​​​​​​​Papakura Swimming Club

COMPETITION FAQ's

How do I enter?

Check our Competitions Information tab for a calendar of events supported by our club.                                             Papakura Clubnights are free and can be entered by giving a list of your races to the Club Recorder.

For other competitions:                                                                                                                                                                  The Swimming NZ Annual Competitive Swimming Fee must be paid before entering. The coach will usually select races for each swimmer (a link will be shown on our 'Enter Competitions' tab). Enter competitions via the Swimming NZ website using your Mypage login and pay meet fees online.

A 'How to guide' can be found under the 'Members Section' tab.

What do I need at a swim meet?  

To compete at an interclub swim meet you need to have a PPK cap and a PPK t-shirt. At a swim meet make sure you have your goggles and togs, a couple of towels and lots of healthy food snacks. Your young swimmers should know what events they are doing that session so they can focus on them in the warm ups.

What should I eat at a meet?

You should ensure your child attends a meet with high energy healthy foods and snacks.Don't be fooled by TV or Advertising, V, Red Bull and Lift Plus Drinks are extremely bad for your swimmers. Chocolate and Lollies are also extremely bad for your swimmers. These products give your swimmers a very large amount of initial energy, however, these levels then plummet making them very tired.Remember the habits you teach your swimmers about eating will stay with them for the rest of their lives.To find out more about nutrition see our Members Section.        

Do I need to rest between sessions at a swim meet?    

For Level 3 swimmers the intensity of swimming is still low enough for this not to be a major concern.             Swimmers competing at Level 2 should begin to learn good resting habits. For Level 1 swimmers and those who qualify for any Auckland or National Championship event, rest should definitely factor into their preparation and recovery at meets.  Go home and sleep or relax and watch a bit of TV. It is not a good idea to go shopping, go to the movies, or to a friend's house to play.

Parent Participation

Each swimmer (family) who enters a competition is required to assist in the running of that competition.Parents are expected to be available if asked to help with timekeeping. This is done on a roster basis. Other roles may include :IOT (Inspection of Turns) or Judge of StrokeSet-up and pack up equipmentRecording timesDoor SalesTeam managementHelping at meets helps your swimmer, ensures meets run to schedule and finish on time and swimmer's times are official.When you are not helping parents should relax, sit back and enjoy the swimming. You might not realise this but stressed parents equal stressed children. Simply enjoy the event and ENCOURAGE your children. Leave ALL swimming discussion and feedback to their coaches. This is their job.

How are away meets organised?

When your swimmer makes a team that is travelling away to another city or country it is important to know couple of things.The club will do the bookings for accommodation and will organise all major meals.Flights are sometimes done on a club basis but often on an individual basis. Please ensure you liaise with the club to ensure your child is on the correct flight.All information and budgets will be given to you about 3 - 4 months in advance so you will know what is happening. For further details, see our Team Travel Policy under the 'Club Constitution and Rules' tab.

Should I train the day before a meet or should I be resting?

This is a decision to be made by your coach and the training schedule they are following.Unless otherwise directed training continues as normal.

Do I have to go to every meet?

It is important to get as much racing practice as you can. You can assess this through the Auckland Level swim meets and our own Club Night once a month.Regular race practice is vital and you should enter as many as possible.Remember it is important to race so you can get your qualifying times to compete at the Auckland or New Zealand Champs. If you don't race you can not qualify.

Where can I find qualifying times for meets and levels?

Qualifying times are found under the 'Competition Information' tab.

What happens on the day of a meet?

Make sure you know when warm up starts.You must arrive 30 minutes before the start of warm up for:Team talkWarm-up instructionsTeam StretchingCheck Your Race Entries are correctPPK Coaches will take the warm up, NO PARENTS ARE ALLOWED TO INTERFERE with the coaching. If a parent is seen to be coaching at a swim meet they will be asked to leave the pool. If it continues they will be BANNED from all Swim Meets.If you have a question or concern the process is to find the PPK Team Manager and ask them to deal with the problem. They will then contact the coach or an official. NO PARENTS ARE ALLOWED TO APPROACH OUR VOLUNTEER OFFICIALS.Any parent seen to be acting in an inappropriate way will be removed from the pool. At a number of swim meets the parents will have a separate viewing area and are not permitted to sit with the team. Please sit in the designated viewing areas.Once your swimmer has finished their team warm up they will then go back to their team area and wait until the manager calls them up to go to marshalling. Normally our PPK banner will be hanging over our team area.Every meet has a volunteer manager from one of the swimmer's parents who are swimming at the meet. It is their responsibility to make sure the swimmers are looked after whilst sitting with the team and are told to go to the marshalling area when it is time. Let the team manager know if you need to leave the pool deck. Any questions should be directed to the team manager.When your swimmer is waiting for their race, it is very important that they keep warm. If they are cold they will swim slowly. Swimmers should keep wearing their gear right up until the race before them finishes ensuring their body temperature is kept high.The team manager will tell you when to go to your coach before your race. The coach on duty will give your swimmer a racing plan and will tell your swimmer what they need to work on. At younger levels this is kept very basic and as they grow in the world of swimming so will the racing plans become more detailed.Then it is time for them to go to marshalling. ALL swimmers MUST see a coach before going to marshalling. Once in marshalling they will be put in their races and sent to the start line.

RACE TIME

After their race the swimmer is to get out and come back to see the coach straight away for instant feed back. At older levels they will then be sent to a warm down pool to recover. At younger levels they only need to go back to their seat, dry off and get warm. They will then wait for the manager to call them for their next race.If a swimmer needs to go to the toilet or needs to go away from the team then it vital that they tell the PPK Manager where they are going and how long they will be.If a swimmer misses their race because they could not be found then no responsibility will be taken by the PPK staff on duty.

What is a PB?

PB stands for Personal Best. The first time your swimmer swims a race they will be given a seeded time. When they beat this time their new time will be recorded and will become their new seeded time.Every time they beat this time it is called a personal best and this will be recorded.Every PB is a GREAT achievement and one which will become harder and less common the more your child swims.

What is a disqualification?

A disqualification occurs when a swimmer fails to comply with the rules of that race and stroke. This could be an incorrect turn, failure to touch with two hands in breast and fly, an incorrect kicking infringement or early starts in relays or races.When a swimmer is disqualified their time for that race is not counted. Younger swimmers are often learning these rules and may not know the reason they have been disqualified.If your child is disqualified please find something POSITIVE from their race to comment on and leave the disqualification feedback to their COACH. All swimmers will be disqualified at some point and it should be seen as something to learn from and not do next time.Swimmers will generally feel bad about being disqualified, they don't need to be told that it was bad, simply what to do instead next time.

BELOW IS INFORMATION ON REGIONAL AND NATIONAL SWIM MEETS

Auckland Meets

Auckland Level 3                                                                                                                                                                                 Level 3 swim meets are for all swimmers who have not yet qualified for Level 2 or 1. These meets take place at pools within the Auckland area. They are normally on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and are only 1 session of approximately 3 hours.

Auckland Level 2                                                                                                                                                                                 Level 2 swim meets are for intermediate swimmers who have achieved a Level 2 Qualifying Time. These meets take place at pools within the Auckland area. They are on a Saturday or Sunday and will run for 2 sessions of approximately 3-4 hours each session.

Auckland Level 1                                                                                                                                                                          Level 1 swim meets are for experienced swimmers who have achieved a Level 1 Qualifying Time. The Level 1 Swim Meets take place in Auckland, normally at the West Wave Aquatic Centre in Henderson. They are on a Saturday or Sunday and will run for 2 sessions of approximately 3-4 hours each session.

Auckland Junior Championships                                                                                                                                                      The Auckland Junior Champs are held in late November or early December of every year. You need to qualify if you would like to attend. This Championship meet is for all swimmers 12 years and under.

Auckland Age Group Championships                                                                                                                                              The Auckland Age Group Champs are held in mid December of every year. You need to qualify if you would like to attend. This Championship meet is for all swimmers 13 years and over.

Auckland Open Championships                                                                                                                                                       The Auckland Open Champs usually occurs in the early half of each year. You need to qualify if you would like to attend. This Championship meet is for swimmers of any age, but the qualifying times are extremely hard.

North Island Meets

Hamilton Winter Championships                                                                                                                                                      A very large and fun meet, held in the July school holidays. This is a large winter meet and is great for gaining race experience and final qualifying times for Auckland Winter Championships.

Counties Age Group Championships                                                                                                                                         Held in Papatoetoe in the summer holidays, this is a challenging meet with outdoor racing.

New Zealand Championship Meets

New Zealand Junior Festival                                                                                                                                                             This Championship meet is for all 12 year and under swimmers who make the qualifying time. This meet is extremely hard to qualify for. It is held in various venues around the country. Travel/accommodation should be done as a team.

New Zealand Division II Meet                                                                                                                                                            This meet is not a championship meet, but a development meet. It is for swimmers aged 13 and over that have not yet gained a National Age Group qualifying time. It is held in various venues around the country. Travel/accommodation should be done as a team.

New Zealand National Age Group Championships                                                                                                            National Age Groups is the biggest age group meet of the year in NZ. Swimmers that qualify for the event will travel as a Team to the venue that it is being held in that year. This venue will range from Auckland to Dunedin. This competition is for the very best in Age Group Swimming and qualifying is very difficult. This Championship event will double up as a selection meet for the Junior Pan Pacs.

New Zealand Open Championships                                                                                                                                     National Open Championships is the biggest meet of the year in NZ. There is a long course championship and a short course championship. Everyone who makes the qualifying time will travel as the PPK Team to the venue that it is being held in that year. This venue will range from Auckland to Dunedin. The Cream of NZ Swimming competes at this event. This Championship event will double up as a selection meet for Olympics, Commonwealth Games and World Championships.

Swimming should be kept fun and positive. This is the path to succeed.