Gala Information

WHEN CAN MY CHILD COMPETE?

Swimmers compete in our internal Club Galas from the age of five years, but the A.S.A. only permits competition outside the club at external galas for swimmers who will be at least nine years old by 31st December in that year. The minimum length is 25m so all swimmers must be capable of this. Our nine year olds can compete in the Micro-League and the ECHO CUP. In addition they may also be able to compete in the Merseyside & District League galas depending on their date of birth, together with the many galas they can enter as individuals. We currently compete as teams in four leagues: NW Micro League; Merseyside & District League; Arena National Swimming League & the North Lancs Swim League. In addition we also compete in the Echo Cup & Presidents Cup knock out competitions(see below).

A few changes may be made to teams as the season progresses and the Team manager will choose the team for each gala and leave details on the desk for swimmers to identify their availability. Swimmers and Parents must read the notice boards or website for team fixtures. WE EXPECT OUR SWIMMERS TO MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO BE AVAILABLE TO COMPETE IN OUR TEAMS, IF SELECTED, FROM THE AGE OF 9YRS. Absence of a single swimmer can render the efforts of team mates pointless in more than one sense. If that swimmer would form part of a relay, for example, in order that the remaining swimmers can compete, we may have to enter a swimmer of the wrong age group and declare the change, so the relay would not gain any points. It is disheartening when the club cannot put a swimmer into all races in each gala.

MICRO LEAGUE

In 2010 we will be competing in Division B of the Micro League of the North West. The club was promoted to Div B in 2007.  As in all team competitions there is a combination of individual and relay races. In the Micro-League the relays are 25m legs and individuals races are 50m, except for the 9 year olds who swim 25m individual events. The galas take place between February and July following which, depending on the points total and upon which division they are already in, teams may be involved in a promotion/relegation 'swim off'. The dates for the galas are set at the League league AGM in January each year. (PLEASE NOTE the swimmer's age grouping is based on age on the last Sunday in November each year).

MERSEYSIDE & DISTRICT LEAGUE

This league contains older swimmers than the Micro League. There are 4 age groups:- 10/11 years; 12/13 years; 14/15 years and OPEN. The age groups are based on the swimmers age at 30 June. (conclusion of the season). The season usually runs from September through to April/June. Each gala contains all the teams from the division. In the 2007-08 season Otters were Divisision 4 Champions and in 2008/2009 Division 3 Champions. In 2009/2010 the league has been reorganised into four divisions of four teams - our division will consist of Ormskirk, Bebington, Bridgefield & Wallasey. There are 4 galas this season. The dates are:-

  • Saturday 13 December 2009- Bebington Oval
  • Sunday 7 March 2010 Otters Home Gala @ Crosby 12.30pm
  • Sunday 25 April Walasey Gala Leaseowe w/u 1.00pm
  • The date of Bridgefield's home gala has yet to be confirmed

At the conclusion of the season all swimmers who have taken part in 2 of the galas are eligible to enter the Individual Championships usulally held in June/July.

ECHO CUP

14 clubs from the area are invited to this event each year and it is held at Everton Park. Each team must swim in 2 galas (6 teams in each) and the top 8 teams from these galas go into the final. The 1st round is usually held at the beginning of September with the 2nd round at the end of September. The final is usually at the end of October. The format is similar to the Microleague in that there are 4 age groups:-9 years, 10 years, 11 years and 12 years. Age is at the date of the ECHO CUP FINAL (October 24 in 2010). These galas are always very exciting, particularly the final and the noise levels are particularly high as those of you who attended the 2009 final will know! The dates for 2010 are as follows:-

  • 1st Round Saturday 4 September
  • 2nd Round Saturday 25 September
  • Final Sunday 24 October

CITY OF LIVERPOOL TADPOLE LEAGUE

These galas are held every other Friday night at Everton Park commencing 3rd September 2010 and give our swimmers an opportunity to compete individually against their peers from across Merseyside & the Wirral.  The dates for 2010 are contained in the 'dates' link.

This year there will be seven galas running from 6.00 to 8.30pm. They are for our 9 to 12 year olds (age is as at 19 November 2010). There are no lower level entry times so the galas present an ideal introduction to individual competition and swimmers can enter up to seven individual events over the series.  Being a level 4 Licensed meet the times will also count for entry to the Lancashire County Championships in 2011. Details and entry form can be found here & entries need to with Bob before the summer break. Pleae make cheques payable to Ormskirk & District SC.

LANCASHIRE COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS

The 2011 County Championships will be held in March 2011. They are open to swimmers aged 9 & upwards on the last day of the competition who have achieved a Qualifying Time at an appropriate Licensed Meet from 1/10/10 onwards.

The programme details & conditions for entry & entry forms for the 2010 Championships are available here

The Qualifying Times for the 2010 County Championships can be found here

The Club plans to attend several Licensed Meets to give our swimmers the opportunity to achieve their QT's including:-

The Tadpoles League - see above

January 2011 - City of Liverpool Winter Distance Meet (50m Pool Picton) - swimmers can use split times for sprint entries to Lancashires.

January & February 2011 - North Lancs Association Level 2 Licensed Meet - Blackpool Palatine

29th & 30th January 2011 - Harrogate Open Age Group Meet (age 9yrs & upwards)

5th & 12th February 2011 - Liverpool & District Association Championships - Everton Park  

Further particulars and entry forms will be available nearer to the events and all entries should be submitted via the Club who will co-ordinate entries.

The Qualifying Times for the North West Age Group Championships held in June can be found here

CLUB GALAS

No matter what your ability, you are advised to enter the club galas. These are held during the period from March to July culminating with Club Championships in November.  The dates for the 2010 club galas can be found on the Calendar. All four strokes and individual medley are covered , with two events for each age group per gala. You will register times that are helpful to the Team Manager in selecting teams, and the galas are a traditional part of the club. The club records for the qualifying rounds are available here and for the championship finals here