Droitwich Dolphins - Competitive Swimming Club.
You should have the following items with you when you go to a gala:
YOU pack your bag
Pack your own bag, YOU are the athlete, YOU need to know what YOU have with YOU and where it is. YOU need what is in it. YOU have worked and trained hard to get here and your parents have worked hard to get YOU to training. Who are YOU now to sit back and have them wait on YOU. It's time for YOU to start sorting out stuff for YOU. The first step to controlling your own swimming as YOU move into competition is YOU packing your own kit. YOU need it, YOU use it, YOU pack it.
Sleep and night-before food
There is no substitute for sleep and you need it before competition. Some of your friends, especially non-competitive types, will arrange awake-overs on Friday nights - avoid these and get your head down. If you are daft enough to go then, at the gala, when you are feeling drowsy and dazed and swimming like a piece of soggy lettuce, you will know why. If you still go ahead and go to Friday sleepovers before a Saturday gala, then you will be helping the coaches form an opinion of the level of your ambition.
Get home from training on Friday and eat pasta, rice or potatoes, relax a bit and then head for bed. What's the point in training for perfection for months and then crocking your body the night before so that you can only disappoint yourself and let down your family and team-mates.
Some information about pre-race meals
Keep in mind that a pre-race meal affects your performance. You should NOT change your eating habits drastically on the day you have a gala. You should however avoid certain foods which tend to upset your stomach or cause discomfort. It is a good policy to finish eating a moderate-sized meal at least 2 1/2 to 3 hours before competing, if you are in a morning session, eat something which is light on the stomach and what you enjoy.
Morning sessions are the toughest from this point of view - anyone can eat a bowl of pasta or couscous at lunchtime but you have to get things you like such as porridge, lots of jam on toast, cereal, etc in at breakfast. This goes for whatever time it is - you may have to drive 40miles for an 08.15 warm-up so it might be very early. Picky eaters or swimmers who don't just get the fuel in and think they can perform are kidding themselves. Try to avoid the following foods prior to a gala:
Eating during the competition
PLEASE! do not eat anything during the gala, other than nibbling on sugary foods such as boiled sweets or fruit. Avoid sandwiches and crisps like the plague ? they will just sit in your stomach and will require extra effort to digest ? effort that is then not available to your muscles! If you are hungry have some of your drink by just taking little sips, this stops you from feeling bloated. You should never have fizzy drinks, unless it is an isotonic drink ie; Lucozade Sport ? however water is the best drink there is.
Warm-up
You should warm-up on the poolside as well as in the water. If you find that you are the only one standing on poolside doing some form of exercise, remember that you are the only one who is preparing properly for the races ahead of you, and are the most likely to perform at your best. Don't avoid poolside warm up just because your mates aren't doing it! Try the following:
Will you prepare to swim your best - or do your best to wait to swim?
After you have finished your warm-up, you should take a hot shower, dry yourself off and keep warm. Change your costume and wear a dry suit. It might be a long time before your swim and you should keep your muscles warm. Many sensible swimmers will get dressed warmly and even wear a hood or a wooly hat. You should have warm, dry trainers on your feet with socks. Standing for three hours on a wet, cold, tiled floor will chill you through. Keep moving and doing light stretches to loosen your muscles, support your team mates, watch the swimming. Try to stay active! Think positive. Do not lie down and have a sleep, you will find it hard to get your adrenaline running through your body before you race. One of the best things is to run on the spot, jump or skip to get your heart working faster ready for the work it is about to do, otherwise it might just be getting up to working speed at about the time you touch the end wall. This often works best for many people.
What am I doing here?
The teamsheet will be posted in the club area and you will be able to read this after your warm up. Swimmers swim the stroke and distance allocated to them. There is no discussion about this as in the weeks prior to the competition a great deal of discussion has gone into what stroke YOU need to do and what YOU are capable of.
When going to the marshalling-area put your goggles on your head or push them down around your neck. If you are carrying them it is possible that you will put them down or struggle to get them on properly at the last minute. It will also stop you chewing and biting them - goggles always snap in the marshalling area never in the changing room - now why would that be? Have your swim-cap on in plenty of time.
Housekeeping and behaviour
Treat every gala as an opportunity to learn your craft. Watch the fastest swimmers and also look for what you think are the 'best' swimmers in the water and see what they do. Watch what they do out of the water as well, how they prepare to swim, how they warm up, and their levels of concentration and focus prior to swimming. Where there is a scoreboard note their times and learn what a fast swim looks like - looks can be deceiving. When you swim find out your times, remember your PB, look for ways to improve everything you do. Look at the swimmers in the other lanes and remember them - then remember where you came when you next see them. This is not a rehearsal, this is the real thing.
Rowdy behaviour distracts you from concentrating and preparing to do your best. If you are noisy or talking loudly at the start of races swimmers can be distracted ? and this includes your own team-mates!
Remember that you are guests of another club in another town. We are a sports team so wear sports clothes and club uniform on the poolside. Do not wear street-shoes on the poolside! Keep the team-area clean and tidy, pick up all of your papers and litter and leave no mess.
Lastly?..
Remember, you have been selected to swim a gala as part of a Droitwich Dolphins team, and the swims assigned to you, whether they be individual swims or relays swims are due to your skills and times in relation to other members of your team. EVERYBODY in the team is as important as everybody else, whether they have been asked to swim several individual swims, or one relay leg. ALL points count!!!! YOUR contribution counts!!!!
