NEW MEMBERS

INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS - COMPETITIONS

HSC is a competitive club – with a fantastic record of team and individual achievements at local, county, regional, national, European and World level. Here is some information about the competitions you may experience initially.

Types of competitions:
  • In-house: ‘club championships’ are organised and run by the club.  All members are invited to enter and this can be a great learning experience for younger swimmers.
  • Team: these generally have a combination of individual and relay events with a points system. Several clubs compete against each other and the team with the most (or sometimes least) points wins.
  • Hillingdon Open meets and competitions organised by other swimming clubs and organisations (such as Middlesex ASA) are graded Level 1,2,3 or 4. They require that swimmers meet specific entry times and pay an entry fee for each event.
Beginning to compete
  • Swimmers below the age of 9 are not allowed to compete in most English public competitions.
  • The first experience of competing should be positive. Please trust your child’s coach – they will encourage / invite your child to enter competitions when they think it is the right time / type of competition, to do so.
  • Be aware that whilst some young swimmers are really keen to start to race and can’t wait to compete, others can initially be quite anxious and frightened.
Which competitions to enter?
  • Competitions targeted by RNSS & HBEST are listed on the club website with entry forms and further details.
  • Your squad rep will tell you if your swimmer has been invited to enter a competition, along with instructions, such as a closing date for entries.
How can I support my swimmer?
  • Help them to complete their entry forms
  • Make sure they arrive at the competition venue on time and with the correct equipment ie swimwear (plus a spare costume), goggles x 2, hat x 2, club t-shirt, ‘hoodie’ (optional), pool shoes, black tracksuit bottoms and/or shorts (the club shop is happy to assist you with the purchase of the above kit).
  • Provide them with plenty of fluids and snacks.  We recommend snacks such as dried fruits, fresh fruits, jam sandwiches, pancakes, muffins, cereal bars. Try to avoid fizzy drinks, crisps, sweets, chocolate bars, chips etc.
  • Pack a lunch for all day competitions eg  pitta bread filled with chicken, pasta or rice salad, tortilla wraps or sandwiches filled with turkey, lean ham etc.
  • DON’T put pressure on your young swimmer and keep expectations realistic – it is important that young swimmers enjoy taking part in competitions as an individual and as a team member.
  • DO act as a good role model by supporting and encouraging your child to support their fellow team members.
After the race…
  • Some competitions go well, others less well. Most swimmers will at some point be DQ’d (disqualified), lose their goggles, do a false start, swallow water etc ...!
  • Club coaches will (whenever possible) give swimmers pre-race advice / encouragement and afterwards some constructive feedback.  Please avoid attempting to do this yourself – your child will not appreciate it, as it can be confusing and upsetting and may contradict what their coach has said.
  • Do note the times achieved for each stroke and distance, along with the date achieved – this helps when entering future competitions.
Rewarding your child for good performances with money, presents etc is not encouraged
  • Most importantly, a swimmer should be self-motivated to want to perform to their best ability.
  • Swimmer’s expectations may grow as their ability develops -  costing their parents a small fortune.
  • Not all parents can afford to ‘treat’ their child in this way – this can be upsetting when other swimmers have ‘boasted’ (which they do) to others about what they will receive if they swim well.
  • Punishing a child in any way for performing ‘badly’ is NOT acceptable.