Swimming Club and Getting Started in Competition.

Swimming club is the starting point towards building a swimmers competitive ability. It is also an essential part of maintaining a squad swimmers motivation and development as a swimmer. Swimmers that regularly do competition alongside squad training greatly accelerate their swimming ability. Without racing most swimmers eventually drop out of the sport as swimming laps by itself doesn't maintain their interest. It can be likened to a team sport such as netball or soccer, where club nights are the game day. The game day is really important to seeing improvement and creating a framework around the training. It's also great for parents and swimmers to build up a social network and fully engage with the sport.   

There are four clubs that operate in the Mountains. Links for all the club websites can be found here.

When is it?

Swimming clubs hold racing nights each week (fortnightly in winter season).

Club nights are on:

Katoomba R.S.L. Swimming Club
Summer: Friday nights 6-7pm
Winter: Every second Friday 6-7pm

Lawson Swimming Club
Summer: Friday nights 6-7pm
Winter: Every second Friday at Springwood 6-7pm

Lower Blue Mountains Swimming Club
Summer: Monday nights 7-8pm
Winter: Every second Thursday at Springwood 7-8pm

How do I join?

Please just go in on a club night. It is suggested to arrive at least 20 minutes prior to the start time and look for the people sitting down at a table on pool deck. Swimmers can usually do one or two free trial nights before joining. The cost of joining is usually around $100/year though this may vary from club to club.

How does it work?

At club nights swimmers will nominate the races they wish to do from a list of options. Swimmers usually do 3 or 4 races each night. When they race swimmers try and beat their times to achieve a personal best (P.B.). When they do they get points. A point score for each age group is kept across each season. At the end of the season the swimmer in each age group with lots of points wins a point score trophy. In this way the emphasis is on swimming improvement over beating another person. 

Presentation Night

At the end of each summer season a presentation night is organised by the swimming club. On this evening swimmers and club participants are recognised for their efforts. These nights are usually at the end of April or start of May. Swimmers usually get awards or trophies at these events which builds their motivation and character, and attendance is highly encouraged. 

What about Swimming Carnivals?

Swimming carnivals are daily or weekend meets that swimmers can compete in. Swimmers should 1st look at joining a club to participate in a swimming carnival. Swimmers often swim a few seconds quicker at carnivals then they do at club so this is a great step to take after trying some club race nights. Swimming carnivals happen every 5 or 6 weeks where we have a specific meet at a location we are targeting. A list of these carnivals can be found under the competition section of this site here. The next few meet dates each term are also sent out in the squad newsletters. It's also good to follow the clubs facebook page for upcoming events.

To enter a carnival swimmers who are members of a swimming club can logon to 'Swim Central'. There they can search for a specific carnival and enter races. It's important to note that these carnivals all have closing dates and maximum numbers which may close them early. To ensure you are able to participate it's encouraged to book in early.