Stourbridge B Junior Open Meet

Stourbridge B Junior Open Meet

Sunday 18th May

Wolverhampton Central Baths

This meet will have an RSC entry - all swimmers aged 9-12 on the day with Category 2 ASA membership are strongly advised to enter.

Click on the links below for the details. Note the times on the Meet Conditions are the fastest times you can have swum before and still enter.

For those of you new to open meets I have tried to outline the way these competitions work below.

Entry Form Programme of Events meet conditions

I was encouraged to see the large number of new faces at the recent RSC Diddy Galas held at Droitwich, and this together with Bev’s notice about membership fees and the approaching County Championships started me thinking about providing some guidance and encouragement for “new” parents and carers regarding the opportunities for competition that exist.

First of all the Amateur Swimming Association has as a fundamental part of its strategy the concept of providing competitive opportunities for swimmers of all abilities from age 9. Much as it pains me to say it, I can only praise the ASA for this. What this means is that there is a spectrum of competitions which range from club championships and friendly galas right through to the National Championships and beyond to the Olympics and World Championships, that is accessible to your child to move through subject only to their own level of performance. Furthermore there is a consistent set of rules that apply to these competitions.

So you don’t have to wait to be selected for Redditch to get more competition – it’s out there waiting for you to have a go!

The ASA has a system of licensed swimming meetings. At the top are level one meets which are for those swimmers seeking National Championship qualification, level two for those seeking regional qualification, level three and now also level four for those seeking county level qualification and those new to competitive swimming. Worcester County Swimming Association’s Championships are level 2 licensed. Level 3 and above must have electronic timing. Open meets below level 1 will have upper cut-off times and lower consideration times. This causes confusion as the upper cut-off is the fastest time you can have recorded and still be able to enter, and the lower consideration time is the slowest time you can have as a personal best and still enter. There are rules for setting these times that mean that almost all swimmers can find a competition for which they are eligible.

You can enter open meets across the country and at any venue. Rotherham Metro has level 3 graded meets they hold at Ponds Forge Sheffield. This is the largest swimming venue in the country used for International events and holds 3000 spectators, but you can pay your £4 and compete there! You local non-league football team can’t play at Wembley can they?

There are also a number of unlicensed open meets – but don’t worry – they are run to ASA rules. Some of these may be “easier” to enter than licensed meets and the times achieved in them are eligible for entry up to and including county level.

Having said that, if you compete in licensed meets you get to see your name in lights – well you’re in the ASA rankings computer and you can find your position at a national, regional and county level and by age. Have you tried it online? Go to-

In the “Where are You” section at the bottom you can enter your ASA registration number and find your national rankings in all strokes. The top section allows you to get a list of the top swimmers by age, gender, event and area.

The small print - The only catch relates to Bev’s notice, you need to have Category 2 ASA membership if you want to swim in “Open” meets, county championships and in the senior UK swimming league. OK I lied, the second catch is that you will generally have to get a coach’s or chaperone’s pass to accompany a swimmer poolside and if they’re the only swimmer from a club it can be a long day. So it’s definitely better to go as a group.

If you’re interested there are a number of events through the year which may be suitable – details are on the individual club websites. Go to the ASA site for a list of linked clubs