
ASA National Championships
British Swimming Championships
Licenced Open Competitions
There are four tiers of structured competition. Open Meets are licensed according to the purpose of their competition as Level 1, 2, 3 or 4.
Level 1 is aimed at national qualifiers and those swimmers close to achieving national qualifying times.
Level 2 is also aimed at national and regional qualifiers and swimmers close to regional qualification.
Level 3 is for club swimmers who are seeking regional and county qualifying times.
Level 4 is for club swimmers and those beginning to enter individual open competition and county qualifying times.
National qualifying times are accepted from meets licensed at Levels 1 and 2.
Zonal qualifying times are accepted from meets licensed at Levels 1 and 2.
Regional qualifying times will be accepted from meets licensed at Level 1, 2 and 3.
County qualifying times will be accepted from meets licensed at Level 4 and above.
In 2014 the RTW Monson Club Championships were licensed at Level 4, thus enabling a large number of swimmers to achieve Kent Qualifying Times (KQTs).
Times from all licensed meets appear on the ASA national ranking lists and therefore can be verified by Championship organisers.
Unlicensed open meets
Unlicensed open meets are run by some clubs but these do not carry the guarantee of quality of inclusion of times in the national ranking lists offered by licensed meets.