Central Lancashire Swimming and Water Polo Association
The Central Lancs Association includes all clubs affiliated to the North West Region and which lie within a twenty mile radius of Rochdale Town Hall are eligible for election as members.
PROGRAMME "JUNIOR", "JUBILEE", "INTERMEDIATE" AND "SENIOR" LEAGUES
This year (2011) Stretford will be competing in the Intermediate League. Any swimmer swimming in these competitions are not required to be individually registered with the ASA.
Junior Swimming League Competition
The competition takes place annually between 1st March and 31st October. Currently the league is divided into two divisions with new clubs entering in division 2.
The age of the swimmer is that of the 31st October in the year of competition. The age groups are 10 and under (minimum age 9 years), 12 and under, 14 and under, 16 and under and swimmers may swim in all events in their own age group or above.
Normally at a gala there are only two teams with the gala starting off with a series of events where the boys and girls swim in the same race, therefore 4 lanes are occupied. On rare occasions two separate galas are held with the home team competing against two away teams. This is called a "double header" but it does require 6 lanes.
The second part of the gala are mixed races.
All the events are relays.
Each age group of boys, girls and mixed are all competing in their own mini competition such that at the end of the competition the winner and runner up in age group or boys, girls and mixed received medals.
The teams compete in an even number of home and away galas and each team only competes against each other once.
Intermediate Swimming League Competition
The competition takes place annually between 1st March and 31st October. Currently the league is divided into two divisions with new clubs entering in division 2.
The age of the swimmer is that of the 31st October in the year of competition. The age groups are 11 and under (9 years of age can only swim in relays), 13 and under, 15 and under, and swimmers may swim in all events in their own age group or above.
Normally at a gala there are only two teams with the gala starting off with a series of individual events where the boys swim in the even numbered events and girls swim in the odd numbered events, two swimmers are in individual events and one team in the team event. The first part of the gala is individual events whilst the second part are all relays.
On rare occasions two separate galas are held with the home team competing against two away teams. This is called a "double header" but it does require 6 lanes.
The teams compete in an even number of home and away galas and each team only competes against each other once.
Jubilee Junior Swimming Competition
A draw in made at the February meeting of the Central Lancs such that 4 teams will compete in a gala with the first drawn acting as the home team.
There are three round in the competition held in 1st week of March, second week of May, and first week of July. Based on the number of points a team has accumulated during the three round determines which gala they are placed in for the finals which are held in the first week of October.
The age groups are 10 years, 11 years and under, 12 years and under, and 13 years and under. There is a mixture of individual events and relay events.
AGE GROUP COMPETITION
Central Lancs hold open meet competitions in January/February in which swimmers enter as individuals and compete in a full programme of events. The Age Group Competitions are Licenced meets to Level 3 which means that if a swimmer swims better than the required time this will gain him/her entry into the County or North West Region galas or a Level 1 or Level 2 meet. Because they are Licenced meets it is a requirement that each swimmer is a member of the ASA to Category 2 level.
By entering the Age Group Competition the first 2 swimmers in an event/age group are invited to represent Central Lancs at the Inter Association Competitions held during May in which all the Associations in the North West Region compete against each other. This will be held this year (2011) at Macclesfield in a 25 metre pool. (Stretford normally enter via Manchester and District)
AGE GROUP COMPETITION GALAS FOR THE WARBURTON TROPHY (WARBURTONS)
These are a series of open meets which are designated and are normally a series of galas run around October. An interesting feature is that in the last gala the Bob Foden Memorial Race is run consisting of 14 swimmers in a team covering all the age groups in a freestyle race.