Swim Wales has announced an innovative new competition for its members with the launch of its Super Series.
The inaugural virtual event is slated to be held across 3 stages that span 1 week each, culminating in a Super Final. Those swimmers who land among the top 8 within each age group at the end of stage 3 will be invited to the final. Standings will be presented via a leaderboard updated throughout the stages.
Today, October 1st marks the initial launch of the virtual series, with Stage 1 officially taking place October 19th-25th. The additional stages are revealed in the plan below, with overall winners due to be announced on Christmas Eve.
Additionally, in terms of the age bands, competitor groupings will span 9-12 years, 13-14 years, 15-16 years, and open (17+) among able-bodied swimmers. Para events will be swum multiclass and multi-event using the British Para Points calculator to score swimmers in the age group of Junior (14 & U) and Open (15 & O). There are additional age groups for Masters swimmers.
“The Super Series will provide an innovative and exciting competitive experience for swimmers across Wales while adhering to the current Welsh Government regulations,” said Swim Wales National Performance director Ross Nicholas.
“It will undoubtedly motivate our swimmers to continue to work hard in training, both in the pool and on land, and enable them and their coaches to set clear performance goals and targets.”
Nicholas continued, “Ultimately, it will provide swimmers with a fantastic opportunity to test themselves against not only their own personal goals but also against their peers across the competitive swimming network in Wales through the virtual leader board.”
There are plans to launch additional phases of the Super Series over the next 18 months, ensuring that there are accessible competitive opportunities for our members. Swim Wales will also continue to develop plans to deliver live events, ready for when it is safe to do so, in line with Welsh and British Performance pathways.
You can review the entire Super Series breakdown here.
For reference, 69% of Swim Wales clubs are back in the water since coronavirus-related restrictions have been easing up, while 68% of facilities are operations. Swim Wales currently boasts 4458 registered competitive swimmers.