ORCA compete in a number of Swimming Galas each year – live competitions will appear on the sub menus and will be identified as one of these types of competitions.
CLUB CHAMPS : ORCA Club only galas, not a registered gala but an opportunity to have some timed swimming sessions, relay races and practice sessions for club competitions and open galas. Also used for Coaches and Team Managers in selection of swimmers to comete in the BCM and Arena League competitions.
BCM : Club to Club competitions covering 20 mile radius on Manchester Town Hall. Coaches and Team Managers will invite the swimmers via email to join if the swimmer is selected. For 2023, ORCA have entered the BCM Open League and BCM Team Sprint. The website will provide links to the BCM website that details Fixtures and Results (including the league table)
ARENA : Higher level Club to Club competition covering the North West of England. Typically three competitions in the second weekend of October, November and December. When competition is set up a page will give links to the ARENA league pages detailing the competitions
Open Meets or GALAS : These are the Open Competitions that each individual child over 9 years old can compete in. They are competitions for the individual to progress and achieve their own “Personal Best” times to be recorded on Swim England register and to compete to win medals for their age group. There are 4 Levels of Open Meets, ORCA will compete in Level 4 and Level 3 Open Meets, Oldham Aquatics will compete in Level 3, Level 2 and Level 1 Open Meets.
Level 4 – These meets are defined by the ASA as for one club entry or starte club meets, for example club championships that have been registered with Swim England. These will allow swimmers to achieve ‘official’ times for the other level galas listed above and county qualifying times. There are no upper or lower qualifying times for these galas
Level 3 – These meets can be held in both Long Course (50M) and Short Course (25M) formats. These competitions generally do not have qualifying times but may have an upper limit time (must not have previously swam faster than). This is to ensure that the meet stays as a development meet for up and coming and younger swimmers. Some level 3 meets also accept unlicensed times for the entry which could be timed by a coach at training or in a Club Championships.
Level 2 – These meets are Short Course (25M) and normally have qualifying times to gain entry into the gala. They are generally County Championships and other Open Meets. The times swam in these competitions can be used for entry into National and Regional Championships.
Level 1 – These meets are Long course (50M) and have qualifying times to gain entry into the gala. These competitions can be used to qualify for Regional and National Championships.