Competition
Everything you need to know about how galas work, how to enter, and LSC's all-time club records.
Competition Guide
Swimming galas are competitive events where swimmers compete against others in their age group and ability level. Here's what to expect.
Internal competitions for all club members to gain experience in a friendly environment. A great introduction to racing.
External competitions open to swimmers from multiple clubs at county or regional level. Requires ASA membership.
County, Regional and National level competitions requiring qualifying times. Our highest performers compete at British Championships.
Entry Process
Entering a gala can feel overwhelming at first — there are lots of different galas, levels, events and abbreviations. This guide covers the basics and how to enter your swimmer, whether it's their first gala or you just want a refresher.
Swimming has two main seasons — you'll see SC or LC used on gala information and qualifying times, and it matters because 25m and 50m times are recorded separately.
September to March — events swum in a 25m pool.
January to September — events swum in a 50m pool.
Swimmers generally need to be 9 or older to race, unless the club has applied for a special licence — this allows some younger swimmers, from age 7, to take part. Swimmers aged 7 or 8 are only permitted to swim 50m events.
Galas generally run Levels 1–4, with Level 4 the entry level and Level 1 the highest. As swimmers gain experience and improve their times, they naturally progress through the levels.
Entry-level racing — often including NT (No Time) swimmers and newer or younger swimmers.
Swimmers with some racing experience and improving times.
More experienced swimmers, generally with faster qualifying times.
Higher-level competition — generally for swimmers achieving County, Regional or National qualifying times.
The level of a gala is set by its qualifying times and entry requirements, so always check your swimmer is eligible before trying to enter.
Each gala provides a document with the promoter's conditions, listing events and qualifying times — these determine whether your swimmer is eligible for a particular event. You'll also find this listed in the SportsEngine app under the event, within "Promoter's Conditions."
The swimmer's time must not be slower than the qualifying time.
The swimmer's time must not be faster than the qualifying time.
Some galas set both — meaning the time needs to fall within a specific range. If a swimmer has no recorded time (NT), they can only enter events where the gala specifically allows NT entries.
Events are the individual races within a gala, numbered and named — e.g. Event 1, 50m Freestyle. Numbers and order can change between galas, so always check the programme.
Heats group swimmers with similar recorded times together, each racing in their own lane. NT swimmers generally swim in the first few heats.
Winning your heat doesn't necessarily mean a medal — swimmers are ranked against everyone in their age group across all heats, so a swimmer in a different heat could still finish with a faster overall time.
Your coaching team will advise on which events your swimmer should be trying to swim.
The Gala Secretary will email when a gala opens for entries — it's also worth checking the "Events" section of SportsEngine regularly, as new opportunities are added throughout the season. Each gala shows an entry closing date, and a reminder is usually sent as entries are about to close.
Don't leave it until the last minute — once entries have closed, it may not be possible to enter the gala.
Entries are much easier through the SportsEngine Motion app — log in with the same details as the desktop version.
Find Events — scroll to the bottom of the screen and tap "Events."
Find the Gala — find the level of gala you want on the blue bar and tap it.
Select the Gala — tap the gala you want to enter.
Declare — at the top of the next screen, in the green squad section, tap "Declare."
Select the Swimmer — tap the swimmer's name.
Confirm Entry — tap "Yes please."
Find the Events — the blue bars show events available. You'll only see events for your swimmer's gender.
Check Eligibility — you'll only be able to select events your swimmer qualifies for. Black = you can enter. Red = you cannot enter.
Select the Events — tap the box next to each event you want to enter. A green tick confirms your selection.
Check All Sessions — continue through the different days and sessions and select all the events you want.
Submit — when you're finished, tap "Apply." That's it, your swimmer is entered!
If you enter a swimmer and then change your mind, you can withdraw up until the closing date: go back into the gala entry, untick the event you no longer want, and tap "Apply" again.
After the closing date, you'll need a sick note or you will be charged.
You'll see these used throughout SportsEngine:
| D1 | Day 1 |
| Term 1 | Session 1 |
| Term 2 | Session 2, etc. |
| FR | Freestyle / Front Crawl |
| BR | Breaststroke |
| FL | Butterfly / Fly |
| BK | Backstroke |
| IM | Individual Medley |
| DQ | Disqualified |
| NT | No Time |
Upcoming Events
Kept up to date by the club admin team.
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Open Meet 2027
The Leatherhead End of Season Open Meet 2027 will take place on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th June 2027 at The Elmbridge Xcel Leisure Complex, Waterside Drive, Walton-on-Thames, KT12 2JG.
We will not have any lower qualifying times, so it's a great opportunity for swimmers with no licensed times to come along and get some.
For some, it will also provide the opportunity to get some 2028 County and Regionals qualifying times "in the bag" nice and early — or perhaps just round off the swim season with a few PBs.
We also have quite competitive upper qualifying times, so no group of swimmers is excluded. Perhaps your older/faster swimmers would like to update some times in events that they don't swim very often?
Whatever your reason, we would love to welcome you and your swimmers to our meet. Register your interest and we'll send final details as soon as they're available.
Register Interest →leatherheadswim.open@gmail.com
Club Bests
All times are in seconds/minutes:seconds. Scroll the tables sideways on smaller screens. Records are managed by the club admin team.
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